Jews, Christians and their Bibles

Jews and Christians both have their own distinct bibles.  They interpret those scriptures in a variety of ways.  But on some matters, there is agreement.  

They do not worship their Bibles and they know their scriptures and traditions are not inerrant or infallible. 

As a boy attending Yeshiva, the Rabbis introduced me to these writings.  I was taught to interpret and wrestle with them.  I was taught the words and commandments of God were intended to transform us into healthy human beings.  I was taught that some of these texts could be incomplete or difficult to understand.  I was taught to argue with the stories to discover their possible meanings.  I was taught to listen and study the historical interpreters of scripture with an eye to where they were right and where they could be wrong.  I was taught to pay attention to the white spaces between the words.  I was taught to think not just to believe.

Let’s say this as bluntly as we can. The Bible is not God.  In places, it can tell us the truth about God and human beings.  Yes, we study our scriptures, but we are not obligated to obey everything they say.  When our texts point us to God, point us to living with courage and integrity, and caring for the neighbor, we respect and follow that scripture.  But, when the scripture does not point us in that direction we are obligated to argue with those texts and consider where they may be wrong.  

After all, some texts are descriptive while others are prescriptive.  Some texts describe what religious people practiced long ago.  Other texts prescribe how we ought to live our lives.  It is the ongoing work of Religious communities over the years to interpret, debate and determine which are which.  This emphasis on interpretation can be confusing and distressing, but better than blind following of the tradition.  To be clear, scripture and tradition are fine but not divine.  Let us respect and listen to the wisdom of our scriptures but not blindly follow what obviously belongs to the culture and practice of another era.  We are called upon to emulate their faith but not their cultural practices.

Our scriptures are rich and have much to teach us if we will let them speak and transform us.  The goal for Jews and Christians is to seriously engage their scriptures and traditions, grapple with them, figure out the best they can how to live as people of faith and character.  All the rest is commentary.