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Nostra Aetate, the 1965 Declaration on the Church's Relationship to Non-Christian Religions was one of the most influential and celebrated documents issued by the Second Vatican Council, a gathering of the world's Catholic bishops. In particular it made possible a new and positive relationship between Jews and Catholics. This page provides primary source documents and educational materials to assist in the observance of the fiftieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate in 2015. Thanks to Victoria Barnett, John Connelly, and Murray Watson for their assistance with certain items. |
Preconciliar Texts |
Texts from the period when the Christian cultural and religious view prevailed that Jews were destined to suffer or live on the margins of society because of their rejection of Jesus Christ. |
| 1. | Theodor Herzl: Audience with Pope Pius X | Jan 16, 1904 | Theodor Herzl |
| 2. | Encyclical "Mit Brenneder Sorge" | Mar 14, 1937 | Pope Pius XI |
| 3. | "Spiritually, we are Semites" | Sept 6, 1938 | Pope Pius XI |
| 4. | Draft Encyclical: "Humani Generis Unitas" | 1938 | Gustave Desbuquois, Gustav Gundlach, John LaFarge |
Precursors |
Texts reflecting post-Shoah efforts to overcome theological anti-Judaism. Many concepts in these materials were taken up in Nostra Aetate. |
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1. |
Aug 1947 |
International Council of Christians and Jews |
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2. |
The Rectification Necessary in Christian Teaching: Eighteen Points |
Apr 1948 |
Jules Isaac |
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3. |
The Schwalbach Theses: Proposals for Christian Religious Teaching |
May 1950 |
German Coordinating Council of Societies for Christian-Jewish Cooperation |
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4. |
Aug 1954 |
Karl Thieme |
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| 5. | Rejecting Antisemitism | Apr 24, 1960 | Faculty of the Pontifical Biblical Institute |
| 6. | Recommendations from the Institute for Judaeo-Christian Studies, Seton Hall University | June 8, 1960 | John M. Oesterriecher, et al. |
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7. |
June 13, 1960 |
Jules Isaac |
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8. |
Second Apeldoorn International Study Conference on Christian-Jewish Relations |
Sept 1960 |
Willehad Eckert, O.P. |
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9. |
Oct 19, 1960 |
L'Osservatore Romano |
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| 10. | The Image of Jews in Catholic Teaching | June 22, 1961 | AJC: Judith Hershcopf Banki |
| 11. | Anti-Jewish Elements in Catholic Liturgy | Nov 17, 1961 | AJC: Eric Werner |
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12. |
Nov 1961 |
Third Assembly, World Council of Churches |
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| 13. | On Improving Catholic-Jewish Relations | May 22, 1962 | AJC: Abraham Joshua Heschel |
Composition Process |
Drafts and speeches that chart the development of what began as a statement only on Jews and Judaism to a declaration on all the world's religions. |
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1. |
Nov 1961 |
Secretariat for Christian Unity |
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2. |
On the Attitude of Catholics Toward Non-Christians and Especially Toward Jews |
Nov 1963 |
Secretariat for Christian Unity |
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3. |
Jan 5, 1964 |
Pope Paul VI |
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4. |
Jan 15, 1964 |
Augustin Cardinal Bea |
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5. |
Mar 1964 |
Secretariat for Christian Unity |
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6. |
Sept 1964 |
Second Vatican Council Coordinating Commission |
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7. |
Sept 25, 1964 |
Augustin Cardinal Bea |
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8. |
Sept 28, 1964 |
Council Fathers |
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9. |
Sept 29, 1964 |
Council Fathers |
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10. |
Sept 29, 1964 |
Council Fathers |
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11. |
Draft of the "Declaration on the Church's Relationship to Non-Christian Religions" |
Nov 18, 1964 |
Council Fathers |
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12. |
Mar 1965 |
Secretariat for Christian Unity |
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Official Conciliar and Postconciliar Texts |
The final form of Nostra Aetate, a relevant excerpt from Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, and implementing documents of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Vatican Secretariat of State. |
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1. |
Oct 28, 1965 |
Second Vatican Council |
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2. |
Nov 1964 |
Second Vatican Council |
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3. |
Guidelines and Suggestions for Implementing the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, No. 4 |
Jan 1974 |
Commission for Religious Relations with Jews |
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4. |
June 1985 |
Commission for Religious Relations with Jews |
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5. |
Mar 16, 1998 |
Commission for Religious Relations with Jews |
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6. |
Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel |
Dec 30, 1993 |
Secretariat of State of the Holy See and the State of Israel |
| 7. | "The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable" (Rom 11:29): A Relfection on Theological Questions Pertaining to Catholic-Jewish Relations on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate (No. 4) | Dec 10, 2015 | Commission for Religious Relations with Jews |
Papal Texts |
Links to relevant writings of the post-conciliar popes. |
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1. |
1963-1978 |
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2. |
1978-2005 |
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3. |
2005-2013 |
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4. |
2013- |
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50th Anniversary Statements |
Documents issued in honor of the golden anniversary of Nostra Aetate |
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1. |
Celebrating and Deepening the New Christian-Jewish Relationship
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June 30, 2015 |
International Council of Christians and Jews |
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2. |
A Church in Dialogue: The Catholic Church and Interreligious Dialogue
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Aug 31, 2015 |
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops |
| 3. |
Nostra Aetate: Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions 50th Anniversary
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Oct 26, 2015 | Bishops Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference |
| 4. |
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Nov 21, 2015 | Presbytery of Chicago, Presbyterian Church - USA |
| 5. |
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Nov 23, 2015 | French Jewish Leaders |
| 6. |
"To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians"
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Dec 3, 2015 | Orthodox Jewish Leaders |
| 7. | "Between Jerusalem and Rome: The Shared Universal and the Respected Particular – Reflections on 50 Years of Nostra Aetate" | March 2016 | Conference of European Rabbis and Rabbinical Council of America |