A Jewish Response to John Cobb: The Earth and Humanity: A Christian View

Abstract

It is interesting that in establishing the topics for this conference a central triad of Judaism is seemingly restated by the terms God, Earth and Humanity. Having been involved in the planning I can assure all of you that this ‘trinity’ was entirely unconscious. Restated in our trialogue’s language, God, Earth and Humanity are not only theological abstractions but living realities for each of our particular peoples. The Jewish people has one word for itself, its piece of earth — and, for that matter, its divine-human relationship — that word is Israel. Respectively, this word Israel means: (1) God wrestlers; (2) the piece of earth, Israel (politically ill-defined but not undefined); and (3) the people, Israel. All three are inextricably bound up with one another. While this may seem to unsympathetic ears a reductionism or a simple rhetorical gambit, it is for me the way into an empathetic reading of Mr Cobb’s chapter.