CHRISTIANITY AND'RACE SIR,—In the review by Mr. Hugh Montefiore entitled
'Christianity and Race,' in your issue of February 15, your reviewer states amongst other things, 'This teaching of Jesus on race relationships was so revolutionary that it provoked the first great crisis of the primitive Church' May 1, with respect, suggest 'evolutionary,' instead of 'revolutionary,' for one can multiply quotations both from the Old Testament and from early rabbinic literature to show how great was the pro- gress which had been made in understanding love of one's neighbour to include members of a different race long before Jesus began his teaching.
Two outstanding examples are those of Leviticus, chapter xix, verse 18 ('Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself') and Amos, chapter ix, verse 7 ('Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me, 0 children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the Land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?'). I would also like to refer your reviewer to the excellent book by Dr. Claude Montefiore on RabbiniCal Literature and Gospel Teachings, page 61.
An acknowledgement of the sources and roots of the teachings of Jesus would help towards a more correct interpretation in Biblical scholarship and towards a better understanding of the different theologies.—Yours faithfully, • The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London PHILIP COHEN
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