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genocides continue to happen. What has happened to world Jewry can be seen as a prototype of what can happen to other nations.
After two millennia, there is an urgent need for reconciliation between Jews and Christians. The process has begun, but more needs to be done. It is my contention that we should look at the origins and attempt to understand the steps that led to separation, if we wish to uncover why a relationship became so bad. The identification of problems and the original causes of dissent is an essential condition towards the building up of a good relationship between the two faiths. Looking at the origins of problems can be part of the process of finding a solution.
Samuel Sandmel once wrote:
The separation of early Christianity from Judaism is a difficult and complex subject. There is no simple way to understanding it in all its nuances. However, the subject is of fundamental importance in the study of the relationship between the two religions. After nearly two thousand years of growing apart, it is time to remind Christians that Jesus was a Jew and their roots lie in Judaism. We need to re-examine the reasons the relationship deteriorated so badly. The identification of problems is an important first step.
The Problem
Christianity began its existence as a variant of Judaism in the first century CE, a period when Judaism was pluralistic and a ferment of latitudinarian religious views, as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other material has confirmed. Why, then, did Christianity not remain a sectarian movement that operated within Judaism, or develop into