A report in the Jerusalem Post provides further evidence of the visceral theological anti-Jewish hatred of Canon Naim Ateek, the Palestinian cleric who is honoured as a ‘peacemaker’ in the Anglican Peace and Justice Network report (see posts below) and who is lionised among Anglican clerics in Britain and the US. As the Post makes clear, although liberals excoriate evangelical Christians for a profound theological animus against the Jews, it is liberal Christians who lap up Ateek’s every word. His influence in turning the Christian world against Israel cannot be overstated. Yet Ateek, president of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre, is a Jew-hater out of medieval central casting:

‘Ateek is regarded as a "peacemaker" in the US even as he recycles the deicide charge against the Jews and directs the hostility it arouses against the Jewish state. For example, in December 2000, Ateek wrote that Palestinian Christmas celebrations were "marred by the destructive powers of the modern-day "Herods" who are represented in the Israeli government." In his 2001 Easter Message, Ateek wrote: "The Israeli government crucifixion system is operating daily. Palestine has become the place of the skull." And in a February 2001 sermon, Ateek likened the Israeli occupation to the boulder sealing Christ's tomb. With these three images, Ateek has figuratively blamed Israel for trying to kill the infant Jesus, crucifying Jesus the prophet and blocking the resurrection of Christ the Savior. The use of such images is not the language of peacemaking, but part of an inexcusable effort to breathe new life into Christian theological hostility toward Jews and focus its vile energy on the Jewish state...

‘Through its Global Ministries Board, an institution it shares with another Protestant denomination, the Disciples of Christ, the UCC [the United Church of Christ which is considering three anti-Israel motions at its synod next month] broadcasts Ateek's message to Christians in the US by reprinting many of its anti-Israel press releases on the Internet and thereby giving credibility to pro-Palestinian propaganda. In 2003, Ateek was invited to speak to the UCC's General Synod, where he compared modern-day Israel to ancient Rome, which of course, killed Jesus and oppressed his followers. His speech, posted on the UCC's Web site, includes the following passage: "Most Palestinians today are born under occupation as Jesus was. In his day it was the oppressive Roman occupation. Today it is the oppressive Israeli occupation."’

Ateek has fused the political cause of Palestinianism with medieval supercessionism to produce a ‘liberation theology’ which rewrites Scripture to cast the Palestinians as Jesus and the Jews as the Romans so that Israel’s defence against Arab mass murder is represented as deicide. And guess what – the heirs to the perpetrators of the original deicide libel have taken up this re-run of the oldest hatred with undimmed enthusiasm. A history which ended in tragedy is being repeated – as tragedy.

Posted by melanie at June 28, 2005