From the Desk of the President
My Gratitude for ETRFI and My Excitement for
“Archaeology, Theology, and Bible”
by Brad H. Young, PhD
I feel supreme joy in my heart to have been given this opportunity to serve as President of the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel for this term. I have benefited directly from the activities of the Fraternity from the late seventies when I was working on my PhD in comparative religions at the Hebrew University until the present when I have heard lectures and given presentation. I treasure the friends I have made through the ETRFI and the learning experiences I have gained from my participation.
The Fraternity’s executive secretary the Rev. Dr. Petra Heldt has provided visionary leadership in maintaining and achieving the objectives and the traditions from the founding of the Fraternity in 1966. She has served the Fraternity since 1987. She and Malcolm Lowe observed, “During the Second Vatican Council…Pope Paul VI quoted the view of the Protestant theologian Karl Barth that ‘the only really important question” in the ecumenical sphere is the Christian relationship to the Jewish people” (Immanuel 22/23, p. 134). From 1966 to the present, the ETRFI has sought to foster greater interfaith understanding and reconciliation between the Christian and Jewish communities through scholarly engagement, active research, and relationship building. “Fraternity” is a term based upon “brotherhood” or the word “brother,” which in Greek means, “sharing the same womb.” Brothers and sisters in our faith-based communities not only “share the same womb,” but they have also joined hearts and minds to learn from each other’s traditions and experiences. The work here is ecumenical by celebrating diverse Christian communities of faith and learning to listen to each other’s stories. It is theological because it is our contemplation of God’s mysterious ways within our faith traditions that give us new insights and perceptions into the realities of our life together.
The Fraternity always must insist on research of the evidence and the reasonable analysis of primary sources. Proverbs 23:23 teaches us, “Buy truth, do not sell it, buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (ESV). The word, “buy” in Hebrew means “to acquire” which requires diligent effort in research, study, and learning. As a Fraternity we seek to build meaningful relationships. Zoom lectures make it easier for wider involvement and for maintaining relationships outside Israel. I meet people all over the world who have participated in the lecture series or made a friend because of the ETRFI’s activities.
“Archaeology, Theology, and Bible”
by Brad H. Young, PhD
I feel supreme joy in my heart to have been given this opportunity to serve as President of the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel for this term. I have benefited directly from the activities of the Fraternity from the late seventies when I was working on my PhD in comparative religions at the Hebrew University until the present when I have heard lectures and given presentation. I treasure the friends I have made through the ETRFI and the learning experiences I have gained from my participation.
The Fraternity’s executive secretary the Rev. Dr. Petra Heldt has provided visionary leadership in maintaining and achieving the objectives and the traditions from the founding of the Fraternity in 1966. She has served the Fraternity since 1987. She and Malcolm Lowe observed, “During the Second Vatican Council…Pope Paul VI quoted the view of the Protestant theologian Karl Barth that ‘the only really important question” in the ecumenical sphere is the Christian relationship to the Jewish people” (Immanuel 22/23, p. 134). From 1966 to the present, the ETRFI has sought to foster greater interfaith understanding and reconciliation between the Christian and Jewish communities through scholarly engagement, active research, and relationship building. “Fraternity” is a term based upon “brotherhood” or the word “brother,” which in Greek means, “sharing the same womb.” Brothers and sisters in our faith-based communities not only “share the same womb,” but they have also joined hearts and minds to learn from each other’s traditions and experiences. The work here is ecumenical by celebrating diverse Christian communities of faith and learning to listen to each other’s stories. It is theological because it is our contemplation of God’s mysterious ways within our faith traditions that give us new insights and perceptions into the realities of our life together.
The Fraternity always must insist on research of the evidence and the reasonable analysis of primary sources. Proverbs 23:23 teaches us, “Buy truth, do not sell it, buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (ESV). The word, “buy” in Hebrew means “to acquire” which requires diligent effort in research, study, and learning. As a Fraternity we seek to build meaningful relationships. Zoom lectures make it easier for wider involvement and for maintaining relationships outside Israel. I meet people all over the world who have participated in the lecture series or made a friend because of the ETRFI’s activities.
