Jewish Sermons in Church? a First for King’s College

For the first time in its 550-year history, Jewish themes are dominating the sermons at King’s College Chapel, one of England’s most important Anglican churches.

In an attempt to acquaint Christians with the Jewish roots of Christianity, the chapel has launched an eight-part series of Jewish-related sermons.

The sermons, which are attracting people of many difference faiths to the magnificent 16th-century church, are being delivered by a number of Bible scholars, half of them Jewish.

Recent sermons, presented during regular Sunday morning services, have included “Judaism and Christianity: Sibling Rivalry” and “Shabbat, Symbols and Idolatry.”

According to George Pattison, dean of the chapel, the sermons are an outgrowth of a yearlong research project on early Christianity conducted by members of Kings College.

“The project focused on the separation between church and synagogue,” Pattison said. “In the course of the research, it was determined that this separation came much later, historically speaking, than was first thought.”

Pattison, who initiated the series, said he was motivated by the “desire for dialogue.”

For centuries, “the chapel has been designated as the college’s spiritual center,” he said, adding, “I wanted to explore what that means in a pluralistic society.”

The chapel, Pattison thinks, is the perfect place for such an exploration.

Although clearly a Christian institution, the chapel is also leading tourist site and attracts a broad range of visitors from around the world.

Unlike many churches, which favor New Testament over Old Testament symbols, King’s Chapel honors both traditions. Half of its exquisite stained-glass windows, commissioned by King Henry VIII, depict Joseph being cast into the pit, Jonah emerging from the whale’s mouth and other Old Testament themes.

“It is important for Christians to learn more about our roots”, said Hilary Pattison, the dean’s wife.

Unfortunately, she added, “people are so afraid of what they don’t know, even though it is beneficial to understand another set of beliefs”.

“To understand the new”, she said, “We must first understand the old”.

George Pattison said that “while the overall response from worshipers has been very positive, one or two people have gotten angry”.

He cited on case : “A speaker told a story where God admitted to being wrong after a rabbi quoted scripture to Him. One of our visitors thought this was blasphemous”,

Mary Lockwood, an elder of the United Reform Church, said she had no such reservations about the sermons.

“The sermon is what attracted me here today, even thought I’m not Anglican”, she said.

That sermon, delivered by Melissa Lane, a Jewish lecturer at Kings College, stressed the importance of Shabbat in Judaism and the fact that even though Judaism and Christianity share many bonds, they ultimately are unique.

Standing outside the chapel after the service , Lockwood expressed satisfaction at the sermon’s message.

“Dr. Lane noted that there are no exact counterparts between Judaism and Christianity, that a synagogue means one thing to Jews and that a church means another thing to Christians”, Lockwood said.

Lockwood’s initial interest in Judaism was piqued, she said, during a visit to an Orthodox synagogue.

“I’m a tour guide, and I often take visitors to local churches. One day, I was instructed to visit an Orthodox synagogue as well. I knew nothing about the place, so I handed to tour over to a student.

“I had heard about the ark and the Torah scrolls, but had never seen them before. It was a very moving experience. As a Christian, I’m searching all the time. Today’s sermon was part of that search”, she said.

For Lane, the lecture proved to be rewarding as well.

“Last week in shul, I real the Torah portion that I discussed today in church”, she said. “Regardless of the location, it feels good to bring people together”.