Analyzing the content of both Books of Maccabees, one can notice that their authors firmly emphasized the question of supernatural help which God had been giving to the Jewish people, who were under the rule of the Seleucid Em-pire. It is particularly visible in the struggle undertaken in defense of the Law, the homeland, the temple and native customs. Although battles were often fought against enemies of considerable military advantage, the troops of fight-ing Jews were in the end – with God’s help – victorious. Moreover, the miracu-lous intervention of God was described by the author of 2Ma by means of su-pernatural revelations of mysterious characters in which God Himself revealed his own power as well as defended his people. Therefore, the Jews – being the witness of these events and keeping God’s interventions in the history of their own nation in mind – had no doubt that God Himself – showing his power – was fighting against their enemies. This conviction is clearly expressed in the following worlds of 1Ma 12:15: “(…) we have the support of Heaven to help us, thanks to which we have been delivered from our enemies, and they are the ones who have been brought low.” On the basis of the text of both books it can be seen that God’s help was usually a response to prayers full of faith, as it is stated in 2Ma 1:8: “we prayed to the Lord, and our prayer was heard.” The effi-cacy of the prayer and – consequently – the support given by God were essen-tially dependent upon the fidelity to the Law of those who prayed and fought.
Artykuł analizuje temat relacji chrześcijańsko żydowskich w aspekcie historycznym i teologicznym. W części historycznej zostały krótko omówione następujące okresy: Nowego Testamentu, patrystyczny, średniowieczny, nowożytny i współczesny. W części teologicznej przedstawione zostały najpierw wspólne elementy judaizmu i chrześcijaństwa: Żydzi i chrześcijanie podkreślają w ich wierze i działaniu związek między miłością i sprawiedliwością; opierają oni swoja wiarę na wspólnych pismach (Stary Testament); rozumieją siebie na wzajem jako lud Boży; wyznają jednego Boga jako Stwórcę i Odkupiciela; wyrażają oni swoją wiarę we własnych służbach liturgicznych, które zawierają wiele podobieństw; żyją w oczekiwaniu nadejścia wspólnej historii z Bogiem to znaczy wypełnienia się historii w Bogu. Elementy odróżniające (różnice w sposobach działania) są następujące: wiara w Jezusa Chrystusa; interpretacja Pism; różne rozumienie czym jest lud Boży; odmiennie rozwinięta pobożność. W konkluzji zostało powiedziane, że rozwijanie pozytywnych relacji chrześcijańsko-żydowskich ma istotne znaczenie dla zachowania chrześcijańskiej tożsamości i pamięci.
EN
The article analyses the subject of Christian-Jewish relations in historical and theological terms. In the historical part the following periods are briefly discussed: New Testament, patristic, medieval, modern and contemporary. In the theological part, the common elements of Judaism and Christianity were first presented: - Jews and Christians identify their faith and action through the interrelations between justice and love; they base their beliefs on the common “scripture” (the “Old Testament”); they understand each other as the people of God; they profess the one God, the Creator and the Redeemer; they express their faith in worship, in which there are many similarities; Jews and Christians also live in the expectation for the common history of God with his people, whose fulfillment they expect. Distinctive elements (The divergence of the ways) are: the belief in Jesus, the Christ; the interpretation of the Scriptures; a different understanding of what God’s people are; different developed piety. In conclusion, it was said that the rediscovery of a positive relationship with Judaism facilitates a positive formation of Christian identity and memory.
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