How the Good News Goes Bad: Christian Biblical Interpretation and Antisemitism
A Dialogue on Divinity featuring Professor Amy-Jill Levine in conversation with the Very Rev. Patrick Malloy
Sunday, January 26th, 2025
12:30 – 2:00 pm Eastern
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10025
Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute is a co-sponsor of the 2024-2025 “Dialogues on Divinity” series, hosted by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the Community at the Crossing (an ecumenical program for spiritual formation in the heart of New York City).
On January 26th, Prof. Amy-Jill Levine, world-renowned scholar of biblical studies and Jewish-Christian relations, will join the Dean of St. John the Divine, the Very Rev. Patrick Malloy, for a conversation on “How the Good News Goes Bad: Christian Biblical Interpretation and Antisemitism.” They will discuss what constitutes antisemitic biblical interpretation, the typical errors Christians make about the Jewish context of Jesus and Paul, why mistakes continue to be made, and what can be done to correct them.
Amy-Jill Levine is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. She is also University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita, Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita, and Professor of New Testament Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt. She received the 2023 Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“I am honored to be invited to join the Community at the Crossing and the broader Cathedral Community to discuss antisemitic teaching and preaching,” said Prof. Levine. “The problems are created not by malice but by ignorance. To understand Jesus and Paul, we need to understand their first-century Jewish context. When we get the history right, not only not only do we correct bad theology, but also we find new opportunities for Jewish-Christian relations.”
Tickets are being offered on a “pay what you can” basis. The suggested ticket price is $15, with options to pay more or less. Free student rush tickets are available on the door.