Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time
The high esteem that Marist School holds for interreligious dialogue is embodied by the Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time sculpture that is situated prominently in a central location on campus. The sculpture*, created by Philadelphia-based artist Joshua Koffman, commemorates the Vatican’s landmark Nostra Aetate declaration that ushered in a new era for Jewish-Christian relations. Students benefit from Marist’s focus on creating a culture of belonging in which students learn to understand the inherent dignity and perspectives of peoples from a variety of cultures, experiences, and places around the world, as well as close to home.
The sculpture is an inspiring symbol as the Bearing Witness Institute works to build a community of conscience to combat hate and prejudice.
History of the Nostra Aetate Declaration
In the late first and second centuries, tensions rose between Christians and Jews. Christians regarded Jesus as the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, and Jews did not. Many founders of Christianity felt Jews, merely by continuing to be Jews, threatened the very legitimacy of the Church. In their view, if Judaism remained valid, then Christianity was invalid. Church fathers reacted by attempting to delegitimize Judaism through a series of doctrines that theologically nullified Judaism. Central to that effort was a tenet developed by early Christian theologians which said God had broken the covenant made with Israel when forging a new relationship with Christianity. As such, Judaism was said to be discredited and Jews rejected and condemned.
Replacement Theology
This replacement theology, where Christianity was believed to supersede Judaism as the new Israel, became central to Christian self-understanding and was often expressed in artistic form in the popular imagery known as Ecclesia and Synagoga found in illuminated manuscripts and woodcuts, as well as statues and stained-glass windows adorning cathedrals. In these works of art, Ecclesia, the symbol for Christianity, is visibly crowned and triumphant. Synagoga, symbolizing Judaism, has lost her crown and appears rejected and defeated.
Theology of Supersession
The theology of supersession, developed alongside the accusation that Jews were collectively responsible for the death of Christ, became the foundation upon which a tradition of Christian anti-Judaism was built, leading to a long and tragic history of antisemitism that has had devastating consequences.
A New Way Forward
In the mid-20th century, many Christian and Jewish leaders sought a new way forward. On October 28, 1965, at the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church proclaimed in a landmark document called Nostra Aetate (In Our Time) that the covenant God made with the Jewish people had never been broken. The post-Nostra Aetate Catholic recognition of the permanence of the Jewish people’s covenant relationship with God has led to a new positive regard for the post-biblical or rabbinic Jewish tradition that is unprecedented in Christian history. In addition to theological and historical considerations, in the decades since Nostra Aetate, many Catholics have been blessed with the opportunity to personally experience Judaism’s rich religious life and God’s gifts of holiness. Inspired by the Nostra Aetate declaration, the Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time sculpture reimagines Christian-Jewish relations and expresses a deepening appreciation of a divinely given mission to bear witness to God’s faithful love.
“Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time is a welcome addition to Marist School’s campus and brings inspiration to our classrooms. Society of Mary Founder Father Jean-Claude Colin wanted ‘teachers to teach and students to receive religious truths as a matter of utmost importance, the study of which requires their highest efforts.’ The religious truths voiced in Nostra Aetate are received with reverence and taught with care. We devote our highest efforts to its study so that its lessons will become a lived reality for present and future generations of Marist students.”
Father Bill Rowland, S.M., Marist School Rector
The Journey to Marist School
*The original “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time” sculpture by artist Joshua Koffman was commissioned by Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Second Vatican Council declaration Nostra Aetate and the 1967 founding of the university’s Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations.