When Amy-Jill Levine was a child in Massachusetts, a schoolmate in her predominantly Catholic hometown told her she was guilty of killing Christ because she was Jewish.
Her mother reassured her that wasn’t the case — and instead of being embittered by the encounter, the young Levine began attending a Catholic catechism class to learn more about her Christian neighbors and their beliefs.
That blossomed into a decades-long academic career in an unusual role — a Jewish scholar of Christian Scriptures. Levine has worked to improve how Christians and her fellow Jews understand each other. She’s spoken at many churches and taught students about the ancient Jewish context of Jesus’ life and teachings. She’s written numerous books, some in tandem with Christian scholars; she and a co-author even presented one book personally to Pope Francis.
But after the Catholic Biblical Assn. of America announced earlier this month that Levine was elected its first-ever Jewish president, an antisemitic backlash began.
Denunciations appeared in the posts and replies on social media accounts with tens of thousands of followers. Critics called her “anti-Christian,” claimed she’s trying to hijack Catholicism, denounced Jews for not accepting Jesus, and tacked on anti-Zionist comments.
While some questioned why the association would appoint anyone who wasn’t a Catholic, much of the criticism was infused with anti-Jewish statements. They come at a time of rising antisemitism in the country.
Her supporters and longtime Christian collaborators are appalled by the backlash.
“Unfortunately, some neither understand the role of the president nor the nature of a professional society,” said a joint statement by the association’s executive board chair, Gregory E. Sterling, and executive director, Archie Wright. “She was not elected because she is Jewish, but because she is an exceptional scholar and has played a very important role in Catholic-Jewish dialogue.”
The association is made up of Catholic and non-Catholic scholars with the stated purpose of improving the study of the Bible within the context of faith. Levine has been active in the association for decades, though she said when someone from its nominating committee asked her to consider being president, she wasn’t sure at first if it was serious. It was — with supporters citing her long history of working with Christian scholars.
The criticisms underscore the need to address antisemitism, the association statement said: “We need to live and practice the values of our faith, values that are not evident in the criticisms.” Numerous past presidents of the association signed a similar statement.
The chairman of the committee overseeing interreligious relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote to Levine to congratulate her.
“Your election is a fitting celebration of the genuinely interfaith character of biblical scholarship and of the many years of faithful Jewish-Catholic collaboration in the study of Scripture,” said Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, Penn., adding that it reflects the Vatican’s call for Catholics to pursue “deeper understanding and mutual respect with the Jewish people.”
Levine, an adherent of Orthodox Judaism, said that although she doesn’t accept the Christian belief that Jesus is divine, she admires him as an early rabbinic teacher and believes Christians and Jews can learn much from each other.
“Hate and demonizing, name calling and slandering, are not good forms of evangelism,” Levine said on her Facebook page. “And now, ironically again, I have to explain that these nasty posts are not indicative of the best of the Church.”
Smith writes for the Associated Press. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with the Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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