Pope claims Jews didn’t kill Jesus

Pope Benedict XVI’s new book “Jesus of Nazareth” discusses one of the most controversial issues in Christianity- he completely exonerates the Jewish people in the death of Jesus Christ.

The Pope’s book is not yet released, but excerpts became available earlier today. Benedict uses both a biblical and theological analysis to explain in depth that there is no basis in truth to popular claims that Jews as a people were responsible for Jesus’ death.

Up until this point, interpretations to the contrary have been used for centuries in justifying the persecution of Jews.

Many Jewish scholars have come forth to state that the Pope’s statements will help fight anti-Semitism. Although the Vatican has long echoed Benedict’s conclusions, the current Pope has had his fair share of missteps with Jews, therefore making his claims significant.

"There's a natural human tendency to take things for granted, and very often this tends to lead to a lapse in awareness and consciousness" about the risk of anti-Semitism, said Rabbi David Rosen, head of inter-religious affairs at the American Jewish Committee and a leader in Vatican-Jewish dialogue.

Rosen also noted that the Vatican issues it’s authoritative document on the issue in 1965, “Nostra Aetate”, which revolutionized the Catholic Church’s relations with Jews by saying Christ’s death could not be attributed to Jews as a whole at the time or today.

The Rabbi believes that the pope’s words might make a bigger and more lasting mark as people of faith tend to read Scripture and commentary more so than church documents.

"It may be an obvious thing for Jews to present texts with commentaries, but normally with church magisterium, they present a document," he said. "This is a pedagogical tool that he's providing, so people will be able to interpret the text in keeping with orthodox Vatican teaching."

This book, set to be released on March 10^th, is the second installment to the Pope’s 2007 “Jesus of Nazareth”. The first book focused on Jesus’ early years and teachings, while the new release concerns the second half of his life, death, and resurrection.