GU Theology Professor Publishes Book on Relationship Between Christianity and Judaism – The Hoya

A Georgetown University theology professor published a book Nov. 4 arguing against supersessionism, the belief that Christianity replaced Judaism.
Alan Mitchell, a theology professor who teaches the “Introduction to Biblical Literature” course at Georgetown, wrote the book, titled “Did Christianity Replace Judaism?” In it, he argues that supersessionism has become wrongfully dominant among Catholics and is antisemitic. 
Mitchell, who has previously written articles on the topic, said he didn’t initially plan on writing the book, focusing his research on the Epistle to the Hebrews, a biblical book in the New Testament.
“I had written articles about the problem of supersessionist interpretation of the New Testament, particularly in Hebrews, because Hebrews was what I was studying the most for the last 10 years,” Mitchell told The Hoya. “It was the easiest document to accuse of supersessionism, because it presents Jesus as a better high priest, and they use the word better — better sacrifices, better this, better that — and so people said, ‘well, that was a replacement of Judaism,’ but Hebrews doesn’t have any particular identifiable Judaism that’s actually being replaced.”
Through the book, Mitchell asserts that supersessionism is not intrinsic to Christianity and describes how it has fueled antisemitism. The book follows a history of supersessionism, beginning with the New Testament, moving into the second century and later touching on Roman Catholic teachings.
Mitchell said part of his research involved looking at how supersessionism and antisemitism were embedded within Catholic liturgy and scripture.
“One of the threads that I use in my book is to follow the controversy about a prayer that was used in liturgy on Good Friday, and I remember it as a child that we would pray for different groups, and when it came to the Jews, they were called the ‘perfidious Jews,’” Mitchell said. “It was a prayer that God would take the veil of ignorance away from them and let them see the light. It was really a very harsh prayer.”
“It was really another form of blaming the Jews for killing Christ, which is not historically correct,” Mitchell added. “It wasn’t the Jews who killed Christ, it was the Romans, but that was always part of the supersessionist meme, that they were the Christ killers.” 
In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus Christ dies through crucifixion by Roman soldiers after persecution by Pilate, before rising again three days later. As described by Mitchell in his book’s preface, some Christians have interpreted this story to mean that Christians replaced Jews as God’s chosen people, fueling supersessionist readings.
Mitchell said part of overcoming antisemitic narratives in Christianity is to recognize the central role Judaism has within the Christian faith.
“Because the fact of the matter is that Christians are an integral part of Judaism,” Mitchell said. “We came out of Judaism, our scriptures came out of Judaism. We shared many traditions, in addition to the scriptures, and so there were all sorts of reasons why we should get together, and these dialogues are still going on today.”
Eliza Doty (CAS ’29), one of Mitchell’s students, said his passion for the subject matter is apparent in his teaching.
Full Disclosure: Eliza Doty is a staff writer at The Hoya.
“It’s always a good day when I have class with Professor Mitchell,” Doty wrote to The Hoya. “I value him as a mentor as he isn’t a binary teacher: He wants to learn from his students just as much as he wants to teach. His passion for his job is what makes me eager to come to class, where he will inevitably make me go from contemplating life’s meaning to laughing at his jokes.”
Julia Chen (MSB ’29), another one of Mitchell’s students, said one of Mitchell’s best qualities is his strong assertions on the topics he has studied and researched.
“I like how rooted he is in his opinions,” Chen wrote to The Hoya. “I think it’s great that he’s releasing a book based on something that he truly believes is wrong.”
Mitchell said scholars with whom he discusses supersessionism often have not heard about the topic before, which is why he hopes his book will educate audiences about it while raising awareness about antisemitism within Christianity.
“I said, ‘It’s not exactly antisemitism, it’s distinct from antisemitism, but it does contribute to antisemitism in its own way,’” Mitchell said. “They said, ‘Well, we never heard about this,’ and I know they never heard about it because no one was talking about it. No one was writing about it.”
“It was just by accident that I ended up doing it,” Mitchell added. “I’m not taking any glory for it. I did it because I was invited to do it, and I’m glad I did it.”
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