What's the point of the Jews?

The official theme of Roy Schoeman's talk at the Oratory on 12th September (the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary) was the role of the Jewish people in the history of salvation.

The big theme of Schoeman's apostolate (and indeed the title of his website) is that 'salus ex Iudaeis est salvation if of the Jews'.

non enim ad populum profundi sermonis et ignotae linguae tu mitteris ad domum Israhel, 

neque ad populos multos profundi sermonis et ignotae linguae quorum non possis audire sermones et si ad illos mittereris ipsi audirent te. 

For thou art not sent to a people of a profound speech, and of an unknown tongue, but to the house of Israel: 

Nor to many nations of a strange speech, and of an unknown tongue, whose words thou canst not understand: and if thou wert sent to them, they would hearken to thee 

[Ezechiel 3:5-6]

The Jews themselves, of course, must first acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messias. Indeed, they have no Messias other than Jesus. In modern Jewish "theology", the remission of mans sins even today comes only from Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac on Calvary (Mount Moriah). The Jews themselves have no other sacrifice, since they no longer have either a priesthood or the Temple. According to the Talmud, the red thread on Yom Kippur stopped turning white at the time of the Crucifixion.

That's not to say that the Jews aren't a remarkable people. They maintained their identity for 2,000 years - which was very unusual! And for what? Well, St Paul seems to imply that when the Jews have accepted Jesus Christ - and of course the Church, which He founded - they will have a special role to play at the End of the World:

quid ergo quod quaerebat Israhel hoc non est consecutus electio autem consecuta est ceteri vero excaecati sunt 

sicut scriptum est dedit illis Deus spiritum conpunctionis oculos ut non videant et aures ut non audiant usque in hodiernum diem 

et David dicit fiat mensa eorum in laqueum et in captionem et in scandalum et in retributionem illis 

obscurentur oculi eorum ne videant et dorsum illorum semper incurva 

dico ergo numquid sic offenderunt ut caderent absit sed illorum delicto salus gentibus ut illos aemulentur 

quod si delictum illorum divitiae sunt mundi et deminutio eorum divitiae gentium quanto magis plenitudo eorum 

What then? That which Israel sought, he hath not obtained: but the election hath obtained it. And the rest have been blinded. 

As it is written: God hath given them the spirit of insensibility; eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, until this present day. 

And David saith: Let their table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. 

Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see: and bow down their back always. 

I say then: Have they so stumbled, that they should fall? God forbid! But by their offence salvation is come to the Gentiles, that they may be emulous of them. 

Now if the offence of them be the riches of the world and the diminution of them the riches of the Gentiles: how much more the fulness of them?

[Romans 11:7-12]

Indeed, "Messianism" is a growing phenomenon in modern religious Judaism - albeit of a strongly protestant variety. Jonatham Bernis is a TV Messianic Rabbi, who interviewed Schoeman (see above) without quite realising his position.

Unfortunately, one modern form of Messianic Judaism and indeed Zionism is a Jewish version of Socialism. It was this messianic socialism that became one of the roots of Marxism, via Karl Marx's friend Moses Hess. Hess also introduced Friedrich Engels to socialism, though Marx and Engels later had a falling out with Hess after Engels had an affair with Hess's wife.

Schoeman became most interesting towards the end of his talk, when he started saying things like Israel's early victories against the Arabs were miraculous (and he wasn't speaking figuratively or hyperbolically), though Israel once again failed to acknowledge this and became proud, and that the conversion of the Jews is necessary for the Second Coming.