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Editorial
The Editors
From the biblical point of view it can be said that the relationship between Jews and Christians - like Jerusalem itself - is at the very center of human history. This conception is frequently expressed in the Bible, in various ways. The call of Abraham affects all nations (Gen. 12:3).
the mountain of the God of Israel (Is. 2:2-3). The particular election
the very beginning. In the history of both Jews and Christians, particularism and universalism are two essential aspects. They form the pattern of the divine saving action in history which, according to biblical faith, began in one concrete man and in one people in order to reach out to the whole of humanity. And this same biblical faith affirms that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of the universe who reveals himself as creator and redeemer in every age and to all men (cf. Gen. 9, Wisdom 8, Rom. 1:19-21, Acts 14:17).
All nations will go up to Jerusalem, to of Israel had a universal dimension from
The ecumenical movement and increasing contact and dialogue among different religions has made many Christians sensitive to the religious and moral values of the religions of the world. Did not Vatican Council II exhort Catholics to "recognize, preserve and foster the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural of other religions" (Nostra Aetate 2)? At the same time, in the perspective and biblical experts are deepening the points of contact between the religious the biblical/Jewish tradition. The discoveries are often surprising and revealing.
values found among the followers of biblical universalism, theologians values of the nations and those of
This issue of SIDIC examines some aspects of this question which, we believe, is of capital importance for the future of relations between peoples and religions, as well as for the realization of the universal nature of biblical salvation. In an attitude of sincere respect for individual identity and for real differences, we can often discover links binding Africa, Asia and other parts of the world to Jerusalem. Or rather, we find links which reveal the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the faith of the nations. It is on this mystery that the psalmist calls us to meditate when he says: "But all call Zion 'Mother', since all were born in her" (Ps. 87:5).