Robert BurkettI am a cradle Roman Catholic. While exposed to the concepts of “covenant” and Christianity as a continuity of Judaism, I had never been exposed to the terms “supersessionism” or “dispensationalism” prior to taking these courses. My understanding is that these concepts were largely originated and conceived within Protestant theology, which explains why I never encountered them. I know that Jesus said He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. I understand that Christianity is the fulfillment of the promise of a Messiah made to Judaism, but I never considered how the fulfillment of this promise may or may not impact God’s covenant with Judaism. Catholicism was mentioned multiple times as being a “supersessionist” faith, though perhaps that interpretation has softened in light of Vatican II’s development of doctrine. I think it will impact the way I understand both the Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition of my faith, as it appears to be an ongoing matter of ambiguity and/or debate within Catholicism about the nuanced way to interpret this issue within the wider context of Catholic theology.
