18th Annual

Orthodox Men's Retreat of St. John the Baptist
May 5 to 7, 2023

at Sanctum Retreat near Caroline, AB

with Fr. Geoffrey Ready

Topic: Salvation is from the Jews

The relationship between Christianity and Judaism is central to the identity of Christians and the church. Yet for much of the past two millennia, from the “parting of the ways” in the early centuries, the story of Christians and Jews has been difficult and troubled, culminating in the tragic events of the 20th century. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, there has been a renewed engagement between the two traditions, and with a proliferation of scholarship and deepening of knowledge of Second Temple Judaism over the last half century, a joint effort has been made by Christians and Jews to correct historical inaccuracies and prejudices and amend theological traditions that had separated Jesus and Paul from their Jewish contexts and driven a hard wedge between communities sharing faith in the one God of Israel. Exploring these insights will help us renew the basis of our Christian faith and practice.

1. Misunderstood Jews: the Messiah Jesus and Apostle Paul within Judaism
2. The religion of the apostles: narrative theology of second temple Judaism
3. The “parting of the ways” and difficult history of Jewish-Christian estrangement
4. Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem: restoring Jewish-Christian relations and the Jewish heart of Christianity today

Fr. Geoffrey Ready is Priest-in-charge of Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Mission of the Orthodox Church in America and Director of the Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College at the University of Toronto and teaches liturgics, Biblical studies, and pastoral theology.