8.127.9. Didn’t Vatican II teach that Jews are our “elder brothers in the faith”? Is that a Catholic view?
The expression that “Jews are our elder brothers in the faith” has become common among post-Vatican II popes and bishops. But is this statement rooted in Catholic tradition? The short answer is: no — it represents a modern innovation that reflects a radical shift in theology after Vatican II.
What Does This Phrase Mean?
Calling Jews our “elder brothers in the faith” implies that modern-day Jews — those who have rejected Christ and His Church — still somehow share in the same faith as Christians, only in an older form. It suggests a continuity of religion and salvation between Judaism and Catholicism.
This idea is theologically false and dangerous. While it’s true that the Old Testament patriarchs, prophets, and faithful Jews before Christ were indeed precursors in salvation history, modern-day Judaism explicitly rejects Jesus Christ, the Messiah foretold by those same patriarchs.
What the Church Teaches
The Catholic Faith teaches that the Old Covenant was fulfilled and replaced by the New Covenant in Christ. Anyone who rejects Christ is no longer part of the covenant and is not a member of God’s people.
“Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.”
“He that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
“The branches were broken off because of unbelief… they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in.”
What the Saints and Popes Taught
The traditional view of the Church has always been clear:
St. Paul says the Jews are the “natural branches” that were broken off because of unbelief (Romans 11).
St. Augustine taught that the Jews, by rejecting Christ, lost their inheritance.
Pope St. Pius X, in his 1904 audience with Theodor Herzl (the father of modern Zionism), stated bluntly:
“We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem—but we can never support it… The Jews have not recognized our Lord; therefore we cannot recognize the Jewish people.”
In contrast to the modern post-conciliar statements, the consistent teaching of the Church until Vatican II was that Judaism, after Christ, became a false religion, no longer pleasing to God, and that Jews must convert to be saved.
Where Did the Phrase Come From?
The phrase “elder brothers in the faith” does not appear anywhere in Catholic tradition. It was popularized by anti-pope John Paul II in 1986 during his visit to the Synagogue of Rome — the first ever by a “pope”.
“You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers.”
This was not a theological statement grounded in magisterial teaching, but rather a gesture of interreligious diplomacy — part of the Vatican II program of religious “dialogue” rather than conversion.
But this phrase misleads the faithful by suggesting:
That Jews today have the true faith (they do not).
That there is no need for conversion (there is).
That Judaism is salvific (it is not).
| Category | Traditional Catholic View | Post-Vatican II View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relationship to Jews | Need for conversion to Christ and the Church | “Elder brothers in the faith” | Imprecise and misleading phrase with no basis in tradition |
| Judaism After Christ | False religion rejecting the Messiah | Still considered meaningful and valid | Contradicts dogma and New Testament teaching |
| Mission to the Jews | Evangelize and bring them into the Church | Dialogue without conversion | Great Commission neglected (Matt. 28:19) |
| Salvation | Only in Christ and the Catholic Church | Possible outside the Church through Judaism | Condemned by Trent, Florence, and numerous popes |
| Language | Precise, rooted in doctrine | Ambiguous, emotional, ecumenical | Modern phrasing distorts Catholic truth |
Summary:
The expression “elder brothers in the faith” has become popular since Vatican II, but it has no foundation in Catholic tradition or Scripture. Rather than clarifying the Church’s relationship with the Jews, it muddies the truth and implies that those who reject Christ still share in the Catholic Faith.
This phrase, coined for the sake of religious diplomacy, has led many “Catholics” to believe that evangelizing the Jews is unnecessary. Yet the entire New Testament — especially the preaching of the Apostles — is centered on calling the Jews to repentance and belief in Jesus Christ. St. Peter said to them:
“Do penance and be baptized every one of you… for the remission of your sins.”
Far from viewing Jews who reject Christ as spiritual brethren, the Fathers of the Church taught that they had fallen away from the covenant by refusing their own Messiah. To say they are our “elder brothers” in any salvific sense is to deny the uniqueness of Christ’s fulfillment of the law.
This false idea stems from the post-Vatican II agenda to emphasize common ground with non-Catholics and to de-emphasize doctrine. But this undermines the truth of the Gospel, and with it, the salvation of souls.
The Catholic Church’s duty is to call all souls — including Jews — to conversion, not to affirm them in error. To do otherwise is uncharitable, misleading, and ultimately a betrayal of Christ’s mission.
Sedevacantists reject this post-conciliar theology because it departs from the consistent magisterium of the Church. The true Catholic Church continues to affirm that Jews, like everyone else, must accept Christ and be baptized in order to be saved.