8.261. Is there a contradiction between Nostra Aetate's claim that the Old Covenant was never revoked and traditional Catholic teaching that it was fulfilled and superseded by Christ?
Yes. There is a fundamental contradiction between Nostra Aetate's affirmation that the Jews still remain in a covenantal relationship with God through the Old Covenant and the traditional Catholic doctrine that the Old Covenant was fulfilled, completed, and definitively superseded by the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. The true Church has always taught that salvation comes only through Christ and His Church, and that the Mosaic Law no longer sanctifies or saves.
1. Traditional Teaching: The Old Covenant Is Fulfilled and Superseded
The Catholic Church has always taught that the Mosaic Covenant—while preparatory and valid in its time—was fulfilled and ended with the coming of Christ.
“The Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that... the legalities of the Old Law, which are divided into ceremonies, sacred rites, sacrifices, and sacraments... ceased, and the New Law took their place.”
“In saying a new covenant, He hath made the former old. Now that which decays and grows old, is near its end.”
“By the death of our Redeemer, the New Testament took the place of the Old Law which had been abolished.”
Thus, the Catholic Church has infallibly declared that:
The Old Covenant is no longer in effect.
The Jewish religion, which rejects Christ, cannot be salvific.
All are called to enter the New Covenant through baptism and faith in Christ.
2. Vatican II’s Nostra Aetate Introduces Ambiguity
“The Church... cannot forget that she draws sustenance from that root into which the olive tree of the Gentiles has been grafted.”
“God holds the Jews most dear.”
“The Old Covenant has never been revoked.”
This language:
Avoids affirming the need for conversion of Jews.
Suggests a parallel salvific path for Jews under the Old Covenant.
Promotes religious indifferentism by failing to call Judaism what it truly is: a rejected religion that denies Christ.
This contradicts the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church that the Jewish religion—after the coming of Christ—is no longer a valid covenant but a rejection of God’s fulfillment of His promises.
3. Theological and Practical Consequences
Undermines Evangelization: If Jews are still part of a valid covenant, why evangelize them?
Destroys Unity of the Covenant: It introduces a dual-covenant theory not found in Catholic Tradition.
Contradicts Scripture and the Magisterium: Romans 11 clearly teaches that Jews must be grafted back into the one true olive tree—Christ.
This incredibly false teaching has resulted in:
Joint Catholic-Jewish prayer services
Public apologies for Christian efforts to convert Jews
Doctrinal confusion about who needs Christ for salvation
These are not fruits of the true Church but of a counterfeit one—the Vatican II sect—that seeks harmony with the world rather than fidelity to Christ.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Vatican II – Nostra Aetate | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature of the Old Covenant | Fulfilled and abolished by Christ | Implied to still be valid and honored | Contradicts Scripture and defined dogma |
| Judaism Today | Invalid religion that rejects the Messiah | Presented positively; conversion not emphasized | Encourages indifferentism and doctrinal confusion |
| Salvation for Jews | Only through Christ and His Church | Ambiguous; suggests Jews remain God’s covenant people | Undermines the missionary mandate |
| Evangelization | Jews must be called to the Gospel and baptism | Dialogue emphasized over conversion | Breaks with Apostolic and patristic witness |
| Theological Consequences | One covenant, fulfilled in Christ | Implied dual-covenant theology | Destroys the unity of salvation history |
Summary:
True Catholic teaching has always held that the Mosaic Covenant—instituted by God through Moses—was valid only until the coming of Christ. With the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of Jesus, the Old Covenant was fulfilled and brought to an end. The New Covenant, sealed by Christ’s Blood, is now the sole means of salvation for all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike.
This is not a mere theological opinion but a divinely revealed truth taught by Scripture, the Church Fathers, the Councils, and the pre-Vatican II Magisterium. Judaism, while retaining cultural continuity with the Old Testament, no longer possesses divine sanction as a salvific religion. Those who knowingly reject Christ reject the very God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Nostra Aetate’s failure to affirm this, and its suggestion that the Old Covenant remains valid, represents a grave error. It reflects the modernist agenda of the Vatican II sect—a counterfeit church that compromises truth in favor of interreligious harmony.
The true Catholic Church, faithful to Christ and His Apostles, must reject all false ecumenism and reaffirm:
“He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe shall be condemned.”
No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).