Editing Supersessionism (section)

==Early Church==
===New Testament===
[[File:Saint Paul, Rembrandt van Rijn (and Workshop?), c. 1657.jpg|thumb|''Paul the Apostle'', by [[Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn]] c. 1657]]
In the [[New Testament]], Jesus and others repeatedly give Jews priority in their mission, as in Jesus's expression of him coming to the Jews rather than to gentiles<ref name="Ref_i">{{bibleref2|Mt|15:21-28|NRSV}}; {{bibleref2|Mk|7:23-30|NRSV}}; cf. {{bibleref2|Mt|10:5-6|NRSV}}; {{bibleref2|Acts|3:26|NRSV}}</ref> and in [[Paul the Apostle]]'s formula "first for the Jew, then for the Gentile".<ref name="Ref_j">{{bibleref2|Rom|1:16}}; {{bibleref2-nb|Rom|2:9–10}}</ref> Yet after the death of Jesus, the inclusion of the gentiles as equals in this burgeoning sect of Judaism also caused problems, particularly when it came to gentiles keeping the Mosaic law,<ref name="Ref_k">{{bibleref2|Acts|10:28|NRSV}}; {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|11:1–2|NRSV}}; {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|21:17–28|NRSV}}; {{bibleref2|Gal|2|NRSV}}</ref> which was both a major issue at the [[Council of Jerusalem]] and a theme of Paul's [[Epistle to the Galatians]], though the relationship of [[Paul and Judaism]] is still disputed today.

Paul's views on the Jews are complex, but he is generally regarded as the first person to make the claim that by not accepting claims of [[Jesus' divinity|Jesus's divinity]], non-believing Jews disqualified themselves from salvation.{{sfn |Carroll |2001 |p=58}} Paul himself was a Jew. After a [[Conversion of Paul the Apostle|conversion experience]] he came to accept Jesus's claim to be the Messiah later in his life. In the opinion of Roman Catholic ex-priest [[James Carroll (author)|James Carroll]], accepting Jesus's divinity, for Paul, was dichotomous with being a Jew. His personal conversion and his understanding of the dichotomy between being Jewish and accepting Jesus's divinity, was the religious philosophy he wanted to see adopted among other Jews of his time. However, New Testament scholar [[N.T. Wright]] argues that Paul saw his faith in Jesus as precisely the fulfillment of his Judaism, not that there was any tension between being Jewish and Christian.{{sfn |Wright |2018 |p=53}} Christians quickly adopted Paul's views.{{sfn |Carroll |2001 |p=138}}

For most of Christian history, supersessionism has been the mainstream interpretation of the New Testament of all three major historical traditions within Christianity – [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]], [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and [[Protestantism|Protestant]].{{sfn |Lewis |2004 |pp=61–62}} The text most often evident in favor of the supersessionist view is Hebrews 8:13: "In speaking of 'a new covenant' [Jer. 31.31–32] he has made the first one obsolete."{{sfn |Levine |Brettler |2011 |p=4}} Other statements by Jesus have also been used, namely '''Matthew 21:43''' ''"Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits."''

===Church Fathers===
[[File:Justin Martyr.jpg|thumb|Justin Martyr considered Christians the true spiritual Israel.]]
Many [[early Christian]] commentators taught that the Old Covenant was fulfilled and superseded by the New Covenant in Christ, for instance, [[Justin Martyr]] wrote that the "true spiritual Israel" referred to those who had "been led to God through this crucified Christ".{{sfn |Justin Martyr|loc=chpt. 11}} [[Irenaeus]] taught that, while the New Covenant had superseded the old, the moral law underlying the [[Law of Moses]] continued to stand in the New Covenant.{{sfn|Means|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/saintpaulandant00meangoog/page/n199 183]}} Whereas, [[Tertullian]] believed that the New Covenant brought with it a [[Law of Christ|new law]], writing: "Who else, therefore, are understood but we, who, fully taught by the new law, observe these practices, the old law being obliterated, the coming of whose abolition the action itself demonstrates. ...Therefore, as we have shown above that the coming cessation of the old law and of the [[Circumcision controversy in early Christianity|carnal circumcision]] was declared, so, too, the observance of the new law and the spiritual circumcision has shone out into the voluntary observances of peace."{{sfn|Tertullian|loc=chpt. 3}}

[[Augustine of Hippo]] followed the views of the earlier [[Church Fathers]] but emphasized the importance to Christianity of the continued existence of the separate Rabbinic Jewish faith: "The Jews ... are thus by their own Scriptures a testimony to us that we have not forged the prophecies about Christ."{{sfn |Augustine|loc=18.46}} The Catholic church built its system of [[eschatology]] on his theology, where Christ rules the earth spiritually through his [[Church Triumphant|triumphant church]]. Augustine, however, also mentioned to "love" the Jews as a means to [[Proselytization and counter-proselytization of Jews|convert]] them to Christianity.{{sfn |Michael |2011 |p=29}} Jeremy Cohen,{{sfn |Cohen |1991 |pp=13–14}} followed by John Y. B. Hood and James Carroll,{{sfn |Hood |1995 |p=12}} sees this as having had decisive social consequences, with Carroll saying, "It is not too much to say that, at this juncture, Christianity 'permitted' Judaism to endure because of Augustine."{{sfn |Carroll |2001}}