Interfaith expert to speak at SJU about Jesus, Jews and Christians

Mary C. Boys, a leading Catholic expert on Christian-Jewish relations, will present "Jesus, Jews, and Christians: Redeeming Our Sacred Story" at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, in Room 264 of the Quadrangle Building at Saint John's University.

The lecture, sponsored by the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, is free and open to the public.

"The story of Jesus, particularly of his death and resurrection, lies at the core of Christian faith and identity," said Boys.  "From generation to generation, different tellings of this story have functioned in sacred and saving ways for Christians.  Yet there have also been and remain troubling tellings, including those that present a caricature of Jews and the Judaism of Jesus' time and that falsely blame Jews - even "the Jews" - for the crucifixion of Jesus."

According to Boys, these troubling tellings have fostered hostility and violence against Jews and misunderstanding of Christianity's central story among Christians.  Drawing on her recently published book "Redeeming Our Sacred Story: The Death of Jesus and Relations between Jews and Christians," she will explore what it takes to redeem Christianity's story of redemption from the versions of it that have had negative consequences for both Jews and Christians.

Boys is dean of academic affairs and the Skinner and McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary, New York City, where she has taught for twenty years.  She previously served for seventeen years on the faculty of Boston College.

The author of six books and nearly 100 articles, Boys earned her doctoral degree from Columbia University and has received honorary doctorates from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Catholic Theological Union, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and Gratz College.

Boys is a native of Seattle, Washington, and has been a member since 1965 of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.