Calendar reform and Orthodox activity in the Second Vatican Council

Were Jewish Orthodox leaders involved in the Second Vatican Council (1962-66)? Common knowledge has it that they refused to cooperate with the Church during its deliberations on the drafting of the 'Document on the Jews' - the document that eventually evolved into Nostra Aetate. Some even publicly renounced the Council and criticized Jewish organizations that cooperated with it. However, this article exposes and discusses, on the basis of previously unknown archival material, an episode of extensive and persistent interaction between leading figures within Orthodoxy and high-ranking Church officials regarding the possibility of a calendar reform that was discussed in the early sessions of the Council. It shows that Orthodox leadership was at once intensely engaged and fiercely opposed to involvement with the Council.

Duke Scholars

Author Daniel M Herskowitz Religious Studies