Supersessionism

Supersessionism, also called fulfillment theology by its proponents and replacement theology by its detractors, is the Christian doctrine that the Christian Church has superseded the Jewish people, assuming their role as God's covenanted people, thus asserting that the New Covenant through Jesus has superseded or replaced the Mosaic covenant. Supersessionists hold that the universal Church has become God's "New Israel" and thus Christians are the people of God, not Jews. Often claimed by later Christians to have originated with Paul the Apostle in the New Testament, supersessionism has been a core tenet of many Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran churches for most of their history. Many early Church Fathers, including Justin Martyr and Augustine of Hippo, were supersessionists. Most historic Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and historic Reformed churches and Methodist churches, hold that the Old Covenant has three components: ceremonial, moral, and civil (cf. covenant theology). They teach that while the ceremonial and civil (judicial) laws have been fulfilled, the moral law of the Ten Commandments continues to bind Christians. Since the 19th century, certain Christian communities, such as the Plymouth Brethren, have espoused dispensationalist theology as opposed to supersessionism and covenant theology. Additionally, as part of Christian–Jewish reconciliation, the Roman Catholic Church has placed increased emphasis on the shared history of the Christian and modern Jewish religions. Rabbinic Judaism rejects supersessionism as offensive to Jewish history. Islam teaches that it is the final and most authentic expression of Abrahamic monotheism, superseding both Judaism and Christianity.