An interesting meditation from Ellen Charry on the vexed relationship between church and synagogue (personified as two women in these 13th c. sculptures). Charry points out how the church, in its reception of texts like Luke 18:9-14 (the parable of the proud Pharisee and the penitent tax collector), came to embody the opposite spirit of the text. The church learned to pride itself on its humility (on being the humble tax collector) and learned to look down with contempt on the self-righteous Jews (identified with the Pharisee).

It seems the church forgot Paul’s warning in Romans 11 to Gentiles who had been grafted in: “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches…. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” (vv. 17-18, 20)