Dr. Gavin D’Costa on the Jewish Roots of Christianity: From Sinai to Rome

What does it really mean to say Christianity is “rooted in Judaism”? In this conversation, Dr. Gavin D’Costa—Emeritus Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Bristol and visiting professor at Rome’s Angelicum—unpacks the argument of his new book From Sinai to Rome: Jewish Identity in the Catholic Church. We explore how early Christian faith grew from Jewish soil, where continuity ends and discontinuity begins, and why terms like “Judeo-Christian” both clarify and confuse. We also dive into Hebrew Catholicism, Messianic movements, Passover and the Eucharist, interfaith empathy, immigration anxieties, and what a Christ-honoring “rubric” looks like when discerning which practices to carry forward.

Dr. D’Costa challenges modern Christians to rediscover the richness of their Jewish roots without collapsing distinctions or erasing theological difference. He argues that recovering this lineage isn’t simply an academic exercise—it’s a spiritual one that can help the Church understand itself, its liturgy, and its moral imagination in a fragmented age. For listeners wrestling with how faith and identity intersect in pluralistic societies, this conversation offers both historical grounding and a compelling call toward deeper empathy and continuity within the Christian story.

Buy the book
From Sinai to Rome: Jewish Identity in the Catholic Church https://ignatius.com/from-sinai-to-ro...


Guest bio:
Born in Kenya to Indian parents, Gavin D’Costa has shaped contemporary conversations on how Christians theologically relate to Jews and Muslims. He is Emeritus Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Bristol and serves as a visiting professor at the Angelicum in Rome. His books include Vatican II: Catholic Doctrines on Jews and Muslims (OUP, 2014), Catholic Doctrines on the Jewish People after Vatican II (OUP, 2019), and (as co-editor) From Sinai to Rome: Jewish Identity in the Catholic Church (Ignatius Press, 2025).

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Gavin D'Costa
03:06 Understanding Inter-Religious Dialogue
06:05 Exploring the Book: From Sinai to Rome
09:09 Jewish Identity in the Catholic Church
11:56 The Role of Jewish Roots in Christianity
14:55 Political Implications of Jewish Identity
18:00 The Concept of Judeo-Christian Values
20:45 Continuity and Discontinuity in Christianity
23:48 The Nature of the Old and New Testament
30:52 Reframing the Old and New Testament
33:45 Continuity and Discontinuity in Faith Traditions
41:47 Cultural Integration and Religious Identity
48:26 Immigration, Culture, and Social Cohesion
55:17 Jewish Traditions and Christian Alignment