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Pope Francis gives Jews an old document 1

Stamp commemorates Francis' gift to Jews

Above is a reproduction of the stamp of Pope Francis giving a codex to rabbi Riccardo di Segni at the synagogue of Rome on January 17, 2016.

The stamp was issued on February 22, 2021, as the first in a series of four “interfaith” stamps to celebrate the 9^th year of Francis' Pontificate.

In the stamp Francis is featured presenting the rabbi with 5 pages of a 14^th century Jewish manuscript commenting on the book of Leviticus, classified in the Vatican Archives as Codex Vaticano Ebraico 700.

The book of Jewish commentary – called a sifra or midrash – is precious to the Jews because it is part of the laws – possibly written by Maimonides or at least during his lifetime – that Talmudic Jews are required to follow.

We see that the gesture of Francis – as well as the recent issuing of this Vatican stamp – is an indirect way to state that the Catholic Church is not the only True Religion. Judaism, which rejects Our Lord Jesus Christ as the Incarnate Word of God, would also be a religion that leads to eternal salvation.

Pope Francis gives Jews an old document 2

Photos from Call Me Jorge

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Posted August 8, 2021

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