Sister Marianne Dacy’s book The Separation of Early Christianity from Judaism follows in the tradition of James Parkes, whose 1930 study of the break between the Church and the Synagogue remains a classic. Sr Dacy broadens the context and looks at the wider issues, showing that the separation took several centuries. Seeking to understand how the relationship between Judaism and Christianity deteriorated over two millennia, she examines the origins of the conflict. Presenting an enormous amount of material on the relationship between early Christianity and Judaism in a highly accessible manner, she shows clearly how they separated over time and the ways in which they are still related. She pinpoints two pervasive issues that impelled the separation: the relationship of the early church to Jewish law and the increasing divinisation of Jesus. Essential for academic and public libraries, the book would be a helpful supplement to the libraries of scholars and Christian and Jewish religious leaders. ISBN: 9781604977004. Published by Cambria Press.
In In Let Us Rejoice: The Jewish Roots of Christian Feasts, Sr Dacy covers the Jewish foundations of several important Christian feasts in a style designed for easy reading for teachers and the general reader. The chapters include ‘Passover and Easter’ and ‘Sabbath and Sunday’. A former Sydney rabbi, Raymond Apple, has penned the foreword. Published by Lumino Press.