Orthodox Rabbis: Christianity a 'Divine' Gift to the World

A group of Orthodox rabbis have issued a public statement calling Christianity a gift to the world.

"We acknowledge that Christianity is neither an accident nor an error, but the willed divine outcome and gift to the nations," read the statement published by the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation in Israel.

This comes after nearly two millennia of mutual hostility and alienation between Jews and Christians.

The statement, titled "To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians," has been signed by more than two dozen Orthodox rabbis so far, including those from the U.S. and the chief rabbis of two European countries.

It calls for cooperation between Jews and Christians to address the moral and religious challenges of our times.

"We seek to do the will of our Father in Heaven by accepting the hand offered to us by our Christian brothers and sisters. Jews and Christians must work together as partners to address the moral challenges of our era," the statement read.

While the group wants Jews and Christians to work together, it acknowledged the differences between the faiths.

"Our partnership in no way minimizes the ongoing differences between the two communities and two religions," the rabbis said. "We believe that G-d employs many messengers to reveal His truth, while we affirm the fundamental ethical obligations that all people have before G-d that Judaism has always taught through the universal Noahide covenant."