Implications of Nostra Aetate?

Question

During Vatican II, the church put out Nostra Aetate, or "The Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions." This document is largely concerned wtih Catholic-Jewish relations, and definitely clears up a few issues: living Jews are not to be held accountable for Jesus' death, persecution of Jews is not OK, the Jews are to be recognized for their Biblical contributions, etc.

What I can't figure out for sure are the implications for Jews after death. Does this document imply that Jews will no longer automatically be condemned to hell? A lot of the language is lofty and vague, so I'm not sure...

Link to the Nostra Aetate document, hosted on the Vatican's website: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html

Answer 1

Jews who know the truth need to accept Jesus Christ and be baptized in order to obtain salvation.

Otherwise they're stuck with the condemnation under the old law.

Nothing doctrinal really changed, just relational stuff.

Answer 2

Following si what teh catechism of the Catholic Church says about the Jewish people:

The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to God's revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews "belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ", "for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."

And when one considers the future, God's People of the Old Covenant and the new People of God tend towards similar goals: expectation of the coming (or the return) of the Messiah. But one awaits the return of the Messiah who died and rose from the dead and is recognized as Lord and Son of God; the other awaits the coming of a Messiah, whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and the latter waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of misunderstanding Christ Jesus.