theology will do this in its own distinctive way, resonant with our contemporary sensibilities and mind-set.10 The Shema still functions today as a fundamental articulation of the responsibilities of Jewish life and thought. In a Christian frame of reference, one cannot find sentiments comparable to those of Plaut or Fishbane. Historic Christian use of the Shema has been both less in extent and more complexly refracted than Jewish use; and perhaps most important, the Shema has not featured in the