Throughout history, various groups of people have considered themselves to be the chosen people () of a deity, for a particular purpose —with the unchosen relegated to an inferior position in the eyes of God . The phenomenon of a "chosen people" is well-known among the Israelites and Jews, where the term originally referred to the Israelites as being selected by Yahweh to worship only him and to fulfill the mission of proclaiming his truth throughout the world. Some claims of chosenness are based on parallel claims of Israelite ancestry, as is the case for the Christian Identity and Black Hebrew sects—both which claim themselves (and not Jews) to be the "true Israel". Others claim that the concept is spiritual, where individuals who genuinely believe in God are considered to be the 'true' chosen people. This view is common among most Christian denominations, who historically believed that the church replaced Israel as the people of God. In Judaism, "chosenness" is the belief that the Jews, via descent from the ancient Israelites, are the chosen people, i.e., chosen to be in a covenant with God. The unchosen are thus considered inferior in the eyes of God. The idea of the Israelites being chosen by God is found most directly in the Book of DeuteronomyClements, Ronald (1968). God's Chosen People: a Theological Interpretation of the Book of Deuteronomy. In series, Religious Book Club, 182. London: S.C.M. Press as the verb 'bahar (), and is alluded to elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible using other terms such as "holy people".The Jews as a Chosen People: Tradition and Transformation, S. Leyla Gurkan Much is written about these topics in rabbinic literature. The three largest Jewish denominations—Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism—maintain the belief that the Jews have been chosen by God for a purpose. Sometimes this choice is seen as charging the Jewish people with a specific mission—to be a light unto the nations, and to exemplify the covenant with God as described in the Torah. This is first prominently outlined in Genesis 12:2.
Throughout history, various groups of people have considered themselves to be the chosen people () of a deity, for a particular purpose . The phenomenon of a "chosen people" is well-known among the Israelites and Jews, where the term originally referred to the Israelites as being selected by Yahweh to worship only him and to fulfill the mission of proclaiming his truth throughout the world. Some claims of chosenness are based on parallel claims of Israelite ancestry, as is the case for the Christian Identity and Black Hebrew sects—both which claim themselves (and not Jews) to be the "true Israel". Others claim that the concept is spiritual, where individuals who genuinely believe in God are considered to be the 'true' chosen people. This view is common among most Christian denominations, who historically believed that the church replaced Israel as the people of God. In Judaism, "chosenness" is the belief that the Jews, via descent from the ancient Israelites, are the chosen people, i.e., chosen to be in a covenant with God. The idea of the Israelites being chosen by God is found most directly in the Book of DeuteronomyClements, Ronald (1968). God's Chosen People: a Theological Interpretation of the Book of Deuteronomy. In series, Religious Book Club, 182. London: S.C.M. Press as the verb 'bahar (), and is alluded to elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible using other terms such as "holy people".The Jews as a Chosen People: Tradition and Transformation, S. Leyla Gurkan Much is written about these topics in rabbinic literature. The three largest Jewish denominations—Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism—maintain the belief that the Jews have been chosen by God for a purpose. Sometimes this choice is seen as charging the Jewish people with a specific mission—to be a light unto the nations, and to exemplify the covenant with God as described in the Torah. This is first prominently outlined in Genesis 12:2.
D
—with the unchosen relegated to an inferior position in the eyes of God
D
God. The unchosen are thus considered inferior in the eyes of