'God's Israel' in Galatians 6.16: An Overview and Assessment of the Key Arguments. (October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Filtvedt, Ole Jakob
• Is Part Of: Currents in biblical research. Volume 15:Number 1(2016:Oct.)
• Page Start: 123
• Page End: 140
• Publication Date: 2016-10
• Subjects: Exclusion -- Galatians -- inclusion -- Israel -- Jews -- mercy -- non-Jews -- peace -- prayer -- rhetoric -- theology -- translation; Jews -- History -- 953-586 B.C -- Periodicals; Jews -- History -- 586 B.C.-70 A.D -- Periodicals; 220
• DOI: 10.1177/1476993X15610840
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1476-993X

Abstract

The article presents and discusses the main arguments that have been used to argue either that non-Jews are included or excluded from God's Israel. The arguments in favour of the view that non-Jews are excluded focus on: (i) the syntax and translation; (ii) possible influence from a Jewish synagogue prayer; (iii) the combination of the terms 'mercy' and 'Israel'; and (iv) Paul's regular use of the term 'Israel'. The arguments for the view that non-Jews are included in God's Israel are: (i) that non-Jewish members of God's Israel seem to be a possibility in Galatians; (ii) that an exclusively Jewish Israel is theologically impossible in Galatians; (iii) that an exclusively Jewish Israel in Galatians would have been confusing for the addressees; (iv) the fact that Galatians seems to provide insufficient material for deciding which Jews God's Israel is supposed to denote.