3.2.5 - Chosen people and relationships with other faiths
At Sinai, chosenness binds Israel to covenant and responsibility, yet the idea can be misunderstood as a claim of ethnic or religious superiority. Jewish thinkers variously emphasise vocation, witness, distinct identity and universal moral concern. Torah sources and contrasting interpretations help determine whether being chosen strengthens constructive relationships with other faiths or creates an unavoidable barrier.
The Question of Chosenness
In Judaism, the idea of the chosen people is usually about the Jewish people being called into a distinctive covenant relationship with God. It is linked with Torah, mitzvot, holiness and responsibility. It should not be treated as a simple claim that Jews are more valuable than other human beings.
The AQA wording is deliberately plural: Jewish understandings. This matters because Jews do not all interpret chosenness in one way. Some retain traditional language of election, some reinterpret it as ethical vocation, and some reject the language because it can sound like superiority.
Chosen people
The belief that the Jewish people have a distinctive covenantal relationship with God, traditionally involving Torah, mitzvot, holiness and responsibility.
Interfaith relationships
The ways a religious community understands, relates to and cooperates with people and communities from other religions.
For AO1, a strong explanation should include the source basis of chosenness, its covenantal meaning, and internal Jewish diversity. For AO2, the key issue is whether chosenness supports respectful interfaith relationships or creates a barrier because it appears exclusive.
Sinai and Covenant
The central source for this lesson is Exodus 19, just before the giving of the Ten Commandments. God tells Israel that if they obey the covenant, they will be a treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The point is conditional and covenantal: chosenness is connected with obedience and service.
This gives the idea a particular shape. Israel is not chosen simply for privilege; Israel is chosen into a demanding relationship. The phrase "kingdom of priests" suggests a role before God and, by implication, before the wider world. A priestly people should witness to holiness, justice and worship.
Deuteronomy 7:6-8 adds a second important correction. Israel is described as chosen, but not because it is the largest or most powerful people. The text roots election in divine love and covenant promise rather than obvious human merit.
| Source | What it says about chosenness | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Exodus 19:5-6 | Israel is treasured if it keeps God's covenant and is called to be priestly and holy. | Chosenness is tied to obedience and responsibility. |
| Deuteronomy 7:6-8 | Israel is chosen despite being small, not because of greatness. | Chosenness is not straightforward national self-glorification. |
| Exodus 20 | The covenant context leads into commandments. | The chosen role is expressed through concrete moral and religious obligations. |
The source explanation matters for interfaith relationships. If chosenness is about covenantal responsibility, it does not automatically require hostility to other faiths. It may instead lead Jews to preserve their own identity while acting justly towards others.
Election, Accountability and Human Dignity
A common Jewish response to the superiority objection is to say that chosenness increases duty rather than status. Amos 3:2 makes this logic sharp: Israel's special relationship with God becomes the reason Israel is called to account. Election therefore brings judgement and responsibility, not exemption.
This is supported by wider Jewish teaching about human dignity. Genesis 1:27 presents all humanity as created in the divine image. Leviticus 19:33-34 commands Israel not to wrong the resident stranger and to love the stranger as oneself. These sources do not remove Jewish particularity, but they stop particularity becoming a denial of non-Jewish dignity.
Jewish Encyclopedia summarises the traditional idea as a mission and responsibility rather than a superior claim. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks also interprets chosenness through covenantal particularity: the Jewish people are called to be distinct, but distinctiveness need not mean contempt for others. In this approach, being chosen means having a role to fulfil.
AO1-to-AO2 bridge: if chosenness is source-based covenantal responsibility, then it can support positive interfaith relationships, because Jewish identity is preserved without denying the value of other people. The objection is that the word "chosen" can still be heard as ranking one people above others, especially in pluralist societies.
Other Faiths and Universal Moral Standing
Jewish tradition is not usually missionary in the same way as some forms of Christianity or Islam. Non-Jews are not normally expected to become Jews in order to be morally or spiritually significant. One important classical example is Maimonides' teaching in Mishneh Torah, where those among the nations who observe the Noahide commandments because they are divinely commanded may be counted among the pious of the nations and have a share in the world to come.
This creates an important implication: the Torah covenant is particular to Jews, but God is not presented as having no concern for non-Jews. A Jewish person can see Jewish law as binding on Jews while also recognising moral obligations and divine concern beyond Judaism.
The practical implication for relationships with other faiths is often respectful boundary-keeping:
| Jewish claim | Interfaith implication |
|---|---|
| Jews have distinctive covenant obligations. | Jews need not blur Judaism into other religions. |
| Non-Jews can have moral standing before God. | Other faith communities are not automatically treated as worthless or condemned. |
| Judaism values justice, peace and human dignity. | Interfaith cooperation can be justified on shared moral concerns. |
| Jewish worship and theology remain distinct. | Dialogue does not have to mean agreement or syncretism. |
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