GENTILES IN THE BIBLE

Since the Rabbis saw themselves as continuing and developing biblical religion, one cannot simply introduce their thought on any topic without seeing how it continued and developed biblical notions pertaining to that topic. This is especially so when looking at rabbinic thought concerning Gentiles. With the probable exception of some of the so-called “Wisdom Literature” (most notably Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes), the Bible can be seen as one long discussion of what differentiates Israel from all the other peoples of the world. That difference is based on the unique covenant into which Israel has been elected by the Lord God, creator of the universe, something no other people can claim for itself.

Were this the whole biblical view of Israel and the peoples of the world, then one would find a totally monolithic biblical conception of the Gentiles: Israel has a perpetual (even if always problematic) relationship with the one true God; the Gentiles have none at all. Although one could draw this conclusion from certain biblical texts, it is not the total biblical view, however. From the position of those biblical scholars who argue that the idea of the universal God is present in biblical religion from beginning to end, it would seem to follow that what confirms the universality of the God of Israel is that all peoples, indeed all human beings, are related to this God in one way or another. Israel’s relationship with this God is privileged, being more direct and more comprehensive.