8.127.2. But aren’t the Jews still God’s chosen people?
No. This question is at the heart of many modern religious and political misunderstandings. Vatican II and modern Catholic figures often imply that the Jews remain “God’s chosen people” despite their rejection of Jesus Christ. But this view is utterly incompatible with Sacred Scripture, Catholic tradition, and the defined dogmas of the pre-Vatican II Church.
In the Old Testament, God did indeed choose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — the Israelites — to be His covenant people. This choice was not based on race, but on His sovereign will and to prepare the way for the Messiah. However, this covenant was conditional, requiring fidelity.
God repeatedly warned the Jews that disobedience would forfeit their blessings (see Deuteronomy 28).
The prophets — including Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel — prophesied that the Old Covenant would be replaced with a New Covenant, written on the hearts of believers, and not restricted to race (Jeremiah 31:31–33).
This New Covenant was instituted by Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, and ratified in His Blood (Luke 22:20). All the types and figures of the Old Law — the temple, the sacrifices, the priesthood — found their fulfillment in Him.
St. Paul clearly teaches:
“They are not all Israel who are of Israel.”
And:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek... for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are the seed of Abraham.”
This means that being “chosen” no longer refers to bloodline, but to membership in Christ — that is, in the Catholic Church.
The Jews as a people forfeited their covenantal status by rejecting the Messiah. Jesus Himself said:
“The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”
Thus, the Catholic Church is now the new and true Israel, made up of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ. This was always the unanimous view of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church.
Vatican II’s Error
Vatican II’s Nostra Aetate and subsequent magisterial documents imply that the Jews retain their special status in salvation history. “Pope” John Paul II even referred to them as “our elder brothers in the faith” and visited synagogues without calling for conversion. “Pope” Benedict XVI claimed that the covenant with the Jews “was never revoked.” “Pope” Francis went further, condemning attempts to evangelize Jews.
Such statements directly contradict Scripture and centuries of Catholic dogma.
Evangelization is True Charity
To affirm Jews in their rejection of Christ is not charity — it is a betrayal of the Gospel. Every soul, including every Jew, can only be saved by faith in Jesus Christ and incorporation into His Church through baptism (Mark 16:16).
St. Peter said to the Jews:
“Repent... and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.”
St. Paul, himself a Jew, said:
“They please not God and are adversaries to all men... forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved.”
The Jews were God’s chosen people — past tense. Now, all are invited to salvation through the Catholic Church. Outside of Christ, no covenant can save.
| Category | Traditional Catholic View | Post-Vatican II View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| God’s Chosen People | Now the Catholic Church — the New Israel | Jews remain God’s chosen people even without Christ | Traditional teaching affirms fulfillment in Christ |
| Old Covenant | Fulfilled and ended with Christ’s death | Still salvific for Jews (dual-covenant theory) | Contradicts Hebrews 8–10 and Council of Florence |
| Evangelizing Jews | Necessary for salvation | Discouraged or condemned | Pope Francis forbade converting Jews in 2015 |
| The Church | The one ark of salvation for all men | One path among many — Judaism included | This destroys the Catholic missionary mandate |
| Modern Papal Statements | Condemn false religion and call to conversion | Affirm Judaism without Christ | Pope Pius X rejected Zionism in 1904 |
Summary:
The Catholic Church has always recognized that the Jews were the first to receive divine revelation and were chosen to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah. This status, however, was always contingent upon fidelity. Once they rejected the Messiah — Jesus Christ — the Jewish people, as a nation, lost their special role in salvation history.
The New Testament is crystal clear: the New Covenant replaces the Old. Hebrews 8:13 says:
“Now in saying a new [covenant], He hath made the former old. And that which decayeth and groweth old is near its end.”
The new “people of God” are the baptized faithful in the Catholic Church. This truth is not based on race, culture, or ancestry — but on faith in Christ and submission to His Church.
The modern teaching that the Jews remain God's chosen people while rejecting Christ is blasphemous. It implies that the Old Covenant is still salvific, despite being superseded. It also robs the Gospel of its power, suggesting that Christ died in vain for some.
Vatican II's Nostra Aetate opened the door to these theological errors, and successive anti-popes have deepened the rupture by praising Judaism as if it were still pleasing to God. But how can God be pleased with the rejection of His Son?
The pre-Vatican II Magisterium, the Fathers, and the saints spoke with one voice: the Jews must convert. That is true charity. It is the same love St. Paul had when he said:
“My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they may be saved.”
This modern confusion has led to scandal, false worship (such as joint Jewish-Catholic prayers), and the abandonment of evangelizing one of the groups Christ explicitly sent the apostles to reach.
To be Catholic is to believe the whole truth — not part of it. The Jews are not saved by their ancestry. They need Christ. And if we love them, we must say so clearly, just as the Apostles did — even if it costs us.