'חלק ה' עמו': על מיתוס בחירת ישראל בגורל והויכוח הגנוסטי-הנוצרי-הפגני-היהודי

In a few late midrashim the election of Israel is described as a result of the casting of lots by God and his angels. How did such a radical concept of arbitrary election arise, in contrast to the more common model of election by merit? Through a close analysis of Deut 32:8-9, we may discern that the myth of election by divine lot is an ancient one, alluded to in the early versions of these verses but already obscured in inner-biblical commentary on them, and all but ignored by the early Jewish and Christian commentators. However, the myth appears in Gnostic texts that reverse its meaning and use it to undermine the idea of the election of Israel by ascribing the election to the result of a casting of lots between the rebellious angels, headed by the arrogant god of the Jews. Later, pagan polemicists such as Celsus and Julian reintroduced this myth by fusing the Platonic myth of primordial division with these verses from the Song of Moses. This formed part of their attack on the new Christian concept of election, which undermined the ancient world order. The adoption of this developed myth by the later midrashim may be understood, so this article argues, against the backdrop of the pagan—Christian debate, as an attempt to secure the claim that the connection between God and Israel is decisive and cannot be revoked — precisely because of its randomness.