The Church. The New Israel.
The New Israel In Catholic theology, “the New Israel” primarily means the Church—the people of the new covenant established by Jesus Christ—understood in continuity with God’s covenant with Israel. The New Covenant The Church is “New Israel” because the new covenant promised by God is fulfilled in Christ: Israel’s election is not erased, but the covenant reaches its definitive form in Jesus. The Pontifical Biblical Commission explains that: “(t)he New Testament takes for granted that the election of Israel… is irrevocable… [and] God has also offered to Israel a ‘new covenant’… established through the blood of Jesus.” It then states that the Church is composed of those who accept this new covenant and of others who “have joined them,” while insisting “(f)ar from being a substitution for Israel, [the Church] is in solidarity with it.” So, “New Israel” does not mean Israel is replaced; it means the covenant people reach their fulfillment in Christ, and the Church participates in that stor...