The Theological Term “people of God” in the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen gentium”

Abstract

With the term “people of God” and its use in the Constitution Lumen gentium, we move into the centre of the Church’s self-description with regard to its different uses. “people of God” was described by the Council in various ways: as a prophetic people, as a messianic people and as a historical-eschatological people. The elaboration of the associated differences and their respective specifics is also a prerequisite for an interpretation of the concept of the “people of God” based on the Council. Following the overview of the use of the term in Lumen gentium, this systematic elaboration leads to the quite controversial history of the reception of the term “people of God”.