The universal particularism of panta ta ethne : A biblical case for the continued viability of the people group concept in mission

Abstract

This article is a partial response to Lee and Park’s 2018 contribution to Missiology, “Beyond people group thinking: A critical reevaluation of unreached people groups,” and focuses on the meaning of panta ta ethne in Matthew 28:19. The author does not agree that Matthew had in mind primarily “Gentiles in distinction from Jews,” although that is indeed a common meaning of the phrase in the New Testament. Interpreting ethne as “Gentiles” obscures the dimension of particularism inherent in the way humanity is described in Scripture (as parts not just a whole). By contrast, the author submits that ethne as “nations” or “people groups” better displays this particularism of all people as they exist in diverse human groupings. The author takes a step back from Matthew 28 and first gives an overview of the way human grouping (particularism) is understood in the Old and New Testaments. He then highlights the way New Testament authors appropriated Old Testament promises related to the “nations,” showing their comprehension and continuation of that Old Testament understanding. The article then deals with the exegetical issues related to Matthew 28:19 and concludes by urging refinement of the people group concept, rather than replacement.