G.K. Beale, «Peace and Mercy Upon the Israel of God. The Old Testament Background of Galatians 6,16b», Vol. 80 (1999) 204-223

This essay has contended that Paul’s reference to "new creation" and the pronouncement of "peace and mercy" on the readers in Gal 6,15-16 is best understood against the background of Isa 54,10 and the surrounding context of similar new creation themes elsewhere in Isa 32–66, which are echoed also earlier in Galatians, especially in 5,22-26. The analysis confirms those prior studies which have concluded that "the Israel of God" refers to all Christians in Galatia, whether Jewish or Christian. Lastly, the demonstration of an Isaianic background for the concept of new creation in Gal 6,15-16 falls in line with Paul’s other reference to "new creation" in 2 Cor 5,17 and John’s allusion to new creation in Rev 3,14, where Isa 43 and 65–66 stand behind both passages. Isa 54,10 was likely not the sole influence on Gal 6,16, but such texts as Psalm 84 (LXX), the Qumran Hymn Scroll (1QH 13,5), and Jub 22,9 may have formed a collective impression on Paul, with the Isaiah text most in focus; alternatively, the texts in Qumran and Jubilees may be mere examples of a similar use of Isaiah 54 on a parallel trajectory with that of Paul’s in Galatians 6.

It has been argued, however, that, since the common meaning for kai/ is "and" and since the word "Israel" elsewhere in the NT always refers to the ethnic nation, the burden of proof rests on one to show that kai/ is appositional and refers to both Gentile and Jewish Christians⁷. In response, C.A. Ray has applied to Gal 6,16 the linguistic rule for kai/ formulated by K. Titrud: though kai/ occurs many times in the NT with various meanings (approx. 9,000), instead of assuming that the most common meaning applies (which is "generally connective"), one should opt for that meaning "which contributes the least new information to the total context" (a principle sometimes referred to as "the rule of maximal redundancy"). In particular, Titrud maintained that, in view of the rule of maximal redundancy, if apposition is a viable option for kai/, then it should be seriously considered⁸. This means that the overall context of