Auserwählte

Auserwählte is a German noun meaning the person or group selected by a higher power, fate, or circumstance. The form derives from auswählen (to select) with the agentive suffix -e and declines as der Auserwählte (masculine singular), die Auserwählte (feminine singular), and die Auserwählten (plural). The term can refer to a single individual or to a collective.

In religious contexts, Auserwählte often denotes the elect. In Christian theology, the elect are those whom God has chosen for salvation, a concept elaborated in various traditions with differing views on election and grace. In Calvinist thought, election is tied to divine predestination; in Lutheran and Catholic contexts, emphasis may be on God's mercy and human response. In Judaism, das auserwählte Volk refers to the covenantal relationship of Israel with God and has been used in various interpretive traditions.

In literature and popular culture, the phrase parallels the English “the Chosen One” and appears in fantasy and science fiction to denote a hero singled out to fulfill a destiny. The German usage can be literal, theological, or rhetorical, sometimes employed critically to challenge claims of inherent privilege.

See also: election, predestination, the chosen people, the Chosen One, das auserwählte Volk.