οἱ ἐκλεκτοί, “the chosen,” is a fairly common NT designation for Christians collectively, not with particular reference to God’s act of choosing them in eternity past but with reference to their present historical existence and their final vindication. Its background lies in the OT as a designation of the people of Israel (e.g., 1 Chron 16:13; Ps 105:6; Isa 65:9, 15, 23) and in Jewish apocalyptic literature either in the same way (e.g., As. Mos. 4.2) or as a designation of the righteous in Israel