Subject: Apostles - Non-Jewish |
Bible Note: Doc has made an important point. Anyone who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai when Moses received the Law was a Jew. Large numbers of them were from the mixed multitude in Exodus 12.38. But on that day they became Jews. Many of them were not directly descended from Abraham but were descended from servants in his household (Of which he had over 1000), or from servants in the households of the other patriarchs. They had previously been adopted as 'sons of Abraham'. But not by blood. And all these joined one or other of the tribes and finally began to believe that they were descended from Jacob. Through the centuries many converts were made to YHWH and they all became 'sons of Abraham' and many were forced to become Jews in the days of the Maccabees... Many were forced to become Jews at the point of the sword, the Edomites under John Hyrcanus, the Galileans under Aristobulus. But they soon saw themselves as Jews and connected themselves with the twelve tribes. By the time of Jesus those who could trace their ancestry back by more than five generations were a rarity, and sadly they looked down on those who could not. Of course the priests and the house of David could trace their ancestry back for it was necessary if they were to fulfil their function. At that time many genealogies were invented in order to prove a descent which was not genuine. Indeed in his anger at being seen as only a 'half-Jew' Herod the Great deliberately destroyed many of the genealogical records of the Jews. But is is probable that the majority of Jews today are not directly descended by blood from Jacob. They are descended by adoption and infiltration into the tribes of Israel. |