Subject: Aren't Isaelites and Jews, one people? |
Bible Note: Hi, CDBJ... Yes, you are correct: depending on context, a Jew may be any combination of those things. You also are right that we refer to Abraham as father. But you appropriately add the point that it is more complicated than that. There are descendants of Abraham who were never in Egyptian captivity. There were Hebrews who never left Egypt. There were Egyptians who accompanied the children of Israel (Jacob) as they fled. Thus, it is more involved than just genetic lineage. Rabbinic teaching does appear to agree, though, that the Chosen People included all of those who stood at Sinai (Exodus 18:1-20:23) and their descendants. Of course, many peoples from many lands later became converts or entered into the tribes through marriage, servitude, etc. Jewish identity is a question of important significance within the Jewish community, and has done since earliest Biblical times. Non-Jewish definitions are bandied about -- for a variety of benign or malignant purposes -- for at least as long a time. None of it ever seems to dissolve in the light of the Word. Perhaps that just proves how little authority is placed on Scripture alone. In Him, Doc |