What is the Definition of Jew

The way I understand it is this:

Prior to the exile and Babylonian (and then Persian) captivity, the people of Israel were called "Israelites" or "Hebrews". After the reign of King Solomon, the kingdom split into two groups, Israel and Judah. One had ten tribes, while the other had two. I can't recall which group had which number of tribes or which one was in the north vs. the south. One of these two groups intermingled with the Assyrians (those who came before the Babylonians) and this created the people called "Samaritans".

Those who were from the kingdom of Judah were the first to be called "Jews". Later on, if I'm correct, the word "Jew" came to refer to anyone who was a Hebrew. By the time of the Roman occupation (long after the return from captivity and the rebuilding of the wall and temple), pretty much all Hebrew people were called "Jews".

There seem to be many definitions of the word Jew. There are both
both secular and religious definitions. As I looked into it there is much confusion. There is the ethnic, religion, where you live, etc.
If your mother is a Jew you are a Jew.
If you convert to Judaism you are a jew.
If you live in Israel you are a Jew.

These and other definitions make the word Jew a problem to correctly define.

What does the forum think a Jew is?

What does the forum think a Jew is?

The way I understand it is this:

Prior to the exile and Babylonian (and then Persian) captivity, the people of Israel were called "Israelites" or "Hebrews". After the reign of King Solomon, the kingdom split into two groups, Israel and Judah. One had ten tribes, while the other had two. I can't recall which group had which number of tribes or which one was in the north vs. the south. One of these two groups intermingled with the Assyrians (those who came before the Babylonians) and this created the people called "Samaritans".

Those who were from the kingdom of Judah were the first to be called "Jews". Later on, if I'm correct, the word "Jew" came to refer to anyone who was a Hebrew. By the time of the Roman occupation (long after the return from captivity and the rebuilding of the wall and temple), pretty much all Hebrew people were called "Jews".

The way I understand it is this:

Prior to the exile and Babylonian (and then Persian) captivity, the people of Israel were called "Israelites" or "Hebrews". After the reign of King Solomon, the kingdom split into two groups, Israel and Judah. One had ten tribes, while the other had two. I can't recall which group had which number of tribes or which one was in the north vs. the south. One of these two groups intermingled with the Assyrians (those who came before the Babylonians) and this created the people called "Samaritans".

Those who were from the kingdom of Judah were the first to be called "Jews". Later on, if I'm correct, the word "Jew" came to refer to anyone who was a Hebrew. By the time of the Roman occupation (long after the return from captivity and the rebuilding of the wall and temple), pretty much all Hebrew people were called "Jews".

We should take the Bible as the basis of our understanding of who is a Jew.

1. The Jews are Semites and also Hebrews. Which means that they are descendants of Shem (the son of Noah) and Eber (the descendant of Shem) through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

2. Until the time of Jacob they were known as Hebrews.

3. From the time of Jacob to Moses they were known as "the children of Israel" (Israel being the God-given name of Jacob). The children of Israel were descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob. In the OT "Jacob" and "Israel" are used interchangeably for the nation of Israel. In the New Testament "Jews" and "Israel" are used interchangeably, even after the kingdom of Israel (the northern kingdom) went into Assyrian captivity.

4. From the time of Moses to the Babylonian captivity they were known as Israelites.

5. From the Babylonian captivity they were known as "Jews" (Yehudi) because they were from the kingdom of Judah. After the Babylonian captivity, those who returned to the province of Judah (in Palestine) were primarily from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. Judah was under Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman rule until the Diaspora (or dispersion of the Jews).

6. After the Diaspora of the Jews in AD 70, the Jews began to be classified as either Sephardic (from Palestine) or Ashkenazic (from Europe and the USSR). Their religions range from outright Atheism to Ultra-Orthodox Judaism.

7. Even though the Ashkenazic Jews were not from Palestine originally, but converts to Judaism, for all practical purposes Jews regard them as full-fledged Jews.

8. In the New Testament, God makes a distinction between "believing Israel" (or "the believing remnant") and "unbelieving Israel" (those who rejected Christ). As far as God is concerned, the true Jew is the one who has been circumcised inwardly (born again) not the one who is simply circumcised outwardly.

9. Even though Gentiles today are the majority of Christians, they are branches of "the wild olive tree" (outside Israel) whereas believing Israel is called "the good olive tree". Which means that the Church is created primarily out of believing Jews (at Pentecost and later) to which Gentiles were added. Therefore Gentiles may not be high-minded in relation to unbelieving Jews. See Romans 9-11.

10. From AD 70 to AD 1948 the Jews were scattered among all the nations (primarily in Europe). But they were persecuted by *Christians*, and the Catholic Church even attempted their forced conversion to Christianity. Anti-Semitism became the norm in Europe (and later in North America). The culmination of Anti-Semitism was under Hitler who had a diabolical plan to exterminate all European Jews, followed by Stalin in the USSR (who had a similar animosity towards them). As a result Zionism came into existence, which was basically a desire to have a secular Jewish homeland in Palestine.

11. The Arabs, Turks and Muslims had taken over Palestine from AD 636 (after the fall of the Roman Empire), but the British Balfour Declaration of 1917 favored the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. However, the Arabs were not very happy about this, and there was conflict between Jews and Arabs, and has continued ever since.

12. The majority of the Muslim and Arab world hates the Jews, and the extremists have vowed to drive Israel into the sea (exterminate Israel altogether). Iran is behind most of the attacks on Israel through Hamas and Hezbollah, but Israel is prepared to make a preemptive strike against Iran if necessary. Europe, the EU, and the UN are all Anti-Semitic and Anti-Israel, and until very recently America had also turned against Israel (under Obama).

12. Modern Israel is "unbelieving Israel" but its capital is Jerusalem. The Star of David (the emblem of Israel) has no biblical basis. However it is an occultic hexagram found in the Kabbalah (but most Jews would not see it as evil). After the Second Coming of Christ, there will be a redeemed and restored kingdom of Israel, with a redeemed and restored Jerusalem, with David as prince over Israel. However, before the Second Coming there will be "the time of Jacob's trouble" when Jews will suffer tremendously, and only one third of all Jews worldwide will be saved.

13. Replacement Theology, which claims that the Church has replaced Israel, and that there will be no kingdom of Israel on earth, is TOTALLY FALSE, and contradicts scores of prophecies pertaining to Israel after it is redeemed and restored. God made a covenant with Abraham, and that covenant is immutable.

The Jews are unique in history. All other groups that were dispersed from their land disappeared in history. How can this be? Could this be the hand of God protecting them. Look at what happened to Germany that tried to eradicate them. It was bombed into rubble.

Well since God had already told them that they would eventually be brought back to Israel, He also ensured their survival. Indeed they have generally prospered and that is partly why they were hated.