Why Jews Are Called Jews

Ben Masada

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Why Jews are Called Jews

The reason why we are called Jews, and that we come from the Tribe of Judah, it is all based on God's promise to David that his Tribe (of Judah) would remain as a lamp in Jerusalem forever. (I Kings 11:36)

The reason for this promise is that it was in the desings of God to reject the Tabernacle of Joseph, aka Ephraim, aka the Ten Tribes of Israel and confirm Judah as the Tribe promised to David to stay forever. That's in Psalm 78:67-69.

Then, after this was done, by the time the Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of the North, aka Israel, that was taken to Assyria and the whole population replaced with Gentiles from Assyria, Israel had been lost forever amongst the nations and assimilated with the Gentiles. That was in the year 721 BCE.

About 100 years later, 131 to be precise, if we take from Josephus in his "The Antiquities of the Jews", Judah was conquered by the Babylonians and taken for a temporary exile of 70 years. But prior to the conquest of Judah by Babylon, about two thirds of the Levites and a few thousands from the other Tribes had escaped to Judah in the South to become one with the Jewish People. That was the moratorium span of time when, to become a Jew, one did not have to convert.

After the exile was over, Judah returned to the Land of Israel as one people and one nation only. The Tribal system was over. Only Judah was in the whole land of Israel; eventually, North and South, as the population grew in number. That's how the Jews got the name from, and Judaism had originated from. The Ten Tribes had got lost forever.(Eze. 37:22)

Ben
 
Why Jews are Called Jews

The reason why we are called Jews, and that we come from the Tribe of Judah, it is all based on God's promise to David that his Tribe (of Judah) would remain as a lamp in Jerusalem forever. (I Kings 11:36)

The reason for this promise is that it was in the desings of God to reject the Tabernacle of Joseph, aka Ephraim, aka the Ten Tribes of Israel and confirm Judah as the Tribe promised to David to stay forever. That's in Psalm 78:67-69.

Then, after this was done, by the time the Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of the North, aka Israel, that was taken to Assyria and the whole population replaced with Gentiles from Assyria, Israel had been lost forever amongst the nations and assimilated with the Gentiles. That was in the year 721 BCE.

About 100 years later, 131 to be precise, if we take from Josephus in his "The Antiquities of the Jews", Judah was conquered by the Babylonians and taken for a temporary exile of 70 years. But prior to the conquest of Judah by Babylon, about two thirds of the Levites and a few thousands from the other Tribes had escaped to Judah in the South to become one with the Jewish People. That was the moratorium span of time when, to become a Jew, one did not have to convert.

After the exile was over, Judah returned to the Land of Israel as one people and one nation only. The Tribal system was over. Only Judah was in the whole land of Israel; eventually, North and South, as the population grew in number. That's how the Jews got the name from, and Judaism had originated from. The Ten Tribes had got lost forever.(Eze. 37:22)

Ben

One of the points to this thread is to bring to the posters' attention, especially those who deny that Abraham was not a Jew, that, indeed, we cannot advocate that he was Jewish but that he was the one responsible for the origin of Judaism, in terms of being the originator of the Jewish faith.
Ben
 
One of the points to this thread is to bring to the posters' attention, especially those who deny that Abraham was not a Jew, that, indeed, we cannot advocate that he was Jewish but that he was the one responsible for the origin of Judaism, in terms of being the originator of the Jewish faith.
Ben
You mentioned a moratorium time in which other tribes did not have to convert to be Jewish, yet they did over time become one people of a Jewish persuasion. If that's not conversion then what is? In other words they were naturalized in the end, so the whole thing was part of a long conversion process.

They converted as a testimony to the power of the law, I suppose. Abraham, if he originated Judaism must have anticipated this would happen. But did he also anticipate there would be an end to the open enrollment period? That doesn't seem likely, so perhaps you cannot call him the originator of everything you today call the faith of Judaism. Perhaps some things have changed.

I don't think that should keep you from being called 'Jews', but you cannot simply say that its because you follow Abraham's religion if you have changed Judaism by ending open enrollment. Its no longer open, but you say it was open during the time when Abraham was alive.
 
Good point, dream. The Ethiopian Jews (Beta Yisrael) and the Khazars are examples of large-scale conversion. If you venture to Indian or Chinese Synagogues, gosh, they look Indian or Chinese. There is very large historically all-black orthodox community in New York and Charleston (I have been to the one in New York and they told me about another large one down South).

The ethnic/racial connotation is unfortunate (in my opinion).

Since the Holy Qu’ran claims to re-institute the perfect monotheism of Abraham, they claim him as well.
 
You mentioned a moratorium time in which other tribes did not have to convert to be Jewish, yet they did over time become one people of a Jewish persuasion. If that's not conversion then what is? In other words they were naturalized in the end, so the whole thing was part of a long conversion process.

They converted as a testimony to the power of the law, I suppose. Abraham, if he originated Judaism must have anticipated this would happen. But did he also anticipate there would be an end to the open enrollment period? That doesn't seem likely, so perhaps you cannot call him the originator of everything you today call the faith of Judaism. Perhaps some things have changed.

I don't think that should keep you from being called 'Jews', but you cannot simply say that its because you follow Abraham's religion if you have changed Judaism by ending open enrollment. Its no longer open, but you say it was open during the time when Abraham was alive.

Oh yes, you are right, conversion to Judaism was indeed open during the time of Abraham and throughout History; hence instructions in Isaiah 56:1-8 to Gentiles willing to join God's Covenant with His People. The ending of easy enrollment to become Jewish occurred in the 4th Century, soon after 310 ACE, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire with Constantine. That's when the Rabbis forbade to, actively, proselytize Gentiles due to threatenings by the Church to execute Jews who were involved with it, as some were.

Now, for the "moratorium time," it was during 130 years from the transfer of Israel, the Kingdom of the North (the Ten Tribes) to Assyria, and the exile of Judah to Babylon, when many succeeded to escape and joined Judah in the South. During that time, there was no need indeed of formal
conversion. But 70 years later, when the Jewish People returned from Babylon, the "racial cleasing" was effected by Ezra/Nehemiah, when formal conversion was reinstated.

Ben
 
Why Jews are Called Jews

The reason why we are called Jews, and that we come from the Tribe of Judah, it is all based on God's promise to David that his Tribe (of Judah) would remain as a lamp in Jerusalem forever. (I Kings 11:36)

The reason for this promise is that it was in the desings of God to reject the Tabernacle of Joseph, aka Ephraim, aka the Ten Tribes of Israel and confirm Judah as the Tribe promised to David to stay forever. That's in Psalm 78:67-69.

Then, after this was done, by the time the Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of the North, aka Israel, that was taken to Assyria and the whole population replaced with Gentiles from Assyria, Israel had been lost forever amongst the nations and assimilated with the Gentiles. That was in the year 721 BCE.

About 100 years later, 131 to be precise, if we take from Josephus in his "The Antiquities of the Jews", Judah was conquered by the Babylonians and taken for a temporary exile of 70 years. But prior to the conquest of Judah by Babylon, about two thirds of the Levites and a few thousands from the other Tribes had escaped to Judah in the South to become one with the Jewish People. That was the moratorium span of time when, to become a Jew, one did not have to convert.

After the exile was over, Judah returned to the Land of Israel as one people and one nation only. The Tribal system was over. Only Judah was in the whole land of Israel; eventually, North and South, as the population grew in number. That's how the Jews got the name from, and Judaism had originated from. The Ten Tribes had got lost forever.(Eze. 37:22)

Ben

Was not Judah involved in the conspiracy to sell Joseph as a slave?

Regards
 
One of the points to this thread is to bring to the posters' attention, especially those who deny that Abraham was not a Jew, that, indeed, we cannot advocate that he was Jewish but that he was the one responsible for the origin of Judaism, in terms of being the originator of the Jewish faith.
Ben

Morally it is wrong to say that Abraham was a Jew or Jewish.

Regards
 
I don't believe Abraham was a Jew...until he was renamed Abram?

but morally? please expound.

Abraham was never a Jew. He happened much before. The ancestors don't get any name from their off-spring.

Regards
 
Gen 17:4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5"No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6"I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.…
 
Isn't that where he became the beginning of G!d's chosen....I see what you mean though if the land of Judah came so much later... he got great grandfathered in...
 
Isn't that where he became the beginning of G!d's chosen....I see what you mean though if the land of Judah came so much later... he got great grandfathered in...

G-d's choice is never racial but on grace based on spiritual merit. Judah cannot claim any spiritual inheritance from Abraham when he committed the wrong of selling his brother Joseph.
Abraham does not need to share such wrongs committed by his offspring; so Abraham had nothing to do with Judah or being Jewish .

Regards
 
Again...metaphor my brother...

If Abraham wasn't the first Jew....then Jesus wasn't the first Christian?

Jesus never claimed to be a Christian; he was a Jew.
Abraham was not a Jew as he had passed long ago.

That is the correct position.

Regards
 
Again...metaphor my brother...

If Abraham wasn't the first Jew....then Jesus wasn't the first Christian?

Jesus never even dreamed Christianity would ever rise. The first Christian was Paul who himself founded Christianity in the city of Antioch after he spent a whole year teaching that Jesus was Christ. (Acts 11:26)
 
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