Difference between revisions of "Jew"

<p> At first one belonging to the kingdom of Judah, as distinguished from northern Israel (&nbsp;2 Kings 16:6). After the captivity, all members of the one new state were "Jews," i.e. in God's outward covenant, as contrasted with "Greeks" or Gentiles (&nbsp;Romans 1:16; &nbsp;Romans 2:9, margin). "Hebrew" on the other hand expressed their language and nationality, in contrast to "Hellenists," i.e. Greek speaking Jews. Again the term" Israelites" expresses the high theocratic privileges of descent from the patriarch who "as a prince had power with God" (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:22; &nbsp;Romans 9:4). John uses "Jews" of the faction hostile to the Lord Jesus. </p> <p> By the time that he wrote the Jews had definitely rejected the gospel offered to them by the apostles at home and abroad (&nbsp;1 Thessalonians 2:14-16); so they are no longer regarded as the covenant people, the kingdom of God having passed from them to the Gentiles (&nbsp;Acts 13:45-46) The destruction of [[Jerusalem]] and the temple formally effected the transference, forever since the Jew professes a religion enjoining what God's providence makes it impossible for him to fulfil, namely, the observance of the great feasts and the sacrificial system in the temple at Jerusalem. B. F. Westcott (Smith's Bible Dictionary) notices the preparation for the last or gospel revelation by the disciplining of the Jews under </p> <p> '''(1)''' the [[Persian]] supremacy (536-333 B.C.), in organization, order, and ritual; </p> <p> '''(2)''' under the Greek (333-167 B.C.), in liberty and speculation; </p> <p> '''(3)''' under the Asmonsean Maccabees, in independence and faith; </p> <p> '''(4)''' under the Herods, in the separation between the temporal and the spiritual kingdom. [[Jewry]] means [[Judea]] (&nbsp;Daniel 5:13). "The Jews' language" signifies both the Hebrew (&nbsp;2 Kings 18:26) and the [[Aramaic]] Hebrew acquired in the captivity (&nbsp;Nehemiah 13:24), "the language (lip) of Canaan" (&nbsp;Isaiah 19:18). (See [[Hebrew]] LANGUAGE.) </p>

<p> The name ‘Jew’ was not used in Old Testament times before the division of the [[Israelite]] kingdom. After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom was split into two parts, the northern part being known as Israel and the southern part as Judah. People of the southern kingdom, though Israelites by blood (since they were descended from Jacob, or Israel) were called Judeans, to distinguish them from those of the northern kingdom. The name ‘Judean’ was later shortened to ‘Jew’ (&nbsp;Jeremiah 34:9). </p> <p> Both northern and southern kingdoms were eventually destroyed and the people taken captive to foreign lands. When the descendants of these captives were later allowed to return to the land of Israel, most of those who returned belonged to the former southern kingdom (the Judeans, or Jews). </p> <p> By this time the name ‘Jew’ was in common use. It was freely applied to all those now living back in the ancient homeland, without having any specific reference to the tribe they originally came from. In other words, it was used in general as a name for all Israelites (&nbsp;Ezra 6:7; &nbsp;Nehemiah 6:6; &nbsp;Esther 3:6; &nbsp;Esther 3:10; &nbsp;Jeremiah 44:1; &nbsp;Daniel 3:8). By the time of the New Testament, the names ‘Hebrew’, ‘Israelite’ and ‘Jew’ were used interchangeably (&nbsp;Matthew 2:2; &nbsp;John 1:19; &nbsp;Acts 2:5; &nbsp;Romans 1:16; &nbsp;Romans 2:28-29; &nbsp;Romans 11:1; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 9:20; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:22; &nbsp;Galatians 2:14; &nbsp;Philippians 3:5; see also HEBREW; ISRAEL; JUDAH, [[Tribe]] AND KINGDOM). </p>

<li> Israelites, as respects their sacred privileges as the chosen people of God. "To other races we owe the splendid inheritance of modern civilization and secular culture; but the religious education of mankind has been the gift of the Jew alone." <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Jew'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/j/jew.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>