Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews
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Hosts
Corey J. Mahler
The terms “Hebrew”, “Israelite”, and “Jew” are often conflated and they do, indeed, have overlapping meanings, but they are also distinct terms that sometimes reference diametrically opposed things. A “Jew” can be one who is religiously a Jew, ethnically a Jew, or even one who truly believes (for Scripture speaks in this way). “Israel” can mean the man, the nation, or the Church. It is incumbent on Christians to make careful and correct use of these terms, not to be incautious or sloppy.
Many heresies have arisen in the history of the Church due to deliberate or careless misuse of terms — and many of these heresies persist into the present. For instance, without a false understanding of what the terms “Israel” and “Church” mean, there would be no such thing as ‘Christian’ Zionism. In this episode, we go over the Scriptural (and a bit of the historical) case with regard to the Jews — who they are, what they’ve done, and what that means for Christians.
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Show Notes
- Proto-Hebrew Alphabet [Wikipedia]
- cf. the Phoenician alphabet [Wikipedia]
See Also
Further Reading
- Targum [Wikipedia]
Parental Warnings
None.
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Great episode guys. Though I have some questions to clarify something. When you talk about what is called Hebrew today actually being Aramaic, does this mean that when people today learn Hebrew they are actually learning Aramaic? If so, what language is it that they call Aramaic today? Or are they both the same language referred to by two different names?
The ‘Hebrew’ alphabet used today is, essentially, the Aramaic alphabet. The two languages are distinct languages, but Modern Hebrew is not identical with Ancient or Biblical Hebrew.
This isn’t directly related to this episode specifically, but I wanted to put this comment out there publicly.
Thank you both for not only the time and effort you’ve put into these podcasts, but also the courage and faith you’ve shown. I’ve fallen away from the Church for decades (I will admit much of this is my own failings), and it’s only after listening to men like yourselves that I’m starting to see an understanding of Christianity that doesn’t provoke insurmountable cognitive dissonance. I’ve struggled with my faith for a long time, and whenever I’ve attempted to rejoin the Church I’m assaulted by ideas and moralities alien not just to my own sensibilities but also scripture.
It’s interesting that the accusations levelled against yourselves and others is what lead me here and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I still struggle with my faith, but I’ve began to earnestly confront this issue through prayer, scripture, and even picking up a copy of the Concordia.
Again, thank you both for helping me back on the straight and narrow path.
You two have the best podcast on the internet. Thank you.
What do you make of the Acts 7 mention of Remphan being connected to the planet Saturn, which has a stable hexagon shaped storm on one of its poles?
Is this just plain evidence of demonic knowledge and influence?
Connecting back to Amos and “Kiyyun” the “star-god” — there are interesting ‘coincidences’ when it comes to the so-called “Star of David” and other symbols (and the hexagon on Saturn). It may very well be demonic (or it may be a coincidence in the case of Saturn). At the very least, it is best for Christians to avoid such symbols when there is a risk of confusion. Personally, I am not inclined toward believing in coincidence where there is another compelling explanation available.
I saw your tweet Corey “Dear Baptists,
The rest of the Church does not (mis)number the Commandments like you do; you got your numbering from the Reformed (who better understand that they renumbered them).
Stop posting extremely stupid replies about the numbering of the Commandments.”
This is false as the proper numbering came from the Anglicans in the Book of Common Prayer. But Luther contjnued the Catholic lie of erasing the commandment against making and bowing to graven images (not referenced or quoted at all in even the Large Catechism) and thus having only 9 commandmenta but hiding it by splitting thous shalt not covet into two commandments, not coveting house as 9 and not coveting wife, donkey, etc. as 10. Its obvious by the splitting of 10 into 9 and 10 that you pulled a dirty trick and anyone who reada the Bible can see you erased thou shalt not make bow to or serve graven images. So the Anglican numbering is right and those who follow it are the true Chriatians whereas you Lutherans are just another sect of Papista like Dominicans and Franciscans and Sedvacantists and Novus Ordos and Rad Trads and Cappuchins etc.
You Lutheran Papists need to stop ponificating your false doctrine and learn real Christianity. Infant baptism, transubstantiation, preistly vestment, calling Mary “Mother of God” is all pagan blasphemy introduced by pagan Roman emperors and they and all their clergy went to hell for 1500 years. God may have had mercy and saved the laity who were never properly baptized since they didn’t have the Bible to know any better, but everyone who ever baptized a baby went to hell. Repent of your error you Papiat filth. If tou want Christianity to be saved and to save the West you will have to abandon Papism and embrace teuw Christianity first. No Christian will even listen to your other positions so long as you are a Papist pagan.
I would encourage you to read God’s commands with regard to the Temple. You may find them at odds with your interpretation of the Commandments.
As to Mary, if she is not the mother of God, then Christ is not God (for she is certainly His mother). Are you an Arian?
Jesus is God, and Mary is the mother of Jesus, therefore Mary is the mother of God, if she is not than what is Jesus?
hi,id like to know what you guys think about Wesley Swift,and Comparet,thanks for the good work.
Wesley Smith was a ‘Christian’ Identity advocate, and it seems that the same was true of Bertrand Comparet. Christian Identity is a heresy. Whether or not we will address it in a dedicated episode is undecided, but we have already addressed it across many of the episodes thus far published. Christianity is, in the technical sense, a universalist religion, in that it is available to all — without regard to nationality, sex, et cetera. British Israelism (the father of Christian Identity) is also a heresy, and makes many of the same claims. Christianity is not bound to any one ethnicity, even if there has been a significant historical bias in terms of who has and who has not believed (i.e., it has been mostly Europeans).
‘Christian’ Identity is just Zionism for Europeans, and it is equally wrong. We are saved by blood, but not our own. It is belief in Christ that demarcates the Christian, not descent from a particular patriarch. It is correct to be proud of the accomplishments of our ancestors, but we only shame them by believing manifest falsehoods.
Also, why would anyone want to be related to the Ancient Israelites? Read the Old Testament. I, for one, am certainly glad that those miserable people are not my ancestors.
Paul calls Peter a Jew (Galatians 2:14)
Where is Peter from? He is from Galilee(Matthew 4:13, 18)
So we reject the idea that a Jew is only from Judea.
Paul calls Peter am Ἰουδαῖος (i.e., a Judaean). If you had listened to the episode (or simply read the OT), then you would know that the Northern Kingdom had already been destroyed at this point and the only Hebrews who remained were those belonging to the Southern Kingdom, otherwise known as Judah. The fact that Roman Palestine encompassed more than just the ancient Kingdom of Judah does not in any way change the history of the Northern Kingdom and the fact that those tribes no longer existed by the time of Christ.
As to the tribe from which Peter haled: Scripture is silent, but tradition typically holds that he belonged to the tribe of Judah or Simeon (i.e., one of the tribes constituting the Southern Kingdom of Judah). The fact that Galilee was historically part of the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali (and possibly Zebulon) is irrelevant to the matter.