What is the origin of the Jews?

Answer 1

The answer to this question lies in whether or not there is any evidence for the biblical accounts of Jewish history, for, if true in any kind of factual sense, there would be expected to be some evidence. Even if, as some archeologists have stated, we only have a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the possible evidence, we do nevertheless have some.

Overall, the view of history which says that the Jews originated from Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob, this view being faithfully handed down in the same way that other historical details were handed down and then recorded and edited by Moses and later others, is amply supported by factual discoveries, which coincidentally refute other views previously held to be factual.

Abraham is the father of Judaism because he was the first to believe in one God. When God commanded him to leave his country he became an Avrit or Hebrew (emigrant). His grandson Jacob had an incident with an angel which changed his name to Israel (means one who wrestles with God) ... This became the name of the nation under Moses.

Years later, a civil war in Israel divided the land into two: Israel (north) and Judea (south). The people of Judea were known as Judeans which linguistically evolved into Jews.

Answer 2

Abraham is the father of Judaism because he was the first to believe in one God. When God commanded him to leave his country he became an Avrit or Hebrew (emigrant). His grandson Jacob had an incident with an angel which changed his name to Israel (means one who wrestles with God) ... This became the name of the nation under Moses.

Years alter, a civil war in Israel divided the land into two: Israel (north) and Judea (south). The people of Judea were known as Judeans which linguistically evolved into Jews.

Answer 3

The biblical explanation for the origin of the Hebrew people or Israelites, who later became known as the Jews, is that they are the descendants of Abraham, through his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Jacob's descendants settled in Egypt before fleeing enslavement and conquering the land of the Canaanites.

However, scholars say that the Hebrew people were rural Canaanites who left the region of the rich coastal cities and settled the Canaanite hinterland somewhere around 1250 BCE, perhaps absorbing wandering bedouin tribes from across the Jordan River. They point out that there is no evidence for a military conquest, and that the early Hebrew population was too small to have achieved any military victory against the Canaanites. The early Hebrew language had much in common with the Canaanite language.

Answer 4

The Jewish people are descendants of Abraham, whose Semitic ancestors lived in the Fertile Crescent and who lived most of his life in the Middle Eastern country of Israel (Canaan) 3800 years ago.

Abraham is called a Hebrew (Genesis ch.14) because "Hebrews" (Ivrim) means descendants of Eber (Ever). Ever was an ancestor of Abraham (Genesis ch.10-11), and the early Hebrews were Abraham's uncles and cousins for several generations back. They were Western Semites and lived in northern Mesopotamia.In 1934-39, excavations were conducted at ancient Mari on the Euphrates River. They found that ancient towns were named after the ancestors of Abraham:
The city of Nahor was found near the city of Harran which exists to this day. Equally clear signs of early Hebrew residence appear in the names of other towns nearby: Serug (Assyrian Sarugi), Terah (Til Turakhi, "Mound of Terah"), and Peleg (Paliga, on the Euphrates near the mouth of the Habur). All these names are found in Genesis ch.11.

In Ur, Abraham first repudiated idolatry. (See: Abraham's biography.) He then sojourned in Harran (Syria) for several years, and then lived in Canaan (Israel). It was in Canaan that Abraham made a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15), and raised a family to be the center of carrying on his traditions (Genesis 18:19).

Abraham's chosen son was Isaac (Genesis ch.21). Isaac's son Jacob was blessed by God, who renamed him, calling him Israel (Genesis ch.35), which is why Jews are also called Israelites.

Jacob had 12 sons, who fathered the 12 Israelite tribes. The Israelites worshiped One God.

One thousand years after Jacob, ten of the tribes were exiled by the Assyrians, to points unknown. The only complete tribes left were Judah and Benjamin; plus part of Levi. The few thousands who remained from the other tribes joined the Tribe of Judah; and modern Jews are mostly descendants of Judah (hence the word "Jew").

This tradition has been substantiated by DNA analysis of Jewish communities all over the world, showing them to be inter-related and of Middle Eastern origin. The Cohanim, a family of the tribe of Levi, also share common genetics.

We possess the names and dates of our ancestors and leaders in an unbroken chain for 3800 years.

In 2000, Nicholas Wade concluded that his DNA study "provided genetic witness that Jewish communities have, to a remarkable extent, retained their biological identity separate from their host populations, evidence of relatively little intermarriage or conversion into Judaism over the centuries. The results accord with Jewish history and tradition."

See also:

Jewish history timeline

What race were the Israelites?

Jewish ancestry