Are the Jews of today really the Jews in the bible?

Answer 1

According to all available genetic, cultural, archaeological, and literary information, yes. The Jews of today are descended from three tribes which inhabited the southern Hebrew Kingdom of Judah (from which the word "Jew" is derived). These tribes are Judah, Benjamin, and Levi (the priestly class which served in the temple). The rest of the Twelve Tribes (which resided in Israel) were scattered and lost early in Jewish history, when the northern kingdom, Israel, was invaded by the Assyrians.

Those Jews today claiming to be the priestly class within the tribe of Levi who are descended from Aaron, carry a specific marker in their genes which prove that they are descended from one man, probably the Biblical Aaron. A priest is called "Cohen" in Hebrew, and this is a common last name among those who are descended from the priests of Israel (in addition to Kahan and other variations). However, since the temple is no longer standing, they have no special privileges aside from reciting an ancient blessing called the "Priestly Blessing" (taken from Numbers ch.6) in a synagogue congregation, and the honor of being called first to read from the Torah. The other Levites are usually given the privilege of going second. Many of them carry names such as "Levanthal", "Levy", or "Levine". Jews have been very meticulous in keeping genealogical records, believing that one day the temple will be restored, and they would need to know who the priests and Levites were. A few Jews can even establish themselves as being descended from the tribe of Benjamin, though this is rare since most were absorbed into the tribe of Judah before The Bible was even compiled into one book.

Jews have a continuous documented history, both before the Temple was destroyed and after, up to the present day; having spread to Europe, Africa, and as far as China and India very early on, before and after the destruction of Judea by the Romans. Jews have maintained knowledge of Hebrew, and the most reliable texts of the Bible upon which almost all Bibles are based today, is the Jewish Hebrew Masoretic (traditional) text. The religion of the Jews has adapted to changing circumstances, while maintaining many ancient traditions, and in some ways is different in practice from the Judaism of the Biblical era. For this, and many other reasons, we can be sure that the various groups of Jews today are one and the same, though changed by various circumstances and marrying into those peoples and adopting the cultures of those areas in which they settled after the Biblical era.

Answer 2

Yes, for the following reasons:

1) Jewish tradition. We have an unbroken tradition of 3800 years with thousands of names and dates, which among other things identifies us (the Jews) as the descendants of the ancient Israelites.American and Russian Jews have the names and bloodlines of our families' Ashkenaz Jewish ancestors for over eleven centuries. The early Ashkenazi families were brought to the Frankish empire 1200 years ago by Charlemagne from the Jewish communities of Italy (Bari, Lucca and Otrento).Note also that converted groups do not contain any Kohens or Levites, whereas the Ashkenazim and Sephardim all have good percentages of them.

2) Non-Jewish tradition and scholarship: here too, the great majority (ancient historians and recent scholarship) verify that the Jewish people are who they say they are.

3) Science: recently, worldwide DNA analyses have confirmed that today's Jews are related to each other and originated in the Middle East. Among other things, the "from the Khazars" canard has been debunked. A 2013 study of Ashkenazi mitochondrial DNA found no significant evidence of Khazar contribution to the Ashkenazi Jewish DNA, as would be predicted by the Khazar hypothesis.

Although there is no historical or DNA evidence to support the Khazar idea, it is still popular among anti-Semites.
In 2000, the analysis of a report by Nicholas Wade "provided genetic witness that Jewish communities have, to a remarkable extent, retained their biological identity separate from their host populations, showing relatively little intermarriage or conversion into Judaism over the centuries. The results accord with Jewish history and tradition and refute theories which would allege that Jewish communities consist mostly of converts."

See also:

Are Hebrews, Israelites and Jews the same people?

Jewish history timeline