How old is the Jewish race?

In: Old Testament, Tanakh and Talmud [Recategorize]

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Answer

Just to clarify: there is no such thing as the Jewish 'race'. We are not a 'race'; if we were, nobody could convert to or from Judaism, and people do both.

Jews are a semitic people, like Arabs. We are above all a family; we are also a people and a religion. There are Jews from ALL ethnic backgrounds; we are not one cohesive 'ethnicity'.

If you believe in the biblical account, the "jews" started with Abraham, but the religion as we know it today started when Moses was given the ten commandments.

The term Jews was derived from residents of Judah. The nation of Israel as a whole were considered Israelites or Hebrews. The term Hebrew is derived from the region that Abraham and Sarah settled in after moving from Ur. The word "Hebrew" is related to the word "Other side of", as in the "other side of the Jordan River". Many scholars believe this to be the origin for the term, although other theories have been defended. The term "Jew" or Jewish is just another term for the Judean people of ancient and present day.

The Jews were Jewish by providential birth and Israelite by nationality. Ex. A person born in Nova Scotia is considered to be a Nova Scotian and Canadian.

Answer

Abraham ( 2052 BCE ) Hebrew

Isaac (1952 BCE )

Jacob / Israel ( 1892 BCE ) Israelites

Judah (Son of Israel) Judeans

So, approximately 3900 years.

First answer by ID1113712399. Last edit by Jew With A View. Contributor trust: 18 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 77 [recommend question]

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