Hebrews
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- This article is about the Hebrew people. For the book of the Bible, see Epistle to the Hebrews.
Hebrews (syns. Heberites, Eberites, Hebreians, descendants of biblical Patriarch Eber; עברים, Standard Hebrew ʿIvrim, Tiberian Hebrew ʿIḇrîm; also עבריים Standard Hebrew ʿIvriyyim, Tiberian Hebrew ʿIḇriyyîm) were who lived in Syria, Palestine, and Canaan and as far as present day Egypt and Kuwait in the 2nd millennium BCE. In the Levant, Hebrews spoke a Canaanite dialect (see Hebrew languages). Interestingly some Habiru names listed on the Tikunani Prism are Hurrian, while other names associated with the Habiru have Hittite or Amorite onomastics.
From textual evidence largely from the Amarna letters and the Mari documents, academic scholars now believe the term we know as Hebrew originally meant a stateless individual or tribe, which didn't pay taxes or tribute to a ruler as such. Many Hebrews were originally Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Hurrians and Luwians who gradually distinguished themselves based upon a religious difference, most notably the worship of the Canaanite god El rather than Hadad (or Adad) who was then favored in the Canaanite pantheon. Hadad was known as "Baal", which meant "The Lord", and was a title used by many Near Eastern civilizations to refer to a primary god.
The Canaanite invasion of Egypt resulted in a temporary conquest of Lower Egypt, ending the Egyptian Middle Kingdom Age, but Upper Egypt's eventual re-conquest of Lower Egypt forced many of the invaders (known to the Egyptians as the Hyksos) into slavery, and the Hebrews among them further distinguished themselves by uniting under Moses to escape (see below). The Hebrews preserved many Canaanite and Mesopotamian themes through Amorite mythology like the specific biblical version of the story of Noah, derived originally from the Sumerian story of Ziusudra/Utnapishtim, the ark, and the deluge unleashed by the angry, jealous god Enlil (Babylonian Ellil, Canaanite El), who was thwarted by the wise god Enki (Babylonian Ea).
Hebrews lived in villages and raised livestock, seasonally grazing them in drier areas which didn't farm well, a form of subsistence known as transhumance. Principally goats, sheep and cattle. Their main beasts of burden were oxen, donkeys and around the time of the Iron-Bronze age transition, camels were introduced from central Asia.
The most influential group of Hebrews to emerge from the 12th century BCE Hebrew migrations were from a group which had long settled in Egypt and were known as Israel. Besides the Jews, other Hebrew peoples include the Edomites, Midianites, Arameans, the Israelites, and Joktanites.
Certain Christian groups sometimes use the term Hebrews to distinguish the Jews in ancient times that lived before the birth of Jesus from Jews that lived afterward. This distincion is part of the Christian doctrine that the favor bestowed upon the ancient Jews, as "God's chosen people", was removed upon their rejection of Jesus as the messiah, and transferred to Christians. The distinction is not recognized by the Jews.
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Definition
The term refers to all the descendants of the Biblical Patriarch Jacob (later renamed Israel), who was the son of Isaac and the father to eleven sons, most famous of whom is Joseph. Hebrews are also referred to as the Children of Israel, because they are all descended from the Patriarch Israel, also known as Jacob. The Hebrews constituted of Twelve Tribes.
Today, modern-day Jews are descended from only a few of these Tribes. The Tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and parts of Levi (the priestly tribe) are seen as the ancestors of modern-day Jewish people. Some would say the Tribe of Simeon is included in this list, due to the view held by some that the Tribe of Simeon was absorbed into the Tribe of Judah. The remainder of the Twelve Tribes are said to have been exiled by the Assyrian Empire, and have become known as the Lost Tribes of Israel.
Etymology of the word "Jew"
- Main article: Etymology of the word Jew
There are different views as to the origin of the English language word Jew. The most common view is that the Middle English word Jew is from the Old French giu, earlier juieu, from the Latin iudeus from the Greek Ioudaios (Ιουδαίος). The Latin simply means Judaean, from the land of Judaea. The Hebrew for Jew, יהודי , is pronounced ye-hoo-DEE. The Hebrew letter Yud (or Yod), י, becomes a 'j' in languages using the Latin-based alphabet when the Yud is used as a consonant rather than as a vowel.
The term "Jew" is derived from "Judah," or the Hebrew term "Yehuda." This demonstrates the influence of the Tribe of Judah in the formation of the modern Jewish people, which comprise of the descendents of a few Biblical Tribes, as well as a minority number of converts.
The operational definition implies that all Jews are Hebrews, or Israelites, but not all Hebrews are Jews.
See also
References
- Salvini, (Mirjo) 1996. The Habiru prism of King Tunip-Teßßup of Tikunani. Rome ISBN 8881470934
External links
Categories: NPOV disputes