If Jesus was a Nazarene,in Galilee what was His ethnic back ground ?

[Ezra]

3 hours ago, OakWood said:

So it's difficult to know what ethnicity Jesus would have been but it's likely that he was essentially Caucasian, not Black or Oriental.

There is a big difference between Caucasian (Japheth) and Semitic (Shem). Jesus was born an Israelite, therefore Semitic.

[other one]

7 minutes ago, Ezra said:

There is a big difference between Caucasian (Japheth) and Semitic (Shem). Jesus was born an Israelite, therefore Semitic.

Unless he got part of his genetic make up from his mother he does not have an Israelite birth genetically speaking......   his mother was an Israelite and his father who I am told adopted him was an Israelite so he would legally be an Israelite......   but we must remember that Genetically he did not come from any human father.  We have no idea what God whipped up in him for his makeup.

[Paradigm]

5 hours ago, ((Michael)) said:

is it safe to say that possibly the book of Hebrews may have also been written in Hebrews?

I think that it likely was. I tend to think that is highly likely the gospels, Hebrew, Revelation and others were first penned in Hebrew. Maybe one day some very early manuscripts will show up. I know that the Hebrew Matthew makes several passages more clear that do not make much sense in the Greek or English. 

[OakWood]

4 hours ago, Ezra said:

There is a big difference between Caucasian (Japheth) and Semitic (Shem). Jesus was born an Israelite, therefore Semitic.

I was using the term Caucasian with a very broad stroke. I could have said 'White' but on this occasion I chose to use the word Caucasian. It's almost impossible to simplify when it comes to race because it's very unlikely that anybody is of a pure race, so I have to generalise. In order to simplify things in my own mind, I think of three races, Black, White and Yellow based more on visual things rather than science. I'm not meaning to offend, I'm just trying to pigeonhole for the purposes of making things easier, but the pigeonholes are not meant to be accurate - just general.

[Sister]

On 15/04/2016 at 10:22 AM, bopeep1909 said:

Question: "Was Jesus a Jew?"

Answer: One needs only to search the internet today to determine that there is great controversy and disagreement over the question of whether Jesus of Nazareth was actually Jewish. Before we can answer this question adequately, we must first ask another question: who (or what) is a Jew? Even this question has its controversial elements, and the answer depends on who is answering. But one definition that each of the major sects of Judaism—Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform—would probably agree to is, “A Jew is any person whose mother was a Jew or any person who has gone through the formal process of conversion to Judaism.”

Although the Hebrew Bible does not specifically state anywhere that matrilineal descent should be used, modern rabbinical Judaism believes that there are several passages in the Torah where this is understood or implied, such as Deuteronomy 7:1-5; Leviticus 24:10; and Ezra 10:2-3. Then there are several examples in Scripture of Gentiles converting to Judaism (e.g., Ruth, the Moabitess; see Ruth 1:16 where Ruth voices her desire to convert) and are considered every bit as Jewish as an ethnic Jew.

So, let’s consider two questions: Was Jesus a Jew ethnically? And, was Jesus an observant Jew religiously?

Was Jesus a Jew ethnically, or was his mother a Jew? Jesus clearly identified with the Jews of His day, His physical people and tribe, and their religion (although correcting its errors). God purposely sent Him to Judah: “He came to His own [Judah], and His own [Judah] did not receive Him. But as many [Jews] as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name... (John 1:11-12 NKJV), and He clearly said, "You [Gentiles] worship what you do not know; we [Jews] know what we [Jews] worship, for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).

The very first verse of the New Testament clearly proclaims the Jewish ethnicity of Jesus. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). It is evident from passages like Hebrews 7:14, “For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,” that Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah, from which we get the name “Jew.” And what about Mary, the mother of Jesus? In the genealogy in Luke chapter 3, we see clearly that Mary was a direct descendant of King David which gave Jesus the legal right to ascend the Jewish throne as well as establishing without any doubt that Jesus was a Jew ethnically.

Was Jesus an observant Jew religiously? Both of Jesus' parents had “done everything required by the Law of the Lord” (Luke 2:39). His aunt and uncle, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were also Torah-observant Jews (Luke 1:6), so we can see that probably the whole family took their Jewish faith very seriously.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Jesus continually affirmed the authority of the Torah and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17) even in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:19-20). He regularly attended synagogue (Luke 4:16), and His teaching was respected by the other Jews of His day (Luke 4:15). He taught in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 21:37), and if He were not a Jew, His going into that part of the Temple would simply not have been allowed (Acts 21:28-30).

Jesus also displayed the outward signs of being an observant Jew. He wore tzitzit (tassles) on His clothing (Luke 8:44; Matthew 14:36) to serve as a reminder of the commandments (Numbers 15:37-39). He observed Passover (John 2:13) and went up to Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 16:16) on this very important Jewish pilgrimage feast day. He observed Succoth, or the feast of tabernacles (John 7:2, 10) and went up to Jerusalem (John 7:14) as required in the Torah. He also observed Hanukkah, the festival of lights (John 10:22) and probably Rosh Hashanah, the feast of trumpets (John 5:1), going up to Jerusalem on both those occasions as well, even though it isn't commanded in the Torah. Clearly, Jesus identified Himself as a Jew (John 4:22) and as King of the Jews (Mark 15:2). From His birth to His last Passover Seder (Luke 22:14-15), Jesus lived as an observant Jew.

http://www.gotquestions.org/was-Jesus-a-Jew.html

Bopeep

What will you ever do if you are in a situation where there is no internet?

 

[Ezra]

8 hours ago, Sister said:

Bopeep

What will you ever do if you are in a situation where there is no internet?

There's always good old snail mail.

[Ezra]

14 hours ago, OakWood said:

I was using the term Caucasian with a very broad stroke.

That's quite OK.  Only in the case of Jesus of Nazareth, there was no ambiguity.  His descent through both Joseph [legal father] and Mary [actual mother] is very clear. Christ (just like Paul) was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, descended from Shem (hence Semitic).  

It is interesting that ordinary people who cried to Him for help called Him "thou Son of David". So what we see broadly in Scripture is:

ADAM - SETH - NOAH - SHEM - ABRAHAM - ISAAC - JACOB - JUDAH - DAVID - JESUS

["Seed of Abraham", "Lion of the tribe of Judah", "Son of David"]

 

[missmuffet]

9 hours ago, Sister said:

Bopeep

What will you ever do if you are in a situation where there is no internet?

 

What is your point?

[Qnts2]

45 minutes ago, inchrist said:

Luke 3:23-33 is not the genealogy of Mary, it makes it very clear its the genealogy of Joseph.

23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, 

It does not say the son of Mary.

The jews would never accept such a claim in fact they completely reject the claim to the throne of David through Christs mother.

Numbers 1:18
declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers.

Joseph had two fathers. Josephs mother was originally married to Eli.

Eli died childless and according to Mosaic Law (Dt. 25:5-7;  Ruth 4:5, 10), a brother of the dead husband was to raise up a son for his dead brother through his dead brother’s widow so his dead brother’s ‘name’ and inheritance wouldn’t be forgotten or lost in Israel. 

This is where Jacob of Matthew’s genealogy (Mt. 1:16) comes in. Eli’s half-brother Jacob takes Eli’s widow and raises up a seed (Joseph) for his dead brother and Joseph is born. 

The two genealogies of Joseph reflects this.

Further Jesus can claim the physical aspect of lineage from the seed of King David through Joseph alone with or without adoption which is irrelevant by the following law of God.

Gen. 2:24: Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they become one flesh.’

Joseph and Mary were one flesh in God’s eyes. This is why it was important Joseph and Mary were betrothed first before Gabriel came to Mary. Now Jesus would be conceived and born under Joseph’s physical lineage.

This is why throughout the bible men are only counted, as woman are considered as one flesh with the man. Man also being the head of the family.

Hence why you only see males listed in the genealogies.

Luke 3 does contain the linage of Mary. Luke concentrates on Mary. In chapter 1, it talks about the angel Gabriel telling Mary that she would have a child by the Holy Spirit, and then it talks about Mary's visit with Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.

In chapter 3 it gives the linage of Mary, and this we know because i says the supposed son of Joseph.

Not all Jewish people reject such a claim of linage. Or that Jesus has a claim to the throne of David. But in Jewish views of pedigrees and rights to inheritance, a son only have one father for inheritance so Eli would not be Josephs father according to legal Jewish linage. Your appeal to a levirate marriage does not work since Joseph could not have 2 fathers, and no official linage would list the man in a levirate marriage. 

Adoption does not grant a son the tribal inheritance rights, especially to the throne of David. Woman are not counted because inheritance only goes thru the line of the men so it is normally male linage which counts.

Jesus is very different. He is the son of David thru Mary alone as he was not Josephs son as noted in Luke 3 (supposed son of Joseph). Mary could fulfill the son of David linage. You will need to go back to the request for a human king by the children of Israel. God was king and the children of Israel were rejecting God as King by asking for a human king. So, the true right to the throne is God and since Jesus is God, the throne over Israel rightfully belongs to Jesus. God promised David that his line would never lack a son to sit on the throne, and Jesus also fulfills that promise as Jesus is a son of David, but His right to the throne comes from the rightful King of Israel, God.

 

 

[Qnts2]

7 hours ago, inchrist said:

Not true

Ruth 4:10

I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!"

They had a son by the name of Obed

Matthew 1:5
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

As you can see obed, inherited from both fathers ( Mahlon and Boaz)

The linage in Matthew is a non-standard linage. That is because Jesus did not have inheritance rights through Joseph for many different reasons. First of all, Jesus was not the son of Joseph. Second, Joseph's linage did not have the rights to David's throne because of the curse of Jeconiah.  

Jeremiah 22:30 “Thus says the Lord,

‘Write this man down childless, A man who will not prosper in his days; For no man of his descendants will prosper Sitting on the throne of David Or ruling again in Judah.’”