Was Abraham or Moses a Jew?

Much confusion exists surrounding Abraham, Moses and the Jews. Much of that confusion exists because of the Scofield Reference Bible first published in 1909, used by many evangelical Christians in the US and elsewhere, for the last 100 years. Most all of the evangelical seminaries and other ‘fundamental’ bible colleges and university instructors and ‘pastors’ use Scofield’s Reference Bible and the Scofield notes included therein. For many, those notes are next to gospel. The most famous saying coming from those notes is, and I quote from my own copy, page 19 of the 1967 edition:

“It has invariably fared ill with those people who have persecuted the Jew – well with those who have protected him. For a nation to commit the sin of antisemitism, brings inevitable judgment.”

This quote is found in the foot notes referring to Genesis 12: 2, 3

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless those that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the earth be blessed.

This passage, Genesis 12:2,3, can not be referring to the Jews, as Scofield erroneously states.

Why not? Because the Jews, as we know them today, did not exist until some 300-500 hundred years after Moses, that is, in the time of King Solomon in 10th century BC.

Neither was Abraham a Jew. Abraham was the father of the Israelites, not the father of the Jews. Through Abraham’s son, Jacob, whom God renamed Israel, would God bless the nations. Jacob [aka Israel,] had 12 sons, 1. Asher, 2. Dan, 3. Gad, 4. Issachar, 5. Naphtali, 6. Reuben, 7. Simeon, 8. Zebulon, 9. Judah, and 10. Levi. The last two sons 11. Benjamin and 12. Joseph were the sons of Jacob through Rachel. Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh are included as sons of Jacob because Jacob adopted Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons. [Genesis 48:1] You’ll notice there is no tribe of Joseph per se, but Ephraim and Manasseh instead or in addition to. So, we have the ten tribes from Leah, and two tribes from Rachel, Benjamin and Joseph, but Joseph's sons got the blessing instead of Joseph, making two more tribes or 12 tribes total.

The tribe of Judah was the tribe that later became, erroneously, known as ‘the Jews.’ The term ‘Jews’ is a nickname given to those who came from the tribe of Judah which resided in the southern kingdom of Israel. More accurately, those inhabitants who came from the region known as Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel was composed of the other 10 tribes of Israel, plus the members of the tribe of Levi, the priestly class, of which Moses was a part, scattered among both kingdoms, that is, southern and northern.


The Israelites did indeed become a nation back in the time of King David and King Solomon in the 10th century B.C., some 300 to 500 years after the time of Moses. Both Biblical and extra-biblical evidence suggests that the Kingdom of Israel extended from the Great River in Egypt - the Nile - to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is modern day Iraq. After the reign of King Solomon, the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms: a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom. The southern kingdom consisted of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and the Levites dispersed among those tribes. The northern kingdom consisted of the tribes of Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Zebulon, and the Levites dispersed among those tribes. The southern kingdom came to be associated with Judah, the dominant southern tribe. The northern kingdom came to be associated with Ephraim, the dominant northern tribe.

Only one tribe, the tribe of Judah, were ever referred to as Jews, [erroneously] and that not until the King James Bible translators in 1611. That single Old Testament reference is 2 Kings 16:6 and should be translated Judaite or a descendant of Jehudah (that is, Judah). The only people who should be properly called Jews [more accurately Judahites] are the descendants of the tribe of Judah.

Today, people may claim to be Jewish. They may adhere to the religion of Judaism, but they most likely are not from the tribe of Judah referred to in the Old Testament - the Torah - for the Jewish.
Jews descend from Cain/Esau/Edom not Jacob/Israel. Evidence for this fact is found in John 8:

Verse 33: "They (the jews, see verse 22) answered him, "We are Abraham's seed, (through Esau, not Jacob/Israel) and were never in bondage to any man."

If the Jews were "never in bondage to any man," then the cannot be the Israelites of the Old Testament, as the Israelites were in bondage to the Pharaoh that "knew not Joseph,;" and were taken into captivity by the Assyrians and the Babylonians.




Verse 44: (Christ speaking) "Ye are of (descend from) your father, the devil. " This can only be a reference to Cain, as Christ then says, "and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning ... a clear reference to Cain, offspring of the devil who murdered his half-brother, Able.

To answer the question at the title of this missive, Was Abraham or Moses a Jew? the only answer this writer could come up with, after admittedly being confused for almost 30 years, mostly due to the Scofield Reference Bible, is that no, neither Abraham or Moses were Jews. Abraham was a Hebrew, Moses an Israelite.

There are many so called Zionist Jews today who would like to continue the erroneous teachings of Cyrus Ingerson Scofield found in the notes of his reference bible. These notes promote the unconditional support of the nation of Israel today found among so many rabid Zionist Christians, such as those of the John Hagee cult. As expected, the heavily Jewish Wikipedia fails to mention many of the now well-known facts behind the origin of the Scofield Reference Bible and indeed behind Cyrus Scofield himself. Some of those facts can be found here: Scofield: The Man Behind the Myth

Some of those facts are:

Scofield, though he never passed the bar examine, advertised himself as a lawyer and although he never graduated from divinity school, claims he had a doctorate of divinity, the evidence of such on the title page of his reference bible.
Scofield abandoned, without support, his wife and two young daughters.
Scofield was convicted of forgery and spent six months in jail, that is, C.I. Scoflied was a convicted criminal.
Scofield defrauded his mother-in-law out of $1300 dollars, a considerable sum in those days.
Scofield's reference work was financed by Samuel Untermeyer and others like him, known as the "Secret Six." Samuel Untermeyer, an attorney, was a dedicated communist, a 'Thought-theologist" who had a life long interest in and support for the International Zionist movement. Samuel Untermeyer was, of course, a Jew.
The Power Behind Scofield 
Edit: 11/16/12 Sorry, it appears the content at this link was removed. Scrubbing of content is occurring quite frequently now. Every attempt is being made to keep the facts hidden and unavailable for public scrutiny. Please check the links below for more information on Scofield and his deceptive Reference Bible.

"Samuel Untermyer was the chief Zionist architect of the 1930's, and he helped create enmity toward the German Jewish community. His vitriol also helped propel America into World War 2."
I Am the Witness:Untermeyer

"Untermeier [Untermeyer] introduced Scofield to numerous Zionist and socialist leaders, including Samuel Gompers, Fiorello LaGuardia, Abraham Straus, Bernard Baruch and Jacob Schiff. These were the people who financed Scofield's research trips to Oxford and arranged the publication and distribution of his concordance.
Scofield and Christian Zionism

Samuel Untermeyer was also, apparently, the blackmailer of President Woodrow Wilson. This blackmail scheme led eventually to the appointment of Louis Dembitz Brandeis - a Zionist Talmudist Jew - to the Supreme Court.
Background of Samuel Untermeyer

"Scofield was "taken under the wing of Samuel Untermeyer" Benjamin Freedman

Zionist Untermeyer was the chief supporter and handler of the deadbeat criminal, thief and all around scoundrel C.I. Scofield, who funneled the finances from the "Secret Six" - most likely also Zionist Jews - to Scofield for his reference Bible undertaking which has influenced millions of duped Christians in their unconditional support of that nation that dares claim the name Israel.

I should know, I was once one of them.