My understanding is that Abraham was a Syrian, not a Jew. Is this incorrect?
Jews didn’t exist in Abrahams time. Judah was Abrahams great grandson.
Syrians are by name and tradition descended from Asshur. Abraham was descended from Arphaxad, Asshur’s brother. There is a bit of debate still about the location of Ur, where Abraham was born. There were no Jews until the birth of Judah, son of Jacob (Israel).
[[My understanding is that Abraham was a Syrian, not a Jew. Is this incorrect?]]
(Genesis 11:31) And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
He wasn’t Syrian , he was from Ur of the Chaldees . That is the area between the Tigris river and the Eurphates river near Babylon , modern day Iraq.
He is known as the first Hebrew because he crossed over (Eber).
Technically the descendants of Jacob are all known as Israelites (Abraham > Issac > Jacob )
Chaldean from Ur in modern day Iraq is I think widely accepted as Abrahams origin
But I’ll let folks for whom this bloodline is coveted argue over it
I’m Celto Saxon.....way different tribes....the blood matters none to me for its exclusivity
What does matter to me is the lesson and prophecy Abraham and Moses illuminated for posterity and the providential role both played in ultimately bringing about the birth of the son of God
But trust me
On this forum it gets contentious real quick who makes best claim to the history and the DNA
You DO NOT have to be of the blood to receive the fruits
You probably saw ‘Assyria’ and it registered as Syria. There’s several sites in ancient Assyria that are thought to be where Abram originated.
A Jew by conversion, technically.