[Zeno]

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when i think of jews, i think of a race, and a religion. is this wrong? what's the story?

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Good question. And one I hinted at in the Nobel Prize thread. I thought of going off track then but stopped myself. Let's take it up here.

From the Oxford Dictionary:

Jew, noun -

1. A person of Hebrew descent; a person whose religion is Judaism; Hist. an Israelite.

2. A person who behaves in a manner formerly attributed to Jews; spec. a grasping or extortionate person, one who drives hard bargains. derg. & considered offense.

3. A peddler. colloq.

4. A ship's tailor. Nautical slang.


Given 1 above, your assessment of Jew meaning both a 'race' and a religion seems to fit. If a Jew is suppose to fit both categories to be called 'Jewish' is probably a matter of debate and semantics. Many Jews are certainly not very religious in any sense of the word, but probably still consider themselves Jews. Jewish lineage is matriarchal, a fact which adds to some modern day confusion.

Note the word 'formerly' in definition 2. Interesting word to add, no?

Definition 4 is interesting. Saul of Tarsus was a sail maker.


There are more interesting takes on the above definitions but I will stop for now and let others elaborate or add comments etc., as we have some experts on the subject that post here.

-Zeno