Israeli Christian Arabs are they descendants of Judea?
There are
some 125,000 Christian Arab citizens of Israel. They live mainly in urban areas, including Haifa, Nazareth and Shfaram. Although many denominations are
nominally represented, the majority are affiliated with the Greek Catholic,
Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Christian Israeli Arabs comprise about 9% of the
Israeli Arab population and they are active in Israeli politics and civil life,
and have a judge on the Israeli Supreme Court.
Dr. Phares (Ph.D. World Defense Review columnist) talks about the Moslems "demonizing those who have formed their national state, Israel." He seems to believe, along with many others, that the Jews of Palestine were a large community dispersed by the Romans and now entitled to return to their 'homeland'. According to Israel Finkelstein, an Israeli archeologist, the number of Jews dispersed by the Romans from Palestine was minimal; most Jews remained in Palestine, some gradually became Christians, and, some further on, Moslems.
From the Bible, it is significant that in the same passage
in which God says to Abraham, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called", he
adds that Ishmael also "is thy seed." (Genesis xxi. 12, 13). The
narrowing-down of the scope of the term, "seed of Abraham", in
sub-sequent promises, did not cancel the initial inclusiveness of that term.
Furthermore, many of the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob --
i.e., many of the "seed of Abraham" in narrower sense of the term --
are among the non-Jews whose exclusion would seem to be suggested by the
unwarranted identification of the "seed of Abraham" with the
"Jews". A large proportion of the exiled Jews preferred to remain
where they were, when other Jews returned to the Holy Land the Babylonian
Exile; and those Jews who chose not to return formed the Diaspora, subsequently
becoming the backbone of the Christian Church and an ethnically
indistinguishable component of the population of the Near East.
From a historical context, Jesus was, in fact, an observant Jew who was loyal to the faith of his people. It seems clear that he did not have any concern for starting a new religion or for the conversion of his own people to a faith outside their own. Clearly, his concerns were for the Kingdom of God, brotherly love, and for teaching the moral and spiritual implications of the Law (Mat. 5:17). As recorded in the Book of Acts, the members of the very first Christian community in Jerusalem were strictly observant Jews who observed the law to the last detail and had every intention of continuing to do so. They followed all the requirements of the law, including the observance of Shabbat, circumcision, and the dietary laws. New recruits came only from among fellow Jews. These earliest Christians had no thought of being anything but good Jews. They were not called "Christians" until after the middle of the first century at Antioch. Up until that time, they were known by various names including the Nazarenes, Ebionites, the Brethren, Followers of the Way, Sons of Light, and Galileans. And among them were diverse points of view and theologies.
The Christians in Israel claim they are descendents of Armeans and Syrians and those who lived in Israel since the time of Rome (http://www.al-bushra.org. Christians claiming that they live in Israel from the time of Rome have to be descendants of the first Christians, thus they are descendants of Jews (not by religion). In probability, the Christians in Israel may be descendents of Armeans and Syrians (as their neighbors in Lebanon) but it is more probable that they are mostly descendants of Jews or a combination hereupon.
So if they are of Jewish ancestry, why do
they identify with Moslem Arabs?
As Christians, they try to survive in the midst of a
permanently hostile Arab Muslim population and semi-accepting Jewish
population. The Jewish population
identifies them as Arabs, and it is a grave mistake to identify them as such. The only strategy to survive, which they wrongly
have discovered, is that of accepting, adopting, and promoting the Muslim
worldview. They see themselves
indistinct as “Arabs” united by the terms “Arab Christians” and “Arab Moslems”
(see next paragraph). They echo the
refusal of Muslim Arabs to permanently accept Israel as a sovereign state, and
thereby hope to curry favor, and deflect the violence, of the Muslims among
whom they live. The irony is that many
of them, no doubt, are the descendants of early Christians (Jews who once
populated the area) before the Muslim Arab invaders arrived.
Many "Christian" Arabs
have been convinced of the intimate connection between Islam and
"Arabness." This is carefully encouraged by the Muslim Arabs, who
believe that all Arabs, whether Christian or not, must somehow rally around
Islam. These Christians benefactors of
"Arabness" have been persuaded that this makes them
"Arabs," though many of them, no doubt, are the descendants of the
Christians and Jews who once populated the area. They have been made to feel that their own ethnic identity as
Arabs is somehow wrapped up in the defense of Islam, and the promotion of
anti-Israel agendas.
Of course they are wrong. Of course Islam does not now
mix well with other religions, specifically for Christians in Israel.
Christians are still seen as crusaders and every political move or gesture by
the west is perceived as Christians’ crusaders agenda.
The
Christians may still not realize that they actually have a stake in Israel's
survival as strong as their own survival. But only a few of the Christians,
especially those who are simply fleeing the P.A.'s Islamic rule by leaving for
the US, Australia or Canada, have finally begun to realize that there is no
hope for them under Muslim rule.
Written By: Albert Talker
Adapted to web-site by:Albert Talker
References:
http://www.zionism-israel.com/foldvary_zionism_race.htm
http://www.passia.org/meetings/rsunit/Articles/E-August-2005.htm
Presentation at Al-Hewar Center -"…And What About Arab Christians?"