Jewish identity

[10][11] Van Maaren utilizes the six attributes that co-ethnics share, as identified by Hutchinson and Smith, to show why ancient Jews may be considered an ethnic group in modern terminology.

"[13] Historian David Goodblatt writes that there is a "distinct possibility of finding premodern groups that meet the criteria for a nation (not just for ethnicity), with the Jews providing perhaps the clearest example".

[14] This view is echoed by political scientist Tom Garvin, who writes that "something strangely like modern nationalism is documented for many peoples in medieval times and in classical times as well," citing the ancient Jews as one of several "obvious examples", alongside the classical Greeks, the Gauls and the British Celts.

[15] Adrian Hastings argued that Jews are the "true proto-nation", that through the model of ancient Israel found in the Hebrew Bible, provided the world with the original concept of nationhood which later influenced Christian nations.

However, following Jerusalem's destruction in the first century CE, Jews ceased to be a political entity and did not resemble a traditional nation-state for almost two millennia.

[16] In his works from the late Second Temple period, Philo of Alexandria made comments that reflected the features of Jewish identity in the diaspora.

[17] Jewish identity underwent a significant shift in the centuries that followed the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.

In Christian theology, ethnic identity held little significance, and Jews were primarily valued for their religious heritage, seen as foundational to the development of the new covenant.

This ideological framework further influenced perceptions of Jewish identity, emphasizing religious rather than ethnic or national aspects.

[24] Right-wing antisemitism, for example, is typically a branch of white supremacy: it traditionally conceives of Jews as a distinct race with intrinsic, undesirable qualities that must be exterminated from the population.