Not Everyone Who Claims to Be a Jew Is Truly a Jew
1. Introduction
Many
assume that everyone who claims to be a Jew, or whom we recognize as Jewish,
truly descends from Judah. Yet Scripture itself challenges this assumption. Rev. 3:9
states:
“Behold, I will make them of the synagogue
of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them
come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.”
This
passage reveals that there are groups who identify themselves as Jews, but who
are not in truth. The key question, then, is: Who are these people?
Traditionally, this verse has been
interpreted as referring to hostile religious groups in the first century—most
likely Jewish opponents of the Christian communities in Smyrna and
Philadelphia. These opponents resisted believers in Christ, and John describes
them in stark, polemical language as belonging to the “synagogue of Satan.” In
mainstream scholarship, the focus is on the social and religious conflict of
the early church rather than on hidden tribal identities.¹
However, I propose that its meaning reaches
further. To understand it, we must consider the role of Simeon and his
descendants within Israel’s history.
2.
Simeon and Levi in Scripture
2.1 Jacob’s Prophecy
Jacob, on his deathbed, spoke prophetic
words concerning his sons. Of Simeon and Levi he said:
“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling places. Let not my soul enter
their council; let not my honor be united with them. For in their anger they
slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger,
for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel! I will divide them in
Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” (Gen. 49:5–7)
This prophecy was fulfilled historically.
The tribe of Simeon never received its own distinct inheritance; instead, it
was scattered within the territory of Judah (Josh. 19:1).
It is also important to note that the Jews of the first
century retained awareness of their tribal origins. Paul, for instance,
declared: “I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe
of Benjamin” (Rom. 11:1). Again he affirmed: “Circumcised on the
eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin” (Phil.
3:5). This shows that tribal identity was not lost knowledge, despite later
claims by some that distinctions disappeared.
2.2 The Story of Shechem
The account of Gen. 34
vividly illustrates the character of Simeon and Levi. When their sister Dinah
was taken by Shechem, Simeon and Levi deceived the men of the city into
circumcision and then killed them in their weakness. Jacob rebuked their
treachery, fearing the destruction it might bring on his household (Gen. 34:25–30).
This violent episode became part of Simeon’s prophetic
identity. Their inheritance would be “scattered,” their legacy tied to cruelty,
deception, and usurpation.
3.
The Blending of Simeon and Judah
When
the kingdom of Israel divided after Solomon’s reign, Judah’s kingdom included
not only Judah but also Benjamin, Levi, and Simeon. While Judah became the
dominant tribe, Simeonites merged into their population, indistinguishable over
time. Thus, those who were not of Judah came to be identified as Jews. Yet
their distinct character, foretold by Jacob, remained.
This reality clarifies
the tension in Rev. 3:9: some who call themselves Jews are not
truly Judahites but belong to another line, one associated with deception,
violence, and opposition to God’s people.
4.
The Scattering of Simeon and Later History
4.1 Sicily
According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, the
earliest trace of Jews in Sicily dates from the end of the sixth century. Roman
records note tensions between the Jewish community and local Christians, and by
the eleventh century accusations arose against Jews in Catania for “corrupting
the morals of women.”² These patterns of conflict, integration, and accusation
reflect Jacob’s prophecy: a scattered people, marked by controversy.
4.2 Spain
The scattering continued into Spain. Because of
church prohibitions and royal demands, Jews in Spain—and elsewhere in
Europe—were often pushed into money lending and tax-related roles. A 1599
record from Kraków shows Jews managing taxes, loans, and even public services
such as waste collection.³ In Spain, as in many places, “Jew” and “moneylender”
became nearly synonymous.
4.3
From Medellín, Spain to Medellín, Colombia
From Spain, many
crypto-Jews (conversos) migrated to the New World. Of particular importance is
the migration from Medellín, Badajoz, Spain, to Medellín, Antioquia,
Colombia. While Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492, by 1510 the
coastal town of Necoclí was already founded in Antioquia, and in 1541 Santa Fe
de Antioquia was established. Converso families, carrying Jewish and possibly
Simeonite heritage, settled in this region, where they would leave a deep
cultural and religious imprint.
The Antioquian
poet Gregorio Gutiérrez González (1826–1872) captured the cultural perception
of these settlers in striking terms:
“Raza de mercaderes que especula / Con todo y
sobre todo. Raza impía, / Por cuyas venas sin calor circula / La sangre vil de
la nación judía…”4
Though harsh, his
words reflect how Simeon’s legacy was remembered in commerce and speculation,
aligning with Jacob’s prophetic warning.
4.4
Conversos in Medellín and Antioquia
Recent scholarship
sheds light on these settlers. The study Judíos y cristianos nuevos en
Medellín traces how Sephardic conversos from Spain, particularly from
Badajoz, migrated to Antioquia. Many outwardly practiced Catholicism while
secretly retaining elements of Jewish identity. The companion work Judíos en
Colombia documents how Antioquian families preserved customs such as ritual
washing, poncho garments resembling the tallit, Hebrew biblical names, and even
mikvah-like water structures in their homes. Genetic studies at the Universidad
de Antioquia confirm this heritage: up to 17% of Y-chromosomes in the region
trace to Sephardic origins.
Thus, the scattering
of Simeon can be traced not only in ancient prophecy but in concrete historical
migrations, cultural practices, and even genetic memory.
5.
Historical and Theological Context
From
a historical perspective, the term “Jew” came to encompass all the inhabitants
of the southern kingdom after the exile, regardless of precise tribal ancestry.
By the time of the New Testament, “Jew” primarily denoted religious and
cultural identity tied to the Law and the temple rather than strict
genealogical descent. Early Christians, particularly in Asia Minor, often faced
hostility from Jewish groups who rejected Jesus as Messiah. John’s use of the
phrase “synagogue of Satan” reflects this tension.¹
Josephus, in Antiquities
of the Jews (Book 11), explains that after the Babylonian exile the
returnees from Judah and Benjamin came to represent the Jewish nation as a
whole, while tribal distinctions (except for Levites) blurred.³ The Dead Sea
Scrolls similarly reveal divisions within Israel, distinguishing between the
“sons of light” and “sons of darkness.” Early church writers like Irenaeus saw Rev. 3:9
as a warning against false claimants to God’s favor.5
Thus, both history and
theology suggest that while “Jew” became a broad identity, Simeon’s legacy of
violence and deceit persisted within it.
6.
Implications for Today
Understanding
the distinction between Judah and Simeon illuminates both biblical prophecy and
history. It explains why certain groups, though outwardly Jewish, may act in
ways contrary to God’s covenantal purposes. More importantly, it reminds us
that identity before God is not merely genealogical but spiritual. As Paul
declared:
“For not all who are descended
from Israel are Israel.” (Rom. 9:6)
True
belonging is not determined by tribal descent alone, but by faith and obedience
to God.
7. Conclusion
The
prophecy concerning Simeon, fulfilled in history and echoed in Revelation,
shows that not everyone who bears the name of Jew is truly of Judah. The
Simeonites, scattered within Judah’s territory, carried a legacy of violence and
deception that continued into later generations. Historical records in Sicily,
Spain, and Antioquia reflect this same pattern, including the migration from
Medellín, Spain, to Medellín, Colombia. Thus, the words of Rev. 3:9
point us back to an ancient truth: spiritual identity matters more than outward
claims.
In the end, victory over deception and violence
is found only in Christ, for at His name every knee shall bow, in heaven and on
earth, and every tongue confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:10–11).
Footnotes
1.
Craig R. Koester, Revelation: A New Translation with
Introduction and Commentary (Yale University Press, 2014), 315–318.
2.
Jewish Encyclopedia, “Sicily,” accessed 2021.
3. Florentino García Martínez, The Dead
Sea Scrolls Translated (E.J. Brill, 1996), 45–50.
4. Gregorio Gutiérrez González, Poesías
Completas, Antioquia (19th century).
5.
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5.30.1, in Ante-Nicene
Fathers, Vol. 1, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Christian
Literature Publishing Co., 1885).
6. Julián Clemente Ramos, Judíos y
cristianos nuevos en Medellín, Universidad de Extremadura, 2015.
7. Los Judíos Marranos en Colombia,
undergraduate thesis, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, 2010.
Bibliography
·
Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of
Revelation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
·
García
Martínez, Florentino. The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated. Leiden:
E.J. Brill, 1996.
·
Gutiérrez
González, Gregorio. Poesías Completas. Antioquia, 19th century.
·
Irenaeus. Against Heresies. In Ante-Nicene
Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Christian
Literature Publishing Co., 1885.
·
Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. Translated by
William Whiston. Various editions.
·
Koester, Craig R. Revelation: A New Translation with
Introduction and Commentary. Yale: Yale University Press, 2014.
·
Jewish Encyclopedia. “Sicily.” Accessed
2021.
·
Ramos Julián
Clemente, Judíos y cristianos nuevos en Medellín. Universidad
de Extremadura, 2015.
· Los Judíos Marranos en Colombia. Undergraduate thesis, Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira, 2010.
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