For the purposes of this chapter, Hebrew is a rather generic term applied to the Semitic descendants of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac, as well as the language which these people spoke. Israelite refers to those ancient Hebrews living in the Holy Lands—Israeli is the modern counterpart of this term—and Jew(ish) is similar, deriving from a later period when the general area was called Judaea. The name of the religion Judaism comes from the same source.

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