JEW:
The name comes from the Hebrew YEHUDI, a term
which has different meanings in the course of
biblical history. Of itself the term means "belonging
to the tribe of Judah," and after the separation of
the tribes of the north, it meant membership in the
kingom of Judah. This last sense is however very rare
(2Kgs. 25:25; Jer. 38:19; 52:28-30). After the exile
it became a more common term to designate the
inhabitants of the province of Judah during its
domination by the Babylonians, Persians, and
Seleucids, and, later, a subject of the Hasmonean
kingdom. The ethnico-political sense of the term is
dominant at least in Palestine, even though it is not
exclusively so. The Jews who passed over to
Christianity are simply called Jews (Acts 21:39; Gal.
2:13). For John the term Jew acquired a special
connotation: it meant those who opposed Jesus,
refusing to believe in him and rejecting him. For
John they become almost the type of the incredulous
who remain undecided for Jesus (Jn. 7:13; see
9:22; 19:38; 20:19). John's use of the term mirrors
the separation and indeed the opposition that arose
in Apostolic times between the church and the
synagogue.
The New World Dictionary-Concordance to the New American Bible
JU:
The chapter "On the Conduct of the Confucianists" in
Liki (Jushing, Ch. XLI) distinguishes
this school of scholars from the rest. The term
Ju (Confucianism is known in China as "the
religion of the Ju" since Confucius' time) was
already current in Confucius' day, and the scholars
styled as Ju were probably a special set of
people, conservative in point of view, backed by
historical scholarship, and wearing a special
Ju cap and Ju gown as symbols of their
belief in the past. The following are a few extracts
showing the high moral idealism of this group of
followers of Confucius:
"A Ju is like one who has jewels in his
keeping waiting for sale; he cultivates his knowledge
morning and night to prepare himself for requests for
advice; he cherishes integrity and honesty of
character against the time when he is appointed; he
endeavors to order his personal conduct against the
time when he shall be in office. Such is his
independence!
"A Ju is orderly in his dress and careful in
his actions; his great refusals seem like lack of
respect and his little refusals seem like false
manners; when he appears on public occasions, he
looks awe-inspiring, and on small occasions he
appears self-retiring; his services are difficult to
get and difficult to keep while he appears gentle and
weak. Such is his appearance!
"A Ju may be approached by gentle manners but
may not be cowed by force; he is affable but cannot
be made to do what he doesn't want; and he may be
killed, but may not be humiliated. He is simple and
frugal in his living, and his faults or mistakes may
be gently explained but not abruptly pointed out to
his face. Such is his strength of character!
"A Ju lives with the moderns but studies the
ancients. What he does today will become an example
for those in the generations to follow. When he lives
in times of political chaos, he neither courts favor
with those in authority, nor is boosted by those
below. And when the petty politicians join hands to
defame or injure him, his life may be threatened, but
the course of his conduct may not be changed.
Although he lives in danger, his soul remains his
own, and even then he does not forget the sufferings
of the people. Such is his sense of
responsibility!
"A Ju is broad in his knowledge and not
narrow-minded; he cultivates his conduct without
cease; and in his private life he does not abandon
himself. When he is successful, he does not depart
from the truth. In his personal manners he values
living in peace and harmony with others. He maintains
the beauty of his inner character and is leisurely in
his ways. He admires those cleverer than himself and
is generous toward the masses, and is flexible in
principle. Such is his ease of mind and generosity of
character!"
The Wisdom of Confucius, Lin YuTang
� 1999
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