ISRAELITE KINSHIP SYSTEMS

Before we delve into our case studies, let's first lay the groundwork for understanding the Israelite kinship system by defining some key terms: 

Kinship- a descent pattern or kin group representing a family consisting of a married couple and their children. 

Unilineal- a kinship where individuals are reckoned only through ancestors of one gender, male or female; two basic forms of unilineal descent are patrilineal and matrilineal. 

Patrilineal- a form of unilineal kinship where individuals are reckoned through the father's line to the same male ancestor; only men pass on their family identity to their children, while women's children are members of her husband's paternal line. 

 

Matrilineal- a form of unilineal kinship where individuals are reckoned through the mother's line to the same female ancestor; only daughters pass on their family identity to their children.

Cognatic- a non-[uni]lineal kinship where individuals are reckoned through both the father's and mother's ancestors; four basic forms of cognatic descent are bilineal, ambilineal, parallel and bilateral.

Bilineal (Bilateral)- a form of cognatic, or double-descent pattern where individuals are members of both sides of the family; system that combines both patrilineal and matrilineal.  

 

Ambilineal- a form of cognatic kinship where individuals choose a unilineal kinship depending on the circumstances; descent may change from generation to generation. 

 

Parallel- a form of cognatic kinship where individuals are members of only one side of the family; men trace descent patrilineally and women trace matrilineally. 

Underneath a unilineal pattern of descent, one would be Israelite/Jewish if his father is (patrilineal) or his mother is (matrilineal). Underneath a cognatic pattern of descent, one would be Israelite/Jewish if either parent is (ambilineal) or both parents are (bilineal). With all that said, which kinship system best describes the Israelite nation? Here are some key Scriptural precepts to answer that question:

1. "And he said to me, 'The L-rd, before Whom I walked, will send His angel with you and make your way prosper, and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house'" (Gen. 24:40).  
2. "And they assembled all the congregation on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees according to their families according to their fathers' houses; according to the number of names, a head count of every male from twenty years old and upward" (Num. 1:18). 
3. The epicenter of the Igbo/Hebrew Israelite society is the family, referred to as "umu'nna" (lit. "umu"=children, "nna"=father, i.e. children of the [same] father). This term includes "extended family", or all individuals and their respective families who trace their lineage back to the same paternal ancestor.
4. "And these were the ones who ascended from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha: Cherub, Addan, [and] Immer; but they could not tell their fathers' house and their seed, if they were from Israel" (Ezra 2:59).
5. "Rava said in response that the verse states: 'then you shall give his inheritance to his kinsman who is next to him of his family, and he shall inherit it' (Numbers 27:11), emphasizing that “kinsman” is referring specifically to someone who is of his family, and it is the father’s family that is called one’s family, while one’s mother’s family is not called one’s family. Proof for this is found in another verse, as it is written: 'by their families, by their fathers’ houses'(Numbers 1:2)" (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Bathra 109b).
   
   

From these five sources, we can finally address those matrilineal-Israelite theories. Remember, in the introduction of this blog, we brought up four theories used by matrilineal supporters to explain the so-called change in Israelite society from a patrilineal kinship to a matrilineal one. The idea is that Israel began as a patrilineal one and over time solidified into a distinctly matrilineal one, from Sinai to the end of the Babylonian exile. But, what these Scriptures actually show is quite the opposite--it never changed! The first source (Pre-Sinai) of Avrham's family, the second source (Post-Sinai) of the Israelite census, the third (Post-Assyrian) of the Igbo/Hebrew usage for family, the fourth (Post-Babylon) of Ezra/Nehemiah with the return of the Babylonian exiles, and the fifth (Post-Mishnaic) from the Oral Tradition all demonstrate that "family" in Igbo/Hebrew Israelite culture always denoted the father's line, i.e. the very definition of a "patrilineal" kinship.

Since it's been proven that Israelite kinship never changed and has always been reckoned patrilineally, then the only counterargument would be to consider the separation of inheritance and identity. In that case, one's father (patrilineage) determines his tribal status while one's mother (matrilineage) determines his Israelite/Jewish status. In other words, what is the efficacy of the patrilineal principle, and is it possible to be outside of "umunna" yet still be reckoned as an Igbo/Hebrew Israelite matrilineally?? 

--References--

O’Neil, Dennis. “Descent Principles: Part 1.” The Nature of Kinship, 1997. https://www.palomar.edu/anthro/kinship/kinship_2.htm.