1. The Custodians of the Oracles of God

“What advantage then has the Jew? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the Oracles of God.“ (Romans 3:1-2)

The “Oracles of God” in Romans 3:1-2 refer to the divine revelations, commandments, and teachings that were entrusted to the Jewish people. This phrase specifically includes:

1. The Torah (Law of Moses) – The foundational commandments and teachings given to Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-20).
2. The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) – The entire collection of Jewish Scriptures, including the Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
3. The Prophetic Revelations – God’s messages delivered through the prophets, including warnings, judgments, and promises of redemption.
4. The Covenants and Promises – The divine agreements made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel as a nation (Genesis 12:1-3, Deuteronomy 7:6-9).
5. The Oral Traditions and Interpretations – The teachings passed down through Jewish scholarship that safeguard and explain the written text.

Why Was This Entrusted to the Jews?

Paul emphasizes that the Jewish people were uniquely chosen to preserve and transmit God’s revelations. This responsibility set them apart from the nations and gave them a central role in God’s redemptive plan.

Supporting Scripture:

• Psalm 147:19-20 – “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know His rules.”
• Deuteronomy 4:7-8 – “What great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?”
• Isaiah 42:6 – “I will make you a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

From a theological perspective, the “Oracles of God” are the sacred words and divine truths preserved by the Jewish people, ensuring that God’s instructions, history, and promises remain intact for future generations.

A Torah Scroll Can ONLY Be Written by a Jew—No One Else Has Ever Done It or Could Ever Do It

A Torah scroll (Sefer Torah) can ONLY be written by a Jew, and throughout history, ONLY Jews have written Torah scrolls—no other people, nation, or group has ever done so or ever could. This is not just a religious law; it is the defining proof of who the Jewish people are.

Why Can ONLY a Jew Write a Torah Scroll?

The Torah is the Word of God, given exclusively to the Jewish people. As Paul stated in Romans 3:1-2, the Jews were entrusted with the Oracles of God—meaning the divine revelation, the commandments, and the covenant. This sole and exclusive responsibility has never been transferred, shared, or entrusted to any other people, nation or group.

Thus, only a Jew has ever written a Torah scroll and only a Jew ever can. If a Torah scroll is not written by a Jew, it is automatically invalid—rendered useless and not a Torah at all.

What Are the Absolute Requirements?

Only a Jewish man, who is:
✔ Born into the Jewish covenant or a properly converted Jew according to Jewish law.
✔ Torah observant and committed to Jewish law.
✔ Trained in the laws of writing a Torah scroll (Hilchot STaM).
✔ Writing with pure intent (Lishmah)—every letter must be written with the understanding that it is for the sacred purpose of the Torah.

Who Can NEVER Write a Torah Scroll?

• No non-Jew has ever written a valid Torah scroll, nor could they.
• No Gentile, Christian, Muslim, or any other group has ever been entrusted with this divine task.
• No woman—Jewish or non-Jewish—has ever been permitted to write a Torah scroll.
• No Jew who is not fully observant can undertake this sacred responsibility.

The Ultimate Evidence of Who Is a Jew

The fact that ONLY Jews have written Torah scrolls throughout history is the clearest and most irrefutable proof of who the Jewish people are.

✔ Every synagogue in the world, past and present, uses a Torah scroll written only by a Jew.
✔ Every Torah scroll in existence today—unchanged from the days of Moses—was written by Jewish hands.
✔ There is no historical record of any Torah scroll ever being written by a non-Jew, nor could there be.

The Torah as the Defining Identity of the Jewish People

The Torah is not just a text—it is the living covenant between God and the Jewish people. No other people have received it, preserved it, or been entrusted with its transmission. This alone proves Jewish identity beyond question:

• If someone claims to be Jewish but their ancestors have not been part of the chain of Torah transmission, they are not part of Israel.
• If a group claims Jewish identity but has no history of writing, preserving, or transmitting Torah scrolls, they are not Jewish.

This divine exclusivity—that only Jews can write a Torah scroll, and that only Jews ever have—is the strongest and most undeniable evidence of who the true Jews are.

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2. Circumcision on the Eighth Day: A Unique Divine Command

“And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” (Leviticus 12:3)

Another defining feature of the Jewish people is their observance of circumcision on the eighth day.

• While other cultures practice circumcision, only the Jews have practiced eighth-day circumcision continuously since the time of Abraham (Genesis 17:12).
• No other people group circumcises only their male children and always on the eighth day as a divine covenant sign.
• This is a biological sign of the covenant that has never ceased among Jews.

Even in times of persecution, when Jews were forced to abandon their customs, they risked their lives to circumcise their children on the eighth day—because it is a divine sign of their identity.

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Conclusion: The Undeniable Markers of Jewish Identity

The Jews are the only people on earth who have maintained:

1. A continuous biblical calendar from the time of Moses, keeping the seven-day week and holy festivals.
2. The unbroken observance of the Sabbath and Passover, which mark their covenant with God.
3. Freedom from national slavery since their Exodus from Egypt, despite suffering every other form of oppression.
4. The preservation of the Oracles of God, ensuring that the Torah and the Scriptures remain intact.
5. Eighth-day circumcision, a physical, divine marker of Jewish identity.

No other people can claim these markers without interruption, and that is how we know who the Jews are. These covenantal identifiers set the Jewish people apart as the chosen custodians of God’s revelation, fulfilling their role throughout history as the light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6).

The Jewish identity is not just ethnic or historical—it is covenantal, spiritual, and divinely preserved. Anyone who claims to be Jewish but does not align with these unbroken markers cannot claim the inheritance of Israel.