There are no more "true Israelites" since God destroyed the temple in 70AD

When Titus marched into Jerusalem in 70 AD and the temple went up in flames, it wasn’t just the end of the sacrificial system, it was the shredding of Israel’s family tree. The genealogical records were kept in the temple. You needed them to prove what tribe you were from, who your ancestors were, and, critically, whether you could serve as a priest. Once those records went up in smoke, the ability to prove tribal descent went with them.

So today, when someone claims to be a “true Israelite,” it’s a little like a guy insisting he’s the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor. Sounds impressive, but the paperwork is missing, pal. You can say you’re from Levi, but without records, you’ve got as much proof as the guy in the tin-foil crown at the bus stop.

And this isn’t an accident of history—it was God’s own judgment. Christ fulfilled the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifices, and then God pulled the plug on the whole system. No more temple, no more records, no more endless genealogies (Paul warned against those in Titus 3:9). Because the true Israelite has already come. Jesus is the seed of Abraham, the Lion of Judah, and all who are in Him are the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16).

In short: after 70 AD, the only way to be a “true Israelite” is to be grafted into Christ. Everyone else is just rummaging around in the ashes of a burned-down filing cabinet.

The early church fathers didn’t miss the significance of 70 AD. They saw it as God Himself putting His own exclamation mark on the end of the old covenant system. Here are some examples:

Justin Martyr (2nd century)

In Dialogue with Trypho the Jew (chapters 16, 19), Justin argues that with the destruction of the temple, Jews lost the ability to fulfill the law’s requirements. No sacrifices, no priesthood, no genealogical proof. He tells Trypho plainly that Christians are now the true heirs of Abraham, because faith, not bloodlines, makes you a son of the covenant.

Tertullian (early 3rd century)

In An Answer to the Jews, he notes that after 70 AD, the Jews were scattered and temple worship was impossible. He sees this as proof that God had shifted His favor and covenant promises to those in Christ. He essentially says, “You can’t even prove your lineage anymore, because God Himself cut off that avenue.”

Eusebius (early 4th century)

In his Ecclesiastical History (Book 3, chapter 5), he records how Jerusalem was judged in 70 AD, and connects this to Christ’s prophecy in Matthew 24. He underscores that the temple’s destruction was the divine sign that the old covenant order had passed away, and with it the genealogical distinctions that propped up Jewish identity.

Irenaeus (2nd century)

In Against Heresies (Book 4, chapter 2), Irenaeus ties the promise to Abraham to Christ and those who believe in Him. He argues that fleshly descent doesn’t matter anymore, because God had deliberately removed that whole scaffolding by which Jews could boast.

So the patristic point was this: Once the genealogical records went up in smoke, Jewish claims to tribal purity were unprovable. And that wasn’t a historical accident, it was God’s judgment and mercy rolled into one. Judgment on unbelieving Israel, mercy in that the only Israel that matters now is the one united to Christ by faith.

To borrow a Wilsonism: the fathers understood that God didn’t just burn the temple down, He padlocked the genealogy office. From that point on, the only roll call that matters is the Lamb’s Book of Life.