Posted on 02/28/2004 3:21:11 PM PST by rogueleader
In the Book of Jeremiah, God pronounces a curse on the king of Judah, Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. Jeremiah 22:30
It is generally acknowledged that the name Coniah is equivalent to the names Cohen, Kahane, Katz, and Kohn.
In the early 20th century, a man named Fritz Kohn emigrated to America from Austria-Hungary, Fritz Kohn changed his name to Frederic Kerry and his religion to Catholic. Frederic Kerry is John Kerry's grandfather.
John Kerry is running for President of the United States, not king of Judah. Yet, I am concerned whether the Biblical curse on Coniah son of Jehoiakim has some importance on matters today. I am not a Biblical scholar.
...by those who don't know anything about Judaism or Hebrew.
Right, those are all priestly names.
Jehoiakim/Jeconiah/Coniah, whichever version of the name you prefer, was of the line of David, of the tribe of Judah. False cognates aside, there is no connection with the kohenim or leviim.
Long time no see. How are you doing?
Assuming that his genealogical information is accurate, yes.
I'd like to see who "generally acknowledges" this nonsense. The Bible itself makes clear that Coniah is a shortened version of the name Jeconiah and he is the same person (First Chron 3:16-17, Jeremiah 24:1, 27:20, etc.). He is the son of King Jehoiahim, and apparently he was also known by a name awkwardly similar to his father's (Jeremiah 52:31) which may explain the frequent use of an alternate name to identify him.
To be a cohen, he'd have to be a patrilineal descendant of Aaron and it appears, that as King Johaiahim's son, he positively was not a cohen.
On the other hand, he was an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:11-12), which, despite being defeated by the Babylonians, is something to brag about.
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