Posted on 07/20/2002 11:47:58 PM PDT by swarthyguy
Problem with the article is that is casually tosses off "may finally have been solved with genetic carbon-dating revealing they carry the unusual Moses gene that would make them, literally, the original children of Israel." Excuse me! the unusual Moses gene??? That's a new way of wording it." Does anyone have some of Moses genes to check against?
We have seen repeatedly here on FR that THERE IS NO ISRAELITE or (as it's usually put forward) JEWISH GENE. Every "gene study" (so far at least) which attempted to prove such existance was an apparent fraud, with the results always "proving" what it's financial sponsors paid to "prove".
This article is based on that same apparent continuing sham. More fiction masquerading as a scientific report. Wonder how long it will take REAL scientists to expose it.
I try to steer clear of that too, when possible, trying to rely on History first as much as possible. The Assyrian history in the British Museum makes it pretty clear who the Northern Kingdom Israelites were, what they did, and where they went after they escaped. They are not some little shabby clan of nose-pickers huddled around a campfire with their foul breathed camels, perpetually lost.
Oops, sorry. Just click on my LostTribe profile below and take 3 minutes to read the 3-MINUTE HISTORY. It makes very clear the distinction between Israelites and Jews. You will never have to wonder again. --ggg--.
That "tradition" alone would seem enough to discredit their claim as being the Lost Tribes of Israel.
But it seems very few people understand the simple differences between Hebrew, Semite, Israelite and Jew. That's what got me started in creating the 3-MINUTE HISTORY at my Freeper page. Once those simple distinctions are clearly recognized, all of a sudden history (and the Bible) start to make more sense. We can then discuss the actual and substantive issues, not those which arise from getting the historical basics wrong.
I've been told by a Jewish friend, that this title is the root of the Jewish surname, Cohen. Just FYI.
Incidentally, a prooftest as to whether these folks are Jewish would be to see if their population has a disproportionate grouping of Lawyers, MD's, Orthodontists etc. And neurotic comedians of course, that would be the clincher <;)-
Well, there's certainly nothing that prohibits a few "strays" from any of the tribes ending up somewhere. As you can see from the population numbers at my Profile, we are talking LOTS and LOTS of people, especially from the Northern Kingdom.
Since only ~50,000 Judeans returned from Babylon, that leaves another half million unaccounted for. Technically they are not Jews since only those who returned from Babylon were accorded that name, but they certainly were Judeans, and essentially the same people. They also knew and practised the tradition (we assume), even though they didn't return. Maybe some of them ended up in India?
That cannot be said for the Northern Kingdom taken into Assyrian captivity. They had lost virtually all contact with their religious and cultural roots even BEFORE their captivity. That, along with their diaspora was part of their punishment. They carried little or none of it into captivity or beyond. That's why its such a big error to attempt to find the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel practising any ancient Israelite customs. And that's why obscure little tribes found here and there, practising ancient Israelite customs or claiming to be The Lost Tribes (for whatever reason) are most certainly not.
Wow, that's fascinating! Thanks for the ping, Dennis.
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