The History of Germany 

by Stephen Flurry

"The Philadelphia Trumpet", March 1997

How could a people, numbering more than one hundred million worldwide - a people who have contributed so much to the civilization of man - be ignored by the Bible? The Bible does have much to say about the history and prophecy of this significant nation. Let's understand!

The history of Germany is not the history of a nation, but of a race... Thus, even before the fall of the Roman Empire, it becomes the main trunk out of which branch histories of nearly all European nations, and... the connecting link between ancient and modern history. The records of no other race throw so much light upon the development of all civilized lands during a period of fifteen hundred years." So said Bayard Taylor in his book, History of Germany (p.3).

Certainly, German contributions to civilization as we know it, have been massive. Great German philosophers, musicians, poets, inventors, historians - far too many to mention - have literally shaped this world's way of thinking over the centuries.

Could the German Reich, the oldest political institution in Europe, which ruled the continent as the Holy Roman Empire for a thousand years, and which almost gained control of the WHOLE WORLD in two wars this century - could a people with a role in human affairs that large, be completely ignored in the Bible? That's what scholars would have you believe.

The Bible does not mention the word "Germany" - and for good reason - they did not acquire that name until the Romans collectively labeled them Germani almost 2000 years ago. In fact, the Germans refer to themselves as Deutsch, not German. They call their beloved country Deutschland. If we are to find the German people mentioned in the Bible, it must be under some other name than what the Romans labeled them.

For several years now, as regular readers of the Trumpet know, we have taught that modern-day Germany descended from the people the Bible refers to as the Assyrians. In this article, we will prove this fact from the Bible and other historical sources. Certainly, the Bible is the greatest historical source of all! In fact, IT IS THE ONLY COMPLETE HISTORICAL SOURCE WE HAVE concerning man's civilization.

We have often said that one third of the Bible is prophecy, most of which is for our day. And you can be sure that Assyria is mentioned in numerous Bible prophecies. But much of the Bible is also history. It is in the Bible where we read of the beginning and establishment of the nation of Assyria - modern Germany. Together, Bible history and prophecy can give us the complete story of the German people from beginning to end. Let us now take a look at the early history of the German people.
 

The Assyrian Empire Begins

For those who scoff at the prospect of Assyrian people moving from the upper regions of the Mesopotamia Valley into central Europe, consider this undeniable fact: ALL OF MANKIND, at one point or another, has descended from that very cradle of civilization - the Mesopotamia Valley! That is where civilization began after the flood waters receded in Noah's day. "And the ark rested... upon the mountains of Ararat."(GEN 8:4). The ark landed on the mountainous region just north of the Mesopotamian Valley (the eastern part of modern-day Turkey).

As Noah's family multiplied exceedingly, many migrated down from the mountains of Ararat to a plain in the land of Shinar or Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). Genesis 10 gives only the briefest account of this occurrence, mainly by just listing the lineages of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. But God does draw special attention to Nimrod, grandson of Ham who was the father of the black races. In fact, the name of Ham's son, Cush (Nimrod's father), means black. Nimrod's name means "he rebelled" - against God, that is. Nimrod established the kingdom of Babylon. Babylon means confusion, which is what happened when God confounded their language at the tower of Babel. Reading these early accounts of civilization clearly reveals that GOD NAMES THINGS FOR WHAT THEY ARE!

Aside from Nimrod, Genesis 10 also draws special attention to Asshur. "Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah." (GEN 10:11). As the margin suggests, a better translation of this verse would reveal that Asshur and Nimrod went out of the land of Shinar to build Nineveh and other cities. There is strong evidence to indicate that Asshur worked with Nimrod, probably in the military field, and helped to build Babel and Nineveh, as well as other cities.

Now notice verse 22: "The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram." Asshur was a son of Shem, the father of the white racial strain - those of fair skin and lighter hair. Notice that Arphaxad is listed in this verse as the third son of Shem. Now read Genesis 11:10: "These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood." Neither of Shem's first two sons, Elam or Asshur, are mentioned! That's because they were rejected as the heirs of Shem's inheritance. If they were working alongside Nimrod, you can see why Shem (and God) rejected them! Asshur parted with his father and raised up the Assyrian Empire.

Over three hundred years later, Abraham, through whom God was to raise up His chosen nation Israel, was begotten of the line of Arphaxad, the third son of Shem.

It is significant that Asshur, father of the Assyrians, and Arphaxad, whose line Abraham descended from, both came from Shem! This means that while there may be some distinguishable physical differences between the Assyrians and Israelites, both peoples came from the fair-skinned, white racial strain of Shem. We will refer to this more a little later.

But first, let us consider this early beginning of the Assyrian people. We have already uncovered much, just from a few Bible verses. Notice what the historian Josephus recorded concerning Asshur: "Shem, the third son of Noah, had five sons... Ashur lived at the city of Nineveh; and named his subjects Assyrians, WHO BECAME THE MOST FORTUNATE NATION; BEYOND OTHERS." (Antiquities, I, vi, 4). Assyria quickly became the most prosperous, powerful nation of the day.
 

Abraham Defeats the Assyrians

By the time Abraham was growing up, Assyria was already a powerful empire in the world. God brought Abraham into the land of Canaan, along with his nephew Lot, and showered a multitude of wealth and prosperity on their people. It was only a matter of time before they were to be confronted by the mighty Assyrians.

We'll pick up the story in Genesis 14:1-2: "And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal KING OF NATIONS; That these made war..." These four kings in verse 1 were allied as a gigantic Assyrian empire, as Josephus points out: "At this time, when the Assyrians had the dominion over Asia, the people of Sodom were in a flourishing condition... the Assyrians made war upon them; and, dividing their army into four parts, fought against them. Now every part of the army had its own commander; and when the battle was joined, the Assyrians were conquerors; and imposed tribute on the kings of the Sodomites, who submitted to this slavery twelve years... but on the thirteenth year they rebelled, and then the army of the Assyrians came upon them, under their commanders, Amraphel, Arioch, Chedorlaomer, and Tidal. These kings had laid waste all Syria, and overthrown the offspring of the giants." (Antiquities, I, ix, 1).

Concerning Genesis 14:1, Lange's Commentary says, "According to Ktesias and others, the Assyrians were the first to establish a world-dominion." (vol.1, p.403).

The last king listed in Genesis 14:1 is Tidal, the "king of nations". He ruled in the region of Asia Minor. The word Tidal comes from a Hebrew word which means "to fear, make afraid, dreadful and terrible." For centuries, Assyria caused many nations GREAT FEAR!

These four Assyrian generals came to make war with the kings in Canaan because of their rebellion (GEN 14:4). The Assyrians routed the people of Canaan, including the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And in taking captives, they captured Abraham's wealthy nephew, Lot (GEN 14:11-12). This proved to be a serious mistake. "And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus."(GEN 14:14-15).

Josephus records that Abram and his men "marched hastily, and the fifth night fell upon the Assyrians, near Dan... and before they could arm themselves, he slew some as they were in their beds, before they could suspect any harm; and others, who were not yet gone to sleep, but were so drunk they could not fight, ran away." (Antiquities, I, x, 1).

Genesis 14:17 says that Abram also killed the four top leaders of the Assyrian Empire, mentioned in verse 1. It was a complete rout! The power of Assyria was smashed in one night! Think about how the course of history was changed at this point. Abraham and his descendants were able to live in the land of Canaan free from Assyrian aggression. Furthermore, Egypt, without Assyria as a threat, was able to grow into one of the leading nations in the ancient world. God wanted Egypt to dominate the Middle East, not Assyria. Egypt, though they didn't know it at the time, was preparing for the arrival of Joseph and the children of Israel.

For the next 1200 years, the Bible says little about Assyria. But they did not disappear. Their resurgence in the 700s B.C., once again as a world power, would prove to be yet another thorn in the Israelites' side.
 

Fierce Assyrians

Virtually every historian draws attention to the war-like nature of the Assyrian people.

James McCabe, author of History of the World, says the Assyrians were a "fierce, treacherous race, delighting in the dangers of the chase and in war. The Assyrian troops were notably among the most formidable of ancient warriors... They never kept faith when it was to their interest to break treaties, and were regarded with suspicion by their neighbors in consequence of this characteristic... In organization and equipment of their troops, and in their system of attack and defence and their method of reducing fortified places, the Assyrians manifested a superiority to the nations by which they were surrounded." (vol.1, pp.155, 160).

Dr. Herman Hoeh wrote, "Ancient Assyria was the greatest war-making power in all history" (Jan. 1963, Plain Truth, "Germany in Prophecy!").

James Hastings wrote, "The Assyrians of historic times were more robust, warlike, 'fierce', than the mild industrial Babylonians. This may have been due to the influence of climate and incessant warfare; but it may indicate a different race... The whole organization of the State was essentially military." (Dictionary of the Bible, article "Assyria and Babylonia").

Leonard Catrell in Anvil of Civilization, wrote: "In all the annals of human conquest, it is difficult to find any people more dedicated to bloodshed and slaughter than the Assyrians. Their ferocity and cruelty have few parallels save in modern times." (It's interesting that Catrell can only compare their ferocity with those "in modern times." By far, the Germans have been more dedicated to bloodshed than any other nation in this century.)

After 800 B.C., Assyria was poised and ready to take the world by storm. Their path soon crossed with the children of Israel.

Dr. Hoeh, in the Compendium of World History, wrote, "In 745 B.C. a new dynasty sat upon the Assyrian throne in Nineveh. It commenced with Tiglath-pileser III. This dynasty existed to the collapse of Assyria in 612 B.C." (vol.1, p.296).

The Encyclopedia Britannica concurs with Dr. Hoeh's synopsis: "Under Tiglath-pileser III arose the second Assyrian empire, which differed from the first in its greater consolidation. For the first time in history the idea of centralization was introduced into politics... The Assyrian forces became a standing army, which, by successive improvements and careful discipline, was moulded into an irresistible FIGHTING MACHINE, and Assyrian policy was directed towards the definite object of REDUCING THE WHOLE CIVILIZED WORLD INTO A SINGLE EMPIRE and thereby throwing its trade and wealth into Assyrian hands." (11th ed., article "Babylonia and Assyria"). By now, you should be noticing some definite similarities between ancient Assyria and modern-day Germany which has thrust this world into two great wars, this century, endeavoring to create ONE SINGLE EMPIRE. Proof that the Assyrians are the German people today will be made plain when we begin to trace the migration of the Assyrian people anciently.
 

Israel Taken into Assyrian Captivity
 

Let us continue with Assyria's documented history within the upper Mesopotamian region. In 2. Kings 16, you will read of a war between Israel and the Jews. By this time, the children of Israel had divided into two nations, the northern ten tribes keeping the name Israel, the southern tribes taking on the name Judah. Israel was allied with Aram (Syria). Judah solicited the help of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria (2.KIN 16:7). In defense of the Jews, the Assyrians attacked Aram first, and Israel later.

In his 14th year of rule, Shalmaneser III, Assyrian king at Calah, besieged the land of Samaria, where the ten tribes of Israel resided. The year was 721 B.C. Notice 2. Kings 17:5-6: "Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years (721-718 B.C.).In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes."

After numerous warnings from their prophets, the people of Israel still refused to turn from their rebellion against God. It was God who sent the Assyrians as the rod of His anger (ISA 10:5) to take the Israelites into captivity. They were removed out of their land. "For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land TO ASSYRIA unto this day."(2.KIN 17:22-23).

Josephus records that Shalmaneser "made an expedition against Samaria... besieged [it] three years and took it by force... and quite demolished the government of the Israelites, and transplanted all the people into Media and Persia." (Antiquities, IX, xiv, 1).

Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in The United States and Britain in Prophecy, "In the years 721-718 B.C., the house of Israel was conquered and its people were soon driven out of their own land - out of their homes and cities - and carried captives to Assyria, on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea! And then... LOST FROM VIEW!" (p.68, 1980 ed.). At this point in Israel's history, they were completely lost from view - known as the "lost ten tribes" of Israel. But do you know why they became "lost" from the world's view? BECAUSE SCHOLARS AND HISTORIANS ALSO LOST SIGHT OF THE ASSYRIANS! And during captivity, Israel went into ASSYRIA, located anciently at the southern shores of the Black and Caspian Seas. Our free booklet, The United States and Britian in Prophecy, tracks the northwestern migration of the children of Israel into Western Europe, the Scandinavian peninsula, and the British Isles. That's because the Assyrians took them in that direction when they migrated northwest into central Europe!

As both peoples moved into Europe, the Israelites did not remain as slaves of the Assyrians. Instead, they separated into the regions listed above while the Assyrians mainly settled into central Europe, where Germany and Austria are located today.
 

The Assyrian Migration

Before their migration, Periplus, who lived about 550 B.C., wrote, "The coast of the Black Sea... is called Assyria" (from p. 261 of Perrot and Chipiez's History of Art in Sardinia, Judaea, Syria and Asia Minor, vol.II). C. Leonard Woolley described what these people looked like in his book, The Sumerians: "In the Zagros hills and across the plain to the Tigris, there lived a... fair-haired... people akin to the Guti (Goths) who... remained in what was afterwards Assyria." (p.5). This description certainly matches those who descended from the line of Shem, as we have already noticed.

Here is what Dr. Herman Hoeh wrote in "Germany in Prophecy!": "When the ancient Greek writers wanted to distinguish the Assyrians from the Arameans or Syrians, the Greeks called the Assyrians, 'Leucosyri' - meaning 'whites' or 'blonds' as distinct from the very brunette Syrians who still live in Mesopotamia." (Plain Truth, Jan. 1963, p.17).

By the time of Christ, the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder recorded that the Assyrians were now dwelling north of the Black sea (Natural History, IV, 12, p.183). By this time, they had moved north.

But they did not stop there, as Mr. Armstrong wrote in The United States and Britain in Prophecy: "The Assyrians - before 604 B.C. - left their land north of Babylon and migrated northwest - through the lands that are now Georgia, the Ukraine, Poland, and into the land that is called GERMANY today. Today the descendants of those Assyrians are known to us as the GERMAN people" (pp.143-144, 1980 ed.).

Tracing Germany's Roots

For centuries, the German people have dominated the heartland of Western Europe. Yet they are a people who know very little about their true origin - or at least refuse to know. The Germans themselves are responsible for hiding much of this knowledge, just as many tried to hide their past at the end of the Hitler era.

Just as the modern-day Israelites are one family of people from many different tribes, so too are the German people today. They number well over 100 million people worldwide - most of them residing in Germany and Austria.

Much was written about the early German tribes which poured into Europe during the first and second centuries A.D., thanks in large part to the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who lived at that time. Among the most significant of these early German tribes are the Chatti (ancestors of the modern Hessians), Treveri, Tungri, and the Alammanni, to name just a few. Chatti means "to break down by violence; to make afraid or terrify." The ancestors of this German tribe, before migrating, lived mostly in Asia Minor, and were called the Assyrian Chatti.

Many of these early German tribes were in constant conflict with the Roman Empire which is why the Romans collectively labeled them Germani, meaning "war men". As the Encyclopedia Britannica points out, "There is no evidence that [Germani] was ever used by the Germans themselves. According to Tacitus it was first applied to the Tungri, whereas Caesar records that four... tribes... were collectively known as Germani." (11th ed., vol.11, article "Germany").

The Romans called them Germani because of their fierce, warring nature. "Not a single neighbor of the Germans," wrote Emil Ludwig, "could ever trust the Germans to remain peaceable. No matter how happy their condition, their restless passion would urge them on to ever more extreme demands." (The Germans: Double History of a Nation, 1941, p.12).

These early tribes migrated into Central Europe, as historians verify. The Romans labeled all of them "war men". But from where did they come? Smith's Classical Dictionary answers: "There can be NO DOUBT that they [the Assyrians]... migrated into Europe from the Caucasus and the countries around the Black and Caspian seas." (article "Germania", p.361).

Speaking of the Indo-Germanic tribes which were invading Europe while he was alive, the historian Jerome, who was born in A.D. 340, writes, "For 'Assur (the Assyrian) also is joined with them'"! (Letter 123, sec.16, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers). Jerome was quoting from Psalm 83:8. Jerome wrote of this Assyrian migration because he lived while it was happening! He was an eyewitness to these events.

Germany in the Middle Ages

As you might expect, the nature of the German people remained warlike throughout the Middle Ages. For 1,000 years, the German Reich ruled Europe as the Holy Roman Empire. "Its citizens, the Germans," wrote Dr. Hoeh, "felt themselves true Romans and bearers of the Christian Reich or Kingdom. They were therefore the chosen people of the Christian era, entrusted with a world-mission to be the protectors of Christianity." (Dec.1962 Plain Truth, "Germany in Prophecy!").

Charlemagne, who was crowned by the pope as the Roman emperor in A.D. 800, was the first to give his people the vision of a world-ruling empire during the Middle Ages. That vision took hold of the German people for over 1,000 years. It resurfaced again this century during the two great wars.

Emil Ludwig, in the above-mentioned book, wrote, "The history of the German kings and leaders during the Middle Ages is a story of revolt and conspiracy... In matters of torture the Germans in the Middle Ages exceeded all other nations in inventiveness." (pp.14,33). A quick review of 20th-century German history reveals that this German nature of cruelty and war did not end with the Middle Ages. A quick review of Assyrian history will also reveal this tendency toward cruelty.

In his Plain Truth article, Dr. Hoeh wrote, "The German leaders and philosophers have never forgotten this notion of the Middle Ages that the German, in place of the Jew, has a special mission from God. German politicians know that their dream of a world empire can be created only if they maintain this claim of a world-mission." (Dec.1962).

To look back at the Middle Ages to better understand the German people today may seem ridiculous for those who think man has "progressed" far beyond those social tendencies. Winston Churchill considered this argument prior to World War I. "No one would do such things," he said, voicing the popular belief of the day. "Civilization has climbed above such perils" - right? But then he asked, "Are you quite sure? It would be a pity to be wrong. Such a mistake could only be made once - once for all." (World Crisis, p.46).

To say that Germany and this world are just too "civilized" to enter into another world war is to make the same mistake the world has made twice this century!

Germany started World War I - the great war to end all wars, so we thought. Then came World War II - far worse by comparison, with close to 60 million killed as a result. Germany also started that war.

But could it happen again? That is the question which should concern everyone on this earth. Have we learned the lesson from history? Philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."

Naziism did not Die

Here is what U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said in February, 1945, in a signed document about American-British policy on Germany: "It is our inflexible purpose to DESTROY German militarism and Naziism and to ENSURE Germany will NEVER AGAIN be able to disturb the peace of the world. We are determined to disarm and disband all German Armed Forces, break up FOR ALL TIME the German General Staff that has repeatedly contrived the resurgence of German militarism, remove or destroy all German military equipment, eliminate or control all German industry that could be used for military production. It is not our purpose to destroy the people of Germany, but ONLY WHEN NAZIISM AND MILITARISM HAVE BEEN EXTIRPATED, will there be hope for a decent life for Germans and a place for them in the community of nations."

A good idea back then, but not carried out, as Brian Connel points out in his book, A Watcher on the Rhine: "The vexing problem of DENAZIFICATION which had been handled up to that time [the spring of 1947] by the Allied authorities, WAS HANDED OVER TO THE GERMANS."

Arthur Spiegelman of Reuter's said on May 10, 1996, "Realizing they were losing the war in 1944, Nazi leaders met top German industrialists to plan a secret post-war international network to restore them to power, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence document."

Beyond these disturbing reports that Naziism did not die after World War II, one only needs to look at the resurgence of German might today. On October 9, 1995, Margaret Thatcher, former British prime minister, said in a speech given in Colorado, that German reunification WAS A BIG MISTAKE for which all of Europe is now paying. "Germany is very powerful now - her national character is to DOMINATE," she said.

In her book, The Downing Street Years, Thatcher said, "I do not believe in collective guilt: it is individuals who are morally accountable for their actions. But I do believe in national character." (pp. 790-791).

People are responsible for their own actions. And the reason we are heading for a worldwide, cataclysmic disaster is because of the inherent human nature within all mankind. But nevertheless, nations are simply families grown large. And as Mrs. Thatcher said, there are certain family traits, or a national character, among different peoples. And the German character, as thousands of years of history proves, is to dominate!

"You have not anchored Germany to Europe," Mrs. Thatcher said in the speech quoted from above, "You have anchored Europe to a newly dominate, unified Germany. In the end, my friends, you'll find IT WILL NOT WORK."

Germany in Prophecy

There is a reason the true identity of the German people has been hidden from most of mankind in this end time. Satan knew that if he could conceal this identity, he could hide the true meaning behind numerous end-time Bible prophecies regarding the Assyrians. Yet, even without the historical proof of Assyria's migration into central Europe, just a basic understanding of German history would convince us of who the Assyrians are today.

"O ASSYRIAN, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few." (ISA 10:5-7). This prophecy is dual - with the main focus on the end time. That's why Isaiah wrote his message in a book (ISA 30:8). And notice, Isaiah says the Assyrians have cut off MANY nations - not a few! This has been their national character - their mark of distinction among nations.

God is bringing this ferocious punishment against His end-time nations of Israel, mainly the United States and Britain. Notice Ezekiel 7:1-3: "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land. Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send MINE ANGER upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations."(EZEK 7:1-3). This too is an end-time prophecy. It has to be! The book is addressed to Israel and yet, anciently, Israel had been in captivity to the Assyrians over 100 years by the time Ezekiel delivered his message. This book is speaking of an end-time captivity of the Israelites - once again, at the hands of the Assyrians.

"Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence."(EZEK 7:23). Because of the violence and crime which literally saturate our society, God is bringing the "worst of the heathen" to punish us! (EZEK 7:24). And who are the worst of the heathen? The Assyrians, of course - the ones Leonard Catrell described as being "more dedicated to bloodshed and slaughter" than any other people. And who are the Assyrians today? The Germans, of course. It does not take a thousand history books and Bible study aids to figure this out. Just look at what the Bible says concerning the Assyrians. Then look at even the most recent history of Germany.

For many centuries, Germany has been at the very center of European affairs. They have regained this status today within the European Union. Germany is fast developing one of the strongest currencies in the world. Once again, the world will have to confront the German Reich within a united Europe. And once again, the German Reich will thrust all nations into a worldwide war. Only this time, unlike in the two previous wars, their objectives of world rule will be met, at least for a short time.

Unfortunately, this is what it will take for people to finally realize who the ancient Assyrians are today. This is what it will take for people to realize why God brought the Assyrians upon Israel as His rod of anger.

But shortly after these events, spoken of in the Bible as the Great Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to put an end to the Assyrian war machine, along with all other world evils. And the world will never again be subjected to the yoke of the Assyrians. People in this world today may not know who Assyria is, but they should know, because proof is abundant. Once we have proven who the modern-day Assyrians are, we must then come to grips with the many sobering prophecies revolving around them. God's prophecies are sure!

* * *

The Ancient Tribe of Chatti

The name "Chatti" or "Hatti," as it sometimes reads, in Hebrew means "to break down by violence or confusion; to abolish, make afraid, scare, or terrify." Chatti is a derivative of the Hebrew word for "Hittite" - mentioned numerous times in the Bible. The Canaanite Hittites - a fierce people who continually clashed with the Israelites in biblical accounts - were known by this name. They were descendants of Ham - those of a darker colored skin.

Yet there was another people, with much lighter skin, who were also known by this name, Chatti or Hatti. The Assyrians! Historians recognize that there were two distinct peoples which went by the name of Chatti, or Hittite, as it reads in the Bible.

James Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, written in 1899, refers to the northern "kings of the Hittites" mentioned in 1.KIN 10:29, and then comments, "besides the northern Hittites, other Hittites, or 'sons of Heth,' are mentioned in the Old Testament as inhabiting the south of Palestine." (vol II, article "Hittites"). These sons of Heth are the Canaanite Hittites of the line of Ham (see GEN 10:15). Abraham asked these people for a burial place for Sarah in Genesis 23.

But what about these northern Hittites? Hastings refers to 1.KIN 10:29 where Solomon obtained war forces through trade with the "kings of the Hittites." But these are not the same sons of Heth mentioned in Genesis 23. Notice the explanation for 1.KIN 10:29 in Lange's Commentary: "The Hittites are not the same as those named in 1.KIN 9:20, but were an independent tribe, probably in the neighborhood of Syria [biblical Assyria was just north of Syria], as 2.KIN 7:6 mentions them as in alliance with the Syrians." (vol.3, p.123 of 1.Kings).

Dr. Herman Hoeh adds further insight about this verse in 1.Kings: "The Assyrian Hessians were called 'kings of the Hittites' because the Canaanite Hittites, driven out by Joshua, migrated into Asia Minor where the Assyrians dwelt." (Plain Truth, Jan. 1969, "Germany in Prophecy!").

It was the Assyrians who labeled many of their own people in the western part of their empire as Hittites, or Chatti, as the Hebrew reads. Hastings confirms this: "The Assyrians... caused the name of 'Hittite' in the Assyrian period to be applied to all the nations west of the Euphrates." He went on to say that Hittite proper names "can be traced far to the westward in Asia Minor."

Virtually all historical authorities recognize that there were two different peoples that took on the name Hittite, or Chatti. The Encyclopedia Britannica acknowledges this phenomenon: "The identification of the northern and southern Hittites, however, presents certain difficulties not yet fully explained; and it seems that we must assume Heth to have been the name of both a country... and of a tribal population not confined to that country." (11th ed., vol. 13, article "Hittites"). How clear! There was a nation of people, known as Hittites, sons of Heth, who were great warriors. But there was also a tribal population which acquired this name because they too were a fierce people who sacred and terrified other nations, which is what Hittite means. These were known as the Assyrian Hittites.

Concerning the Canaanite Hittites, Dr. Hoeh suggests that after Alexander the Great conquered Asia, they too migrated northwest into Europe, "and then, across the Atlantic to North America where the colonists rediscovered them as the Chatti Indians of the Central Plains."

But the Assyrian Chatti remained in central Europe, as the Encyclopedia Britannica and any student of German history will plainly confirm. The Britannica describes the "Chatti" as "an ancient German tribe" which "frequently came into conflict with the Romans during the early years of the first century" (vol. 6, article "Chatti"). Certainly these German Chatti, whom the Roman historian Tacitus also wrote about, could not be of the sons of Heth, for they were a dark-skinned people. The German Chatti were of the sons of Asshur, a fair-skinned people. And it is from this early tribe that the more modern German tribe, called the Hessians, received their name.

Notice again what the Encyclopedia Britannica says: "The earliest known inhabitants of the country [Germany] were the Chatti, who lived here during the first century A.D. 'Alike both in race language,' says Walther Schultze, 'the Chatti and the Hessi are identical'" (vol. 13, article, "Hesse"). Furthermore, the Old High German spelling of Hesse was Hatti!

Dr. Hoeh writes in the above-mentioned Plain Truth article, "The land of the Hatti was the western part of the Assyrian Empire... The ancient kings of Assyria called themselves Khatti-sars - meaning the 'Kaisers of Hatti,' or 'Kings of Hatti.' The chief people of Hatti regarded themselves as Assyrians... The ancient capital of the land of Hatti was popularly known among the Romans as 'Ninus Vetus - the old Nineveh.'"

For those honestly seeking the truth concerning the origin of the German people, PROOF IS ABUNDANT! In fact, concerning some of the early Hittite monuments, Hastings says, "The Hittites seem to have had a special fancy for combining parts of different animals into strangely composite and sometimes grotesque forms." (Dictionary of the Bible, vol. II, article "Hittites"). He then went on to say that they were responsible for bringing the TWO-HEADED EAGLE into Europe, which has long been a symbol of the German Empire!

There can be no doubt that one of the earliest German tribes, known as the Chatti, descended from the Assyrian Chatti who resided in Asia Minor.

* * *

 Language of the Assyrians

Some have argued that the Assyrian people spoke a Semitic language, not Indo-Germanic, and therefore the Germans could not be the descendants of the ancient Assyrians.

Yet there is a passage in the Bible which clearly reveals how and why most of the ancient Assyrians acquired a new and different language.

In the days of Nimrod, a tower was constructed at Babel which was to be the capital city of a world-ruling dictatorship, under which, God's truth would have been completely stamped out. Concerning the rebellious people of Nimrod's day, God said, "Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."(GEN 11:6).

To keep civilization from progressing to a point of self-destruction so soon, God had to "confound their language"(v.7). This miraculous intervention by God was the origin of differing languages. This was when most of the Assyrians acquired the Indo-Germanic tongue and other related languages.

Dr. Herman Hoeh wrote in his article, "Germany in Prophecy!": "European scholars have thoroughly studied the language of the land of Hatti - the ancestors of the Hessians. They found it to be an Indo-Germanic tongue - numerous words of which were akin to Old High German!... The language of the Hatti was the language of the West Assyrians... Scholars admit that for centuries the language of the people who inhabited Assyria was not merely Semitic." (Plain Truth, Jan. 1963, p.27). 

* * *

Ancient City of Trier

On the banks of the Mosel River in western Germany, just six miles from the Luxembourg border, sits the ancient German city of Trier. The Romans claim to be the founders of this ancient city. But German tradition, and even the name of the city, suggests otherwise.

"On the Rotes Haus (Red House) beside the Steipe, there is a text in Latin boasting that Trier, or Treves, is older than Rome, thirteen hundred years older in fact. That is when Trebeta, son of Semiramis, is said to have founded the town." That's what it says in the opening paragraph of the Trier Colorphoto Guide to the Town.

Josef K.L. Bihl writes in his German textbook, In deutschen Landen, "Trier was founded by Trebeta, a son of the famous Assyrian King Ninus" (p.69). The biblical name for Ninus is Nimrod.

Semiramis was married to Nimrod, the founder of Babylon (GEN 10:8-10; see also, "The Origin of Easter," March 1996 Trumpet). Genesis 10:11 says that Asshur and his descendants went out of Babylon and constructed the Assyrian capital - Nineveh. But as the margin correctly indicates, it was Nimrod who led Asshur out of Babylon and who actually supervised the construction project in Nineveh. Early on, the Bible indicates a close alliance between Nimrod and Asshur.

There is an obvious reason why the German city of Trier traces its origins back to Trebeta, the son of Nimrod and Semiramis, as well as the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh. It's because modern-day Germany is mostly made up of Assyrian people!