February 1995                                             ISSN 1322-6428                                          Volume I, Number 2

We enter a new year with continuing violence and accelerated hatreds all over the world. Ethnic group is rising up against ethnic group. Nations rekindle bitterness of past experiences and wars. They remember the bad deeds of the past. Forgiveness is not in their hearts, but rather a revenge, ‘get even’ mentality.

Yet none of this is new or unique. Hatreds of this type have been going on since the very beginning of human-kind on the earth. However, if the nations learned their true identity and appreciated the vast array of differences and diversity within human-kind, they would also love God’s creation within their fellow man.

Instead, they know not their roots or anyone else’s. They are therefore incapable of appreciating that they have certain inherited traits (both good and evil) which need to be examined more closely and either nurtured or expunged from the national psyche.

If only we all know our roots and the origins of each other, we could perhaps work on our own natures and overcome some horrible national traits.

• diffusionism

• epigraphics

• human biology

• genetic mapping

• genealogy

• structure of Genesis X

About the cover.

The cover is a photocopy of plate 3 from a very old book from the nineteenth century, Atlas Universel D’Historie ET DE Geographie, Librairie Hachette et cie, 1872, Paris. I thought it may be of interest how the post-flood world was portrayed last century.

The explosive conflict between Serbo-Croatia and Bosnia, which has seen more than 10,000 people killed since April 1992, is the product of ancient hatreds.

And it is prophesied to spill over to an even more dramatic and bloodthirsty scenario on the international stage. The central point to keep in mind in understanding this virtually unreported real story behind the war in the Balkans is identifying the ancestor of the Serbs and Croatians: Shem’s first born Elam.

Elam longed for world rulership, after the Flood. Indeed, the Elamite King Chedorlaomer and his allies would have achieved this feat had it not been for the intervention of the patriarch of the Christian faith, Abram. In rescuing his nephew Lot (see Genesis 14), Abram defeated Chedorlaomer and arrested the Elamite drive for world dominion. Though God’s servant had triumphed, it in no way destroyed the Elamite vision for their own world-ruling kingdom.

Chedorlaomor had inherited the dream from Nimrod, who was thwarted by God in his own world rulership designs. In a fascinating aside, many commentators believe that Belgrade, ex-Yugoslavia’s capital, was originally named after Nimrod’s centre of power - the City of Bel or Baal!

Today, Serbians are keen to revive Nimrod’s dream in the form of a Greater Serbia. Their move, which already threatens to harm the NATO alliance, could well have ominous repercussions for western countries.

In Isaiah 11:11, a remnant of modern Israel is returned from Elam, where they have been imprisoned as slaves.

Bosnians, known as the Bogomils of history, trace their origins to the New Testament church. But many turned aside from Christianity to the Islamic faith, after being conquered by the Turks in the 15th century, and have been cursed by war and violence ever since. They settled in Bosnia, after being ousted from Servia (Serbia) in the 12th century.

Today they are very much the victim’s of the Elamite 4,000 year-old dream to achieve what Nimrod and Chedorlaomer could not : a lasting empire of glory, power and honour.

After Chad’s general elections on 19 April this year, it is proposing to merge with Libya and the Sudan. Sudan’s involvement could be prophetic. Cush, the ancestor of Sudan and Ham’s son, fathered some of the North-Eastern Africans, whose descendants have always longed for a confederation of nations in the region. Indeed, this may be a precursor to the prophesied "King of the South".

What is your first reaction when you hear or read something about the search for the "Ten Lost Tribes of Israel." If you are like most people, it is a subject that is hard to take seriously. To most intelligent, educated, individuals such a topic will immediately call forth a joking remark or a knowing grin. Although most have heard of the so-called "Lost Tribes," the subject is usually relegated to the category of legend and myth--like the search for the Holy Grail or the quest for the Fountain of Youth. Surely no intelligent person would take such a topic seriously. Even those who claim to believe the Bible will often smile and quickly dismiss any serious attempt to discuss this matter of the "Lost Tribes."

Actually, there are good reasons for such reactions. Over the centuries the attempts to locate and identify the Lost Tribes have more often than not indulged in the legendary and the fantastic. You can easily find articles on the "Ten Lost Tribes" in any good encyclopedia or reference work. However, you will find that the topic is primarily treated by a survey of the fabulous claims and unsubstantiated evidence which various groups and individuals have put forth over the years. The "history of the history" of the search for the Lost Tribes actually makes fascinating reading in itself. The list of candidates is long, particularly since the 17th century, both of groups claiming themselves to be the Lost Tribes and groups identified by travelers or researchers as those Tribes. Some of the better known claims have been: the Ethiopians; the Ibos of Nigeria; the Berbers of North Africa; various Armenian, Afgan, and Persian groups of the Black and Caspian Sea regions; the Chiang-Min of Tibet; the Khazars; and the Karaites. Researchers have claimed to locate the Tribes all over the globe: the Masai of southeast Africa; the Yemenis; the Abyssinians; the Ganges Indians; the Kareens of Burma; the Shindai tribe of Japan; not to mention numerous Indian groups in the New World.

Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the return of millions of Jewish refugees and immigrants to the Land, a new and more practical aspect of the question of the Lost Tribes has developed. The Jerusalem Report, Israel's major weekly news magazine, ran a startling cover story entitled, "Return of the Lost Tribes," in the September 9, 1993 issue. It raised the alarming possibility that the State of Israel could literally be inundated with millions of Africans and Asians claiming to be of Jewish or Israelite descent. Apparently this is more than a far-fetched theoretical possibility. All across the globe dozens of groups are pressing their claims to be descendants from the Ten Tribes of Israel. Two such groups, the Beta Israel of Ethiopia and the Bene Israel of India have already immigrated in large numbers to Israel and have been integrated into Israeli society. Most recently, members of the Shinlung tribe on the Indian-Burmese border have been brought to Israel claiming to be from the Lost Tribes. Thousands more are desirous of coming. A Jerusalem based group called Amishav (My People Returns), led by Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail, has spearheaded these recent efforts both to locate and to facilitate the immigration of such groups.

However, Yair Tsaban, Israel's Immigrant Absorption Minister, warns that the country is facing a potentially serious problem from literally hundreds of Third World groups claiming Israelite ancestry. One estimate put the number of Africans in this category at 100 million! What are we to think of this matter? Clearly, the Prophets in the Bible speak of the return of all Twelve Tribes of Israel to the Land in the latter days, as we will examine more closely below. On the other hand, the State of Israel must soberly face reality in dealing with a potential flood of immigrants whose claims to Israelite ancestry are dubious at best. In the final analysis, only the LORD (YHVH) knows those who belong to the Lost Tribes. Indeed, He declares through His prophets, that his "eyes are upon all their ways" and that "not the least grain will fall to the ground" (Jeremiah 16:17; Amos 9:9). It could well be that remnants of the these Tribes are scattered around the globe, and can be found almost anywhere and everywhere in small numbers. The Prophets seem to indicate that such is the case. However, a careful reading of the Prophets also indicates that large concentrations of the Tribes will remain together and achieve a national greatness in the last days.

As our readers know, our organization, United Israel of Jerusalem, holds the position that significant portions of the Ten Lost Tribes are now found among the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples of northwestern Europe and the United States. This particular identification, often dubbed as "Anglo-Israelism," has been the subject of a vast amount of research and publication, particularly in the past two centuries. A bibliography of even the major works which have been written to support this idea would run into many hundreds of entries. Unfortunately, we can not recommend without qualifications a single one of these publications. None of them are up to the high standards of scholarship and historical research that are expected in academic circles. Invariably they are filled with unsubstantiated "facts" and numerous "leaps" of faith, relying upon this or that speculative "correlation" or so-called "proof." Although the authors have been undoubtedly sincere, and we even endorse their essential thesis of identification, such works remain a laughingstock among reputable historians and ethnic researchers. Here we have to face the facts. Unless and until something respectable is published, the question of identifying the Anglo-Saxon and related peoples as the Ten Tribes will remain in the shadows of shoddy scholarship. That research has been compiled and is currently being put in written form by John Hulley, an independent researcher in Jerusalem. What Mr. Hulley is producing will definitely change the state of affairs. His work is of the highest standards and will gain the attention and the respect of the academic world, the interested Biblical student, and the general public.

Despite the preponderance of legend, myth, sloppy scholarship, and outright untruths, which have been put forth in many efforts to identify the Lost Ten Tribes, there is nonetheless a preliminary approach that we urge all our readers to consider most seriously. In other words, even before one gets into the various aspects of ethnic and historical research, with their attempts to trace the migrations of these ancient peoples, there is a prior question. Simply put, it is this: What does the Bible say about the Ten Lost Tribes? This is a question we began to address in the very first issue of Jezreel's Call. It is an area that can be pursued by anyone immediately, with the most basic Biblical resources--a good Bible translation, concordance, and atlas.

Let me suggest some beginning steps you might take in this regard. The question of what the Bible really says about the Ten Lost Tribes is most basic. However, as we have begun to point out in various articles in this publication, it is one that both Jews and Torah-oriented Gentiles have often confused or missed. Please note the following essential and incontrovertible points:

--Study carefully and thoroughly 1 Kings 12 and 2 Kings 17 and 25 to establish firmly in your understanding the difference between the northern (Ten Tribes) Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. These chapters cover the division of the Land into two Kingdoms (Israel and Judah), and the subsequent separate Exiles of first northern Israel (721 B.C.E. by the Assyrians) and then southern Judah (586 B.C.E. by the Babylonians).

--Note that throughout the Prophets these two Kingdoms (Israel and Judah) are addressed and dealt with in a completely separate manner. The northern Ten Tribes are most often called Israel, Ephraim, Samaria, or Joseph; while the southern Kingdom is invariably called Judah or Jerusalem. For example read the following references, carefully noticing the different designations: Isaiah 7:1-8, 8:14, 11:12-13; Jeremiah 3:6-18; Ezekiel 4:1-8, 37:15-23. Once you catch on to this consistent pattern of reference, as illustrated by these examples, you will find it most instructive to work through all the Hebrew Prophets with this distinction in mind. You will be quite amazed at what you find.

--Realize that the Jewish people today are primarily from the tribe of Judah, the southern Kingdom, and that the northern Ten Tribes were prophesied to be scattered through the nations and become like Gentiles ("not My people"). Read carefully Hosea 1-3, which puts this most clearly.

--Note that the DOMlNANT theme of the Hebrew Prophets is the Restoration of all Israel to the Land, which involves the recovery of the Lost Ten Tribes to both their identity and their destiny as Israelites. You can find this by simply reading any number of dozens of chapters in the Hebrew Prophets, perhaps beginning with Jeremiah 30-31; Ezekiel 37; Hosea 1-3; Isaiah 11.

Now what do these points mean in approaching this question of the Lost Ten Tribes? Whenever I talk with someone about this subject rather than get into controversies about identifying this or that ethnic or tribal group as Israelite, I find it most useful to first concentrate on these plain and simple Scriptures. Do the Scriptures clearly make a distinction between the House of Israel and the House of Judah? Do the Prophets say that the northern Tribes would be scattered to the ends of the earth and loose their identity, becoming Gentiles for all practical purposes? Are the promises of the Restoration of all Twelve Tribes clear and unambiguous? This is the place we must start, in our own studies and in discussions with others. It is one thing for someone to joke or pass off "quests for the Lost Tribes" as a silly and useless enterprise, but it is another matter entirely to declare that what the Prophets plainly declare to be so, is a hopeless legendary fantasy. Do the Prophets not declare that the Lost Ten Tribes will regain their identity and unite with their Jewish brothers? Is there any doubting of this point? Why then, should responsible attempts to take these promises of God seriously be met with scorn by those who believe the Bible? I am convinced that most Biblical believers who downplay or make light of talk of the "Lost Tribes" do so out of the most basic ignorance of the points I outline above.

They lump Judah, Israel, Ephraim, Joseph, and the "Jews" all into one category, ignoring and losing the important distinctions which are maintained so carefully by the Prophets themselves. Attention to this question of the Lost Tribes is nothing more than a RESTORATION of the Biblical Faith, a goal that all those who love the Scriptures acknowledge. Anyone who tries to make sense of the prophetic events of our century, including the astounding miracle of the return of the Jewish people to the Land, but ignores the clear teaching about the Lost Tribes throughout the Prophets, will never obtain a proper understanding of the events of the Last Times. We urge all our readers to delve deeply into the Hebrew Prophets with these most basic and simple categories and distinctions in mind. Your Biblical study will be transformed ever after.

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by Bert Otten

There are many parallels between the Celts, who surfaced in Europe from about 600 BC onwards, and the ten-tribed northern House of Israel (also called Ephraim and Samaria), which was taken into Assyrian captivity from 721 to 718 BC.

The Celts are the descendants of the House of Israel, Samaria, Bit Khumri (Assyrian for Beth Omri, the House of Omri), hence 'Khymri' or 'Cimmerians'. There is quite an astonishing analogy between the Northern House of Israel with their levites/priests on the one hand and the Celts and Druids on the other.

Among the Celts, the Druids were the only teachers of religion, like the priests/Levites were in Israel. The Druids offered sacrifices, like the priests did in Israel.

Among pagan nations it is normally the civil government which judges criminals, especially so in murder cases. This was not so among the Celts. The Druids, and not the kings or heads of tribes, decided about life and death, as did the priests in Israel.

Like the priests, the Druids had their highpriest. Like the priests and Levites, the Druids were in charge of religion. Another strong link is the fact that both Levites in Israel and Druids among the Celts were exempt from military service and paying taxes.

The Celts seemed to have raised commemorative stone monuments like the Israelites and the oak tree played a significant role in the lives of both the Celts and the idolatrous Israelites of the Northern Kingdom.

The Celts had special feasts in May and October, a corruption of the feasts of the Eternal (Lev 23).

The Celtic day started at sunset - as it did in Israel - and the Celtic year started, according to certain historians, in autumn - as the year still does with the Jews.

The most gruesome analogy is the one of human sacrifices. For this reason Julius Ceasar considered the Celts barbaric and for the same reason God drove the Ten Tribes out of the promised land.

The Celts also used a solar-lunar calendar, with alternating months of 29 and 30 days. The Jewish Calendar still is a solar-lunar calendar to this very day.

Those who write about the Lost Tribes are quite unanimous about the identity of the Dutch as Zebulunites. Zebulun's prophecies (Ge 49 & Dt 33) have such a strong focus on a tribe living off the sea. The Bible is supported in this by the apocryphal Testament of Zebulun (from The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs) in which the very first sailing-boat is ascribed to Zebulun and in which Zebulun encourages his tribe to be compassionate. Love for water, for the sea, and compassion for fellowmen are strong national characteristics in Holland. In Deuteronomy 33, Issachar shares Zebulun's prophecy concerning maritime and naval blessings. In the Testament of Issachar, the patriarch Issachar calls his tribe to simplicity and goodness (eenvoud, recht-door zee!) and encourages his descendants to breed cattle! With Zebulun around, Issachar cannot be far away.

The Jewish Encyclopedia states about Issachar, "... Jacob in blessing his children before his death compared Issachar to a strong and bony ass (Ge 49:14). This expression is a prophecy referring to the tribe of Issachar."

The descendants of Issachar are described as robust, forceful and vigorous people. A likewise description can be found about the Frisians by the Romans.

M.D.Teenstra about the Frisians in De Kroniek van Groningen, Friesland en Drenthe, "... De Romeinen beschreven de Friezen als ruw en woest, groot van lichaamsbouw en sterk gespierd ... (The Romans described the Frisians as rough and fierce, of big physique and very muscular)". [All translations from Dutch works are by the author of Frisians - Sons of Issachar!]

Issachar being a raw-boned donkey, not only referred to the physique of his descendants but also to their military ability. Although not an aggressive people by nature, they were reliable fighters whenever called upon.

In Judges 1, it is described how the tribes of Israel took possession of the promised land. Of each tribe it is mentioned how it failed to drive out certain Canaanites living in its area. The only tribe not mentioned in this account is Issachar! Either because Issachar was included in Zebulun - more about that later - or because it was the only tribe to drive out the Canaanites. It is not known whether the Issacharites did or did not drive out the Canaanites, however, Holy Scripture does not accuse them of not having done so.

In the days of David the tribe is described as very populous, able to supply more able men to fight for Israel than any other tribe (except for Judah!). I Chronicles 7:2, "And the sons of Tola; [son of Issachar] ... they were valiant men of might in their generations; whose number was in the days of David 22,600." And in verse 4, "... were bands of soldiers for war, 36,000 men: for they had many wives and sons" and verse 5, "And their brethren among all the families of Issachar were valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their genealogies 87,000." (KJV).

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia this gives a total of 145,600 men! Zebulun was probably included though, in the last figure of 87,000 as it is not mentioned at all in I Chronicles, chapters 2-8. To realise the magnitude of this figure of 145,600, or even the one of 87,000, look at the number of men the Transjordan tribes, Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh, could just muster together. I Chronicles 5:18, "The sons of Reuben and the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were 44,760, that went out to the war."

The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ninth Edition, about the Frisians, "In the 13th book of his Annals, Tacitus tells how the chiefs, Verritus and Malorix, as he calls them, excited the amusement and admiration of the people by taking, unasked, their seat among the senators in Pompey's theatre, when they heard that strangers from nations distinguished by their bravery and friendship to the Romans were advanced to that honourable position." (Emphasis added).

And, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, Vol.19, p.413, "The Frisians struggled against Roman over-lordship somewhat longer, and it was not until AD 47 that they finally submitted to the victorious arms of

Domitius Corbulo. The Frisian auxiliaries were likewise regarded as excellent troups." (Emphasis added ).

Why are they compared to a strong and bony ass? Probably because it also refers to their stubborness. In English the expression is 'as stubborn as an ass', in Dutch 'zo koppig als een ezel'.

However in Holland, in Dutch the Frisians are also known for their stubborness, 'Friese stijfkop' ('stubborn Frisian').

Concerning these two verses Matthew Henry's Commentary states the following,

"Concerning Issachar, v. 14-15, That the men of that tribe should be strong and industrious, fit for labour and inclined to labour, particularly the toil of husbandry, like the ass, that patiently carried his burden, and, by using himself to it, makes it the easier. Issachar submitted to two burdens, tillage and tribute. It was a tribe that took pains and thriving thereby, was called upon for rents and taxes." (Emphasis added). Scott's Commentary, Vol.I, concerning the same two verses,

"v. 14-15, Issachar is described under the emblem of a strong ass, as Judah had been under that of a fierce lion. This implied that the tribe of Issachar would be industrious and unambitous; bearing labour or tribute peaceably, of which burdens others grievously complained. ... He was sensible that rest, not from labour, but from war and contention, was profitable; and, being satisfied with the pleasantness of a remote part of the country, he little intermeddled with the affairs of the state, OR OF WAR; ...".

Another excellent comment is found in the Dutch Staten Bijbel met kanttekeningen,

"Bij gelijkenis van een sterken doch luien en gemakkelijken ezel, voorzegt hij dat de nakomelingen van Issaschar wel sterk zouden zijn en sterk van vermogen, door de goedheid van hun land, maar zoo tot gemak en vrede genegen, dat zij niets bijzonders zouden uitrichten, ja zich door anderen laten overlasten: ... (In comparison with a strong but lazy and easy-going ass, he predicts Issachar's descendants to become strong and of great capacity though, by the fatness of their land, however so much inclined to ease and peace, that they would not accomplish much, yeah even become tribute to others ...)".

Compare this with what the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ninth Edition, says about the Frisians,

"FRISIANS, - ... - a people of Teutonic stock, who at their first appearance in history, are found in possession of the same district of Europe which they still, at least partially, occupy [the land it was pleasant!] So far as can be judged they have NEVER been of an AGGRESSIVE disposition [he saw that the rest was good], and it is not improbable that at one time they may have possessed a much wider territory than history usually assignes them."

Further on in the same article,

"... For this neglect the principal reason is undoubtedly the fact that the people have, at least in modern times, displayed no strong political individuality [bowed his shoulder to bear], but have allowed themselves peacefully to be merged in more powerful nationalities [and became a servant unto tribute]."

Those more powerful nationalities are the Dutch (Zebulun) and the Germans (Assyria). Most of Issachar's descendants live either in the Netherlands or in northern Germany.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia Vol.5, p. 14-15,

"Frisian, member of a Germanic people speaking a language closely related to English and living in the Frisian islands, in Friesland, a northern province of the Netherlands, and in Ostfriesland and Nordfriesland in Germany ... From the lst to the 5th century AD, they were more or less tributary to the Romans; their land was then infiltrated by Angles and Saxons on the way to England and subsequently conquered by the Franks under Charlemagne, who converted them to Christianity. In subsequent

The Frisians are territorially divided. According to the Standaard Encyclopedie, their descendants live in West-Friesland (northern part of Noord-Holland), Friesland (also called Mid-Friesland, this is the present-day province of Friesland), the Frisian Ommelanden between the Ems and the Lauwers Zee (the present-day province of Groningen, except for the capital and the peat-colony in the southeast), Ost-Friesland and Sagelterland in Germany, the West, East and North-Frisian isles including Helgoland, all along the coasts of the Netherlands and Germany, together with Nord-Friesland between Husum and Tönder, just south of the Danish border in Northern Germany.

Three dialects of modern Frisian are still spoken today, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia Vol.5, p.15,

"... Although Frisian was formerly spoken from what is now the province of Noord-Holland (North Holland) in the Netherlands along the North Sea coastal area to modern German Schleswig, including the offshore islands in this area, modern Frisian is spoken in only three small remaining areas, each with its own dialect. These dialects are West-Frisian [c. 375,000 people], spoken in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands, including the islands of Schiermonnikoog and Terschelling; East Frisian [c. 2,000 people], spoken in Saterland west of Oldenburg, W. Ger.; and North Frisian [c. 8,000 people], spoken along the west coast of Schleswig in West Germany and on the offshore islands of Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, the Halligan islands and Helgoland. ... Although Frisian was hardly used at all as a written language for about 300 years after the end of the old Frisian period, there has been a revival in modern times in the West Frisian area. The language is now used in the schools and courts in the province of Friesland and is acknowledged as an official language by the government of The Netherlands. There is also a Frisian Academy. East and North Frisian are being gradually supplanted by German."

It can be concluded that the Frisians are still living in the lands they habitated 2000 years ago and that they have not come to the forming of their own political state. They preferred to be absorbed by the Dutch and Germans into their states, because the land they were and are residing in was and still is pleasant.

· A glossary of anthropological terms by C White                                                                                                   

BOOK REVIEW

Sumerian and Japanese: a comparative language study (142 pages, A4 size)

Author: R Yoshiwara (Roger Ahlberg)

Publisher: Japan English Service, Chiba, Japan

Date: 1991. ISBN: 4 915 809 501

When I stumbled upon this book I soon realised what a prize I had found! This wonderful book by Roger Ahlberg throws a lot of light upon the origins of the Japanese and perhaps activities of the post-Flood Sumerians (there were also pre-Flood peoples that are referred to as Sumerians).

This incredible book asks whether there is a relationship between the language of the Japanese people and the Sumerian cuneiform of the ancient world around the time of Abraham. The book is very academic and I note the following from his Foreword:

While most academics today do not wish to be seen to be involved in tracing the languages or nations, this author is quote willing to delve into some strange parallels between Japanese with Sumerian. He utilises The Sumerian Dictionary published by the University of Pennsylvania.

In all, Ahlberg considers more than 1000 words from Japanese and he shows how the word Sumera is often used in titles of the Emperor, supposedly descended from the Sun Goddess. He shows that Japanese, like Sumerian, is an agglutinative tongue. Further indication is given in that barley was found in both Japan and Sumer, very rare in those days. This calls for further research on the study of grain and its’ products in the ancient world.

A highly recommended work to borrow from the library, but not for purchasing by the average person.