Tacitus, Ethiopians and Black St. Paul
Roman historian Tacitus wrote that many of his time believed that the Jews “were a race of Ethiopian origin.”
The Bible classifies the Ethiopians & Jews together, “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord.” (Amos 9:7)
Black Paul is mistaken for an “Egyptian” and declares himself to be a “Jew.” (Acts 21:37-39, 22: 2,3)
Persia and Ashanti
It has also been speculated that the Jewish presence and influence was greatly helped by the ancient gold trade between Persia and Africa.
Jews were the main intermediaries of this trade in the medieval ages since most Muslims (due to Islamic laws prohibition on usury) were wary of its usurious dimensions.
These Jewish itinerant traders came to rely on contacts with the various Jewish communities of West African who proved no mean help in sourcing the scarce commodity. Thus, for instance, the silk of the Royal Kente cloths of the Ashanti reputedly came from China.
Various historical accounts claim that Jewish travelers from Persia had organized exchanges of Chinese silk for gold in the Kingdom of Ghana; the Ashanti needed the silk for weaving Kente cloth and the Jews need gold for their intrinsic and fiscal value. It is said that the Ashanti words for numbers relate to those in Parsi, the language of Persia. See Lichtblau.
Genetics
Haplogroup E3B
The E3b haplogroup has been observed in all Jewish groups world wide. It is considered to be the 2nd most prevelent haplogroup amoung the Jewish population.
All the major studies agree that E-M35 is the second highest in prevalence next to J, for “Founding Jewish Lineages.” http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/Behar_contrasting.pdf.
It is found in moderate amounts in all Jewish populations, from Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Kurdish, Yemen, Samaritan and even among Djerba Jewish groups.
The scientific consensus is that Haplogroup E3b (M35) appears to have originated in East Africa, but has been carried from there to the Near East and then on to North Africa and Europe. Today it is most common in East Africa, North Africa, the Near East and around the Mediterranean.
Haplogroup J
Haplogroup J (previously known as HG9 or Eu9/Eu10) is a Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup. T is subdivided into two subclades: haplogroup J2, defined by the M172 marker, and haplogroup J1, defined by the M267 marker.
Of special interest are maps that show the geographical spread of the J haplogroup. J1 and J2 are both common in southern Europe, central Europe, the Mediterranean region, and Africa. The J haplogroup is considered to be a signature gene of Jewish ancestry and the cohen modal gene happens to be a subgroup of J.
In fact, the highest frequencies of J1 (M267) are seen in the Middle East, north Africa, and Ethiopia. See (Thomas et al. 1999). J2 (M172) also exists in significant proportions across Africa especially among the semitic speaking peoples of Tigriniya, Amhara, and Oromiya.
The J1’s from the Middle East and North Africa seem to be distinguishable from the rest of J’s by having YCAII=22,22. Behar et al found that a significant proportion of the Jewish population of Europe (more than 20%) carry the J1 haplogroup. The other 20% carry the J2 haplogroup. See Behar et al Hum Genet (2004) 114: 354-365
Cohen Modal Haplotype
The presence among the Lemba of a disproportionate number of men carrying a particular polymorphism on the Y chromosome known as the Cohen modal haplotype suggests an ancestral link to the Jewish population. One sub-clan within the Lemba, the Buba clan, is considered by the Lemba to be their priestly clan. Among a small sample of the Buba, fifty-two percent of males were found to carry the Cohen modal haplotype CMH, which is generally suggestive of Y-DNA haplogroup J, but notably prevalent among Jewish Kohanim, or priests.
Decline of the Black Jews of Africa
Many reasons have been sought for the decline and virtual disappearance of Africa’s once thriviing Jewish communities of black Jews. Many see the beginning of this decline as contemporaneous with the advent of the Islamic religion in Africa.
Some historical accounts highlight the fact that black Jews were die-hard nationalistic traditionalists and had led the black African resistance against the influx of the black muslim jihadists and their new interpretation of morality. The most notableof these black Jewish nationalists was Queen Kahina Dahiya Bint Thabitah ibn Tifan otherwise known as El-Kahina. A descendant of one of the priestly Black Jewish families of North Africa, Kahina led the nationalist resistance against the muslim invasion until her defeat at the hands of Hassan Ibn Numan. See Margolis, “History of Jewish people”, 1927 pages 278-279. See also Remy Ilona, “The Igbos: Jews in Africa?” volume 1, Research Findings Historical Links, Commentaries, Narratives,” 2004, Mega Press Limited, Abuja, Nigeria.
Amidst this tumult, the Jews of Northern and West Africa were given a choice of conversion or emigration. Many left for the deeper forest recesses of West Africa seeking the peace and tranquility that appeared to elude them in each generation. The late incursions by the colonialist christian elements of Europe did not make matters any better. There seems to have been a direct link between the incursion of relatively modern religions in Africa and the decline of the ancient practise of the Hebrews which had a pride of place in Africa, its mother land.
For instance the Jewish enclaves of Qamnurya or Naghira in the area of modern Senegal was destroyed completely in the wake of sectarian unrest. Similarly, Al-Maghili a prominent black Muslim noble not only destroyed the Jewish enclaves of Tuat in the old Mali empire, he convinced other potentates throughout the Western Sudan to banish Jews from the empire’s cities. See Remy Ilona, supra.
Lichtblau speculates that: although “…Jewish presence is also confirmed by numerous surviving accounts of Portuguese and other European visitors in the 14th and 15th centuries, as well as North African and Arab historical records… gradually most of these communities disappeared. Since they existed largely in isolation, there was a good deal of intermarriage which for a while reinforced their influence and expansion. As a result they were increasingly viewed as a threat by Muslim rulers, and most of the Jewish communities and nomad groups south of the Atlas mountains were either forced to convert to Islam or massacred; the remainder fled to North Africa, Egypt or the Sudan, and a few also to Cameroon and Southern Africa.”
Jide Uwechia
August 19, 2007
Ok, now if anyone is willing to correct me, add or elaborate, I will be grateful. In the wee hours of the morning, a thought came to mind. I do not know if this knowledge is already known. For, it is new to me. So, again, if anyone can add to this what I am explaining, I will be grateful. From what I know, Shem means “the name”, Ham means “black”, and Japheth means “open”.
Now, I took those meanings a little further in my thoughts. I said within myself, “black” could mean “hidden” or “dark” and “open” could mean “revealed” or maybe “completed”.
Then, I put those three names together in a sentence and I got this: “The name that is hidden will be or is revealed.”
So, Japheth is being used in the end times to reveal what was hidden. The knowledge Shem and Ham have is being revealed through technology to confirm the things of old.
And the truth shall set God peoples free. Am from Agikuyu Community in Kenya and i recently visited Rwanda, Burundi, Drc Congo and S.Africa.To my surprise i noticed how similar the languages are.Unlike other communities, The Agikuyu community oral history shows nothing interms of Migration from Congo basin to Kenya.This raises Question as to how the languages tend to be related.The Agikuyu were monotheist even before the arrival of the Bible.Strongly believing in a “Mwenenyaga or Murungu” [God] which can also translate to owner of all the Ostrich.Circumcision “Iruwa” is also very important in this community and the style is shared among the Cushites group eg Gabbra, Somali and Boran.
JB546,
I try not to say much until I am able to publish one of my manuscripts. It’s been very difficult for me to do so because of family issues and not having enough time to complete the bibliography. Concerning the things of the Hebrew and Israel, people are lost, including the expert because you will never understand Israel based on what you read from western scholars. Most of them have contract with secrecy and perverting every knowledge that doesn’t favor the Europeans. I have always wondered why people crown Europeans as experts of cultures that they are not native to. How can one be expert in another person’s culture, tradition, and language? That would be impossible. White skin is not only a late comer on earth, Europeans are also later comers to early human history and civilization. And this is why they know nothing about sub-Saharan Africa and its people to this day. They would like to make Asia Minor as the cradle of humanity but archeology continues to make liars out of them. The worst is that your so-called black experts are slaves, not to God of course, but to the truth-hating leaders of Christendom and the lying-propagandist leaders of Islam. A slave must follow the master, eventhough he or she hates the master more than other people.
Now, as for the names of the three Sons of Noah (Nochie or Anochie, meaning “Replace”), their properly Hebrew rended names are: Japheth is “Jefeta” in Igbo (Hebrew) and it means “Come accross”; Ham is “Ama” in Hebrew and it means “a specific place of a people”; and Shem, is “Chima” in Hebrew and it means “God knows”. I challenge the most knowledgeable Jewish Rabbis or scholars, or any other person for that matter to disprove these names and their meanings. And they shouldn’tt come here using the language that people are studying as Hebrew in colleges and universities around the world today because the language is neither Hebrew nor even Aramaic, it is a generic language and imitation Hebrew at best. No one is intelligent enough to disprove this fact. By being a Levite High Priest by birth, I am Igbo (Hebrew) in every meaning of the word. So, if you are a Jewish Rabbi, you would know some things about those you call Kohen Gadol, for we are born one in every generation of the Kohen Gadol’s (High Priest) family and we are given, or bless from birth with, the “Spirit of Understanding” I say Shalom (Chi ala oma) meaning not peace, but “God of the beautiful land/earth”. Bleseed be the Name of Chukwunna (God Almighty Father) – the Holy One of Israel. Udo (peace). I thank you.
what i want to make understand is if you read the black jews of Africa part 2 jew of Nigeria Senegal .Then they names the tribe and area so as they said hausa tribe but we should not believe so we believed BAYAJIDDA came to our area and his men. we understood he was jews. The jews send him to put something in islam . So they want tocome and take some our tribe.we can not believe.
Ishaq Al sulaimani
Are you a hausa blood?
if you are. which area havecome from?You force yourslf that you are jews.As they said hausa tribe jews. iam thinking tha you jew.
Alhassanyahaya,
I am not of Hausa
blood. I am a descendant of those
amongst the Israelite Kohen tribe
of Qaraiza(Medina) who followed the
example of Abdallah Ibn Salaam in
accepting the Prophet Muhammad
and the revelation of the Holy Qaran.
As descendants of the Qara tribes
we are also known as Qaraims.
For further information or clarification
visit THE ISAWIYYA ISRAELITE MOSQUE
OF QARAIMS@ http://WWW.QARAIMS.COM
My friend Al-Sulaimani, the people of Israel is usually divided into three pools: 1. The Priests (descendants of Aaron), 2. The Levites (other Levites not descended from Aaron), and 3. The 12 tribes of Israel. The Only Kohen or Priests among the children of Israel as ordained by Chukwunna, the Holy One of Israel, are the descendants of Aaron. Yes, there were the Zadokite (Ezedike) priests, but they are not of the Israelite stock (the covenant lineage), but of the Adama priests of which Melchizedek (Malachi-Ezedike) was once. Abraham inherited his Hebrew legacy that flows to the chosen lineage of Isaac (Ishiaku) and on to Jacob (Jiko-Obi) through Melchizedek who is, by the way, the father of all the sons of Ebo (Eber), the Hebrew. One can easily confirm this fact from the Old Testament of the Bible, especially, in the first five books. One can also confirm the same by asking any of the Jewish Rabbis or Scholars.
Certainly, Medina and the rest of Midian all over middle east are of the Adama stock. the first and oldest priesthood of the Igbo (Hebrew) and the world for that matter. They are not Arabs by any means. It is the same priestly lineage that boasted the likes of Melchizedek and Jethro (Reuel) Priest of Midian. And Israel has nothing like the Qara tribes (Qaraims) among the tribes of Israel. I thank you.
Akkanam,
I am confident in your ability
to differentiate between religious,ethnological,
cultural and historical terminologies. If you want
to limit boundaries,confine thinking and scrutinize
soley to that which is found in the Bible then you
should also limit your expression to the same.
You write that CHUKWUNNA ordained the Kohenim
of Israel. Now using your standard of limitation there
is no mentioning of the name CHUKWUNNA anywhere
in the Bible. I understand CHUKWUNNA because of
my extensive research and interaction with the Igbo
and in this regard I understand the Igbo connection
with Israel. However others who restrict themselves
to ” Biblical terminologies ” may reject the relevancy
of ” Chukwunna ” with the Israelites. Qara means
” TO READ ” . As the Readers of the Scriptures the
Israelites were always known as Qaraims. This
term was particularly relevant to the Kohenim and
Levites in general who maintained the Torah.
It is a historical fact that in Arabia the Israelite
Kohen tribe of Medina was known as Bani-Qaraiza.
In pure biblical terms I am an Israelite Kohen meaning
that my Israelite tribe is Levi. Qara tribes are still found
in Arabia. In fact Rastalivewire posted an essay on
the Qara tribes in present day Arabia. During the
Prophet Muhammad’s time the Israelites of Medina
were known as Qaraiza while the Ishmaelites of
Mecca were Qaraish. Some Igbo are now reclaiming
the Qaraim identity and are referring to themselves
as THE IGBO HEBREW QARAIM COMMUNITY.