Is Christianity an Offshoot of the Egyptian Mystery System?

Is Christianity an Offshoot of the Egyptian Mystery System?
by Ghelawdewos Araia
April 7, 2007

Over the last two decades I was engaged in extensive research in African and international studies, which are in effect the domain of my specialization and vocation. My research particularly focused on African cosmology, ontology, and epistemology. In due course of my investigative inquiry, I have encountered fascinating similarities in cultures and belief systems and hence this title for our present discussion.

In 1996 in one of my articles entitled What is Wrong with Afrocentrism? I argued the following, “There is no doubt that the mythology of Osiris and Isis is the foundation for the Judeo-Christian tradition: The concept of metempsychosis [the transmigration of the soul after death], the myth of the jealous brother who kills his twin (Set kills Osiris), the idea of resurrection (Osiris came back to life), the last judgment (Osiris presides over the Last Judgment), the first Madonna (Isis).”1

The ancient Egyptians virtually gave us all major attributes of civilization: agriculture (irrigation), architecture (pyramids, obelisks, temples etc), mathematics (numerical and standard measures), medicine (Imhotep’s legacy –he is the first physician, not Hippocrates-, herbal pharmacology, anatomy, mummification etc), art of government (Egypt is the first nation), and collection of wealth. These magnificent Egyptian contributions are manifestations of ancient African philosophy, ontology, and cosmology. In brief, Kemetic (Kemet is ancient Egypt) philosophy was not simply an abstraction of primordial wisdom but a specification of conceptualization, a body of formally represented knowledge, and a systematic account of life experience. The latter, in effect, was systematically woven into the Egyptian cosmology of spatio-temporal relations of the universe, and this ultimately led the Egyptians to their mystery system (theology) in general and the creation theories in particular.

With respect to the creation of the universe, there are two important Egyptian documents, namely the On (Ani) or Heliopolis Creation Narrative and the Memphite Declaration of Deities. In both narratives, the Spoken Word was central to the creation of all beings, animate and inanimate. As per the On account, “all things are brought into existence through the spoken word; nothing that exists is without the word being spoken…” Similarly, in the Memphite Declaration, “Ptah taught that aspects of himself are manifested in all nature, in the mouth of all gods, and in every human, and in animals, plants and all other living beings. Thus, whatever Ptah conceived came into being through utterance…and the nine deities of Ptah came forth from the teeth and lips in his mouth which pronounced the name of everything, from which Shu and Tefnut also came forth.”2

The spoken word of Egyptian theology, the On and Memphite, were documented during the Sixth Dynasty (2300-2150 B. C. ) and the Tenth Dynasty (2135-2133 B. C. ) respectively. Later on, it was adopted by the Judeo-Christian tradition in Genesis: At the beginning there was word! And it is in Genesis that we encounter the creation of all universe and all living beings including Adam and Eve. And on the Seventh day, God rested. As we shall see later, ‘seven’ (7) for the Egyptians signified ‘completion’.

Long before Adam and Eve, however, the first humans were Shu, Tefnut, Osiris and Isis and as noted above, Osiris (Ausar) was killed by his brother Set but he was resurrected to life. This story (or mythology if you will) is replicated by the Abel and Cain story in the Bible. In both instances, we have now witnessed the first murder incident among humans.

The creation of Adam also finds antecedence in many African creation theories, most notably the Yoruba mythology in which Olorun (the Sky God) fashioned Odudwa (the founding father of Oyo) out of dirt, breath unto him and gave him life. However, unlike Odudwa and Adam, who were essentially human and down-to-earth, Osiris was elevated to the stature of the gods. Thus, according to Ani the Scribe, hymn to Osiris goes as follows: “Praise be unto Osiris Un-Nefer, the great god who dwelleth in Abtu, king of eternity, lord of everlastingness, who passes through millions of years in his existence. He is the firstborn son.”3

As we shall see below in some detail, Osiris, the son-of-god (and in a different context god himself) is very much like Jesus Christ. “There is nothing in the texts which justifies the assumption that Osiris knew,” says Wallis Budge, “that he would rise from the dead and that he would become the king and judge of the dead, or that the Egyptians believed that Osiris died on their behalf and rose again in order that they also might rise from the dead. But from first to last the resurrection of Osiris is the great and distinguishing feature of the Egyptian religion, for Osiris was the first fruits of the dead, and every worshipper of Osiris based his own hope of resurrection and immortality upon the fundamental fact of the resurrection of Osiris.” 4

For Ethiopians of Orthodox Christian faith, Easter or Fasika, more than Christmas, is ‘the great and distinguishing feature of their religion.’ Fasika for Ethiopians is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection and a grand holiday after the long lent. However, pre-Christian Ethiopians may have also celebrated Osiris’ triumph, for the ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris traveled to Ethiopia and took his son Horus (Apollo in Greek), Anubis, Macedo, Pan and other talented individuals. During his stay in Ethiopia, he taught the Ethiopians the art of farming and husbandry, art of government, and the construction of canals to control the flow of the Nile.

Osiris was also the first to make and drink wine and he taught the Egyptians how to manage a vineyard as well as process and preserve wine. It is common knowledge to all people of (the) Christian faith that Christ not only enjoyed drinking wine but he also blessed it as his attribute to his own blood.

In the Book of the Dead Osiris declares, “I am the Great One, son of the Great One… I am Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow…I am the Soul, which is god. I am the Souls of everlastingness, and my body is eternity. My form is everlastingness.” This is incredibly similar to what Jesus Christ preached to the Jews and Gentiles or believers and non-believers alike.

Isis like her brother and husband Osiris is invoked in Christian theology as Eve or as Mary. In fact the first Christian hermits in Egypt were compelled to associate St. Mary with Isis and Jesus with Horus (the son of Osiris) and their rationale is justified because Isis claims that she is the divine among women and she ‘burdened women with the newborn babe in the tenth month’, ‘ordained that parents should be beloved by their children’ and she would ‘inflict retribution on those that feel no love for their parents’. Above all, Isis claims that she is ‘the eldest daughter of Keb (Earth-god), and for this apparent reason, now historians (especially Afrocentrists) depict Isis as the first Madonna.

What I personally found an interesting commonality between Isis and the Ethiopian Christian tradition is the fact that Isis is credited for establishing lent and instructing the ancient Egyptians to fast from meat and fish and to observe celibacy during the entire period of lent. Isis may have not traveled to Ethiopia as her husband did, but it looks that she had a profound clout on the Ethiopian Christian doctrine in whatever form the latter is incorporated into the dogma of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Beyond Egypt, Osiris and Isis were worshipped in the Aegean, Crete, Greece, Italy, and other neighboring countries such as Nubia, Ethiopia, and Libya. In point of fact, around 80 B. C. the Italians founded an institute by the name College of the Servants of Isis in Rome and by 44 B. C. the Italians had affixed festival dates for Isis and Osiris in their official calendar.

There is no doubt that Isis may have existed conceptually among Ethiopians although there is no credible evidence documented in Ethiopian historiography (at least for now), but some Ethiopian names are similar to Isis’ (Aset or Eset in Egyptian). Moreover, even if we cannot prove the existence of Isis in pre-Christian Ethiopia, the similarities between St. Mary and Isis indeed makes the latter the first Madonna as stated earlier, and this is why: “Egyptian inscriptions do not mention any tomb of Isis. Whether the Egyptians believed that she passed from this world to the Other World unchanged in respect to her body cannot be said, but there is little doubt that, at least in the latest days of her cult in Egypt, it was her immunity from death which most impressed the Egyptians and the nations around and made them to exalt her powers over those of Osiris.”5 The ascension of Mary (and Elijah before her) clearly corroborates the Egyptian mythology of the powers to negate death.

Going back to Osiris again, we find the most fascinating similarities between himself and Christ in the second coming and the Day of Judgment. In Judgment Day the dead will face the presiding judge Osiris and make confessions as follows:

I never took away anything by force from any man
I never did an act of oppression to any man
I was beloved by my father, praised by my mother, well disposed toward my brother, sweet-tempered with my sister
I never spake evil of any kind
I gave bread to the hungry man and clothes to the naked
I never gave a verdict in a case between two brothers

The confession and the judgment takes place in the Hall of the Two Maat (Truth and Justice) whereby Goddesses are seated by the doors and holding the scepter of ‘serenity’ in the right hand and ‘ankh’ (life) in the left. Also in the Hall is present the symbolic scale of Maat and two-and-forty gods (42 gods) or spirits to whom the confessor declares his innocence. Incidentally, the 42 gods could find parallel to 44 spirit saints in the Ethiopian context. Gonder, for instance, is famous for its forty-four Adbarat (abode of the spirits).

The Declaration of Innocence (aka "The Negative Confessions"), as documented in the Papyrus of Ani or the Book of the Dead (18th Dynasty, 1550-1305 B. C.) is an elaborate version of the confessions enumerated above and sequentially runs as follows:

1)I have not done iniquity
2)I have not robbed with violence
3)I have not stolen
4)I have done no murder
5)I have not defrauded offerings
6)I have not diminished oblations
7)I have not plundered the gods
8)I have spoken no lies
9)I have not snatched away food
10)I have not caused pain
11)I have not committed fornication
12)I have not caused shedding of tears
13)I have not dealt deceitfully
14)I have not transgressed
15)I have not acted guilefully
16)I have not laid waste the ploughed land
17)I have not been an eavesdropper
18)I have not set my lips in motion against any man
19)I have not been angry and wrathful except for a just cause
20)I have not defiled the wife of any man
21)I have not defiled the wife of any man*
22)I have not polluted myself
23)I have not caused terror
24)I have not transgressed**
25)I have not burned with rage
26)I have not stopped my ears against the words of Right and Truth
27)I have not worked grief
28)I have not acted with insolence
29)I have not stirred up strife
30)I have not judged hastily
31)I have not been (a) eavesdropper***
32)I have not multiplied words exceedingly
33)I have done neither harm nor ill
34)I have never cursed the king
35)I have not worked treason
36)I have never befouled the water
37)I have not spoken scornfully
38)I have not cursed God
39)I have not acted with arrogance
40)I have not been overweeningly proud
41)I have never magnified my condition beyond what was fitting
42)I have never slighted the god in my town.6

Any intelligent person who reads the Bible in general and the Ten Commandments in particular could be perplexed by the input of Egyptian theology in Christian dogma although believers generally tend to deny any plausible logical deduction that may unseat the foundation of their respective religions. The fact, however, remains steadfast. After all Moses was Egyptian and the disciple of Amenhotep (Akhenaten) who popularized (not invented) monotheism in Egypt. Although the Egyptian mystery system was predominantly polytheistic, early on during the course of the Egyptian civilization monotheism was pretty much established with a low profile. Thus, the Jews, Christians and Moslems borrowed the idea of one god from the Egyptians. (emphasis mine)

On top of the many similarities and shared dogmas between Egyptian theology and Christianity, the two belief systems are allegorically connected. For instance, Egyptian magical numbers such as 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 12 do not only represent simple computation but they also symbolically reflect philosophy, ontology and cosmology as related to human nature and truth. For example 3 represents the manifestation of Osiris-Harmachis-Temu, a triad (3) representing the morning sun, the evening sun, and the night sun. The triad manifestations in Christianity, of course, are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost that constitute the Trinity. Christians believe that Christ rose from the dead three days after he was dead and buried. In many traditional African societies, the accused or the sickly invokes the name of God three times in order to absolve him or herself from his/her crime or be cured from ill health. Among the Yoruba a nursing mother and child pass three times through [sacred] dripping water poured on top of the thatched roof of their house. In Ethiopia, especially in the areas of Tigrigna and Amharic speakers, if a female baby is born the women gathered to celebrate and welcome the newly born ululate three times.

Four (4) represents the four sons of Horus or the grandsons of Osiris, and in turn, the four cardinal points of East, West, North, and South. Depicted like the pharaohs, Osiris holds in his hands four symbols of stability, life, serenity, and power (dominion). “Moreover, in Egyptian astrology, we encounter the four gods of Amset (man), Hapi (ape), Tuamutef (jackal) and Gebhsennuf (hawk) which became the Four Beasts of lion, calf, man, and eagle in Christianity (Book of Revelation).” 7 Egyptian mythologies further symbolize plethora of ideas such as the Four Rejoicing Ones, Four Nemset Vases, Four Faces, Four gods etc. In many traditional African societies the Four Elements that characterize human nature are the body, the soul, the double, and the shadow.

The number 5 was associated with sacrifice. According to Plutarch and other classical historians Osiris was born on the first of the five epagomenal days of the Egyptian year and as per Biblical prophesy Christ was to be born five and half days (interpreted as 5,500 years) after Adam and was to be sacrificed in order to cleanse humanity from its sins, very much like the role of Osiris. The five times of incense in Christian orthodoxy refer to 1) Abel, Genesis 4:24; 2) Noah, Genesis 8:20; 3) Melkhizedek, Genesis 14:18; 4) Aaron in Leviticus, 9, and 5) Zacharia in Luke 1:8, and these Biblical personas are men who offered accepted sacrifices by the Lord. In praise of these altruistic men, the priest and the deacon burn incense and go around the altar three (3) times. The five pillars and five prayers per day of Islam most likely correspond to the incense ritual of Christianity.

As has already been stated seven (7) represents completion for the Egyptians. After a child was born, it was in the Egyptian tradition to wash the baby with water or oil and the latter signifies the Seven Holy Oils used in the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony. Likewise after a male child is born in Ethiopia (especially in the central and northern regions) the women ululate seven times. The nursing Yoruba woman that we encountered earlier would perform the three times walk seven days after her child is born. In the Book of Gates of the Egyptians, there are the symbolic seven stands for seven gods. Moreover, in Egyptian theology we come across the Seven Hathors, the Seven Arits, the Seven Cows, the Seven Uraei, the Seven Spirits, and the Seven-headed Serpent. In almost similar fashion, seven is prefixed with either animals or spirits in the Book of Revelation. Nowadays, humanity in general is stuck in the number 7 even if the subject does not logically represent seven: the seven wonders of the world, the seven seas, the Group of Seven etc or in more practical terms the seven days of the week or the seven sounds (vowels) of each Ethiopian character of the alphabet. The pious Muslims during pilgrimage walk seven times around the Kaaba and the Luminaries, by the same token, believe in the Seven Chakras (Sanskrit) or energy points of the human body and they assemble in Egypt and walk around the pyramid seven times.

Nine (9) also represents completeness and finality in Egyptian philosophy. The company of the Gods contained nine members and during judgment day, thus, Osiris was accompanied by nine gods who stand on the nine steps that lead to the pedestal where Osiris is seated on a chair. Moreover, we have Nine Mourners, Nine Watchers, Nine Task-masters, and Nine Holders of the Rope for measuring land. In most African societies nine symbolizes sacredness and to be sure there are the most revered Nine Saints in Ethiopia.

Twelve was essentially the 12 points of the Zodiac in Egyptian astronomy but later the Egyptians calculated the revolution of our planet earth after studying the lunar movements. Hence 12x30= 360 plus 5 days for harvest would be 365 days, the calendar that all of us use to this day. In fact, like the Egyptian or Coptic calendar, the Ethiopian Calendar has 12x30 days plus five or epagomenal days. By the same token, the Jewish calendar known as sod ha-ibbur is a derivation of the Egyptian system of intercalating the solar and lunar cycles. In the Book Am-Tuat the Egyptians have illustrations of 12 serpents. Christians then took the Egyptian 12 to mean the twelve Apostles as astronomers did for 12 months. In most African societies the kings council or judges were 12 in number.

There is no doubt that Judaism evolved out of Egyptian polytheism, and Christianity and Islam followed suit. Where else could their origin be? (emphasis mine)

Notes
1)Ghelawdewos Araia, “What is Wrong With Afrocentrism?” African Link, Vol. 5, No. 5, 1996
2)Molefi Kete Asante and Abu S. Abarry (editors), African Intellectual Heritage, Temple University Press, 1996, pp. 12-16
3)E. A. Wallis Budge, OSIRIS & The Egyptian Resurrection, Vol. II, Dover Publications Inc., New York, 1973, p. 66
4)Wallis Budge, Vol. I, pp. 312-313
5)Wallis Budge, Vol. II, p. 280
6)Asante and Abarry, pp. ibid, 73-74
7)Ghelawdewos Araia, ibid
#21 is repeated because it is addressed specifically to the two-headed serpent
#24 is repeated because it is addressed to the ‘Destroyer’
#31 is repeated because it is addressed to Sekherui

Copyright © IDEA, Inc. April 7, 2007. Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia can be contacted for educational and constructive feedback at ga51@columbia.edu

Source: http://www.africanidea.org/egyptian_mystery.html

Editor's Note: There are many who would like to take (and have taken) the information contained in this piece, and similar pieces, to discredit the authority of the Bible. I am NOT one of those people. Those who do so are FALSE TEACHERS! In fact, I believe the Egyptian influences on Christianity and Judaism, in particular, confirm the truth of the Bible. I have no problem accepting the Egyptian prefigurations of Christ, in particular, and of the Bible in general. As Biblicists, we must understand that it was the sons of Ham that were first endowed with the wires of the revelation of God after the flood. The sons of Ham were Cush (Ethiopia/Nubia), Mizraim (Egypt), Phut, and Canaan (Phoenicia, Palestine). And from Cush, Nimrod was born. The mainstays of Nimrod's kingdom were Babel (Babylon), Erech, Accad, Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From Babylon came the Hammurabi's law, which was in place approximately 1,000 years before the Mosaic law . The Egyptian Negative Confessions, as shared in this article predated the Mosaic law, at least 1500 years. So what is my point? God had been speaking to mankind, long before the coming of the Hebrews, whom I acknowledge as my ancestors, by the way. In fact, it was out of Ham's son Canaan, that a land space was promised to Israel. The Most High later transmitted the knowledge of Himself to Israel (sons of Shem, Eber is actually the progenitor of the Hebrew nation, NOT Abraham), whom he chose to be his corporate prophet on earth. As the fullness of the Gentiles (Japheth) draws to a close, Israel shall reclaim her glorious destiny and rule the world, alongside her Messiah Jesus Christ, or whatever Hebrew designation you choose to call him by (Yeshua, Yehoshua, Yahshua, Yahushua, Yahawashi, etc.) Shalom.

The Egyptian Roots of Christianity?

"But did they also influence Christianity?"
BY SARAH BLASKOVICH

We know they invented...

•the concept of modern time

The Egyptians invented the 365 day calendar, which they split up into 12 months. They also invented the sundial, which helped them to break down the day into morning, afternoon and night.

•grooming instruments and hand tools

The Egyptians are credited with inventing scissors, hair combs, the toothbrush and toothpaste, and cosmetics. Other tools include the lock and key, the loom, oil lamps and the drum.

•board games

The Egyptians created board games for recreation. The most popular were Senet and Jackals, each player receiving 5 or more pawns, similar to checkers. They also invented the Ouija board, used to tell the future.

•advanced mathematics

The Egyptians developed an advanced math and organized science system. They invented math to measure time, count money, and to build the pyramids. Some classifications they invented include geometry, calculus, astronomy and botany.

But did they also influence Christianity? (emphasis mine)

A long time ago, a man was born of a virgin in the likeness of God. After spreading messages of love and peace in his early life, he was betrayed by his friends and slain on a slab of wood. He was then resurrected on Earth before returning to heaven.

The man’s name isn’t Jesus. It’s Osiris, the god-man of ancient Egypt.

Didn’t hear this in Bible study? No wonder; Osiris is thought to have lived a good 2,500 years before Jesus’ birth. Although the significance of Osiris, who was considered “god of the dead,” paled in comparison to that of Christ’s, the two men’s stories are strikingly similar.

It’s not by accident, said Lisa Ann Bargeman, author of a new book, “The Egyptian Origins of Christianity.”

Bargeman asserts that many Christian rituals and beliefs, specifically Roman Catholic ones, may have come from ancient Egyptian tradition. Her book juxtaposes the Bible with the Egyptian sacred text, The Book of the Dead, using specific themes and ceremonial practices to argue that Christianity directly evolved from the Egyptians.

One telling piece of evidence, Bargeman says, is the Christian use of the word “Amen,” which is a derivative of Amon, the Egyptian god of reproduction and life.

“For literally an eternity, human beings have been addressing their gods in the same way,” Bargeman said via e-mail.

Although others, most notably the religious scholar and theological historian Martin A. Larson, have made the same connection between Christianity and ancient Egyptian myths, most Christians are unaware of the similarities. While there are many clues to suggest Christianity’s roots can be traced to Greek, or Hellenic times, which began about 300 years before Christ’s birth during the development of Judaism, stories about Egyptian influences and other perceived “pagan” legends make some Christians uneasy.

“The reason for such denial is that Christianity is always presented as the only true religion, the only way to salvation, and as such, it could not have borrowed anything from a religion they have dubbed heathen or pagan,” Harrison Ola Akingbade, an Anglican Christian himself, wrote in the foreword of Bargeman’s book.

Bargeman first recognized the correlation between Christendom and Egyptian history when she heard a college professor suggest that Christianity was rooted in a ritual more ancient than popular culture believed. The story of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, for example, has correlations to the Egyptian legend of Re and Sekhmet, another couple prideful in the face of God who punished them for their sins.

Other links between Egyptian religious practice and Christianity include the Trinity. When Christians say “In the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” they mean, according to Bargeman, “in the name of Khnum-Atum/Aten-Re-Ptah, Osiris-Horus, and of Min/Amen.”

Not quite as catchy, but the ancient Egyptian gods assumed the same identities — father, son and spirit — that Christians worship.

Akingbade, an African scholar who discussed the Egyptian and Christian correlations as an undergraduate student in Nigeria, said among scholars, these similarities are nothing new.

“We’ve been talking about this forever,” he said. “Instead of talking about it in classes like I did, [Bargeman] made sense of it.”

Others, however, argue that not even the Greeks and Romans had much influence on Christianity, and that an attempt to bring the ancient Egyptian into the discussion is misguided. Larry Hurtado, professor of the New Testament at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, considers the Egyptian influence on Christianity trifling.

“The most immediate culture or matrix is that of Palestinian-Jewish people of that time and setting,” Hurtado said in an e-mail. “Identifiably Egyptian influence is negligible.”

Bargeman’s thesis has already been exhausted, Hurtado said.

“This is actually quite a tiresome aspect of being a scholar in my field, that books keep appearing with the author and uninformed readers breathlessly announcing its radicality and novelty, when time after time it is simply a re-tread of an idea or claim refuted long ago,” Hurtado said.

But despite the challenges from some historians, including those who take issue with Bargeman’s interpretations of some Egyptian symbols, she said she has received little criticism from Christians themselves.

“If you are a firm believer in Christ, then use the Egyptian religion as a modifier for what you currently believe,” she said. “Perhaps you can use the story of the eternal regeneration of Khepri — a baby and a god in one unified state of constant reawakening — at Christmas, and relate it to your Christian ceremonies. Or you can watch a beautiful heron, lake side, fly up to the sky, carrying with it the wistful idea of our soul-ba as Benu-bird, the heron-esque spirit.”

Although Bargeman’s thesis has been debated by Egyptologists for some time now, Akingbade said Bargeman’s book is important to understanding and acknowledging Egyptian history. He has purchased several copies for his Christian friends in Africa.

“Most of my friends said it was really good,” Akingbade said. “It’s a contribution to scholarship.”

Original Post Date: Sunday, April 23, 2006 | 12:00 a.m. CDT; updated 4:05 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Source: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2006/04/23/but-did-they-also-influence-christianity/

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is not for the faint of heart. After researching this topic, I see strong parallels between Ancient Egyptian religious philosophy and Christianity. I would even further suggest that the former has heavily influenced the latter in terms of doctrine. Being a "Christian" myself, I don't see this understanding as an assault upon my faith in Christ but a confirmation of it. It must be understood that the wirings of the revelation of God were initially given to the sons of Ham and later transmitted to the sons of Shem, namely the Israelites. This is borne out by Scripture in the Genesis account. Lastly, the Scriptures did not evolve in an exclusive religious vacuum, but to the contrary, flourished in an intriguing historical diversity.

Photo: Akhenaten. This pharaoh popularized monotheism in ancient Egypt. He ruled circa 1380-1362 BC. Akhenaten was the predecessor of Tutankamen, and husband of Nefertiti. His radical revision of Egyptian polytheism to monothesim temporarily ushered in a period of artistic freedom an innovation in Egypt known as Amarna Art. Amana art was a departure from the rigid portraitures of pharaonic rulers into more soft and naturalistic ones, as the one shown above.

What Happened to the Marranos, the Black Moorish Jews of Spain?

What Happened to the Marranos, the Black Moorish Jews of Spain?

Beginning in 1478, in the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, no less than 13,000 Marranos (Black Jews) were executed by the Inquisition. At the same time, the monarchs continued to employ Jewish functionaries – such as Don Isaac Abravanel – in their court. Luis de Torres another Spanish black Jew played a pivotal role in Christoph Colon’s (Cristobal Colon, or Christopher Columbus) first journey to North America.

In 1480s the Spanish inquisition was launched, and hundreds of thousands of jews and muslims were hounded, persecuted, jailed, slaved and deported.

On March 31, 1492 the Edict of Expulsion was signed, resulting in 300,000 Marranos Black Jews to the coast of Benin/Guinea in West Africa. Sao Tome, Principe, Cabo Verde were some of the places that they were first sent. Their cemetries, and descendants still exist today on those Islands to verify this account.

The last Jews left on August 2, 1492, the day before Columbus sailed. The first words Columbus wrote in his log were: “After you expelled the Jews your majesties sent me with a fleet.”

That was also the traditional day of mourning (9th of Av) for the destruction of the First and Second Temples.

In 1694, the 17th Council of Toledo made all Spanish Jews slaves. They were shipped to the Island of Jamaica and Hispaniola. Others went to Sao Tome, Cabo Verde, and Mauritius. Many of them escaped the Spanish jurisdiction and began independent communes in the hinterlands or the mountains. The Spanish word “Marroons” is a play on their Spanish ethnic designation the “Marranos” (rather than “cimarron” root the conventionally accepted root).

Marranos (means Moorish Jews in Spanish) were the black Jews of Spain who ruled that country for 700 years with the black Muslims of Morocco, Senegal and Nigeria.

Extracted from the article, "The Marranos: The Black Moorish Jews of Spain and Benin (Guinean) Coast-Part 1" by Oguejiofo Annu.

Source: http://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/black-jews-of-spain-and-benin-guinean-coast-part-1-oguejiofo-annu/

Photo: Map of Spain 910-1492, posted at EmersonKent.com, originally from Cambridge University Press.

What color are the Israelites?

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post is an expansion upon the "Who Are the Gentiles?" article posted on September 2, 2010.

What color are the Israelites?

Let's begin this study in Genesis 10 . Here we see that everyone on earth descended from the three sons of Noah. Noah, his wife, their sons, and their son's wives were saved by Yahweh from the Great Flood that Yahweh brought upon the earth, killing all of Adam's seed except for Seth. There is not a descendent of Cain, or Abel, alive today. Noah descended from Seth.

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of JAPHETH; GOMER, and Magog, and Madai, and JAVAN, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of GOMER; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of JAVAN; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

An in-depth Bible Encyclopedia shows that Magog is Russia today, Javan are the Greeks, and ALL the seed of Japheth are the EUROPEAN people. Let's see what the biblical name of the Europeans are.

By THESE (sons of Japheth) were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; everyone after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

The word "Gentile" ALWAYS begin with a capital "G," as opposed
to "nations," "heathens," "maritime peoples," and "coastland peoples." It may be quite obvious to many of you that I'm not a scholar in English usage, but one thing I do know is that you can't properly substitute an improper noun for a proper noun. First of all, Shem and Ham begat nations also, and wherever the sons of Ham and Shem lived they had water (maritime), a coast (coastland), and they were heathens also. So why do these other Bible translations use those deceitful, and meaningless terms in Genesis 10:5 instead of "the isle of the GENTILES?" I guess I've answered my own question.

Check your Bible version. If it uses any of those phrases above which are listed in Genesis 10:5, then now you know how it is supposed to read.

Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles. All of these that he wrote, the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Thessalonians, except for his own kinsmen, the Hebrews, were European/Gentiles. This is why you don't see a book for the Ethiopians, the Egyptians, and the Assyrians, because these nations had already had converts, and knew of the Elohim of Israel. The Gentiles did not. The prophets, at various times were sent preaching to Hamitic and Shemitic nations throughout the Old Testament period. One example is when Jonah was sent to the Assyrians, and the king and nation repented. Israel had always been a mixed-multitude, but the Gentiles were never a part of the congregation of Israel. We will read this point later.

Now though, let's note that according to the last passage we read, we were separated according to the tongue Yah gave our ancestors that lived during the building of the Tower of Babel as recorded in Genesis 11. We were NOT separated according to the color of our skin. This is why there are many nationalities of the same skin complexion. Using skin color as a means of division or identification is confusion. Another fallacy that we are all victims of is the notion that the union of two people of various nationalities produced "mixed children." This is incorrect. The lineage goes according to what your father is. You are what HE is. He planted the seed, just as an apple seed is planted in the ground. What comes up is what was planted. This is why, regardless of what nationality the women ancestry that Yahshua had was, he was an Israelite according to his fathers (patriarchal) lineage. Somebody tell me where does modern-day "Judaism" get the notion that you are a Jew according to your matriarchal lineage. EDITOR'S DISCLAIMER: THE BIBLE CLEARLY STATES THAT CHRIST WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN...AND THAT THE MOST HIGH IS HIS FATHER. IT WAS A MIRACULOUS BIRTH, INDEED. GOD IS NOT AN ISRAELITE OR ANY NATIONALITY FOR THAT MATTER. IT WAS THROUGH THE LINEAGE OF MARY THAT JESUS OBTAINED HIS ISRAELITE IDENTITY AND NATIONALITY.

And the sons of HAM; Cush, Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

These four sons are the "progenitors of the "African" peoples. "African" is really an inaccurate name for these people, reason being, the word "Africa" derived from an Italian General named Scipio Africanus. He conquered that land mass called Africa for the Italians. Africa, the land mass, does not extend east of Egypt. Africa ends at the man-made Suez canal which was built to separate Africa from the "Middle East". Geographically, the land of Ham extends far beyond the Suez Canal. The land of Canaan (the fourth son of Ham) is located east of the Suez Canal. The Hittites, which descended from Canaan, dwelled even further north.

Let's see who descended out of these four sons of Ham. The Cushites name were changed by the Greeks to "Ethiopia," which is translated from the word "Athiop" which means "burnt-faced." Mizraim's name was changed by the Greeks also to Egypt. Egypt means "black." Present day Egypt have been comprised of mostly Arabs since they conquered the land in the sixth century. This is how the Hamites (African people) became (converted to) Islam. Most black Muslims refuse to accept this fact. The descendents of Phut are the ancient Libyans. Libya now is also an Arab-dominated land. The Caananites' land is the Promised Land given to the Israelites.

And Cush begat Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth...And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel.

Yahweh has given the seed of each of the three sons of Noah, a time to rule. The Hamites ruled first, beginning with the Ethiopians. Nimrod, as stated earlier, was an Ethiopian.

Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber,...

(Why was Eber, the great grandson of Shem, singled out here?)

...the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.
The children of Shem;...

(ALL of the descendents of Shem are called SEMITIC.)

...Elam, and Asshur, (the father of the Assyrians) and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram...
...And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in HIS DAYS WAS THE EARTH DIVIDED; and his brother's name was Joktan.

Now we see the significance of Eber. Eber was alive during the scattering of the nations at the Tower of Babel. The name "Eber" means "to pass over" and it is translated to "Hebrew." Eber is the father of the Hebrews, not Abraham, as many people think. God gave Eber the tongue that was spoken by his descendents, and that is the Hebrew tongue. In Genesis 11 we see that Abraham descended from Eber. Abraham's seed includes the Ishmaelites, the Midianites, the Edomites, and the Israelites.

Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat twins Jacob (Israel) and Esau. The birth of the twins were on "this wise." (I always wanted to say that)

Genesis 25:21-26 And Isaac intreated Yahweh for his wife, because she was barren: and Yahweh was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of Yahweh. And YAHWEH said unto her, TWO NATIONS are in thy womb, and TWO MANNER OF PEOPLE shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

Now remember, Elohim told Rebekah that there were two nations and two manner of people in her womb. We are about to read the first difference between these twins.

And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel;...

Esau looked different from the rest of Isaac's family. We know this because Jacob's features were not described. And for him to be the first-born, Esau had to have been a sight for him to have had to be described. At this time, I won't get into what went on between Jacob and Esau, and their eternal battle, but I will sum it up to present day.

The Edomites, (descendents of Esau) converted to Judaism in 125 BC by the Maccabees. They eventually formed their own religious sect called the Herodians. The Pharisees (to their own destruction) conspired with the Herodians regularly, to tempt Yahshuah. (Mark 12:13) At that time, the region of Judaea was ruled (thanks to the Romans) by the Herods. When the Romans laid seige to Jerusalem in 67-70 AD, King Herod Agrippa II, and his kinsmen, the Edomites (Idumeans), no longer called themselves by their name. They have been known as the Jews, since. But now that we see that Israel looked totally different from Esau, lets see if we can see who the Israelites looked like. In Exodus we read about the time when Pharaoh commanded that all newborn male Israelites be cast into the river. One Levite (a tribe of Israel) woman bore a son and she hid him as long as she could until she eventually obeyed Pharoah. She put her son in the river, but she put him in an ark first. This child was put in the river among flags so that it wouldn't move so that Miriam, his sister, could see what would become of him.

Pharoah's daughter found him where Miriam put him among the flags and SHE called his name MOSES, and she raised him as her own son. Moses lived as an Egyptian until he killed an Egyptian and fled Egypt. He came to a well in Midian, and defended the daughters of Reuel, the priest of Midian. When Reuel asked his daughters how they happened to water the flock so soon.

Exodus 2:19 And they said, An EGYPTIAN delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds,...

Now if Moses was white, or any other color than black, would Reuel's daughters thought that Moses was an Egyptian?
Of course not.

Now after Yahweh instructs Moses concerning his mission to deliver Israel out of Egypt, YAHWEH give Moses powerful signs whereby he would cause the Israelites to believe that Yahweh sent him. One of the two signs was featured in the movie "The Ten Commandments." The greater of the two signs was not.

Exodus 4:2-3,6-8 And Yahweh said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, a rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent... (This sign was in the movie(s), the next sign was not)

...And Yahweh said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thine bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold his hand was leprous as snow.

Now why didn't Charlton Heston perform THIS sign?

And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again...and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

So neither Jacob, nor Joseph, nor Moses, looked "red" like the Jewish (Edomites) people, or white like the Gentiles, they were all black like the Egyptians.

Moses sister, Miriam, spoke out against Moses because he had married an ETHIOPIAN woman. This is what Yahweh did to Miriam.

Numbers 12:10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow...

Now if Miriam was white or "red," why did he turn her white. Why not turn her the same color as the Ethiopian woman since she made herself to be better than her. Miriam was ALREADY the same color of the Ethiopian woman, so he turned her white instead. Leviticus 13, mentions two kinds of leprosy, clean and unclean. Leprosy, is a skin disease, and the unclean leprosy is when blotches appear on the skin. Clean leprosy is when your skin turns white. On this note, I have to ask the Mormons, how in the world can Israelites, like the so-called Lamanites could have been cursed with dark skin when the only skin color curse that any Israelites experienced according to the Bible, was the turning of their skin white? Joseph Smith had a WILD imagination!

In Matthew 2, Joseph, Miriam, and Yahshua, fled from Herod, the Edomite king of Judaea and hid in Egypt among other black people, just as Moses "hid" from death in Egypt. Even the apostle Paul was mistaken for an Egyptian. An Israelite have never been mistaken for any other nationality that wasn't black.

Acts 21:37-39 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?
ART NOT THOU THAT EGYPTIAN, which before...But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew...

When the evil and diabolical Hitler had the "jewish" people in the concentration camps, many of them were in a famine. Their skin was a pale white. When the Babylonians laid seige against Israel, the Israelites were also in a famine. This is how the prophet Jeremiah described it.

Lamentations 5:9-10 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness. OUR SKIN WAS BLACK LIKE AN OVEN BECAUSE OF THE TERRIBLE FAMINE.

When brown or black people get sick, or don't eat for a long time, they get darker. When white or "red" people get sick or don't eat... they get pale.

This chapter, as well as the entire book was not meant to offend anyone and I'm sorry if it does. This chapter's only purpose was to help shed light on a subject that have been a subject of debate in these modern times. Now that we know that the Israelites are black, lets find out how we can identify them.

See you in the next chapter.

Grace & Peace in Yahshua

Source: http://www.yahshuah.com/tci.html
EDITOR'S NOTE: People will become infuriated over the discussion of the ethnicity and "color" of the Israelites because it DEFIES conventional paradigms of how we view the Biblical peoples, particularly the children of Israel.

Who Are the Gentiles?

The Scriptures clearly define who the Gentiles are. It has been argued amongst certain Israelite camps that there are 2 sets of gentiles:

1. The other nations that are not Israelites, they are gentiles.
2. The Gentiles that were grafted into the covenants were Israelite foreigners.

We will establish two truths:

1. All other nations are not gentiles.
2. A Gentile is not an Israelite that has “become” a Gentile.

We must first understand that all other nations are NOT gentiles. The Bible tells us that the Gentiles originate from the sons of Japheth. In Genesis 10:1-5 it is written,

"Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families in their nations."

Historical and anthropological evidence maintain that these nations comprise the so-called "white race" or European people groups. It is very intriguing, to say the least, that this truth is not discussed in Christian churches, particularly. The sons of Ham and the sons of Shem do not fall into the category of Gentiles according to the biblical record known as the "Table of Nations" in Genesis 10.

The second point to be addressed is that a Gentile is NOT an Israelite that has “become” a Gentile.

The question we must ask is this, why would Israel have to be grafted into a covenant that was made with their forefathers? Rather, it is the other nations that need to be grafted in. The very essence of a covenant is that it is immutable. Immutability is the quality of being unable to change. (See Hebrews 6:13-20) The gifts and calling of God concerning Israel are irrevocable. (Rom. 11:29)

Another point that is made is that Israelites are called "strangers" because they were "scattered abroad." The writings of Peter and James are used to substantiate the fact that Israelites are referred to as strangers. However, this is irrelevant. Let us be clear that it was Paul’s commission to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, although it was Peter who preached to the first Gentile. (Read Acts 10)

We should also ask the question, "Why did Peter have to vindicate his ministry to the Gentiles in Acts 11 if the Gentiles were indeed Israelites and not of another nation?" Cornelius was of the Italian band. In the 11th chapter of Acts it is recorded that there was contention because those who came against Peter said, “…Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them." The designation "uncircumcised" is referring to other nations, not Israel.

Finally, when we read the Scriptures in comprehensive context, it is clear that the ultimate spreading of the Gospel was to the Gentiles and not so-called "Israelite foreigners," as some are teaching. (See Acts 1:8) The Messiah, Jesus the Christ demarcates very clearly the breakdown of the witness: in Jerusalem, in all Judaea (JUDAH), and in Samaria (ISRAEL), and unto the uttermost part of the earth (THE GENTILES). It is clear here that the Gentiles are people of a different nationality and not Israelites.

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