The Forgotten Jews

At first, this title may seem very confusing. I mean, we know who the Jews are, right? And you’d be partly right; the Jews – who they are, where they live (e.g. State of Israel, America, etc) are widely known. But they are only some of the Jews (and yes, they ARE Jews; in a later post I will refute the myth that they are not). They represent the descendants of Judah’s sons Shelah and Perez (albeit not all of Perez’s descendants, as I will cover in this article). Judah had other sons, and other descendants.

Okay, I’d better back up and provide a bit of background. Judah, son of Jacob (Israel) and Leah, married a Canaanite woman. They had three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah. Er and Onan died childless, and their widow Tamar (who married Onan after Er’s death) was promised to Shelah – when he grew up. That didn’t happen, Tamar dressed up as a prostitute, seduced Judah, and became pregnant with twins. These were Perez and Zerah. At birth, Zerah initially put his hand out first, and the midwife tied a scarlet threat to his hand. However, he then withdrew his hand and his brother Perez came out first (hence his name, which means “breach”). Zerah came out afterwards. As we shall see, the scarlet thread is significant.

In the Bible, we are given in detail the descendants of Shelah and Perez. The most famous Perezite Jew was King David. Er and Onan of course had no descendants. But Zerah, while a few of his descendants are mentioned (such as the infamous Achan, whom Joshua stoned), after the Exodus from Egypt, they are almost completely absent from the Biblical record. Why is that? Is it because most of them simply were not there? Where were they? And where are they today?

“And the sons of Zerah: Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda; five of them in all.” (1 Chronicles 2:6). “For he [Solomon] was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol.” (1 Kings 4:31). Why the discrepancy? Well, in Hebrew, “son” also means “grandson”, “great-grandson” and “descendant”. Similar with the word for “father”, which also means “grandfather”, “great-grandfather” or simply “ancestor”. So these five brothers were apparently the sons of Mahol, who was obviously the son, grandson or other male-line descendant of Zerah, son of Judah. (“Mahol” is Hebrew for dancing, so that could be the correct translation. However, the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon insists that in this case it is a personal male name.)

Can we find some of these people in the historical record? Yes, we can.

Ancient Greek and Roman historians wrote or a “Dardanus” (Greek form of Darda) who emigrated from across the sea to Greece, and subsequently to Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).  He founded the kingdom of Dardania, and his descendants became the kings of Troy.  In some translations of the works of Josephus, the 1st century AD Jewish historian, Darda is spelled Dardanos (Antiquities of the Jews 8.2.5; 8.43 in some versions).

According to Greek mythology, Dardanus was the son of Zeus, himself the son of Saturn (also called Kronus). Sanchuniathon was an ancient Phoenician historian who (according to Eusebius and Porphyry) obtained an extremely accurate history of the Jews because he got his information from an Israelite priest of YEHOVAH. He gave the history of many other cultures, particularly their religions. He gave valuable insights into the origins of their “gods”, whom he established were simply mortal men worshipped after theirs deaths (this he got from secretive writings of many nations). He stated that Kronus was none other than Israel/Jacob, and that he had a son named “Jehud”. (Judah in Hebrew is Yehudah.) Israel’s kingly son Judah/Jehud would be identical with Kronus’ kingly son Zeus, the king of the “gods”. And Dardanus was said to have come from “Zeus”. This is extremely interesting.

Dardanus founded the city with that name and became its first king. His paternal grandson, Tros, founded Troy and became the city-state’s first king. Tros’ male-line great-grandsons were Tithonus and Priam, Priam being the last King of Troy. Priam’s daughter Troanis married Tithonus’ son Memnon, King of Ethiopia (which he probably inherited from his mother). Memnon and Troanis had a son, Tror or Thor. His male line descendants are traced in various early medieval literature to the historical king Odin, who was later worshipped as a “god” named Woden. Numerous royal families can trace their ancestry to Odin/Woden.

One of Tros’ male line descendants was Aeneas (first cousin one removed from Priam). He was quite a famous Trojan hero (descendant of Tros through both of his paternal grandparents, who were first cousins). His son was Silvius. Silvius’ son Ascanius was the paternal grandfather (dispute as to the exact number of generations) of Brutus, who conquered the island of Britain and named it after himself, and from whom the British (and later Welsh) kings descended for many centuries (through intermarriage, the current British Royal Family descends from him).

However, Silvius had another son, Aeneas Silvias, from whom descended Romulus, the first King of Rome! (His twin brother Remus, of course, had the same ancestry.) The Romans (formerly the Etruscans) openly claimed descent from the Trojans. In other words, the Romans were Jews! (THAT’s a controversial position.)

Thus, it seems that the Zerahites got quite a bit of power and land for themselves. But they’re not all.

Dardanus/Darda’s brother was Calcol. It can be established that this person became none other than Cecrops I, the founder and King of Athens! The idea of Greek Israelites is certainly not unknown to history; for example, the Spartans were explicitly said to have been Abraham’s offspring, possibly through Jacob/Israel (1 Maccabees 12: 5-23; Josephus’ Antiquities 13.5.8 [13.163-170 in some versions]). As one website noted about the correspondence described in the above referenced works, the Jews, in their correspondence to the Spartans, said “to you or to others that were related to us”. Thus, the Jews not only did not rule out the possibility of other nations having Israelite origin, but directly claimed it! The Minoans were related to the Greek royal house(s). In Crete, two ancient scripts have been found – Linear A and Linear B. Linear B is ancient Greek. Linear A is ancient Hebrew. It is worth noting that even Greek sources say the Mycenaean Greeks had the same origins as the Trojans – whom, as I have established, were Hebrews.

Cecrops, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, was said to have “divided the inhabitants into 12 [!] [think of the 12 tribes] communities, to have instituted the laws of marriage and property and a new form of worship.  The introduction of the bloodless sacrifice, the burial of the dead and the invention of writing were also attributed to him.”  (Emphasis mine)  “… on the island Euboea right next to Athens, settled by Athenians, was a region called Chalcis.”  Sounds  like Calcol.

Calcol/Cecrops, according to Scottish tradition (echoed by the Irish) says that Cecrops had a son named Goídel Glas, otherwise known as Gaithelus or Gaythelos. Do to troubles in his own country, Gaithelus was exiled to Egypt during his Israelite kinsmen’s bondage. He married Scota (not her birth name), daughter of the Pharaoh of the Exodus (identified as Neferhotep I by various sources) who drowned in the Red Sea. Neferhotep had a daughter named Kemi, who was almost certainly Scota. Gaithelus and Scota left Egypt with the Israelites (accounts differ as to how or exactly when, only that it was around the Exodus). Gaithelus was bitten by a snake and healed by Moses (not the infamous bronze snake incident; Moses personally prayed for Gaithelus and he was healed). Gaithelus, however, was left with a band of discoloured green green skin around his waist; hence his name, which means “green”. (What he was called beforehand, I don’t know.)

Gaithelus and Scota’s descendants left the main body of Israelites (it’s not sure exactly when) and traveled through the Mediterranean – naming numerous places and monuments after their ancestor Zerah (one of the main evidences that Calcol was Cecrops), e.g.,  Zaragassa (now Saragossa), meaning “stronghold of Zerah”.  They called Spain Iberia, from Hebrew (Iber or Iver in Hebrew).  From Spain, Gaithelus and Scota’s male-line descendant Míl Espáine (also known as Míl Espáne or the Latinised Milesius) came to Egypt.  He gained great favour with the Pharaoh, and married his daughter Scota (yes, another one).  The medieval historian Walter Bower identified this Pharaoh as Achencres – which ancient Egyptian historian Manetho identifies as the Greek name for Akhenaton, the Pharaoh who famously abolished polytheism in Egypt.  Milesius and Scota had a few children together and traveled to Spain.  After Milesius’ death, his wife and sons conquered Ireland (at that point inhabited by the Tuatha Dé Danann, who were from the Israelite tribe of Dan) and gave their name to it – Iberne (Latinised as Hibernia), derived from the Hebrew name for the Hebrews, Ibrim or Ivrim.  There Milesius and Scota’s son  Érimón (sometimes called Heremon) became the country’s first High King – from whom all subsequent High Kings and local Kings descended (almost always in the male line)!  All of Ireland descends from Heremon’s father Milesius.

At this point I will stray off subject and identify the daughter of Akhenaton who became the second Scota: Meritaten. Akhenaton’s eldest daughter, she was married to Pharaoh Smenkhkare, who co-ruled with Akhenaton. After her father’s death, she simply disappears from the records, as did her husband. No tomb of her has ever been found. In addition, ancient Egyptian boats have been found on the shores of Ireland. Their style and other evidences point to the time of Akhenaton.  She was married to a man identified by the Egyptians as Smenkhkare, who was joint Pharaoh with Akhenaton during the last years of his reign.  After Akhenaton’s death, he disappeared with his wife.  There is no tomb for him – the one traditionally thought to be his has been proved to be Akhenaton’s!  Smenkhkare was Milesius.

Those are the descendants of Zerah, basically. It fulfills the prophecy that “the scepter shall not depart from Judah”; they have ruled constantly since before David! However, there are descendants of the Perezite Jews that have become largely forgotten to (conventional/secular) history. These are the descendants of Jesus Christ’s/Yehoshua ha’Mashiach’s cousins – or one cousin, in particular.

There is a member of the Sanhedrin present at Yehoshua’s crucifixion, mentioned in all four gospel accounts:

“When the evening came, there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph, who also himself was Yehoshua’s disciple. He went to Pilate and begged the body of Yehoshua. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed.” (Matthew 27:57-60)

“And now when the evening had come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable member of the Sanhedrin, who also waited for the Kingdom of Yehovah [God], came and went in boldly to Pilate, and asked for the body of Yehoshua. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead. And calling the centurion, he asked him if he had been dead awhile. And when he knew from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen and took Him down and wrapped Him in linen, and laid Him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.” (Mark 15:42-46)

“And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin; and he was a good man, and just. This same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them. He was of Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who also himself waited for the Kingdom of Yehovah. This man went to Pilate and begged the body of Yehoshua. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, which had never been used.” (Luke 23:50-53)

“And after this Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Yehoshua, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Yehoshua. And Pilate gave leave. He came therefore and took the body of Yehoshua.” (John 19:38)

Nothing more is explained in Scripture about Joseph. However, we find that in Roman law, only the immediate relatives of an executed criminal could bury him. Otherwise the body was simply thrown in a pit. Joseph was clearly Yehoshua’s relative, and this was a well-known fact – when he went to Pilate, Pilate’s only qualm was whether or not He was dead! So, how was Joseph related to Jesus/Yehoshua/Yeshua (I’ll call Him Yeshua from now on for the sake of simplicity)?

That answer can be found in the historical record. Numerous early and later sources identify Joseph as the uncle of Mary (Yeshua’s mother), although a few identify him as the uncle of Joseph (Yeshua’s stepfather). Considering that cousin marriage was common back then, he may have been both – perhaps on their mothers’ sides. Regardless, he was a close relative and a descendant of David.

And what happened to Joseph, and why is this relevant? Well, ancient tradition maintains that Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain after Yeshua’s crucifixion. This tradition is particularly strong in England itself, particularly in Cornwall, where an ancient tradition maintains that he ran a tin mining business there. There is archaeological evidence of Jewish tin mining in Cornwall. Joseph was said to have preached the Gospel there, and numerous non-British sources relay the fact that Britain was one of the first countries where the Gospel was preached after Yeshua’s death and resurrection – before Rome (a tradition also widely reflected in British – English AND Welsh – literature). Joseph’s tomb – with his body in it – was actually in Britain until the 1300s, when his body was moved!

And why is that important?

Because many of these reliable traditions state that he took a close relative of his with him; Anna bat Yosef (Anna daughter of Joseph), who married the British king Bran the Blessed. Numerous subsequent Welsh British and then Welsh monarchs descended from him, and the English and British have since the 1400s! Anna is variously identified as either the sister or daughter of Joseph. Sister is not chronologically possible, and his sister Anna had actually married Bran’s great-grandfather several decades before and was actually Bran’s great-grandmother! (She may have been the same person as Mary’s mother Anna, although that is naturally a matter of dispute.) So, Yeshua’s cousin (some suggest she was actually His sister) married a British KING (who was actually the family’s COUSIN) and had a son, Caradog, who had a son, Saint Cyllin, from whom numerous subsequent kings (including the current royal family) descend. This created the uniting of the two houses of Judah: Bran the Blessed was a male-line descendant of Brutus and therefore of Zerah and Judah, while Anna was a male-line descendant of David and therefore of Perez and Judah. This united line has ruled continually since then. It also fulfills the prophecy that David’s seed would always be on a throne. While they are no longer his male-line descendants (as far as anyone knows, anyway!), they ARE his seed (and Yeshua’s cousins).

There are other descendants of Judah’s son Perez that have been forgotten: the Ethiopian Jews, specifically the Royal Family.

There is a rather enigmatic figure mentioned in the Bible in connection with King Solomon: the Queen of Sheba. She has remained a mystery. Or is she?

Many people wonder where the land of Sheba was. However, there are two vital clues: our Messiah Yehoshua Himself described this woman as “queen of the south” (Matthew 12: 42), while Josephus described her as the “queen of Egypt and Ethiopia” (Antiquities 8.6.2 (8.159) and 8.6.5 (8.165)). Ethiopian tradition confirms this. (They also have many other interesting details.) According to the Ethiopians, her name was Makeda. She converted to Judaism during her visit. She apparently had a sexual affair with Solomon, for she became pregnant with his child. His name was Menelik (also known as Baina-leḥkem or David). He was the first Emperor of Ethiopia, and subsequent Emperors descended from him. At least some of Ethiopia’s Beta Israel Jews are Menelik’s descendants. Perhaps even all of them.

Ethiopian tradition (recorded in Jonathan Gray’s book Dead Men Secrets, which details huge evidence for technologically advanced civilisations in ancient times) records that Solomon gave Makeda a flying ship, which allowed her to make the months-long journey back to Ethiopia in a day.  They also record that Solomon possessed electric lighting.  This is in line with independent Indian testimony of Solomon’s flying ships, and the ancient witness in general of the advanced technology (ahead of ours) that existed.

That, of course is another subject.

While the Ethiopian legend does appear to contain some embellishments (such as the details about the Ark of the Covenant), I think it is generally reliable.