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"Brit-Am Now"-857
Contents:
1. Bonnie Berggren:  The Fruitful Thistles?
2. Richard Griffith: Ancient Testimony to the Tartan
3. Steve Coneglan:  Scots from Gad, Irish from Asher, Sweden Naphtali
4. Messiah Ben Joseph: Wikipedia Article Mistaken
5. Don Hamilton Jr:  Succoth, Scots, and Swedes in the USA

1. Bonnie Berggren:  The Fruitful Thistles?
From: Bonnie Berggren <bnmberg@kansas.net>
Subject: Must have a royal pasture in Kansas

Dear Yair: After reading about the royal "thistle", I must have a royal pasture in Kansas.  I will inherit a farm with a pasture of 55 acres.  Since Dad is 92 and in a nursing home, I take care of the weeds and fences.  I spend lots of time with my Sheepdog digging up thistles...rather than spraying them.  I love the fresh air, and my dog loves to swim in the ponds.   One thistle that goes to seed has about 9,000 seeds that are sent out into the wind.  It is a disaster if this happens.  I have only a few plants left to get and my thistle digging will be over.   Wishing you Shalom from Kansas.  bb

2. Richard Griffith: Ancient Testimony to the Tartan
From: rgriff9243@aol.com
Subject: Greek Historian Diodorus on the Celtic Coat of Many Colors

From the "Celts: The People who came out of the Darkness" by Gerhard Herm

The people, called Galli by the Romans and Galatai or Keltois by the Greeks did not fit any of the Ancients' notions of humanity. In the words of the Greek historian Diodorus (himself born in Sicily and hence known as 'Siculus'):

Their aspect is terrifying...They are very tall in stature, with rippling muscles under their clear white skin. Their hair is blond, but not naturally so; they bleach it, to this day, artificially, washing it in lime and combing itt back from their foreheads. They look like wood-demons, their hair thick and shaggy like a horse's mane. Some of these are clean-shaven, but others-especially those of high rank, shave their cheeks ...
The way they dress is astonishing: they wear brightly coloured and embroidered shirts, with trousers called bracae and cloaks fastened at the shoulder with a brooch, heavy in winter, light in summer. These cloaks are striped or checkered in design, with the separate checks close together and in various colors.

3. Steve Coneglan:  Scots from Gad, Irish from Asher, Sweden Naphtali
From: Steve Coneglan <swaggerz@hotmail.com>
Subject: Town of Succoth in Scotland

Dear Yair,

Further to the thread relating the biblical town of Succoth to the modern day Scots, a little research has revealed that there exists a town by the name of Succoth in Scotland. The Scottish town of Succoth is in the district of Argyll and Bute.

It has been popularly believed that the Irish Scots made their first incursions into Scotland in the area of Argyle (Gaelic: Earra-Ghaidheal, now written Argyll), a region corresponding to the ancient Dal Riata. A wikipedia search under Dal Riata offers some interesting background information for those interested.

It may be that there exist other towns in the world called Succoth. However, googling the subject revealed no other significant towns anywhere bearing this name; and a manual search in the index of the Reader's Digest Illustrated Atlas of the World (2001) also failed to produce any hits for Succoth.

With the absence of this name as a significant geographical feature anywhere else in the world other than Scotland, the town of Succoth in Scotland offers yet further possible proof that the tribe of Gad are settled in Scotland today, and have impacted the world as the Scots.

In regards to Sweden being the tribe of Gad, I concur that portions of the Gadites may have ended up there. However, I have serious doubts of them being in the ascendancy. Going on place names alone, and then suggesting some etymological link to a son or grandson on those grounds, is simply not convincing evidence. There needs to be a lot more than that. For me, I need to see similarities in character to the biblical tribe surviving in the descendants today. I need to see emblems and symbols from Scripture of a tribe surviving in them to the present day. I need to see plausible historical links that allow for a tribe being where it is today. Along with these I need to see etymological links, too. These kinds of evidences all saying the same thing are what convinces me, but not any one point in isolation. I have yet to see a strong case to dissuade me from my current conviction that Sweden is predominantly descended from the tribe of Naphtali, with an indeterminate admixture from Dan. There may well be a portion of Gad there, too. However, Gad's blessings at Genesis 49:19 and Deuteronomy 33:20,21 appear to be amply fulfilled in the Scots. The Swedes that I have met are extremely placid and affable, with nothing like the belligerent underbelly that I believe is an everpresent with the tribe of Gad.

I have enjoyed reading the feedback from various subscribers on the topic of Gad, in particular those from Scandinavia. They bring up some very important points which we likely all share. I tend to agree that full brothers - in this case, Gad and Asher - would likely be near one another in the present age. This is but one of many reasons for my belief that the Irish contain a large element of Asher. I have yet to meet a happier people than the Irish. Part of my own heritage goes back to Ireland, and my father's side of the family has an amazing happiness which is just inborn. This applies to the Irish that I have worked with, also. Many years ago I worked for an airline in Switzerland. We had over thirty-three different nationalities working in the company at the time, all of which I interacted with. The Irish had a special happiness that none of the rest had. They truly merit the name Asher, meaning 'happy'.

Dan and Naphtali were also full brothers, sons of Bilhah. We would therefore expect them to have a similar physiognomy. With Denmark being named after Dan, it is small wonder that we see Naphtali being found on his border in Sweden. Physiologically, it is pretty much impossible to tell a Swede from a Dane. I've even read that the name Sweden comes from Svea-Dan, and so the name of Dan might be in Sweden, too. However, this point alone is clearly no grounds for identity.

We note that in Scripture, Dan and Naphtali marched together in the northern encampment along with the tribe of Asher. We also note that Dan was the leading tribe of these three. We might therefore expect the full brothers, Dan and Naphtali, to be in close proximity to one another today. This seems to be the case with Denmark and Sweden.

No doubt others will have more points to bring the table. We all benefit from discussion, even though we might not agree on some things. I therefore thank those who have contributed to this thread, and very much hope to read more comments along this line in the future.

Stephen Coneglan

4. Messiah Ben Joseph: Wikipedia Article Mistaken
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meshiach_ben_Yosef
This is short and interesting article.
It contains the following passage:
<<When and how this Messiah-conception originated is a question that has not yet been answered satisfactorily (as of 1906). It is not possible to consider Messiah b. Joseph the Messiah of the Ten Tribes. He is nowhere represented as such, though twice it is mentioned that a part of the Ten Tribes will be found among those who will gather about his standard.>>

This is wrong.
Not only is it wrong, it is Commentary that is counter to the holistic principle (applied by Brit-Am) of the Sages and Maimonides.
If you look at the Bibliography at the end of the article you will not find primary
sources but secondary ones in the German language.
These may have some value but they cannot be relied upon.

The earliest mention of Messiah ben Joseph is in the Aramaic Translation
of Yehonatan ben Uzzial (on Exodus 40:11) [ca. 100 BCE or earlier in parts]
where he is recalled as belonging to the Tribe of Ephraim.
The  Messiah ben Joseph is briefly mentioned in the Talmud
and again by Saadia Gaon. In both places a connection with "Ephraim" or the
Ten Tribes is not recalled.
The  Messiah ben Joseph is recalled once (as far as we know)
and in both cases his Tribal affiliation is mentioned.
See our work "Joseph".
http://britam.org/bkjoseph.html

It is also referred to or at least very strongly implied in the work
"Kol HaTor".
http://thirtysix.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=517
http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/3.htm

The Commentary of the Malbim (1809-1879)
also defines MBJ as heading the Lost Ten Tribes.
This was pointed out some time ago and repeated frequently
by Brit-Am.
http://britam.org/messiah.html

We quoted on this matter from
R.M. Shlanger
http://britam.org/menasseh.html#Son

This is also confirmed in an article by
Rabbi Chaim Richman
"Countdown To Redemption - Part 3"
by Rabbi Chaim Richman
http://www.lttn.org/R3_Article5_CountdownToRedemption.htm

Apart from all the above sources the Messiah ben Joseph is hardly mentioned
at all until quite recent times.
In our day a lot of ideological, mystical, and philosophical
work has been done concerning the Messiah ben Joseph
and what he represents.
The material exists but it is scattered over a wide range of
commentaries and contemplative publications.
Much of this  work could be studied and re-applied to Brit-Am matters.
We did not dedicate to this subject a fraction of the time and energy
it deserves. Neither are we likely to do so since we are concentrating our efforts
in directions that appear more directly pertinent to our field of interest.
Nevertheless it (almost unfortunately) transpires that the little
work we did do is the most comprehensive so far available.

5. Don Hamilton Jr:  Succoth, Scots, and Swedes in the USA
From: Don <illinifeed@frontiernet.net>
Subject: Re: "Brit-Am Now"-853
Hi Yair,
You are still doing a great job and I thank our God for your efforts. I'd
like to add some to the thoughts of Steve Coneglan. 853,
Steve Spykerman, Kjetil Tangen, and others, with regards to the
thistle. If the tribe of Gad was to be punished with the thistle, then, I
think we are still being punished. I live in the Northwestern part if
Illinois USA. We have thistles, all kinds of thistles. We have Bull
thistles, Sow thistles, Musk thistles, Canadian Thistles, and a new one that
we can't even call by name. My father is a 91 year old Scottish
Presbyterian, cattle raiser, owner of farm ground and cattle pasture.
Thistles drive him nuts. He has a passion to kill thistles.  My wife has
remarked that it seems to be a curse, or a genetic thing. In the area we
are from, all the folks are either Scots or Swedes, and all are farmers. When
growing up, I remember a large percentage of these farmers used to work in
the winter for John Deere, J.I.Case, Minneapolis Moline, International
Harvester/Farmall, and others. All of these farm equipment manufacturers
were in the city of Rock Island or Moline Illinois.

This whole area rests on the East side of the Mississippi River. I would
call it gently rolling. There are no mountains, and it is pretty flat and
boring. We receive 25 to 30 inches of rain per year. We take for granted our
good pasture and excellent grain production.

We live in what is called "the Military tract" The land between the
Mississippi and the Illinois river. This land was originally given to the
soldiers who fought the war of 1812. They were given 160 acres free and
clear.

In January of each year we attend a special meeting of the American Scottish
Society and celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns. We eat the 'Haggis'.
Your description of it is close, but no gold ring. It is a mixture of oat
meal to which has been added the meat of  heart, liver, kidney and lungs.
This whole mix is steamed in the stomach of the sheep. It's kind of like a liver sausage of sorts and
is spread on an oat cracker. It looks just like a foot ball, brown and
stitched up the side.yum! yum!

Whether the Scots are a part of Gad, I haven't a clue, but I have an idea
that the term Succoth (Scot) has to do with the feast of tabernacles, which
celebrates the time the Israelites spent in the dessert on their way to the
promised land. From my perspective, the prophetic nature of this Feast of
Tabernacles has not yet been fulfilled. It is my belief that it will be in
my lifetime. To the point, I have never seen a Scot that ever settled down.
The term Succoth (wanderer) is a perfect description of the Scots. To a man
they have the itchy foot, they were and are forever looking for the other
side of the hill. The Swedes, on the other hand, settled, and never moved,
or so it seems to me.

On a more serious note, a year ago or so, I had a sample my DNA tested, for
the entertainment value. My surname is Hamilton and the Hamilton
Genealogical Society was doing a study. I assumed that my Halpogroup would
be R1a or R1b. To my surprise it turned out to be I1a. It is my understanding that I1a is English Anglo/Saxon. Furthermore the halpogroup I1b would be Swedish/Norwegian Anglo/Saxon. In the last few days the discussion centered around the tribe of Gad being either in England/Scotland or Sweden. The DNA would indicate that they could be close to the same thing.
Keep up the good work!
Warm Regards
Don Hamilton Jr







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