"Brit-Am Now"-266
July 10, 2003
Contents:
1. Gad in Sweden
2. Gad in Scotland and Ireland
3. Question on Completeness of Exile of Ephraim and Manasseh
4. Stephen Coneglan: Asher in Ireland
5. Biblical proofs: Thighs, etc
1. Gad in Sweden
From: Orjan Svensson <orjan.svensson@mbox300.swipnet.se>
Subject: Re: "Brit-Am Now"-265
I would like to add here that the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic
sea is also
very famous for its sheep. They have a special race of sheep there, which
is called
"gute far" ("gute sheep"). Inhabitants of Gotland in Swedish are known as gutar
(which in English would be Guti or Guts).
Indeed the coat of arms of Gotland has a sheep on it and the big island
just north of Gotland is Faro, which means "sheep island".
In Gotlandic dialect a female sheep is called KOJSA. This word is similar
to the Hebrew KIBSaH, which means the same.
Gad is not only connected to Gotland, but to the whole of south Sweden,
which is known as Gotaland. An earlier name of Gotaland was Gautland, and
this is
still the Icelandic name of the area. Some of the most important provinces in
Gotaland are Vastergotland, Smaland and Halland. All of them, as well as
Gothenburg,
which is the second largest city in Sweden, with more than 500,000 inhabitants,
have lions in their coats of arms. Vastergotland has a lion and two
six-pointed
stars (!) in its coat of arms. The lion is a symbol of Gad.
Another symbol of Gad is a goat. The very name Gad means goat.
In Sweden the province Halsingland has a goat on its coat of arms.
Anciently the whole of northern Sweden, the area north of Dalecarlia, was known
as Halsingland. The modern province of Halsingland covers only a fraction of
that area. According to legend the capital of Finland, Helsinki, got its name
from Swedish Halsinglanders who settled there.
According to legend some Halsinglanders were once present in Greece, at
least temorarily.
Further, the name Gad, spelled "gAd" in runic characters can be seen in at
least
one runic inscription in Sweden, as well as the runes "hgi". "hgi" could
mean "Chaggi". Chaggi was a son of Gad.
Orjan
2. Gad in Scotland and Ireland
Greetings Yair,
In response to the issue of Scotland being descended from Gad, I also
wonder if it's any coincidence that the languages of Scotland, Ireland
(from which the Scottish came from) and the Manx are called GOIDelic. The
proper consonants are there. GD.
Just something that came to my mind.
Thank you and G-d bless you!
Jason Thomas
3. Question on Completeness of Exile of Ephraim and Manasseh
From: "Peter Salemi (BIR)" <salemii@rogers.com>
Subject: hi
Question:
hi mr davidy. i was wondering since the house of israel did not return to
palestine in the times of ezra and nehemiah. can you explain this scripture
to me about the returning israelites in the book of 1 chronicles 9:3 "And
in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of
Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh;" thanks peter
Answer:
Answer: Go to our web-site http://www.britam.org/return.htm where you will
see an article by Nachmanides (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, 1194-1270):
Nachmanides refers to the verse you quoted and other like verses and says:
<<It also appears from the simple meaning of the text, that before the
exile of the northern country by Senacherib there were gathered into the
cities of Judah people from the neighboring tribes of Menasseh, Ephraim,
and Simeon and these then dwelt in the heritage of Judah. This explains
what was said concerning King Josiah, They delivered the money that was
brought into the house of God which the Levites that kept the doors had
gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of
Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin(2-Chronicles 34; 9). Prior to that
time in the period King Asa it was written, And he gathered all Judah and
Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Menasseh, and out
of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw
the LORD his God was with him(2-Chronicles 15; 9).
Those from the Tribes of Ephraim and Shimeon from Israel that
were present (2-Chronicles 35;18) with Judah were they who dwelt in the
Land of Judah or perhaps to some degree also those who had dwelt in their
own territories adjoining Judah and had fled to Judah. They are referred to
in a general sense as from Israel (in 2-Chronicles 35;18) and not by their
specific tribes since they represented only a small portion of their tribe.
These are they who returned under Ezra with the Jews from Babylon. They
were not expressly mentioned by their tribes since they were attached to
Judah. They all settled in the cities of Judah. There was no Redemption for
the Ten Tribes who remained in exile.
I will now explain somewhat a clearly expressed section that
still requires clarification. It speaks of the genealogy of Benjamin in the
Book of Chronicles. It is written about the genealogy of all Israel in this
work (1-Chronicles 9;1-3). Judah was exiled to Babylon due to their
infidelity. Out of the first to return from this exile were priests
(Cohans) and Levites and the Nathins [Gibeonites] who settled in the cities
of Israel. In Jerusalem there settled descendants of Judah and Benjamin
along with descendants of Ephraim, and Menasseh:
[1Chr 9:1] So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they
were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried
away to Babylon for their transgression.
[1Chr 9:2] Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in
their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the
Nathins.
[1Chr 9:3] And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the
children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh;
.<<....He [Ezra, the author of Chronilces] also said, And in Jerusalem
dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the
children of Ephraim, and Manasseh [1Chr 9:3]. He only recalls in detail
however the genealogies of Judah and Benjamin whose names and family trees
he elaborates upon. Even here he does not give all the genealogies but only
a section of them as is the practice in Scripture....
<<We have explained this section in accordance with the
opinion of our sages of blessed memory. These said that in the time of the
Second Temple a few refugees from the other tribes also came up. They did
not come from all of the other tribes but only from Ephraim and Menasseh.
[Another authority however, Tosefot in Arakin 32;a, says that, from each
and every tribe a few returned]. These few were not enough to be termed a
tribe in their own right or even part of a tribe. Due to their minority
position they were included amongst the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin
and dwelt in their cities. This Second Redemption was not meant for the
other tribes.>>
Nachmanides sums it up excellently. The overwhelming majority of the
northern Ten Tribes were exiled along with many from Judah. A very small
number of the northern tribes remained behind with Judah and are included
(in Scriptural terms) as part of Judah just as those Jews who went with the
Ten Tribes are counted as part of "Ephraim".
4. Stephen Coneglan: Asher in Ireland
Now if Gad is Scotland, which he obviously is, what about his full brother
Asher? What people constitute Asher?
It is my firm conviction that the Irish are Asher, mixed with Dan and Judah
to some degree. But predominantly Asher. I suggest looking along this line
in further research because it WILL prove abundantly fruitful.
The Irish and Scottish are truly kindred peoples.
Asher had the Mazzaroth sign of Sagittarius (Deuteronomy 33: 24 - 27,
Asher's blessing), the qualities of which include fortune or good luck.
Hence it is said 'the luck of the Irish' and 'the rub of the green'.
Green comes from the stone for Asher, the 'shebuw' or 'shevoo' being the
Greek 'chrusoprasos', which is the chrysoprase. The colour of the
chrysoprase is exactly the shade of green that represents Ireland. Although
it is called 'The Emerald Isle', emerald green is not the shade of green
worn by Irish nationals when representing their country. (Again ignore any
other translations of 'shebuw', for the commentators really had no idea
what its true identity was).
(The green of chrysoprase and the arrow of Sagittarius are found combined
today in the green arrow traffic signal of all places).
Interestingly, 'shevoo' is very close to the Irish name Siobhan, and Asher
is close to the name O'Shea, but this cannot be advanced as evidence.
The above are very basic notes on these 2 tribes. The research is almost
entirely original to my knowledge, and no historical evidence has been
used. I've only used what is found in Scripture, but the evidence is
plentiful and self-corroborating.
To finish for now, the identity of Judah's stone, the 'nophek'. This word
is almost certainly cognate with the Greek 'phoinike', meaning 'palm' or
'phoenix'. This latter is the most likely. The phoenix was the sunbird of
Egypt, from whence Israel came out of bondage. The 'nophek' is very
probably the 'phoenix stone'.
The colours for the sun, and the phoenix, are red and white. A red sun on a
white field. The 'nophek' is the Greek 'sardonux', our sardonyx. The
colours are red and white. The 'nophek' is the only breastplate stone
having two separate colours. In fact it is a combination of carnelian,
Reuben's stone 'odem', and white agate, Joseph's stone 'shoham'. This fact
is worthy of meditation considering the groupings of these 3 particular
tribes (e.g. 1 Chronicles 5: 1,2).
Scripture corroborates this conclusion. Check out Genesis 49: 8-12,
especially the last two verses. Strong evidence, with Judah also being the
Mazzaroth sign of Leo, the sign ruled by the sun.
(Gad, Asher, and Judah are the three fire signs of the zodiac, or Mazzaroth).
Then there's the allusion to these colours in Isaiah's address to Judah and
Jerusalem in chapter 1 verse 18 of his book. Also consider Song of Solomon
5: 10.
Finally, the Lion of Judah is found everywhere these days associated with
red and white. The British Lions rugby team have always worn red jerseys
and white shorts. The biggest brewery in my country, Lion Breweries, have
red and white as their colours and a lion as their symbol. As does
Fletchers, the biggest company in New Zealand. Then there's Holden Motors,
and many more besides.
To finish, check out Northern Ireland's heraldic symbols. The Red Hand of
Ulster (Genesis 38) enclosed originally by a red and white cord, the red
star of David surrounding it on a field of white.
I hope this info piques peoples' interest.
Regards.
Stephen Coneglan
5. Biblical proofs: Thighs, etc
[Jeremiah 31:8] BEHOLD, I WILL BRING THEM FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, AND
GATHER THEM FROM THE COASTS OF THE EARTH, AND WITH THEM THE BLIND AND THE
LAME, THE WOMAN WITH CHILD AND HER THAT TRAVAILETH WITH CHILD TOGETHER: A
GREAT COMPANY SHALL RETURN THITHER.
FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY: Most of the Lost Ten Tribes will be in
the North, i.e. BUT, THE LORD LIVETH, THAT BROUGHT UP THE CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL FROM THE LAND OF THE NORTH, AND FROM ALL THE LANDS WHITHER HE HAD
DRIVEN THEM: AND I WILL BRING THEM AGAIN INTO THEIR LAND THAT I GAVE UNTO
THEIR FATHERS[Jeremiah 16:15]. They will be mostly to the North of the Land
of Israel but also in other places. We pointed out that to the north meant
Northern Europe and North America that was referred to as The Great North
Landin Phoenician writings according to Barry Fell. The Lost Ten Tribes
would also be ingathered FROM THE COASTS OF THE EARTH. The word translated
as COASTSin Hebrew is Yarctei meaning literally thighs. Buleh ("Daat Mikra"
Commentary on Jeremiah) points out that this word is synonymous with ends
of the earth. It was prophesied frequently that the Lost Tribes would be in
the endsor geographical extremities of the Continental masses, as indeed
they are in every case, e.g. Western Europe, Scandinavia, Britain, North
America, Australia, South Africa. It may be a bit fanciful to mention but
if you look at a map of North America it does look somewhat similar to a thigh.
The term "Yerech" in Hebrew means coastline whereas "ey" in the geographic
sense always means island. And Jeremiah uses the word "yerech" coastline
when speaking of the "NORTH COUNTRY" (Jeremiah 31;8-10) from which the Lost
Tribes will return. The expression "North Country" could apply to the whole
of the Northwest European Coastline (including the British Isles) as well
as to North America. On a map North America even looks like the outline of
a thigh! This however is like saying that the Angles were called Angle
because of the angular shape of the area they dwelt in, in Northern
Germany, before invading Britain. If you do not look at a map you do not
see it.
They will return by plane and by ship. It may well be similar
to how the Ethiopian Jews returned to Israel. We saw pictures of women who
had given birth in flight: i.e. HER THAT TRAVAILETH WITH CHILD. This type
of transport in which everybody could be safely conducted was not possible
until modern times.
North Countryand Coasts of the Earthregarding the Latter Day
Era of our own time refers to North America, Western Europe, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, and like places. Even in the time of Jeremiah these
expressions could refer to areas in Northern Europe. A related expression
connected with the Lost Ten Tribes is ends of the earth(Genesis 33;13,
Isaiah 41;8,9,13). This expression too in ancient times could relate to
northern regions:
<In innumerable places Egyptian, Hebrew, Babylonian, Greek,
and Latin writings refer to the most northerly lands as "the ends of the
earth"> (Jurgen Spanuth, "Atlantis of the North", 1979 p. 28).
The Egyptians saw the world as divided into nine bows which
correspond roughly to the modern concept of meridians of latitude &. Pliny
the Elder said that the ninth division of the world goes "across the
Hyperboreans" (i.e. the Cimbrian peninsula present-day Jutland [in
Denmark]).. "with a seventeen hour day" (at its longest). F.A. Ukert
pointed out long ago that this method of dividing the world was taken from
the Egyptians and that the "ninth bow" corresponds to the area between
latitudes 52 and 57 & Between these latitudes lie north Germany, Denmark,
and southern Scandinavia(Jurgen p.29). .
[Jeremiah 31:9] THEY SHALL COME WITH WEEPING, AND WITH SUPPLICATIONS WILL I
LEAD THEM: I WILL CAUSE THEM TO WALK BY THE RIVERS OF WATERS IN A STRAIGHT
WAY, WHEREIN THEY SHALL NOT STUMBLE: FOR I AM A FATHER TO ISRAEL, AND
EPHRAIM IS MY FIRSTBORN.
<<I AM A FATHER TO ISRAEL, AND EPHRAIM IS MY FIRSTBORN>>: God will return
and acknowledge the Lost Ten Tribes as His people alongside Judah. This
will be known to all. The Lost Ten Tribes will no longer be lost. At
present they are Lost: Most of them are not aware of their true Israelite
identity and this identitiy is not known to others.
<<God says to Israel, You are my sons and I am your father, as it says
[Deuteronomy 14:1] YE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE LORD YOUR GOD. I am your
father as it says, I AM A FATHER TO ISRAEL. It is honorable for the
children to be with their father and it is an honor for the father to be
with his children>>. (Shemot Rabah 34;4).
[Jeremiah 31:10] HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD, O YE NATIONS, AND DECLARE IT IN
THE ISLES AFAR OFF, AND SAY, HE THAT SCATTERED ISRAEL WILL GATHER HIM, AND
KEEP HIM, AS A SHEPHERD DOTH HIS FLOCK.
[Jeremiah 31:11] FOR THE LORD HATH REDEEMED JACOB, AND RANSOMED HIM FROM
THE HAND OF HIM THAT WAS STRONGER THAN HE.
Notice the linkage of North Country, coasts of the earth,
Israel, Ephraim, and "Isles afar off".
NOW INDEX
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