"Brit-Am Now"-1081
1. Procedural Matters. Letters to
Brit-Am Might be Published! Sources.
2. Did Some of the Scythians Worship Joseph?
3. Hosea 14 Upgraded
4. Some Highlights of the Book of Hosea
5. Christians Offended? Brit-Am Clarification
###################################################
###################################################
1. Procedural Matters.
Letters to Brit-Am Might be Published!
Letters to Brit-Am that contain information or a point of view likely to
interest others
are likely to be Posted to our list.
If someone prefers that they be kept confidential they should say so.
Brit-Am deals with information.
We receive information and opinions from others and pass
it on to the public along with our own input.
We work on a similar basis to that of all media.
If one writes a letter to the editor of a newspaper and does not wish him to
publish it
then this should be made clear at the beginning.
The onus is on the writer of the letter to make it clear, not on the editor to
clarify it.
Sources
All articles, photos, etc sent to Brit-Am should have the sources
mentioned.
If they are derived from Web Site then the URL should be given.
###################################################
2. Did Some of the Scythians Worship
Joseph?
The following extracts have been edited
slightly by us.
From the region under consideration emerged the
Khazars
and before the Khazars
groups associated with the Angles, Saxons, part of the Scandinavians, and others.
Read the extracts through if you can.
At all events go to the Brit-Am Summary at the end where we explain the links to
Joseph and indications of Lost Israelite origins.
Based on Extracts (with slight grammatical adaptations) from:
THE SYNCRETIC CREED OF HELLENIZED JEWS FROM TANAIS
(NORTHERN BLACK SEA REGION)
IRMA HAYNMAN
Tanais, a major trading center at the Don River mouth, from IV BCE to IV CE
flourished on land and sea routes (Strabo 9.2.3), connecting India and China
with the western world.[13; 16,28; 38,15-23] Since VII BCE the Black Sea north
belonged to Royal Scythians...In V BCE Greek colonies of the Crimea and Taman
Peninsula united into Bosporan Kingdom, a competitor of Egypt in the world grain
market.The Kingdom was ruled by hellenized Scytho-Thracian dynasties,with the
official cult of Aphrodite Urania Apatura - Astarta...The incorporation of
Tanais into the Kingdom in I CE almost coincided with the reports on the first
influential Jewish communities well documented for several Bosporan
cities.[6,430 fn] They are attested by their inscriptions, sometimes in
Hebrew,and by menorah, ram -horn, palm branch, or citron executed on the burial
stones of their cemetries. [9,59-71]
In Tanais and other cities [of the region] dedications to nameless Hypsistos
[the "Unknown God" often identified with the God of Israel] were unearthed.
Theos Hypsistos [was]... the only deity in Tanais.Thus Goodenough characterized
the cult as Hellenized Judaism,[12,232] Nadel as local Judaism, [29, 23] and
Levinskaja as "originated in the Jewish milieu"[20] Katsarov rendered it as
Baalism,[16,118] and Tacheva-Hitova suggested a local syncretism of the Judaized
Zeus -Sabazius influenced by the Jews of Tanais and Bosporan Kingdom. [41, 142]
Ustinova denies the Jewish influence on Bosporan Theos Hypsistos and, explaining
the cult as "Sarmatian", extends the term to the creed of Royal Scythians and
Saka. She sees the Bosporan guilds as military bodies introduced into the Greek
milieu by the influx of Iranian [i.e. Scythian] nomads. [45, 150-180]
However,contrary to literary tradition, in the Tanais Delta archaeology reveals
only the scanty traces of Sauromatians/ Sarmatians - controversial terms lacking
definite ethnical meaning. [39,60-65]
Our starting position is that the Tanais creed was distinct from other forms of
Bosporan Theos Hypsistos, whose divine title could have belonged to Judaism and
Christianity, but could also describe Baal, Zeus, or Sabazius...
Archaeological data have shown that at all times Tanais was a non-Greek city:
no features of hellenistic cultural life found up to I CE, when on the town site
appeared Greek inscriptions and coins.But there were multiple figurines of Bes,
Bah, frogs, phalluses, grape bunches, and the like, of Egyptian provenance.
During the seven centuries the burial practices followed the same pattern: there
were no coins, or inscriptions, Greek stelas, or terracotes. [38, 84 -951
Neither were there specific Sarmatian features...
[In Tanais existed the cult of Aspourgis]
...In ca. 14, King Rescuporis I son of King Asandroxos, in his lifetime, was
deified as the sun-god under the cult name Aspourgos.The cult of Aspourgos is
related to the religious and military organisation of the "Aspourgians" settled
near Hermonassa on the Aspourgian Island. [Identified by some with the Asa
ancestral "gods" who migrated to Scandinavia]....Aspourgos belonged to the
Arsacides - Royal Scythian family from the Tanais River region, the other
branches ruled over Parthia, Armenia, and the Kushana Empire [of Central Asia] (Strabo
11.9.2). The Arsacides worshiped Anahita/Tanit, claimed divine origin and called
themselves "brothers of the Sun and the Moon". Their dynastic title, written by
them in square Hebrew characters as 'arasak, means "betrothed"
126,121;33,321;14,27-29J More complex design of their dynastic tamga, as the
symbol of the goddess flanked with horses [part of the cult of Aspourgis], was
used by all the branches of the Arsacides.110,b7,71 tab.b,73
nos.255-58,74;43,47-48J
The name Aspourgos, for many centuries well attested in the region, is
conventionally rendered from the Akkadian -Syrian "aspuraku" for "horseman" (cf.
Iranian "aspa" for "horse"). 114,43,45-47J However, Tolstoi paralleled "Aspourgians"
and "Christians" as followers of Aspourgos (of Christ) and held that the
original form should have been the ancient Iberian name Aspaurouxis. ...we can
render this two-stemmed name [having double origins] from the Semitic roots in
relation to hag ha'asif -"Festival of Ingathering" (Ex. 23:16, 34:22), the
annual feast celebrated for seven days in time of the winter solstice. The
second stem being bar'a - "create", as bfr'aka - "the day of your creation" in
Is 43:1, or "thy self-creation" in Ezek 28:13,15 125,154 178J, the whole becomes
"Asaf created"or "Asaf self-created". Thus, we can trace the Tanais creed to the
Canaanite-Phoenician solar cult with the horsman as "the savior and heathen god
of the Near East", 115,69) and to such names as Yasup-ilu, a place-name in the
Karnak list of Thotmes III (XVI BCE), Milki-asapa, a king of Gebal (KB 2. 149,
241), Baal-iasupu, an Arvadite prince (KB 2. 173) - VII BCE. Accordingly, the
established etymological relation of safah-'asaf-yasaf can be translated into
genetic kinship of such solar personages as Assyrian-Caucasian Asaph/Savaz,
Biblical Joseph "abreh" (Gen. 41:43), Bosporan Aspourgos, Thracian Sabazius/Attis,
and Central Asian Sijawush 1431 (probably from one of the seven Greek forms of
the name ). Each of deities evolved in different ethnical and historical mileu,
but retained common features.122,759-774;23,827-8301The cult corresponds to
practices referred to in connection with apostasy and solar rites related to
horses or horse-mounting:2 Kgs 23:11 - "And he took away the horses, that the
kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of the Lord,
by the chamber of Nathan-melech, the eunuch, and he burned the chariots of the
sun with fire"; Hos 14:4- "Asshur shall not save us; we will not mount upon
horses; neither will we call the work of our hands our gods".
We suggest that the Hellenized Jewish immigrants...who embraced the
Christianity, introduced Christian features into the cult having accepted an
Arsacide Aspourgos as a messianic king Asaph/Joseph. The theological tradition
of Israel,when the Lord stands at the head of His chosen people, then the king
chosen by the Lord rules over Israel has been translated into the structure of
the guilds.Thus the first category coincides with the first phase,while the
second category guilds headed by the priest correspond to the selection of a
king, and the third to the people as king's brothers (cf. the "adoption scene",
when Joseph reconciles with his brothers in Gen 45:4,5). Thus, the tradition of
the first dying messiah Ben Joseph could be rooted in the recognized solar
connections of Joseph.
Brit-Am Summary: The above extracts from
the short article by IRMA HAYNMAN
may look confusing and if you were to see the rest of the article perhaps even
more so.
NEVERTHELESS, IRMA HAYNMAN
did the research and uses sources (in English, Russian, and German) of others
who were experts in the field and familiar with the source material.
IRMA HAYNMAN
may well have intended to write a complete work and the short article from which
the sources were derived was merely an outline of it.
The importance of this article lies in assumptions that
Haynman
seems to take almost for granted but for us are quite important.
Tanais
remained a Scythian city probably of the Royal Scythians long after most of the
Scythians had left the surrounding area and other peoples (Sarmatians
etc) had moved in.
[Brit-Am has shown elsewhere that the original name of "Tanais"
appears to have been "Dan"].
They worshipped the Unknown God in a manner consistent with Israelite origins.
There were also pagan practices in the area but these too may be traced to the
former Israelite Region (Phoenicia, Canaan, etc) or to Egypt,
and they are not shared by neighboring peoples.
The cult of Aspourgous
was shared by the Royal Scythians and
Arsacide
rulers of the Parthians.
This cult may originally have been based on the figure of Joseph and even have
been named after him.
At all events Aspourgous
was later identified with Joseph and Joseph being reconciled with his brothers
was an important aspect of it.
###################################################
3. Hosea 14 Upgraded
http://britam.org/hosea14.html
Summary:
Israel must return to the Almighty and be reconciled with HIM. There is no other choice. The Return of the Lost Ten Tribes is symbolized by the Brit-Am Rose, official symbol of Brit-Am.
###################################################
4. Some Highlights of the Book of Hosea
http://britam.org/hosea14.html
Three sons of Gomer (i.e. Cimmerians) represent three sections of the exiled 10 tribes who will link up with European Nations. They do not represent Judah who is separately spoken of (1:7).
Much of Hosea is directed expressly to the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.
The Lost Tribes of Israel will be rejected, then accepted (1:10) (Yebamot 17), (2:23). They will be extremely numerous (1:10).
They will have worshipped the baal (2:8, 2:13).
Righteousness, judgment, lovingkindness, and mercy are required of us (2:19).
The Lost Ten Tribes must Return to God, to Jerusalem [reconciliation with Judah], and to the Kingdom of David (3:5).
Ephraim represents all of the northern Lost Ten Tribes of Israel as well as the specific tribe of Ephraim.
Ephraim will have brough forth "strange children"(5:7).
Gilead and Schechem (representing the USA) were known for their murderers and violence (6:2).
Judah will be preparing the foundations of the Land for all the Tribes to Return (Hosea 6:11). The Exiles will return from the West (11:10).
Judah will have remained faithful (11:14).
Ephraim is described as a cheating merchant (12:7). cf. Terms applied to Britain, "Nation of shopkeepers", "Perfidious Albion".
Ephraim is to the west (mostly) from the Land of Israel (11:10).
Ephraim is rich.
Ephraim is a merchant (12:7).
Ephraim mistakenly puts his trust in Assyria and other "lovers".
Association with Machmad (i.e. Islam) (Mohamot) augurs not well for Ephraim and is liable to bring disaster due to Muslim terrorists (9:1).
The overall message of Hosea is rejection of Ephraim by the Almighty followed by a reconciliations. This applies to all the Lost Ten Tribes and also to Judah.
Israel will return unto God and be blessed once again (chapter 14).
###################################################
5. Christians Offended? Brit-Am Clarification
re "Brit-Am Now"-1078
http://britam.org/now/1078Now.html
# 1. ROB SAUTON FLEET: Reflections on the Brit-Am Situation.
The Brit-Am Group is monitored.
We try not to offend Christians or any other group.
In the above message there was a passage that we let pass by but some
Ephraimites were offended by and wrote to us.
The relevant sentence (that was not written by us) said;
"The gospel does not really reconcile itself with Brit Am beliefs "
People wrote in saying this was not so.
We are not posting their letters since we want to close the issue.
We should perhaps have been more sensitive.
###################################################
