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The Ten Lost tribes of Israel- what happened?
In 722 BC, the Assyrians attacked and carried off into exile the ten tribes, and they were never heard from again . About 200 years later, Cyrus the Mede allowed the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, plus some levites, to return to Israel, ending the 'Babylonian captivity.' These returning exiles are the supposed ancestors of todays modern Jews.
Prologue: Abrahams grandson Jacob had 12 sons, and each received a territory in Israel. The kingdom was eventually united, but soon dissintegrated after King Solomons reign ended (about 960 BC). Some histories place the priestly tribe of Levi as being number 13,and they did not have land, but then the number was later put back to 12 under obscure (to me ) events...
So, what happened to the tribes? Christians during the Middle Ages imagined them to be almost everywhere, and ten tribe lore was intricately tied up with millenial expectations of the imminent return of Christ. In 1665, Oliver Cromwell allowed the Jews back into England due to Rabinical urgings, because most Europeans thought the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. Jews had been exiled from England for over 200 years- the 1215 Magna Carta document kicked them out.
But there is evidence that some of the tribes have survived to the present day. On the border of Burma and India exist about two million members of a tribe that believes they are descended from the House of Manasseh. They are the 'Bnei Menashe,' or Shinlung. Their oral tradition emphatically states that they are a branch of the lost Jews: they observe the Sabbath, they sacrifice animals using identical procedures that the ancient Hebrews used, they practice circumcision, employ Levirate marriage (the younger brother marries the older brother's widow to preserve the family line)... they call God Y'wa, which is very similar to the Hebrew 'Yahweh'......and once a year they observe Yom Kippur... They possess an ancient poem that tells the story of a crossing of a Red Sea, and they observe the Passover.
Their tradition says that they were first exiled by the Assyrians to eastern Persia, then they crossed into Afghanistan, and went into northwest China ... during this time they carried a copy of the Torah. About 500 years ago they were driven south to their present location. During their extensive wanderings , they assimulated with their surrounding neighbors, so today they physically resemble Chinese people.
The state of Israel officially recognizes the claims of the Shinlung. Rabbi Avichail, director of Amishav, a Jerusalem headquartered organization dedicated to finding , and returning, the ten lost tribes, has organized the resettlement of over 500 members of the Bnei Menashe back to their Israeli homeland since the year 2000.
The lost tribe of Manasseh is lost no more.
In 722 BC, the Assyrians attacked and carried off into exile the ten tribes, and they were never heard from again . About 200 years later, Cyrus the Mede allowed the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, plus some levites, to return to Israel, ending the 'Babylonian captivity.' These returning exiles are the supposed ancestors of todays modern Jews.
Prologue: Abrahams grandson Jacob had 12 sons, and each received a territory in Israel. The kingdom was eventually united, but soon dissintegrated after King Solomons reign ended (about 960 BC). Some histories place the priestly tribe of Levi as being number 13,and they did not have land, but then the number was later put back to 12 under obscure (to me ) events...
So, what happened to the tribes? Christians during the Middle Ages imagined them to be almost everywhere, and ten tribe lore was intricately tied up with millenial expectations of the imminent return of Christ. In 1665, Oliver Cromwell allowed the Jews back into England due to Rabinical urgings, because most Europeans thought the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. Jews had been exiled from England for over 200 years- the 1215 Magna Carta document kicked them out.
But there is evidence that some of the tribes have survived to the present day. On the border of Burma and India exist about two million members of a tribe that believes they are descended from the House of Manasseh. They are the 'Bnei Menashe,' or Shinlung. Their oral tradition emphatically states that they are a branch of the lost Jews: they observe the Sabbath, they sacrifice animals using identical procedures that the ancient Hebrews used, they practice circumcision, employ Levirate marriage (the younger brother marries the older brother's widow to preserve the family line)... they call God Y'wa, which is very similar to the Hebrew 'Yahweh'......and once a year they observe Yom Kippur... They possess an ancient poem that tells the story of a crossing of a Red Sea, and they observe the Passover.
Their tradition says that they were first exiled by the Assyrians to eastern Persia, then they crossed into Afghanistan, and went into northwest China ... during this time they carried a copy of the Torah. About 500 years ago they were driven south to their present location. During their extensive wanderings , they assimulated with their surrounding neighbors, so today they physically resemble Chinese people.
The state of Israel officially recognizes the claims of the Shinlung. Rabbi Avichail, director of Amishav, a Jerusalem headquartered organization dedicated to finding , and returning, the ten lost tribes, has organized the resettlement of over 500 members of the Bnei Menashe back to their Israeli homeland since the year 2000.
The lost tribe of Manasseh is lost no more.
posted by Zero at 8:39 AM
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