The Case of Spain.
Stephen Phillips replied to us (see: "The Magical Five"):
As for your comments concerning Spain (https://hebrewnations.com/articles/biblical-proof/criteria/five.html), I would point out the following:
3. Affinity with the Jews: At one time Spanish and Jews were working together in distributing knowledge throughout Europe:
"Cordova, in Roman times the patrician colony, had been the home of literature and the birthplace of poets and writers without number. But under the caliphs it became the centre of the learning of the world. Students from all parts of Europe flocked to her private schools, and sat at the feet of the learned men who taught in them: not Arabs alone, but Jews and Mozarabic Christians too… …Duns Scotus came to learn and spread through Europe the philosophy of the great Jew poet and philosopher Avicebron (d. 1070). Literature, philosophy, and rhetoric were mainly taught at first, and later every branch of science was studied, especially medicine and surgery. Astronomy, geography, chemistry, natural history, horticulture, and the fine arts all had their literature, their teachers, and their devotees." (Spanish Influence on English Literature, pp.10-11, Martin Hume, Eveleigh Nash, London 1905.)
4. Light to the Nations: A Civilizing Influence: As per 3. above, the universities of Oxford, Paris and Padua would not exist of it were not for the Spanish. As I have already stated, the words Academy, Academic and Academia are derived from Cadmus son of Agenor, the name Agenor being the Dorian spelling of the name Guni. As it is written: "Naphtali giveth goodly words". Cadmus gave the Greeks their alphabet. They even helped in the development of the alphabet from which our western European alphabets are derived.
5. Intrinsic Evidence: There is a tradition amongst the Jews in Spain that there have been Jews in Spain since the time of King Solomon, which I have demonstrated is true. This therefore satisfies the second part of this argument. As for Israelite "self-identification", this is nonsense. There are thousands if not millions of Israelites who dwell in the west who are totally unaware of their Israelite identity and are not even interested in knowing.
I therefore challenge your interpretations.
Brit-Am Reply:
We are concerned more with the Lost Ten Tribes rather than with descendants of Jews from Judah.
It is a known fact that many people in Spain and Portugal have Jewish Ancestry. The Jews had been in Spain from the earliest of times. Many among the Spanish had converted to Judaism. Jews had taken Spanish women for wives or otherwise had liasons with them. When the persecutions increased and intensified the resultant newcomers were often the first to leave and in some cases even initiated hostilities agaisnt the Jews..
The overall impression is that overall the Spanish have been anti-Jewish with numerous exceptions. The exceptions are often of Jewish descent. The same applies in other Latin Countries such as those of Central and South America.
Obadiah (CJB) 1:
20 AND THIS EXILED HOST (Traditional Alternate Rabbinical Translation: "This first Exile (of the Ten Tribes") OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WHO ARE [with] THE CANAANITES AS FAR AS ZAREPHATH AND THE EXILE OF JERUSALEM WHICH IS IN SEPHARAD SHALL INHERIT THE CITIES OF THE SOUTHLAND.
"THE EXILE OF JERUSALEM WHICH IS IN SEPHARAD": "Sepharad" is the Hebrew name for Spain. The Commentators say this refers to exiles from Jerusalem. In the time of the Romans many refugees from Jerusalem came to Spain. Abarbanel (himself a native of Spain, 1437-1508) said that descendants of King David were present among the Exiles to Spain. At all events this involves the Jews. Descendants of Jews among the Spanish will return to Judah. This is not the same as the Lost Ten Tribes though the two halves will eventually re-unite.
We are drawing closer to the End Times Ancestral Instincts will start kicking in.
In the Middle Ages the English and French at times persecuted the Jews. They were quite oppressive. They were also often cruel to each other. Things have to be seen in their historical contexts. In recent times compared to other countries the French and English have treated the Jews comparatively well despite excetional cases. That is what counts as far as we understand. Another article parallel to this one will consider each and every Brit-Am-Identified Israeltie Country from the Jewish perspective.
5 Criteria for Identifying Peoples of Israelite Descent.
1. Scripture: Biblical Evidence predicting whereto the Lost Ten Tribes would go, what type of religion and government they would have, etc.This includes Blessings, and Physical Characteristics.
2, Historical feasibility. Groundwork: Archaeological, Linguistics, and Related Proofs showing paths of migration.
This includes. Familial Connections. part of a family related to each other.
3. Judah: Affinity with the Jews. : This entails proven feelings of kinship and sympathy with the Jews and a Relative Lack of Anti-Semitism when compared with others.
4. Light to the Nations. A Civilizing Influence.
5. Intrinsic Evidence. Characteristics that emanate from the "soul" of the people.
This includes Israelite Self-Identification and/or Tribal Equation. Points in History where some kind of identification with the early Hebrews was asserted, OR in which Israelite tribes traits came to expression.