Differences between British Israel, Armstrongism, and Brit-Am.
Continued from: British Israelism-2
Contents:
1. Attitude towards Judah.
2. Brit-Am Identification Criteria.
3. Differences in Israelite and Tribal Identifications.
4. Prioritization.
5. Use of Rabbinical Sources.
6. New Discoveries.
7. Differences Between Brit-Am and British Israel Summarized.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In our previous two articles, British Israelism-1, and British Israelism-2, we spoke from the point of view of Brit-Am having similar beliefs to British Israel (BI) and Armstrongism concerning the Israelite Identity of the Ten Tribes. We defended those beliefs we have in common. There are however serious differences between us all that are worth bearing in mind.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1. Attitude towards Judah.
Brit-Am/Hebrew Awarness puts out a Newsletter ("Brit-Am Now") several times a week. At the beginning of every posting the following heading is included:
Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness
The Distinctive Imperatives of our Movement
https://hebrewnations.com/hebrewn/hebrewtribes.html
(1) Belief in the Bible.
(2) Acknowledgement of the Jews as Judah.
(3) The Lost Ten Tribes Identified as specific nations and groups now present among Western Peoples.
Belief in the Bible, we assume, is basically common to all Identity Believers. "Mat," Our adversary in the first two articles, found a need to discredit the Divine Origin of the Bible in order to continue attempting to make his points. In doing this he revealed an ideological motivation in seeking to discredit Identity Beliefs. Belief in the Lost Ten Tribes entails credence in Scripture and some people feel threatened by this.
This however should not be a problem with the BIWF or with the offshoots of Armstrongism and the like.
The BIWF (British Israel World Federation) is now relatively smaller than it one was but it is still impiortant. It was once quite large and influential and still carries some weight. Within its ranks it included they who were pro-Jewish and pro-Zionist alongside they who were not. It sold, and still sells, the works of Jews like Yair Davidiy alongside those of others whose opinions are extremely anti-Jewish. Even now its flag magazine occasionally contains articles, the last we noticed, that are borderline. This was also the case in the past. The BIWF at one stage in the past allowed itself to become associated with anti-Semites and with anti-Jewish Conspiracy Freaks. The problem is that by its nature BI attracts extremely conservative elements some of who are influenced by Continental Right Wing ideologies.
Rightly or wrongly British Israel acquired a reputation of being associated with anti-Jewish incitement. This reflects on Brit-Am and has impeded our success at delivering the message to Jews who otherwise might have been interested, as well as to many others.
Another point is that the BIWF is now also extremely Christian. Many of its publications consist almost entirely of devotional articles. Hardly any, sometimes none, of its energies are dedicated to spreading the Ten Tribes message. Part of its funding goes to teaching Christianity to Africans at their BIWF's own missionary center in the UK. They also have a rapport with European Lutheran theologians and right-wing Continentals some of whom are anti-Jewish.
As for Armstrongism our impression is that at the beginning here and there anti-Jewish expressions may have turned up but on the whole it kept quiet on the issue. Over the years it often projected a reserved but palpable philo-semitism. Since I have been in Israel and also since becoming invoked with these matters I have met quite a few genuine converts to Judaism who started their spiritual journey in one of the Armstrong associations.
One of our Criteria for identifying who belongs to the Tribes of Israel is anti-Semitism. If the people or group in question have a history of antagonism to the Jews then the likelihood of their descent from Israel in our eyes is lessened.
This is not an absolute yard-stick. People can change for better or for worse. Over the years, we have experienced both negative and positive alterations in some of the personalties we have been involved with. Even Jews may be anti-Jewish. Today about 30% of US Jews are reported to consider the State of Israel a "Genocidal Nation" oppressing the Palestinians. This is an outright lie but it shows how the pernicious influence of the Media and Liberal thought-patterns can corrupt anybody no matter where they come from.
This brings us to Brit-Am Criteria.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2. Brit-Am Identification Criteria.
Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness employs Criteria in deciding whether a people may be considered part of the Ten Tribes or not.
Obviously the decision in principle is not ours to make. We are not Prophets but constrained by our limited understanding and researches.
Nevertheless, it happens that certain people may have been in areas where the Lost Ten Tribes once were and may have characteristics that contradict each other. In some ways it could be argued that they are Israelites from the Lost Ten Tribes while on other points just the opposite is indicated. In order to know where to concentrate our efforts in Outreach and Research we need to have some idea where it is pertinent.
The Criteria help us in this and so far have proven themselves.
The Present 7 Criteria are:
1. Blessings: Economic and Physical Blessings as promised to Israel in Scripture.
2. Other Indications of Scripture in addition to the Blessings.
3. Groundwork: Historical, Archaeological, and Related Proofs showing paths of migration.
4. Judah: Affinity with the Jews.
5. Civilized and Civilizing. The Lost Ten Tribes were expected to become a civilizing influence over many nations, and to conduct themselves in a relatively humane manner. They were to serve as agents of influence that the rest of humanity would learn from and perhaps take as model examples.
6. Family Connection. An identified nation needs to have proven ethnic links to at least one of the other nations who have already been identified.
7. Tribal Affiliation. Each recognizable separate ethnic entity needs to have characteristics that allow us, even if only in a tentative way, to identify them as one or more of the Israelite Tribes.
See Also:
Brit-Am ("Ephraimite") Criteria. How do we know whether or not a nation is of Israelite origin to a Significant degree?
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/biblical-proof/criteria.html
Criteria Defined! The Seven Wondrous Yardsticks of Israel
https://hebrewnations.com/hebrewn/7wonders.html
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
3. Differences in Israelite and Tribal Identifications.
Brit-Am finds the Lost Ten Tribes among Western Peoples. We find specific Tribes to have become dominant in certain areas. We prove this from several perspectives. In most cases elements from several Tribes would have settled in the same area: The task is then to define which of them was paramount.
Our identifications are England -Ephraim; Canada, Australia, New Zealand, - also Ephraim; South Africa possibly Ephraim; USA - Manasseh; France - Reuben; Switzerland - Issachar; Belgium - Benjamin and Asher; Wales - Dan, Asher, Manasseh, Levi, Simeon; Ireland - Dan, Asher; North Ireland - Manasseh, Judah; Scotland - Manasseh; Netherland - Zebulon, Denmark - Dan; Norway - Naphtali; Sweden - Gad; Finland - Issachar. The Jews are dominated by the Tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, with minority elements from the other Tribes.
BI writers in general agreed with our Identifications on an overall basis, i.e. the Ten Tribes were indeed in those areas but our Tribal identifications may have differed from theirs if they had any.
There were some BI writers who concentrated solely on the British Isles; some who excluded Ireland. One included Japan; another all the "Caucasian" White Peoples including Russia and India. Christian Identity andthe like identify all the White Caucasian Peoples as Israelites but not the Jews whom they depict as descendants of Esau or of Cain via Jethro.
An early BI writer included Germany as one of the Ten Tribes but researchers who came after him rejected this. Armstrongism excluded Germany identifying the Germans with descendants of ancient Assyria; This identification with Assyria was in fact an early BI one that Armstrong adopted. Brit-Am also excludes most of the Germans considering them descendants of Gomer, and Magog under the leadership of Edomites descended from Esau. Germans who migrated to North America however in recent times were often different from those who stayed behind and of different origin. They are to be identified as Israelites. The same applies, as a general rule, to immigrants to Israelite Nations from other non-Israelite areas. See:Germans and Other Non-Israelites in Brit-Am Nations.
We identify England and its daughters with Ephraim and the USA with Manasseh. Armstrongism did the same but among its offshoots are those who identify the USA as Ephraim and Britain as Manasseh.
Steven M. Collins, "The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel...Found!" 1992, identified Britain and the British Empire with Ephraim; and the USA with Manasseh; France is Reuben; The Netherlands is Zebulon. South Africa is Asher; Finland is Issachar; Naphtali is Sweden; Benjamin is Norway and the Normans; Dan is Ireland and possibly also Denmark; the German people are a mixture of Israelites from the Tribe of Gad and non-Israelite Assyrians from Assyria; Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy are also possible Israelite nations but their specific identity is not clear. The Jews are Judah. The Khazars who converted to Judaism were descended from Judah and from the Lost Ten Tribes possibly from Naphtali since a people known as the Naphtalites were in their area. Simeon became part of the Celts who settled in Britain, and also gave rise to Sparta of Ancient Greece. Levi became part of the Jews whose musical talents may in part reflect Levite ancestry.
As far as we could gather the Tribal Identifications of Herbert W. Armstrong were:
https://watchjerusalem.co.il/929-sweden-the-lost-tribe-of-naphtali
France: Reuben.
Ireland: Dan.
Modern-Day Israel: The Tribe of Judah
Great Britain: .Ephraim.
The Netherlands: Zebulun.
The United States of America: Manasseh.
Belgium: Asher.
Switzerland: Gad.
Denmark: Dan.
Norway: Benjamin.
Scotland and Wales: Simeon and Levi.
Sweden: Naphtali.
It has also been often remarked that in effect there were 13 Tribes since Joseph was divided into two, Ephraim and Manasseh. The USA when it was founded numbered 13 colonies, one for each of the tribes. The USA in a sense therefore represents all of the Tribes.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4. Prioritization.
Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness Prioritizes studying where the Lost Ten Tribes went. We use every discipline that may have something to say on the subject. This is an advantage of ours. We also receive valuable informational leads and research input from like-minded supporters. Mark Williams has sent us valuable advice and infomration links. Several others have done the same.
The BIWF sells books about the Ten Tribes. Apart from that they do not seem to be terribly interested in the subject and devote their energies to other matters. There are however small groups in Britain who still are interested to some degree.
Offshoots of Armstrongism vary. Some of them are quite involved concerning Israelite Ancestry and put out booklets and articles about it.
We also have the Ephraimite Movement in the USA which is very much preoccupied with the idea of Israelite Ancestry. At present however they seem to consider identification as Israelites to be a matter of inner spiritual realization concerning physical descent without referring to objective known facts or the lack of them. In the past however we received significant support from Eddie Chumnie who is a leading Ephraimite figure.
We for our part do not deny the importance of instinctive identification possibly as a result of Bible Study and Prayer. Nevertheless, we still need to learn Scripture in depth as a scholarly task and to be aware of the historical, linguistical, and related findings that may confirm and strengthen the spiritual. Just as one needs to eat to survive and do other things so too do we need facts to supplement whatever other understanding we arrive at.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5. Use of Rabbinical Sources.
Thanks to Yair Davidiy having a knowledge of Hebrew and being a student of Rabbinical Studies we were able to access additional sources some very ancient and others relatively recent. These sources helped confirm Brit-Am findings and understanding of Biblical texts along with original insights, declarations of principle, prognostications, and explanations concerning the Lost Ten Tribes. The sources were accessed through our own researches along with those of sympathetic Rabbinical scholars and scholars whom in some cases we paid for their time and effort.
This is a whole new world of revelation proving who the Lost Ten Tribes are.
This is unique to Brit-Am though in principle others who follow the same, or similar pathway, may yet reveal still more. It should also be noted that these efforts of Brit-Am are funded by offerings and contributions. When money is tight our abilities are limited.
MORE IMPORTANT than all this is the fact that open examples of DIVINE PROVIDENCE have guided us to relevant sources and given us the strength and ability to follow up on them.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6. New Discoveries.
In addition to our Use of Rabbinical Sources we also studied Secular Fields such as archaeology, linguistics, mythology, historical writings, etc.
All this help Confirmed Brit-Am Conclusion concerning the present-day Identity of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.
Yair Davidiy was not the only one was involved in all this. Throughout the years there were also others who were also interested and who shared the fruit of their labors with us.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7. Differences Between Brit-Am and Other Groups Summarized.
Differences Between Brit-Am and Other Groups Summarized.
1. Brit-Am emphasizes the Hebrew Bible as a source of Proof.
1. Brit-Am is pro-Jewish and has more of a Jewish Perspective as well as having Biblical Values and being pro-Western.
2. Brit-Am supports the State of Israel and sees it as an integral part of Brit-Am belief and of importance not only to Judah but to all the Tribes.
Israel as a fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy and is Preparing the Way for the Unification of all Israel.
3. Brit-Am uses Rabbinical Sources and has access to them, and believes itself in tandem with them.
4. Brit-Am emphasizes Tribal Identifications using these as one of its main proofs.
5. Brit-Am identifies Esau with European entities but also finds elements from Esau/Edom among Israelite ones.
6. Brit-Am does not promote Tea Tephi type Legends and Conspiracy Theories.
7. Brit-Am understands that a Divine Plan caused the Division and the Exile of the Ten Tribes to take Place, see Master Plan .
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/masterplan.html