Brit-Am Research Sources
# The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His Covenant" (Psalm 25:14).
BARS-157
Brit-Am Research Sources
https://hebrewnations.com/features/bars2r2/bars157.html
Contents:
1. Welsh Language
Is Welsh the oldest Celtic language? by Cindy Treacher
2. Canaanite-Carthaginian Influence on Ancient Germany
Shillings, gods and runes: clues in language suggest a Semitic superpower in ancient northern Europe
3. Videos of Interest
(a) How Zionists Came to Palestine Under British Protection (Documentary)
(b) Britain's role in the occupation of Palestine
4. Phoenician-Israelite finds in southeast Spain
5. WW1. How France nearly snatched half of Jerusalem over lunch
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1. Welsh Language
Is Welsh the oldest Celtic language?
https://www.quora.com/Is-Welsh-the-oldest-Celtic-language/answer/Cindy-Treacher-2?
Cindy Treacher
Welsh is a language donated some words to a Celtic Latin language called Hiberno Latin.
Hiberno Latin contains words from British and Irish languages including Gaelic, Welsh, English, Cornish and Bretish, as well as some Greek and Hebrew.
Hiberno Latin - The Latin of Saint Patrick.
Hiberno Latin writings from Gaelic missionaries (otherwise referred to as Irish monks or priests, Irish scribes, Celtic Saints etc.) can be found right across Europe and are often mistaken for being something they're not, including Frisian, Medieval French, French Latin, Old High German, Norse, Jesuit, Basque and classic Latin.
Is Welsh the oldest 'Celtic' language? Celtic Christianity has been known as Celtic Christianity since the 8th century, the language used by the Gaelic missionaries that established monasteries during the Celtic Christianity period was Hiberno Latin, although there known to have spoke Gaelic and been referred to as Gaels. The Welsh population are also known to have had a Gaelic speaking population, or an Irish population during the Roman period, the Sub Roman period and what is known as the Celtic Christianity period or the monastic period. Monasticism came to an end in England in the 1500s with the devolution of monasteries by Henry the 8th and with the establishment of The Church of England, this is also when the Holy Roman Empire came to an end. Most writings in Welsh and English (not Hiberno Latin) follow on from the 1500s. The oldest known writings do not give any indication of when Welsh or English or other British and Irish languages came to be, or how old these languages are, they're simply the oldest known, surviving writings and they're usually using that language called Hiberno Latin.
The oldest documentation of 'words' from British languages such as Welsh, English, Gaelic etc. can be found in Hiberno Latin writings which are thought to be from at least the 4th to 5th century although dates are not always possible to establish.
Celtic? Historically?
Celt - Kilt, silt, tilt, hilt, gold gilt. That lilt sound usually denotes going around or to cover something or secure or seal or conceal something.
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2. Canaanite-Carthaginian Influence on Ancient Germany
Shillings, gods and runes: clues in language suggest a Semitic superpower in ancient northern Europe
https://theconversation.com/shillings-gods-and-runes-clues-in-language-suggest-a-semitic-superpower-in-ancient-northern-europe-139381
Extracts:
The city of Carthage, in modern-day Tunisia, was founded in the 9th century BCE by the Phoenicians. The Carthaginian Empire took over the Phoenician sphere of influence, with its own sphere of influence from the Mediterranean in the east to the Atlantic in the west and further into Africa in the south. The empire was destroyed in 146 BCE after an epic struggle against the Romans.
The presence of the Carthaginians on the Iberian Peninsula is well documented, and it is commonly assumed they had commercial relations with the British Isles. But it is not generally believed they had a permanent physical presence in northern Europe.
By studying the origin of key Germanic words and other parts of Germanic languages, Theo Vennemann and I have found traces of such a physical presence, giving us a completely new understanding of the influence of this Semitic superpower in northern Europe.
Linguistic history
Language can be a major source of historical knowledge. Words can tell stories about their speakers even if there is no material evidence from archeology or genetics. The many early Latin words in English, such as 'street', 'wine' and 'wall', are evidence for the influence of Roman civilisation.
Read more: Uncovering the language of the first Christmas
Punic was the language of the Carthaginians. It is a Semitic language and closely related to Hebrew. Unfortunately, there are few surviving texts in Punic and so we often have to use Biblical Hebrew as a proxy.
Proto-Germanic was spoken in what is now northern Germany and southern Scandinavia more than 2,000 years ago, and is the ancestor of contemporary Germanic languages such as English, German, Norwegian and Dutch.
Identifying traces of Punic in Proto-Germanic languages tell an interesting story.
Take the words 'shilling' and 'penny': both words are found in Proto-Germanic. The early Germanic people did not have their own coins, but it is likely they knew coins if they had words for them.
In antiquity, coins were used in the Mediterranean. One major coin minted in Carthage was the shekel, the current name for currency of Israel. We think this is the historical origin of the word 'shilling' because of the specific way the Carthaginians pronounced 'shekel', which is different from how it is pronounced in Hebrew.
The pronunciation of Punic can be reasonably inferred from Greek and Latin spellings, as the sounds of Greek and Latin letters are well known. Punic placed a strong emphasis on the second syllable of shekel and had a plain 's' at the beginning, instead of the 'esh' sound in Hebrew.
But to speakers of Proto-Germanic, who normally put the emphasis on the first syllable of words, it would have sounded like 'skel'. This is exactly how the crucial first part of the word "shilling" is constructed. The second part, "-(l)ing", is undoubtedly Germanic. It was added to express an individuating meaning, as in Old German silbarling, literally 'piece of silver'.
This combining of languages in one word shows early Germanic people must have been familiar with Punic.
Similarly, our word 'penny' derives from the Punic word for 'face', pane. Punic coins were minted with the face of the goddess Tanit, so we believe pane would have been a likely name for a Carthaginian coin.
Sharing names for coins could indicate a trade relationship. Other words suggest the Carthaginians and early Germanic people had a much closer relationship.
By studying loan words between Punic and Proto-Germanic, we can infer the Carthaginians were culturally and socially dominant.
One area of Carthage leadership was agricultural technology. Our work traces the word 'plough' back to a Punic verb root meaning 'divide'. Importantly, 'plough' was used by Proto-Germanic speakers to refer to a more advanced type of plough than the old scratch plough, or ard.
Close contact with the Carthaginians can explain why speakers of Proto-Germanic knew this innovative tool.
The Old Germanic and Old English words for the nobility, for example aethele, are also most likely Punic loanwords. If a word referring to the ruling class of people comes from another language, this is a good indication the people speaking this language were socially dominant.
Intersections of language and culture
We found Punic also strongly influenced the grammar of early Germanic, Germanic mythology and the Runic alphabet used in inscriptions in Germanic languages, until the Middle Ages.
Four of the first five letters of the Punic alphabet and the first four letters of the Germanic Runic alphabet. Mailhammer & Vennemann (2019), Author provided
This new evidence suggests many early Germanic people learnt Punic and worked for the Carthaginians, married into their families, and had bilingual and bicultural children.
When Carthage was destroyed this connection was eventually lost. But the traces of this Semitic superpower remain in modern Germanic languages, their culture and their ancient letters.
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3. Videos of Interest
(a) How Zionists Came to Palestine Under British Protection (Documentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtvqioF81BU
(b) Britain's role in the occupation of Palestine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcKIjwiQgok
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4. Phoenician-Israelite finds in southeast Spain
The mystery of the Phoenician goddess in a medieval Spanish castle
https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-04-18/the-mystery-of-the-phoenician-goddess-in-a-medieval-spanish-castle.html#?rel=mas
What's more, in 1999 two Phoenician bronze arrowheads were unearthed in the sides of the castle. The first, which is double-edged, was used as a tool for hunting and fighting. But the second arrow belonged to a bronze arrowhead in the shape of a lance. 'Because of its typology it seems to be an sample from the Syrian-Palestinian coast from some time between the ninth and eighth centuries BC,' write Garcia Menarguez and Prados Martinez.
The discovery of a terracotta fragment that belonged to a veiled female figure with a typical Hathoric hairstyle (corresponding to Egyptian goddesses) and a terracotta head with an Egyptian headdress confirmed the suspicions. The first is a figure with its arms crossed over its chest, with almond eyes, forehead wrinkles and ear shape that suggest images of the Phoenician goddess. It's dated between the seventh and sixth centuries BC. ....
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5. WW1. How France nearly snatched half of Jerusalem over lunch
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/how-france-nearly-snatched-half-of-jerusalem-over-llunch/
Forwarded by Mark Williams.
Dignified, respectful General Allenby wouldn't give an inch of his command of martial law in newly conquered Jerusalem. So said Lawrence of Arabia, who was there
It could have all been very, very different, if things had actually gone to plan.
In late 1917, Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, received urgent orders. He was to immediately put aside his work in helping to stir up the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks, and join General Edmund Allenby in Palestine.
It was the late stages of the Great War, within days, Jerusalem would fall to the conquering British army, after nearly three grueling years of fighting against the Ottomans and their Imperial German allies in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign.
This was a landmark event in history, the holy city was changing hands. The international press, who had paid little attention to the Palestine Campaign until now, were caught up in the excitement. After all, General Allenby had succeeded where even Richard the Lionheart had failed.
Lawrence managed to secure an invitation to the highly anticipated handover ceremony on December 11. He was lacking the proper attire for such an event, needing to borrow a clean uniform and a brass hat, but he entered the Old City through Jaffa Gate, several steps behind Allenby, who strode on foot as a mark of respect. Lawrence was present as the general announced to the dignitaries gathered in front of the Tower of David that the city was now officially under martial law. Though he wrote little else about the ceremony, Lawrence noted, "For me, it was the supreme moment of the war."
In his classic book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the Englishman did, however, elaborate on a peculiar exchange that unfolded in the immediate aftermath of the ceremony, over a fairly impressive lunch (by military standards), in the quaint, nearby village of Ein Karem.
The aides pushed about, and from great baskets drew a lunch, varied, elaborate and succulent. On us fell a short space of quiet, to be shattered by Monsieur Picot, the French political representative, who said in his fluting voice: 'And tomorrow, my dear general, I will take the necessary steps to set up civil government in this town.'
[] a silence followed, as when they opened the seventh seal in heaven. Salad, chicken mayonnaise, and foie gras sandwiches hung in our wet mouths unmunched, while we turned to Allenby and gaped. Even he seemed, for the moment, at a loss. We began to fear that the idol might betray a frailty. But his face grew red: he swallowed, his chin coming forward (in the way we loved), whilst he said, grimly, 'In the military zone, the only authority is that of the Commander-in-Chief, myself.'
Picot protested further, but was cut short by Allenby, who made clear that the civil government would only be established when he saw fit.
It seems that Francois Georges-Picot was under the impression that France and Britain would share administrative authorities in Jerusalem, now that the city had fallen to the Allied Powers. Allenby was clearly having none of it.
It is possible that the exchange was even worse than Lawrence described. Another eyewitness, a French officer by the name of Louis Massignon, who was part of Picot's delegation, later wrote that "Allenby threatened Picot harshly with arrest if he interfered. The British general, nicknamed 'The Bull,' stood 6 foot 2 inches tall, and was known for his unpredictable temper and imposing appearance.
The truth was that Picot had a point. The French diplomat, along with his British counterpart Mark Sykes, had been one of the chief formulators of the famous 'Sykes-Picot Agreement.'
According to the terms of this secret treaty signed in January 1916, Jerusalem and most of what had been Ottoman Palestine were to come under international administration, with the conclusion of the war. Until then, according to Picot, all conquered sections of Palestine were meant to be ruled by a joint Anglo-French administration.
At this stage, however, the British had other ideas. After all, they had fought and bled in this region for years. There were major setbacks along the way, including two military defeats at Gaza. They would suffer over 60,000 battle casualties with nearly 17,000 killed over the course of the campaign (it is worth noting that much of the rank and file came from the far reaches of the British Empire, including India, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand). The French contribution in Palestine was minimal in comparison. The British had no intention of now ceding control of the great prize because of an agreement that was not even public knowledge.
With Allenby's declaration of martial law, any serious talk of joint or international administration was put off indefinitely. British martial law effectively remained in place until the summer of 1920, when a civil administration was finally established, under the British Mandate, with no French or international involvement.
The brief and rather informal diplomatic tussle described above by Lawrence may very well have changed the course of Middle Eastern history. What would an Anglo-French Jerusalem have looked like? One can only imagine.
If not for General Allenby's verbal resistance, raised as he chewed on his fois gras sandwich, there might never have been a British Mandate in Palestine. If an international administration had indeed been established in Palestine, as per the terms of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, would the State of Israel have ever come into existence? Arguably not.
The name of Edmund Allenby (who was later raised to the rank of field marshal and given the title "Viscount of Megiddo and of Felixstowe" in the County of Suffolk) today graces countless streets, bridges, parks, and city squares across Israel. These honors celebrate the officer's considerable military exploits, but his lunchtime stand against French intervention may have been just as crucial.