_The Numerous Identifications Considered--Religion and Laws of the
Ancient Northern Races--Free Masonry--Language_.
It would be almost impossible to enumerate the multitude of likenesses
that have been found, by authors predisposed in that direction,
between the habits, manners, customs, personal appearance, etc., of
the Israelites and the Anglo-Saxons. To give even a cursory glance at
these "identifications" would occupy more space than we feel would be
desirable. We will simply mention a few that have been advanced by
various writers, and then proceed to a short consideration of their
laws; it may be observed, however, that some of their identifications
are very remarkable, while others, in our opinion, are puerile, and
would be advanced by none but zealots. Great similarity has been
claimed between the form of the Jewish and Saxon heads, and the great
beauty of both races has been advanced as a proof of common ancestry.
The style of dress of the early northern European nations has also
been claimed to be distinctively Israelitish. The care with which both
people kept their records or chronicles has also been largely
commented upon. One author claims connection between the two in the
manner that they mustered their forces in battle, and their love of
distinctive or tribal banners, giving rise in Europe to the system of
heraldry and the development of chivalry. Their division of the people
into tithings, hundreds and thousands, has been a strong argument in
favor of the Saxon's Jewish descent. The three great yearly
convocations of the people are also said to have taken place on the
same dates as the three great feasts of the Jews. The Saxons' marriage
ceremonies, their respect for women, and the great misfortune which
the latter esteemed it to be without children, are also adverted to as
links in the chain of evidence. One author (Mr. Ed. Hine) pursues a
different line of argument and makes the history of the English
nation, its constitution, laws, insular position, etc., fulfill the
varied prophecies of the ancient servants of God with regard to the
Ten Tribes. To our mind, however, these fulfillments of ancient
prophecy are often strained and frequently untenable.
In the religion of the ancient Scandinavians, terrible and
bloodthirsty as were many of its rites, students have found striking
analogies to the religion of ancient Israel, so much so that it is
considered one of the strongest proofs of the ancestry of this people
in Jacob. And it is claimed that the further we trace the matter back
through the centuries, the greater does the likeness become. Least we
shall be considered as straining this point we will quote the language
of another: "They (the Anglo-Saxons and their brethren of the north of
Europe) are described as having been acquainted with the great
doctrine of one supreme Deity, the Author of everything that existeth;
the eternal, the living, the ancient, the living and awful Being; the
searcher into concealed things; the Being that never changeth; who
liveth and governeth during the ages; directeth everything that is
high, and everything that is low; of this glorious Being they had
anciently esteemed it impious to make any visible representation, or
to imagine it possible that he could be confined within the walls of a
temple. These great truths, the same as we know were taught to Israel,
had in a great measure become lost or obscured before the people's
coming into Britain. But this very obscuration itself, speaks of their
origin; it having chiefly taken place, it is said, in consequence of
their receiving a mighty conqueror from the east as their god in human
nature, correspondent to the expectation of Israel with regard to the
Messiah. This supposed god incarnate is thought to have presented
himself among these people about the same time as the true Messiah
appeared among the Jews." (Is it probable that tidings of Jesus' visit
to the Ten Tribes could have been conveyed to them or have reached
them in a vague or adulterated form?) "The name of this pretender was
Odin or Woden, and he was esteemed the great dispenser of happiness to
his followers, as well as fury to his enemies. When Woden was removed
from them they placed his image in their most holy place, where was a
kind of raised place or ark, as if in imitation of that at Jerusalem,
where, between the Cherubim, the divine presence was supposed to
abide. * * * Before this elevation or ark, in this most holy place on
which the symbols of their worship were placed, they had an altar, on
which the holy fire burned continually; and near it was a vase for
receiving the blood of the victims, and a brush for sprinkling the
blood upon the people; reminding us again of what was done in ancient
Israel. They had generally one great temple for the whole nation, and
in one of these, it is particularly noticed, they had twelve priests
presided over by a high priest, and having under their charge the
religious concerns of the whole people. This temple is said to have
been of the most splendid description--of incredible grandeur and
magnificence. It was at Upsala, Sweden."
As nearly related to this branch of our subject, it has been remarked
that Free Masonry was first known in Europe among these people, a fact
that will have its weight among Latter-day Saints. In the middle ages
these lodges of free masons built the cathedrals of Europe, and it is
asserted that "the English cathedrals appear to have been built after
the fashion of the temples that they frequented previous to their
conversion to Christianity. And these cathedrals, it has been
observed, seem evidently to be built after the design of the temple at
Jerusalem. Like this, they have their most holy place, the altar, and
their holy place, choir; and the court outward from thence for the
body of the people." It is also somewhat remarkable that the only
Gentile people of old, among whom anything like Free Masonry was
found, were the Ionians, for whom we stated in a previous chapter some
claim an Israelitish ancestry. Their temples dedicated to Bacchus and
other heathen deities, were built by lodges, who had secret signs,
etc., and conducted their affairs much after the manner of the masons
of the middle ages.
But the strongest of all the supposed identifications of the two
races, stronger even than the religious phases of the subject, is the
peculiar Mosaic tendency of the ancient Norseman's laws. So great is
the similarity that most writers on this subject have been greatly
puzzled to account therefor. It is written, "To those who have
attentively studied the institutions of Moses, and compared them with
the Saxon, there must appear a similarity as will be apt to lead to
the conclusion that the Saxon commonwealth was thus framed, after
their becoming acquainted with Christianity. This, however, does not
appear to have been the case. They brought these institutions with
them into England, and left similar institutions among the people in
the north of Europe, with whom they had been from time immemorial.
Limited monarchy, constitutional law, and representative government,
an efficient civil police, and trial by jury, are among the most
important legacies left the English nation by their Anglo-Saxon
forefathers, and these may all be easily traced to an Israelitish
origin. And to this origin they have been traced * * * even by those
who were obliged, in rather an unphilosophical way, to account for the
connection."
Among the Anglo-Saxons the theory of their constitution seems to have
been, that every ten men or heads of families, should choose one from
among them, to act for them in the council of their little community,
consisting generally of ten such compartments or wards. Ten of these
wards formed a tything or parish. And ten of these tithings formed a
hundred, the elders of which, thus chosen, were supposed to meet for
the management of matters belonging to the ten tithings in general;
while each tything took charge of the affairs that especially belonged
to itself. The county which was still more extensive corresponded to
the tribe in Israel. The word county or compte seems to be derived
from the Hebrew word signifying to rise up, to stand--and refers to
the rod or ensign of the tribe to which they congregated themselves in
the large assemblies of the people. * * * The nation of Israel we have
seen, were, at an earlier period of their history, given proper rules
for their association, such as were equally adapted for a small
society or for a large one. The people were given to have a mutual
oversight of each other in tens; each ten had one who represented and
acted for them. See 1st chapter of Deuteronomy: "So I [Moses] took the
chiefs of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them heads over
you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds and captains
over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes."
The law of primogeniture, so prevalent in different degrees among the
nations overrun by the Goths and Vandals, and their kinsmen, strikes
us as being a relic of Mosaic law. According to Hebrew law, the first
born son received a double portion of his father's estate. The English
law greatly resembles this. It would almost appear that this double
portion was conferred, among the Hebrews, on the oldest male child, to
compensate in some degree for the loss of the Priesthood held by him
of right in patriarchal days, but under the Mosaic dispensation vested
in the house of Aaron, so far as the lesser Priesthood called after
his name is concerned, while the higher or Melchizedec Priesthood
appears, after the days of Moses until the coming of Christ, only to
have been held by a certain favored few, who because of their
righteousness were endowed with this special measure of Divine favor.
With a certain class of scientists, the language of a people has great
weight in determining its origin. This test has been applied to the
language of the Anglo-Saxons, and it has been found that a number of
Hebrew words exist almost unaltered in our modern English tongue. On
this point, the author of "Our Israelitish Origin" writes: "As to
language, it is granted, that this, of itself could not identify a
people, or distinguish Israel, for example, from the Canaanites. * * *
Still it may be expected that a sufficiency would remain of the
Hebrew, to tell of this people's (the Saxon's) acquaintance therewith;
and such is the case. It has been observed by linguists, that a very
great deal of the ancient language of Israel exists in the modern
languages of Europe, and that it is through a Gothic medium that this
plentiful supply of Hebrew has come. So much have these languages been
thrown into a Hebrew mould that a French abbe has lately proposed to
make use of the Hebrew as a grand key to these languages."
Another writer, referring to Mr. Wilson's statements, remarks: [A]
"There is no reason to doubt that in common with the wave of nations
speaking the Indo-Germanic dialects, which overflowed Europe on the
breaking up of the Roman empire, the Anglo-Saxons came from the
Zend-speaking districts of Asia. And while Mr. Wilson adduces reasons
from the language of the Anglo-Saxons and Danes, for believing that a
long and intimate association had existed between these people and the
Persians before the former moved westward, he also proves the
existence of a large admixture of Hebrew words in the language of the
Anglo-Saxons, and not the least in the Scottish branch of that people.
In this he sets a proof of the descent of these people from the
Israelitish tribes that were removed by the kings of Nineveh, from
their native land, and planted in the cities of Media and Persia. They
had retained, in their new abode, much of their Hebrew mother-tongue,
while gradually adopting the Zend as the body of their new language.
An additional and most important confirmation of Mr. Wilson's idea has
been supplied by Prof. C. P. Smyth. This is seen in the circumstance
that the Anglo-Saxons possessed a metrology [B] corresponding exactly,
as far as it extended, with the metrology common to the temple of
Jerusalem and the great pyramid."
[Footnote A: "Ethnic Inspiration" by Rev. J. T. Goodsir.]
[Footnote B: Metrology--the science of measures]