Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 17/11/2004 16:08, Yigal Levin wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Peter Kirk" <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
> To: <MarianneLuban AT aol.com>
> Cc: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 1:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Re: Hebrew and Welsh?
>
>
>  
>
> > Thank you, Marianne, for this fascinating study. See some more points
> >    
> below.
>  
>
> > On 17/11/2004 05:33, MarianneLuban AT aol.com wrote:
> >
> >    
> >
> > > ...  Of course, it is supposed to be that the priestly family died
> > > out among the Samaritans and that the Levites then took over the priestly
> > > office.  But, according to DNA, this is not true...
> > >
> > >      
> > This doesn't follow. If the original priestly family were descendants of
> > Aaron, they were closely related in the male line to the remaining
> > Levites, for (according to the Hebrew Bible) they had a common ancestor
> > in Levi only a few generations before Aaron - and only one generation
> > earlier with all true Israelites. So it makes sense that the Samaritan
> > Levites share a common Y chromosome type with the Jewish Cohens,
> > presumed to be descendants of Aaron - and with a good proportion of
> > modern Jews, presumably excluding descendants of later proselytes,
> > Jewish women who took Gentile husbands etc.
> >    
>
> Actually, the present Samaritan priests are supposingly non-Aaronite
> Levites. The Samaritans claim that their last true Kohen died childless
> several generations ago, and the job was passed on to the most senior Levite
> clan.
>
>  
That was my point. They are not Aaronites, but they are Levites, which 
puts their common ancestry back only a few generations.

> ...
>
>
> To me, the use of genetics to find "lost Jewish tribes" seems rediculous.
> Since when was Judaism (or any other faith) about genetics?
>
>  
This isn't an issue of faith, but of history. To me, at least.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/