,,are ,,we ,,of ,,israel8 ,,by ,,elder ,,george ,,reynolds ,israel shall blossom and bud and fill the world with fruit4--,isaiah4 ,,second ,,edition4 ,,geo4 ,q4 ,,cannon ,,sons ,,co4 ,,printers1 ,,salt ,,lake ,,city1 ,,utah1 #ahie4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,introductory--,the promises of ,god to ,abraham and his ,posterity--,the seed of ,joseph in ,america--,the ,journey of the ,ten ,tribes ,northward--,ephraim mixed with all ,nations--,testimony of ,prest4 ,brigham ,young4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,israel a ,maritime ,nation--,tyre and ,sidon--,the ,lacedemonians claim relationship with ,israel--,the ,ionians1 ,etrurians1 ,danes1 ,jutes1 etc4--,the various captivities of ,israel and ,judah--,media4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,land of the ,north--,jeremiah1 ,ether and ,esdras' ,testimonies--,the ,course of the ,israelites ,northward--,the ,jordan1 the ,don1 the ,danube1 etc4--,the ,land of ,msia and ,dacia-,the ,get ,zalmoxes4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,israel's ,journey ,northward--,esdras and ,modern ,revelation ,compared-,the ,testimony of ,jesus to the ,nephites--,ephraim to be gathered from all ,countries--,the ,coasts of the ,earth--,the ,ancestors of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,origin of the ,anglo-,saxons--,derivation of the ,word ,saxon--,the ,goths and ,vandals--,overthrow of the ,roman ,empire--,the ,mythology of the ,ancient ,scandinavians--,baldur--,their early ,literature4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,numerous ,identifications ,considered--,religion and ,laws of the ,ancient ,northern ,races--,free ,masonry--,language ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,salvation a ,gift to all--,god's ,covenant with ,abraham--,proselytes--,the ,dispersion--,conclusion4 ,,are ,,we ,,of ,,israel8 ,israel shall blossom and bud and fill the world with fruit--,isaiah4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,introductory--,the promises of ,god to ,abraham and his ,posterity--,the seed of ,joseph in ,america--,the journey of the ,ten ,tribes northward--,ephraim mixed with all nations-,the testimony of ,president ,brigham ,young4 ,the belief that the ,latter-day ,saints hold that the great majority of their number are of the house of ,israel1 and heirs to the promises made to ,abraham1 to ,isaac and to ,jacob1 like many other portions of their faith1 has received the ridicule of the unthinking and the contempt of the ungodly4 ,however1 it is not our present intention to answer such1 but to seek to adduce evidence outside of the sure word of modern revelation1 to prove that the ,latter-day ,saints have good reasons1 drawn from history and analogy1 for believing the words of their ,patriarchs who1 in blessing them1 pronounce them of the house of ,abraham and of the promised seed of ,jacob4 ,it is unnecessary to here quote all of the many gracious promises made by the great ,father of us all to ,his friend ,abraham1 and to that ,patriarch's immediate posterity1 as they are cherished by the ,saints as of more than earthly value1 as pearls beyond all price1 as sweet comforters in the day of trial1 and as strong towers of defense in the hour of temptation2 yet it may not be out of place to refresh our minds by the recital of a few of the most prominent1 that we may better comprehend the ideas and statements that follow after4 ,it is recorded 7,genesis xvii3 #d-g7 that the ,lord covenanted with ,abraham1 saying3 ,as for me1 behold1 my covenant is with thee1 and thou shalt be a father of many nations4 ,neither shall thy name any more be called ,abram1 but thy name shall be ,abraham2 for a father of many nations have ,i made thee4 ,and ,i will make thee exceeding fruitful1 and ,i will make nations of thee1 and kings shall come out of thee4 ,and ,i will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations1 for an everlasting covenant1 to be a ,god unto thee and to thy seed after thee4 ,again 7,genesis xxii3 #af-ah47 ,jehovah declares3 ,by myself have ,i sworn saith the ,lord1 for because thou hast done this thing1 and has not withheld thy son1 thine only son1 that in blessing ,i will bless thee1 and in multiplying ,i will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven1 and as the sand which is upon the sea shore2 and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies2 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed4 ,to ,isaac and to ,jacob were these glorious promises confirmed if possible in yet stronger wording4 7,genesis xxvi3 #d-aj2 xxviii3 #ad47 ,to the latter it was said3 ,and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth2 and thou shalt spread abroad to the west1 and to the east1 and to the north1 and to the south3 and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed4 ,the blessing of ,jacob upon his son ,joseph is doubtless so familiar to the majority of our readers1 that we shall simply quote the latter portion3 ,the blessings of thy father have prevailed1 above the blessings of my progenitors1 unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills4 ,they shall be upon the head of ,joseph1 and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brethren4 ,we will take but one step further in this direction4 ,jacob1 in blessing ,ephraim and ,manasseh1 the sons of ,joseph1 said3 7,gen4 xiviii3 #af47 ,let my name be named on them1 and the name of my fathers1 ,abraham and ,isaac2 and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth4 ,when ,joseph reminded the aged ,patriarch that his right hand was placed on the head of the younger boy1 he declared3 ,i know it1 my son1 ,i know it4 ,he 7,manasseh7 also shall become a people4 ,and he also shall be great4 ,but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he2 and his seed shall become a multitude of nations4 ,there are two points in these blessings that are very noteworthy4 ,the first1 that the seed of these ,patriarchs should become innumerable1 and grow to be a multitude of nations in the midst of the earth2 the second1 that in or through this seed all the nations and families of the earth should be blessed4 ,with ,abraham a covenant was made by the ,most ,high1 that he should become the father of many nations1 and when we have laid aside the descendants of ,ishmael--the ,arabians and their fellows1 who have grown into mighty multitudes1 and not even counted the posterity of the sons of ,keturah and of ,abraham's other wives1 yet in the one son ,isaac the promise is renewed1 his seed also is to multiply as the stars of heaven4 ,once again we will divide the posterity1 and leave unnoticed the dukes of ,edom and the other descendant of ,isaac's favorite son4 ,we will speak alone of ,jacob4 ,to him was repeated the divine promise3 ,thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth2 and again1 ,a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee4 ,here let us pause for a moment and ask1 are they whom the world regard as the only representatives of ,jacob today--the dispersed of ,judah--all that that holy man has to show as the fulfillment of so great a promise as the one last quoted8 ,we think not1 but believe that future research will vindicate prophecy1 and prove that the promises of the ,eternal are not cut short in their complete fulfillment4 ,we are well aware1 so great is the tendency of the races of the earth to mix and intermingle1 that the ,jews1 as well as many ,christians1 point to their continued existence as a distinct people1 as an unanswerable argument in favor of the divinity of their scriptures and the inspiration of their prophets4 ,but their history1 their exclusiveness1 their dispersion1 etc41 do not fulfill a vast number of the prophecies uttered with regard to ,israel4 ,yet when the history of all ,israel is written1 of ,ephraim as well as of ,judah1 we are satisfied that no portion of ,god's holy word will be found to have returned to ,his mouth unfulfilled1 and ,he will be as much glorified in the hiding up of the ,ten ,tribes and the mixing of ,ephraim among the nations1 as in the scattering of the sons and daughters of ,judah4 ,jacob had one son 7and he not the ancestor of the ,jews71 to whom these blessings were not only renewed1 but extended4 ,to ,joseph it is said that his blessings have prevailed above the blessings of his progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills1 while of ,joseph's younger son it was declared1 his seed shall be a multitude of nations4 ,thus we observe that with each succeeding heir to these choice blessings the promises seem to have grown1 extended and spread out4 ,to ,abraham it was promised that he should be the father of many nations2 to ,ephraim1 his grandson's grandson1 it was said of his seed1 his seed alone1 that it should become a multitude of nations4 ,where is that multitude of nations today8 is a pertinent question1 for ,god has promised it and they must exist4 ,the average student of history cannot answer this question4 ,he knows nothing of the posterity of ,ephraim2 they are hidden from his sight4 ,but the believer in the ,book of ,mormon will point to its record and declare that in the aborigines of ,north and ,south ,america and of many of the ,pacific isles1 we find the seed of ,joseph grown into a multitude of tribes1 peoples and nations4 ,we thankfully admit this truth1 we cannot contradict it did we wish to do so4 ,god has so revealed it1 and the external confirmatory evidences are growing stronger and more convincing every year4 ,yet another pertinent question here presents itself4 ,we understand1 from the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,lamanites to be of the house of ,manasseh2 that is their great father ,lehi and his sons1 the founders of the ,nephite and ,lamanite races1 were of that tribe4 ,if so1 his greatness does not fulfill the promises to ,ephraim1 who was to be greater than he4 ,surely the ,lord1 having so abundantly fulfilled ,his promise to the one brother1 has not forgotten ,his covenant with ,his first born4 ,but shall we be deemed inconsistent if we say that we do not think that the whole of that multitude of nations is found in the descendants of ,lehi1 of ,mulek and their companions4 ,is it supposable that the ,lord has confined the fulfillment of the promises to ,joseph 7whose blessings were to prevail above those of his progenitors71 to tribes who are today and the majority of which have been for fifteen hundred years--or one-quarter of this world's existence since mortals dwelt hereon--among the wildest1 the most degraded of mankind8 ,if so1 the descendants of those to whom no promises were made have enjoyed the greater blessings4 ,we contend that where ,israel is not under the ban of ,god's displeasure through his sins and follies1 he leads the world4 ,his sons are princes among men and the ministers of ,god's law to all people1 indeed that in him1 according to the oft repeated promise1 all the families of the earth will be blessed4 ,here we may be interrupted by our readers 7for it is ,latter-day ,saints we are addressing7 with the question if we have forgotten the ,ten ,tribes hidden by ,divine ,providence in the far off frozen regions of the north1 and environed by a belt of snow and ice so impenetrable that no man in modern days has reached them4 ,no1 we have not forgotten them1 and through them1 we believe1 as through ,lehi and others1 have the promises of ,god to ,jacob and ,joseph been partially fulfilled4 ,but we ask further1 is it altogether improbable that in that long journey of one and a half years1 as ,esdras states it1 from ,media1 the land of their captivity to the frozen north some of backsliding ,israel rebelled1 turned aside from the main body1 forgot their ,god1 by and by mingled with the ,gentiles and became the leaven to leaven with the promised seed all the nations of the earth8 ,the account given in the ,book of ,mormon of a single family of this same house1 its waywardness1 its stiffneckedness before ,god1 its internal quarrels and family feuds are1 we fear1 an example on a small scale of what most probably happened in the vast bodies of ,israelites who for so many months wended their tedious way northward4 ,laman and ,lemuel had1 no doubt1 many counterparts in the journeying ,ten ,tribes4 ,and who so likely to rebel as stubborn1 impetuous1 proud and warlike ,ephraim8 ,rebellion and backsliding have been so characteristically the story of ,ephraim's career that we can scarcely conceive that it could be otherwise and yet preserve the unities of that people's history4 ,can it be any wonder then that so much of the blood of ,ephraim has been found hidden and unknown in the midst of the nations of northern ,europe and other parts until the spirit of prophecy revealed its existence8 ,but before proceeding further in our research1 it may be well to insert the words of one having authority1 to the effect that the ,latter-day ,saints are of ,ephraim2 to adduce ideas and reasons to substantiate this statement will be our pleasure as we proceed4 ,president ,young delivered a discourse in the ,tabernacle1 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,april #hth1 #ahee1 from which the following are extracts3 ,the set time has come for ,god to gather ,israel1 and for his work to commence upon the face of the whole earth1 and the ,elders who have arisen in this ,church and kingdom are actually of ,israel4 ,take the ,elders who are now in this house1 and you can scarcely find one out of a hundred but what is of the house of ,israel4 ,it has been remarked that the ,gentiles have been cut off1 and ,i doubt whether another ,gentile ever comes into this church4 ,will we go to the ,gentile nations to preach the gospel8 ,yes1 and gather out the ,israelites wherever they are mixed among the nations of the earth4 ,what part or portion of them8 ,the same part or portion that redeemed the house of ,jacob and saved them from perishing with famine in ,egypt4 ,when ,jacob blessed the two sons of ,joseph1 'guiding his hands wittingly1' he placed his right hand upon ,ephraim1 'and he blessed ,joseph1 and said1 ,god1 before whom my fathers ,abraham and ,isaac did walk1 the ,god which fed me all my life long unto this day1 the ,angel which redeemed me from all evil1 bless the lads1' etc4 ,joseph was about to remove the old man's hands1 and bringing his right hand upon the head of the oldest boy1 saying1 ',not so1 my father2 for this is the firstborn2 put thy right hand upon his head4' ,and his father refused1 and said1 ',i know it1 my son1 ,i know it3 he also shall become a people1 and he also shall be great2 but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he1 and his seed shall become a multitude of nations4' ,ephraim has become mixed with all the nations of the earth1 and it is ,ephraim that is gathering together4 ,it is ,ephraim that ,i have been searching for all the days of my preaching1 and that is the blood which ran in my veins when ,i embraced the gospel4 ,if there are any of the other tribes of ,israel mixed with the ,gentiles we are also searching for them4 ,though the ,gentiles are cut off1 do not suppose that we are not going to preach the gospel among the ,gentile nations1 for they are mingled with the house of ,israel1 and when we send to the nations we do not seek for the ,gentiles1 because they are disobedient and rebellious4 ,we want the blood of ,jacob1 and that of his father ,isaac and ,abraham1 which runs in the veins of the people4 ,there is a particle of it here1 and another there1 blessing the nations as predicted4 ,take a family of ten children1 for instance1 and you may find nine of them purely of the ,gentile stock1 and one son or one daughter in that family who is purely of the blood of ,ephraim4 ,it was in the veins of the father or mother1 and was produced in the son or daughter1 while all the rest of the family are ,gentiles4 ,you may think that is singular1 but it is true4 ,it is the house of ,israel we are after1 and we care not whether they come from the east1 the west1 the north or the south2 from ,china1 ,russia1 ,england1 ,california1 ,north or ,south ,america1 or some other locality2 and it is the very lad on whom father ,jacob laid his hands1 that will save the house of ,israel4 ,the ,book of ,mormon came to ,ephraim1 for ,joseph ,smith was a pure ,ephraimite1 and the ,book of ,mormon was revealed to him1 and1 while he lived he made it his business to search for those who believed the gospel4 99 99 99 ,you understand who we are2 we are of the house of ,israel1 of the royal seed1 of the royal blood4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,israel a ,maritime ,nation--,tyre and ,sidon--,the ,lacedemonians ,claim ,relationship with ,israel-,the ,ionians1 ,etrurians1 ,danes1 ,jutes1 etc4--,the various ,captivities of ,israel and ,judah--,media4 ,the idea1 though not until lately widely diffused1 that many of the races inhabiting ,europe are impregnated with the blood of ,israel1 is by no means a new one4 ,many writers1 in their researches into the early history of that continent1 have been forcibly struck with the similarity that existed between the laws1 manners1 customs1 etc41 of the ancient inhabitants of its northern and northwestern portions and those of ancient ,israel4 ,these writers have endeavored to account for this peculiarity in two ways4 ,first by the supposition that ,israelitish colonies for various causes1 left the land of their inheritance and gradually worked themselves north and northwestward over ,europe2 and second1 by the argument that remnants or branches of the lost ,ten ,tribes had emigrated from ,media into ,europe1 and through the ignorance of historians1 disguised under other names1 they had remained unknown until the present1 their habits1 customs1 traditions1 etc41 having in the meanwhile become so greatly changed by time and circumstance1 as to render them unrecognizable at this late day4 ,we will take up the first of these ideas1 and present a few of the arguments advanced by those who support it4 ,it is asserted by them that ,israel early became a maritime nation1 that its location on the ,mediterranean ,sea admirably adapted its people for such pursuit4 ,by means of the ,red ,sea in its rear1 it also had undisturbed access to ,africa1 ,india1 and the isles beyond4 ,as early as the days of the ,judges 7say ,b4 ,c4 #a1cjj7 we find that ,deborah and ,barak1 in their song of triumph1 complain that ,dan came not up to the aid of ,israel in the hour of need1 but remained in his ships while his fellows were contending with ,sisera and his hosts4 ,why did ,dan remain in ship8 7,judges v3 #ag7 is the exact question asked4 ,this shows that thus early in ,israel's history it had commenced to hold commercial relations with its neighbors4,a ,the tribes whose inheritances bordered on the ,mediterranean1 commencing at the north1 were ,asher1 ,manasseh1 ,ephraim1 ,dan and ,simeon4 ,asher's inheritance lay contiguous to the great ports of ,tyre and ,sidon1 while ,simeon's bordered on ,egypt1 and contained within its confines other seaports of the ,philistines or ,phnicians1 to whom1 we think1 profane writers have given credit for many of the commercial ventures undertaken by the ,israelites4 ,footnote ,a3 ,we have seen a translation of an ancient ,danish history1 in which it is asserted that ,angul of ,issacher1 a brother of ,tola1 who judged ,israel about #a1bbe years ,b4,c41 invaded ,england1 and was assisted by ,tola in so doing4 ,in the name of ,angul we find another derivation of the word ,angleland 7,england74 ,it must not be supposed that these maritime tribes were the only ones that would be found spreading abroad4 ,the members of the various tribes did not strictly confine themselves to the boundaries assigned their tribe by ,joshua1 but they intermingled for trade1 etc41 and many men of other tribes resided within the borders of ,judah's inheritance1 and vice versa4 ,we have a notable example of this 7,b4 ,c4 #fjj7 in the case of ,lehi and ,laban1 who were of the seed of ,joseph1 yet were residents of ,jerusalem1 and ,nephi incidentally remarks that his father1 ,lehi1 had dwelt in that city all his days4 ,the children of ,ephraim1 from their great enterprise and force of character1 seem to have early spread1 not only among other tribes1 but also into foreign nations1 notably to ,egypt1 and the anger of the ,lord is repeatedly expressed through ,his prophets at ,his people's disregard of ,his law in mixing with the heathen4 ,in ,isaiah's time1 ,ephraim had1 like a silly dove1 mingled himself among the people to the displeasure of his ,god4 ,but it was not only for trade and commerce that ,israel spread abroad2 her children were sometimes forced to foreign lands against their will4 ,two hundred years before ,lehi left ,jerusalem1 the ,lord upbraided ,tyre and ,sidon through ,joel his servant 7,joel iii3 #f71 telling them1 among other things1 ,the children also of ,judah1 and the children of ,jerusalem have ye sold unto the ,grecians or ,gentiles1 that ye might remove them far from their border4 ,here we obtain a glimpse of the policy of these two cities2 they sought to weaken ,israel by deporting her children as captives to other nations afar off1 and with true commercial instincts endeavored to make the transaction a profitable one4 ,and if ,judah and ,jerusalem1 at the other end of the land1 thus suffered at the hands of ,tyre and her sister city1 is it not a certainty that other tribes1 living nearer1 would suffer from this same cause1 and probably more severely8 ,we are of the opinion that this wholesale slave trade of the ,phnicians is greatly under-estimated as a factor in the diffusion of ,israelitish blood throughout the world4 ,so great was the number of slaves held by these people1 that at one time in their chief city1 the slaves exceeded the freemen in number1 and their maritime enterprise was such that they established colonies or depots on all the islands of the ,mediterranean ,sea1 in ,france1 ,spain1 ,italy1 ,britain1 and probably in ,germany4 ,the whole coast of northern ,africa was studded with their colonies1 which they carried south as far as ,timbuctoo and the ,niger1 while by way of the ,red ,sea they reached eastern ,africa1 ,persia1 ,india1 and some suppose ,china2 in fact1 they traded with1 and established colonies all over the then known world4,b ,footnote ,b3 ,although the ancient ,jews were mainly an agricultural nation the geographical position of ,palestine and the contiguity of some of the tribes of ,israel to the ,mediterranean ,sea1 induced the ,jewish people to make common cause of their friendly neighbors1 the sea faring ,phoenicians4 ,there were two causes which conduced to render the ,jews well acquainted with navigation on high seas4 ,many of them were carried away as captives in their frequent1 and often unsuccessful1 warfare with more powerful nations4 ,the prisoners of war were forced to serve on land and sea4 ,allusions to redeemed prisoners1 returning from the ,islands of the ,sea and from the four corners of the earth1 occur in many parts of the ,hebrew ,scripture and the experiences of the ,jews in sea voyages are graphically depicted in the ,bible 7,psalm #ajg74 ,then there were missionary voyages of the ,jews for the inculcation of monotheistic teachings4 ,the ,jewish missionaries visited many lands across the sea1 as is attested in many parts of the prophetic writings4 ,allusions to a life on the ocean and to the unpleasant experiences of sea-sickness occur in several places in the scriptures together with magnificent representations of the wondrous sights of mid-ocean4 ,such descriptions were not borrowed from alien and pagan nations for the simple reason that the admirers of ,god's marvelous work on the sea are mentioned as coming home from their perilous expeditions and praising ,god's glory in the midst of their own people4 ,the distribution of the ,jews in many sea-girt places of the ,gentiles is often mentioned in the ,hebrew ,bible and bears evidence to the sea-faring habits of many ,jewish families2 ,david's conquest of ,ezeon-,gaber2 the greatest sea-port in ,southern ,arabia1 was followed by other kings1 ,jewish and non-,jewish1 who coveted the possession of that harbor4 ,the history of ,king ,solomon's alliance with the ,phoenician ,king ,hiram is given in the ,book of ,kings4 ,the building of merchant-men in ,ezeon-,gaber and the voyages undertaken by the ,jewish mariners could not be merely legendary seeing that even in the latter days when the ,romans attacked the ,jews the latter had numerous ships and seamen on the inland seas4 ,on this subject we find many notices in the works of ,josephus and in parts of the ,new ,testament4--,dr4 ,lowry4 ,it is also a remarkable fact that a few hundred years after ,joel had delivered his message of condemnation to ,tyre and ,sidon1 that the people of one of these ,grecian states1 the ,lacedemonians or ,spartans1 claimed relationship with ,israel as children of ,abraham1 and had their claim allowed1 and still more remarkable in the light of poetical justice1 that these ,lacedemonians were the ones used by ,alexander the ,great in the destruction of ,tyre1 and in the fulfillment of the words of the ,lord through ,joel3 ,behold ,i will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them1 and will return your recompense upon your own head 7,joel iii3#g74 ,it would appear that the sons destroyed the cities that had sold their fathers into captivity4 ,the fact that these ,lacedemonians did claim kindred with ,israel1 is narrated both by ,josephus and the author of the ,first ,book of ,maccabees4 ,the writers of both histories give a synopsis of the letter sent by ,oreus1 king of the ,lacedemonians1 to ,onias1 the ,high ,priest of ,israel4 ,the two accounts agree very closely4 ,josephus gives the opening clause of the king's letter in these terms3 ,we have met with a certain writing whereby we have discovered that both ,jews and ,lacedemonians are of one stock1 and are derived from the kindred of ,abraham4 ,in the book of ,maccabees it runs as follows3 ,it is found in writing that the ,spartans and ,jews are brethren1 and come out of the generation of ,abraham4 7,i ,mac4 xii47 ,the ,jews admitted the relationship in a letter full of sentiments of friendship and brotherhood1 sent by a special embassy to the ,spartan court4 ,this letter is given in full in ,i4 ,maccabees1 chap4 xii4 ,in neither history is any hint given as to which branch of ,abraham's family the records showed that the ,lacedemonians belonged1 but from their rigid virtue and honesty1 and their near approach to the united order in their daily lives1 it is presumable that they had not been long separate from a people in whose midst the law of the true ,god was known and observed4 ,it being thus admitted that the people of one ,grecian state were of the family of ,abraham1 students of history have endeavored to trace ,israel to other parts4 ,the inhabitants of the ,ionian commonwealth1 one of the most enterprising communities of ancient ,greece1 are claimed to have been of ,israelitish stock1 the most weighty argument used in the advocacy of this idea is the great similarity that existed between their laws and customs and those of the ,jews4 ,attention is especially drawn to the fact that the ,ionians were divided from choice1 and not from the force of circumstances or geographical position1 into twelve communities1 corresponding with the twelve tribes of ,israel4 ,the same argument is advanced regarding the ,etrurians who were among the earliest settlers in ,italy1 and who1 tradition states1 emigrated from ,tyre or its neighborhood4 ,they also were divided into twelve communities or states1 but all under one king4 ,admitting that these two nationalities were of the outcasts of ,israel1 there is no difficulty in understanding how the children of ,jacob spread abroad over all the coasts of ,europe and northern ,africa1 as they were 7especially the ,ionians7 renowned for enterprise at sea1 the last named being the first people among the ,greeks to undertake long voyages4 ,more than one author has advanced the idea that the ,welsh are of the tribe of ,manasseh1 some vague traditions of that people being thought to point in that direction2 it has also been asserted that the ,irish are of that tribe4 ,from this idea we differ4 ,with greater show of reason it has been claimed that ,denmark was colonized by the tribe of ,dan 7in ,danish it is ,danmark1 or ,dan's land1 to this day71 so1 according to this1 a ,dane is simply a ,danite4 ,jutland1 adjoining1 is regarded as ,judah's land1 ,jute being considered merely another form of the word ,jew2 while a little further north we find ,gottland1 ,gothland1 or ,gad's land1 as these writers believe1 thus tracing in immediate proximity the homes of three prominent tribes of ,israel through the names given to the regions they settled in4 ,some who1 of late years1 have made the subject of ,israel's identification their study1 have gone almost to the verge of the ridiculous in the minuteness with which they have endeavored to fix the boundaries of the lands which1 they assert1 were occupied by descendants of the different tribes4 ,our position is the ,biblical or prophetical one1 that ,ephraim has mixed himself with the nations2 theirs1 that remnants of all the tribes can be localized and their descendants determined with the same certainty as the posterity of those races who have never in ,god's providences1 and for the accomplishment of ,his purposes1 been lost4 ,one set of these enquirers claim to have made the following discoveries4 ,they have traced the tribe of ,dan to the north of ,ireland and of ,scotland2 ,simeon to ,wales2 ,naphtali1 as ,jutes1 to ,kent2 ,gad and ,asher1 as ,angles and ,south ,angles1 to ,mercia and ,east ,anglia in ,england2 ,ephraim to ,northumberland and as far north as ,edinburgh2 ,manasseh to the north of ,england2 ,reuben as ,east ,saxons1 to ,essex2 ,zebulon1 as ,west ,saxons1 to ,wessex2 ,issacher1 as ,south ,saxons1 to ,sussex2 all these last named places being in ,england4 ,there is another cause that many believe led to the migration of certain families of ,israel and ,judah4 ,before the final captivity of either kingdom was brought about there were several partial deportations of the people to ,assyria and ,babylon1 or local captivities4 ,assyria commenced by carrying off the inhabitants nearest her dominions and gradually extended her incursions4 ,the captivity of ,judah was still later4 ,in the interval1 it is argued1 that many ,israelites1 believing in the words of the prophets and seeing the evils that were coming upon them1 migrated to ,egypt1 ,greece1 or other convenient lands2 some1 doubtless1 led1 as were ,lehi and the son of ,zedekiah1 by the revelation and commandment of ,god1 others simply following the inclinations of their own feelings4 ,as abundant proof that many were led by ,god from the land of promise before the days of the captivity we have the words of ,nephi3 ,for it appears that the house of ,israel1 sooner or later1 will be scattered upon all the face of the earth1 and also among all nations1 and behold there are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at ,jerusalem4 ,yea1 the more part of all the tribes have been led away2 and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea2 and whither they are1 none of us knoweth1 save that we know that they have been led away4 ,and since they have been led away1 these things have been prophesied concerning them1 and also concerning all those who shall hereafter be scattered and be confounded4 ,also the testimony of his brother ,jacob3 ,and now1 my beloved brethren1 seeing that our merciful ,god has given us so great knowledge1 concerning these things1 let us remember ,him1 and lay aside our sins1 and not hang down our heads1 for we are not cast off2 nevertheless1 we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance2 but we have been led to a better land1 for the ,lord has made the sea our path1 and we are upon an isle of the sea4 ,but great are the promises of the ,lord unto they who are upon the isles of the sea2 wherefore as it says isles1 there must needs be more than this1 and they are inhabited also by our brethren4 ,for behold1 the ,lord ,god has led away from time to time from the house of ,israel1 according to ,his will and pleasure4 ,and now behold1 the ,lord remembereth all they who have been broken off1 wherefore ,he remembereth us also4 ,that we may better understand the various partial and subsequent general captivities of ,israel and ,judah1 the following short statement thereof is here inserted4 ,the dates given are those of the commonly accepted chronology3 ,pul1 or ,sardanapalus1 imposed a tribute on ,menahen1 king of ,israel1 about #ggj ,b4 ,c4 ,tiglath ,pileser carried away the tribes living east of the ,jordan and in ,galilee1 ,b4 ,c4 #gdj4 ,shalamaneser twice invaded the kingdom of ,israel1 took ,samaria1 after three years' siege1 and carried the people captive to ,assyria ,b4 ,c4 #gba4 ,sennacherib 7,b4 ,c4 #gac7 is stated to have carried #bjj1jjj captives into ,assyria from the ,jewish cities that he captured4 ,nebuchadnezzar1 in the first half of his reign 7,b4 ,c4 #fje-efb71 repeatedly invaded ,judea1 besieged ,jerusalem and carried its inhabitants to ,babylon4 ,the next question that presents itself is1 to what portion of the land of ,assyria were the ,israelitish captives taken4 ,scripture has not left us in the dark on this point4 ,both the book of ,chronicles 7,i ,chron4 v3 #bf7 and the book of ,kings 7,,ii ,kings xxvii3 #f7 give us the needed information4 ,in the latter book it is stated 7and the statement in the book of ,chronicles is almost identical therewith71 that the king of ,assyria carried ,israel away captive into ,assyria1 and placed them in ,halah1 and in ,harbor1 by the river of ,gozan1 and in the cities of the ,medes4 ,media1 the land of the ,medes1 lay to the north of ,assyria proper1 embracing the country lying on the southern border of the ,caspian ,sea1 as far west as the ,river ,araxes4 ,the exact location of ,halah and ,harbor has long since been lost sight of and the only river that to-day1 in name1 bears any affinity to the ,gozan is the ,kuzal ,ozan1 which empties into the ,caspian ,sea to the south-east of the ,araxes4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,land of the ,north--,jeremiah1 ,ether and ,esdras' ,testimonies-,the course of the ,israelites ,northward--,the ,jordan1 the ,don1 the ,danube1 etc4--,the ,land of ,msia and ,dacia--,the ,cetae--,zalmoxes4 ,having traced the ,ten ,tribes to ,media1 the next question is1 what has become of them1 for they are not to be found in that land today4 ,many attempts have1 at various times1 been made to discover the ,ten ,tribes of ,israel as a distinct community1 but all have failed4 ,josephus 7,antiquities xi7 believed that in his day they dwelt in large multitudes somewhere beyond the ,euphrates1 in ,asareth1 but ,asareth was an unknown land to him4 ,rabbinical traditions and fables1 committed to writing in the middle ages1 assert the same fact1 with many wonderful amplifications4 ,the imaginations of certain ,christian writers have sought them in the neighborhood of their last recorded habitation4 ,jewish features have been traced in the ,affghan tribes2 statements are made occasionally of ,jewish colonies in ,china1 ,thibet and ,hindostan 7the ,beni-,israel71 while the ,black ,jews1 of ,malabar1 claim affinity with ,israel4 ,but none of these people would1 in any but the slightest degree1 fill the place accorded in the prophecies to ,ephraim and his fellows4 ,the fact that ,james the ,apostle opens his epistle with the following words1 has been adduced as an argument that the condition of the ,ten ,tribes was known to the early ,christians3 ,james1 a servant of ,god and of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 to the twelve tribes who are scattered abroad1 greeting4 ,but it would rather convey the idea to our mind that the epistle was addressed to those of the houses of ,israel and ,judah1 who1 for the various reasons before cited1 and which by that time had multiplied1 had wandered into ,egypt1 ,greece1 ,rome and other parts of the earth1 and not to those whom ,god had hidden to fulfill more completely ,his promises to the ,patriarchs4 ,we have before stated that the ,latter-day ,saints believe that the ,ten ,tribes still exist1 and that their home is in the far north4 ,that they still exist is absolutely necessary to fulfill the unfailing promises of ,jehovah to ,israel1 and to all mankind4 ,the presence of the remnants of ,judah1 in every land today1 is an uncontrovertable testimony that the covenant made with ,abraham has not been abrogated or annulled4 ,the vitality of the ,jewish race is proverbial1 and can we reasonably expect that when one branch of a tree shows such native strength1 that the other branches will not be proportionately vital8 ,is it not more consistent to believe that1 as the ,jewish race under the curse of the ,almighty and suffering centuries of persecution1 still survives1 so is it with the rest of ,jacob's seed1 rather than that they1 ages ago1 were blotted out of earthly existence8 ,the belief that the ,latter-day ,saints hold that these tribes are residents of the northern regions of the earth1 is sustained by a cloud of scriptural witnesses of ancient and modern days1 to whom we now appeal4 ,our first witness shall be the ,prophet ,jeremiah4 ,in the third chapter of his prophecies we find the ,lord rebuking both ,israel and ,judah for their treachery and backsliding1 yet still proclaiming ,his long-suffering and mercy to ,his covenant people4 ,he then gives command to the ,prophet1 saying3 ,go and proclaim these words towards the north1 and say1 return thou1 backsliding ,israel1 saith the ,lord1 and' ,i will not cause mine anger to fall upon you2 for ,i am merciful saith the ,lord and ,i will not keep anger forever4 99 99 99 ,in those days the latter days the house of ,judah shall walk with the house of ,israel1 and they shall come together out of the land of the north to this land that ,i have given for an inheritance to your fathers4 ,again1 in speaking of the mighty works accompanying the final glorious restoration of the house of ,jacob1 the same prophet declares3 ,therefore1 behold1 the days come1 saith the ,lord1 that they shall no more say1 the ,lord liveth which brought up the children of ,israel out of the land of ,egypt1 but the ,lord liveth which brought up and which led the seed of the house of ,israel out of the north country1 and from all countries whither ,i had driven them1 and they shall dwell in their own land4 7,jeremiah xxiii74 ,again it is written 7,jeremiah xxxi73 ,for thus saith the ,lord1 ,sing with gladness for ,jacob1 and shout among the chief of the nations2 publish ye1 praise ye1 and say1 ,o1 ,lord save thy people1 the remnant of ,israel4 ,behold ,i will bring them from the north country and gather them from the coasts of the earth 99 99 99 ,i am a father to ,israel1 and ,ephraim is my first born4 ,we will turn for a moment from the ,asiatic to the ,american continent4 ,there we find ,ether1 the ,jaredite1 about #fjj years ,b4 ,c41 prophesying of the latter days3 ,and then also cometh the ,jerusalem of old2 and the inhabitants thereof1 blessed are they1 for they have been washed in the blood of the ,lamb2 and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth1 and from the north countries and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which ,god made with their father ,abraham4 ,but the most definite word on this subject given by any of the ancient writers of the ,asiatic continent is contained in ,esdras1 a book of the ,apocrypha 7,,ii ,esdras xiii74 ,therein is given a dream and its interpretation showing forth the works and the power of the ,son of ,god4 ,it is to ,him and ,his gathering of the people together that the ,prophet refers4 ,the verses more particularly bearing on our subject read as follows3 #ci4 ,and whereas thou sawest that ,he gathered another peaceable people unto ,him4 #dj4 ,those are the ,ten ,tribes which were carried away captives out of their own land in the time of ,oseas the king whom ,salmanaser the king of the ,assyrians took captive1 and crossed them beyond the river2 so were they brought into another land4 #da4 ,but they took this counsel to themselves1 that they would leave the multitude of the heathen1 and go forth unto a further country where never man dwelt1 #db4 ,that they might there keep their statutes which they never kept in their own land4 #dc4 ,and they entered in at the narrow passages of the ,river ,euphrates4 #dd4 ,for the ,most ,high then showed them signs1 and stayed the springs of the flood till they were passed over4 #de4 ,for through the country there was great journey1 even of a year and a half1 and the same region is called ,arsareth 7or ,ararath74 #df4 ,then dwelt they there until the latter time1 and when they come forth again1 #dg4 ,the ,most ,high shall hold still the springs of the river again that they may go through2 therefore sawest thou the multitude peaceable4 ,the statements of ,esdras throw considerable light upon the reasons why the captives in ,media preferred not to return to their ancient home in ,canaan2 supposing always that that privilege had been accorded to them as well as to the captives of the house of ,judah4 ,in their home of promise they had seldom kept the counsels and commandments of ,god and if they returned it was probable they would not do any better1 especially as the ,assyrians had filled their land with heathen colonists whose influence would not assist them to carry out their new resolutions4 ,hence they determined to go to a country where never man dwelt1 that they might be free from all contaminating influences4 ,that country could only be found in the north4 ,southern ,asia was already the seat of a comparatively ancient civilization4 ,egypt flourished in ,northern ,africa and ,southern ,europe was rapidly filling with the future rulers of the world4 ,they had1 therefore1 no choice but to turn their faces northward4 ,the first portion of their journey was not however north2 according to the account of ,esdras1 they appear to have at first moved in the direction of their old homes1 and it is possible that they originally started with the intention of returning thereto1 or probably in order to deceive the ,assyrians they started as if to return to ,canaan1 and when they had crossed the ,euphrates1 and were out of danger from the hosts of the ,medes and ,persians1 then they turned their journeying feet toward the polar star4 ,esdras states that they entered in at the narrow passage of the river ,euphrates1 the ,lord staying the springs of the flood until they were passed over4 ,the point on the ,river ,euphrates at which they crossed would necessarily be in its upper portion1 as lower down would be too far south for their purpose4 ,the upper course of the ,euphrates lies among lofty mountains and near the village of ,pastash1 it plunges through a gorge formed by precipices more than a thousand feet in height and so narrow that it is bridged at the top2 it shortly afterwards enters the plains of ,mesopotamia4 ,how accurately this portion of the river answers the description of ,esdras of the narrows1 where the ,israelites crossed6 ,from the ,euphrates the wandering host could take but one course in their journey northward1 and that was along the back or eastern shore of the ,black ,sea4 ,all other roads were impassable to them1 as the ,caucassian range of mountains with only two or three passes throughout its whole extent1 ran as a lofty barrier from the ,black to the ,caspian ,sea4 ,to go east would take them back to ,media1 and a westward journey would carry them through ,asia ,minor to the coasts of the ,mediterranean4 ,skirting along the ,black ,sea1 they would pass the ,caucassian range1 cross the ,kuban ,river1 be prevented by the ,sea of ,azof from turning westward and would soon reach the present home of the ,don ,cossacks4 ,it is asserted1 on good authority1 that along this route and for an immense distance northward1 the country is full of tombs of great antiquity1 the construction of which1 the way in which the dead are buried therein1 and the jewelry1 curiosities1 etc41 found on opening them1 prove that they were built by a people of similar habits to the ,israelites4 ,dr4 ,clark1 a well-known traveler1 states that he counted more than ninety such mounds at one view near the ,kuban ,river4 ,we will here digress1 and give some of the ideas of a writer on the ,israelitish origin of the nations of modern ,europe 7,mr4 ,j4 ,wilson71 though in our own words4 ,he endeavors to prove that ,israel traveled north-westward from the neighborhood last spoken of1 and claims that the names of all the principal rivers1 in the regions round about1 show that colonists from the ,holy ,land gave them4 ,the ,jordan was distinctively the ,river of ,canaan as the ,nile was of ,egypt4 ,the word ,jordan is by some claimed to mean flowing1 by others the ,river of ,eden4 ,there was also the ,dedan or ,dan 7el ,leddan7 flowing into it2 which would lead to the supposition that the word ,dan had some connection with ,israelitish rivers not now understood4 ,suffice it1 the exiles doubtless carried with them many hallowed recollections of their ancient river1 which it was but natural they should seek to perpetuate as they journeyed farther and farther from its waters and from their long-cherished home4 ,as a result we find in south-eastern ,europe the ,don1 the ,daniz or ,donitz1 the ,daneiper and ,daniester 7now contracted to ,dneiper and ,dniester7 and the ,danube4 ,the conclusions of the writer already referred to are that ,israel gradually drifted westward to the region known to secular history as ,msia and ,dacia1 the one north and the other south of the ,danube1 and called by modern ,english speaking people1 ,roumania and ,bulgaria4 ,to further strengthen his theory he claims that ,msia means the land of ,moses1 and ,dacia the land of ,david 7after ,israel's shepherd king71 and that the people of the latter kingdom were called the ,davi4 ,in this country dwelt also the ,get 7a ,latinized form of ,gad7 who1 some historians assert1 were the forefathers of the ,goths1 of whom we shall speak again hereafter4 ,the historian ,herodotus1 in recounting the conquest of his people by ,darius states1 that the ,get believed themselves to be immortal2 and whenever one dies1 they believe that he is removed to the presence of their god ,zamoxis 7,zalmoxis7 99 99 99 and they sincerely believe that there is no other deity4 ,he also states that this god left them the institutions of their religion in books4 ,mr4 ,wilson directs attention to this idea of only one ,god1 so different to the ,pantheism of the surrounding peoples1 and that of man's immortality as tending to prove the ,israelitish origin of the ,gat1 particularly as in analyzing the word ,zalmoxis he finds it to be composed of ,za1 el1 ,moses4 ,if his facts be correct1 his conclusions are warranted1 but of his facts we express no opinion4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,israel's ,journey ,northward--,esdras and ,modern ,revelation ,compared--,the ,testimony of ,jesus to the ,nephites--,ephraim to be ,gathered from all ,countries--,the ,coasts of the ,earth--,the ,ancestors of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,having considered the causes that led the outcasts of ,israel to determine to seek a home in a new and uninhabited land1 we may be excused if we endeavor to follow them in fancy in their journey northward4 ,we have no way of accurately estimating their numbers1 but if the posterity of all those who were carried into captivity started on this perilous journey1 they must have formed a mighty host4 ,necessarily they moved slowly4 ,they were encumbered with the aged and infirm1 the young and the helpless1 with flocks and herds1 and weighed down with provisions and household utensils4 ,roads had to be made1 bridges built1 and the course marked out and decided by their leaders4,a ,inasmuch as they had turned to the ,lord and were seeking a new home wherein they could the better serve ,him1 they were doubtless guided by inspired leaders1 who1 by ,urim and ,thummim1 or through dreams and visions1 pointed out the paths ahead4 ,perhaps1 as in the days of the deliverance from ,egypt1 a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night guided their footsteps2 no matter the means1 the end was accomplished1 and slowly and gradually they neared the frozen regions of the ,arctic zone4 ,the distance in a direct line from the conjectured crossing of the ,euphrates to the coasts of the ,arctic ,ocean1 would be about #b1hjj miles1 or a seven months' journey1 averaging fifteen miles a day4 ,but according to ,esdras1 one year and a half was consumed in the journey1 which is an evidence that they were encumbered with families and cattle1 who could only travel slowly and for whom many resting places had to be found where they could recuperate4 ,it is highly probable that1 like modern ,israel in its journey westward to the valleys of ,ephraim1 they planted temporary colonies by the way4 ,where the weary rested and crops were raised for future use4 ,the length of the journey had its advantages as well as its drawbacks4 ,the slow rate at which they traveled enabled them to become acclimatized to the rigors of the frigid zone4 ,we must recollect that we are dealing with a people cradled in the burning sands of ,egypt1 and who1 for many generations1 had dwelt in one of the most balmy and genial climates on this globe4 ,their temporary sojourn in the bleaker regions near the ,caspian ,sea had partially prepared them for that which was to come1 but it required time to give them the capability to endure the rigors of a northern climate1 as they were1 by ancestry and location1 distinctively children of the sunny south4 ,footnote ,a3 ,jesus distinctly states to the ,nephites1 that these tribes were led by the ,father out of the land4 ,no doubt1 as the hosts of ,israel advanced1 the change in the climate1 the difference in the length of the days and nights1 the altered appearance of the face of the country1 and the newness1 to them1 of many of its animal and vegetable productions1 struck them with amazement1 perhaps with terror1 causing some of the weak-kneed to falter and tarry by the way4 ,these defections probably increased as the changes became more apparent and the toils of the journey grew more severe4 ,but what must have been their sensations when they came in view of the limitless ,arctic ,ocean1 if the climatic conditions were the same as those which exist today2 of which1 however1 there is perhaps some reason to doubt4 ,no matter whether they drew nigh unto it in winter or in summer1 the prospect must have been appalling to the bravest heart not sustained by the strongest and most undeviating faith in the promises of ,jehovah4 ,supposing they reached the northern confines of the ,european continent in summer1 they were in a land where the snow is almost perpetual1 and scarcely else but mosses grow4 ,before them was a troubled ocean of unknown width1 every step they advanced took them further north into greater extremes of cold4 ,well might they question1 if so little is here produced for the food of man and beast1 how will it be yet further northward8 ,must we perish of hunger8 ,if1 on the other hand1 they approach the frozen shores of this unexplored waste of waters in the gloom of the long night of an ,arctic winter1 with the intense cold freezing to their very blood1 their feelings of dread must have been yet more intense4 ,no wonder if some turned aside1 declared they would go no further1 and gradually wandered back through northern ,europe to more congenial climes4 ,again it may be asked1 how did this unnumbered host cross this frigid ocean to their present hiding place8 ,on this point both history and revelation are silent4 ,the ,arctic ,ocean was no narrow neck of the great waters like the ,red ,sea1 with the mountains of the opposite shore full in view4 ,no1 it spread out before them eternally--north1 east and west1 with no inviting shore in sight beyond4 ,yet despite all this1 they did cross it1 but how1 we know not--perhaps on the ice of winter1 perhaps the ,lord threw up a highway or divided the waters as he did aforetime1 that they passed through dry shod4 ,but we must abide ,his time1 when this and other secrets of their history shall be revealed4 ,since penning the foregoing ideas1 we have been informed that certain ancient ,scandinavian legends entirely agree with our theory4 ,we understand that these legends state that the ,ten ,tribes1 in their journey northward1 erected at various points1 on prominent mountain heights and such like1 monuments or heaps of stones1 so that if they determined to return they might have some guides on the road back to the ,euphrates4 ,these same traditions state that colonies of the very young and infirm1 as well as of the wayward and rebellious1 were left by the wayside1 and from these colonies the fathers of the ,norsemen sprang4 ,these legends1 in time became crystalized1 and make their appearance as verities in the traditional histories of the nations of northern ,europe4 ,esdras says that he was shown that they abode in this north country until the latter time1 when they were to come forth again1 a great multitude1 to add to the glory of ,messiah's kingdom4 ,this statement agrees with the word of modern revelation to which we now draw attention4 ,more than half a century ago the ,lord1 through ,joseph ,smith1 in speaking of the lost ,ten ,tribes1 says3 7,doc4 and ,cov41 ,revelation called the ,appendix74 ,they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the ,lord1 and their prophets shall hear ,his voice1 and shall no longer stay themselves1 and they shall smite the rocks and the ice shall flow down at their presence4 ,and an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep4,b ,their enemies shall become a prey unto them1 and in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water2 and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land4 ,and they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of ,ephraim1 my servants4 ,and the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence4 ,and they shall fall down and be crowned with glory1 even in ,zion1 by the hands of the servants of the ,lord1 even the children of ,ephraim4 ,footnote ,b3 ,query-,the ,arctic and ,north ,atlantic ,oceans4 ,it is very evident from the above quotation that ,ephraim1 or at least a large portion of that tribe1 had at some period of his history1 separated from the rest of the tribes of ,israel1 and at the time of this restitution was to dwell in a land far from the north country in which the residue were hidden4 ,these tribes are to have the frozen barriers of the north melted1 so that the ice shall flow down1 then a highway is to be cast up for them1 in the midst of the great deep1 next they cross barren deserts and a thirsty land and eventually arrive with their rich treasures at the home of ,ephraim1 the first born of ,god of the house of ,israel1 to be crowned with glory at his hands4 ,we must now draw the attention of our readers to certain extracts from the ,book of ,mormon1 which show that at the time of our ,savior's visit to this continent1 ,ephraim and the ,ten ,tribes dwelt neither on this land nor on the land of ,jerusalem4 ,jesus says3 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,i have other sheep which are not of this land nor in the land of ,jerusalem1 neither in any parts of that land1 round about whither ,i have been to minister4 ,but they of whom ,i speak have not as yet heard my voice1 neither have ,i at any time manifested myself unto them2 but ,i have received a commandment of the ,father that ,i should go unto them and they shall be numbered among my sheep1 and there shall be one fold and one shepherd1 therefore ,i go to show myself unto them4 ,and ,i command you that ye shall write these sayings1 after ,i am gone1 that if it be so that my people at ,jerusalem1 they who have seen me1 and been with me in my ministry1 do not ask the ,father in my name that they may receive a knowledge of you by the ,holy ,ghost1 and also of the other tribes that they know not of1 that these sayings which ye shall write shall be kept1 and shall be manifested unto the ,gentiles1 that through the fullness of the ,gentiles the remnant of their seed who shall be scattered forth upon the face of the earth1 because of their unbelief1 may be brought to a knowledge of me1 their ,redeemer4 ,and then will ,i gather them in from the four quarters of the earth2 and then will ,i fulfill the covenant which the ,father hath made unto all the people of the house of ,israel4 7,,iii4 ,nephi1 chap4 xvi47 ,the statement of ,jesus above cited1 that the ,ten ,tribes did not dwell in the land of ,jerusalem either in any parts of that land round about1 effectually disposes of the theory of ,josephus and others1 that they dwelt near the river ,euphrates4 ,the reason why the ,jews had lost sight of their brethren of the house of ,israel is explained by ,jesus in the same chapter of the ,book of ,mormon as that from which the above quotation is taken4 ,he states3 ,the other tribes hath the ,father separated from them the ,jews2 and it is because of their iniquity that they knew not of them4 ,some have imagined that it was unscriptural to look for ,israel except in three places3 ,the scattered ,jews in all the world1 the ,lamanites on this continent1 and the ,ten ,tribes in ,azareth4 ,but we claim that we have abundant reason from scripture to expect to find the seed of ,joseph as well as that of ,judah in every nation under heaven4 ,the prophecies recorded in the ,old ,testament expressly state that ,israel1 especially ,ephraim1 was to be scattered among all people4 ,how completely they were to be scattered is shown by the following prophecies3 ,hosea 7xiii3 #c7 in rebuking ,ephraim's idolatry in the name of the ,lord1 says3 ,therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passeth away1 as the chaff that is driven by the whirlwind out of the floor1 and as the smoke out of the chimney4 ,amos 7ix3 #h1 #i7 states3 ,behold the eyes of the ,lord are upon the sinful kingdom of ,israel1 and ,i will destroy it from off the face of the earth2 saving that ,i will not utterly destroy the house of ,jacob1 saith the ,lord4 ,for1 lo1 ,i will command1 and ,i will sift the house of ,israel among all nations1 like as corn is sifted in a sieve1 yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth4 ,could any scattering be more complete8 ,we are directly told that the ,lord will bring ,his sons 7,ephraim still being ,his first-born7 from afar and ,his daughters from the ends of the earth4 ,it is further said that ,he will gather ,his ,israel--not from the north alone--but from the north and from the south1 from the east and from the west1 and bring them to ,zion2 and that ,he 7the ,lord7 will gather them from all countries 7not ,america nor the polar regions only1 but all countries7 in which ,he had scattered them2 among other places from the coasts of the earth4 ,how apt a description is this last sentence of the lands from which the great bulk of modern ,israel have been gathered4 ,from the coasts of the ,atlantic ,ocean1 from the coasts of the ,north and ,baltic ,seas1 they have come to ,zion by tens of thousands4 ,president ,brigham ,young stated in the discourse quoted in a previous chapter1 that ninety-nine out of every hundred of the ,elders of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ were of the blood of ,israel4 ,the people whom he was addressing were men of various nationalities1 but by far the greater portion of them were descendants of those races that in the fourth and succeeding centuries of the ,christian era swarmed in myriads out of that mother of nations1 ,scandinavia1 and filled central and western ,europe with a new civilization2 the people1 in fact1 who overthrew the great ,roman empire and laid the foundation of the majority of the nations of modern ,europe4 ,it was to the descendants of the ,goths1 the ,danes1 the ,jutes1 the ,angles1 the ,saxons1 the ,normans1 the ,franks1 that he was talking1 and in our next chapter we shall bring forward some of the historical arguments used by ,gentile writers to prove the ,israelitish descent of these races1 more particularly of that dominant one known today as the ,anglo-,saxon4 ,we do not this because we think the word of ,god's servants requires proving by ,gentile evidence1 but because it is a satisfaction to many minds1 not only to know that a thing is so1 but to be able to give a reason1 or advance an argument to demonstrate why it is so4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,origin of the ,anglo-,saxons--,derivation of the ,word ,saxon--,the ,goths and ,vandals--,overthrow of the ,roman ,empire--,the ,mythology of the ,ancient ,scandinavians--,baldur--,their ,early ,literature4 ,as the question1 ,what became of the ,ten ,tribes8 still remains to the world an unanswered historical enigma1 so also is the question unanswered1 ,whence originated the vast hosts of so-called barbarians who1 descending from the frigid regions of ,scandinavia1 filled ,europe with new races1 new laws1 new ideas1 new languages and new institutions8 ,some have traced a connection between the loss of the one people and the advent of the other1 and one author of repute--,mr4 ,sharon ,turner--extensively quoted in this connection1 claims that the original home of the ,anglo-,saxons was in the very country where ,israel is historically lost1 and further states that these people commenced their migration therefrom about the same time as the tribes of ,jacob must have taken their journey northward4 ,mr4 ,turner1 in his valuable history of the ,anglo-,saxons1 while discussing the ,teutonic descent of many of the nations of modern ,europe1 says3 ,it is peculiarly interesting to us1 because1 from its branches1 not only our own immediate ancestors1 but also those of the most celebrated nations of modern ,europe have unquestionably descended4 ,the ,anglo-,saxons1 ,lowland ,scotch1 ,normans1 ,danes1 ,norwegians1 ,swedes1 ,germans1 ,dutch1 ,belgians1 ,lombards and ,franks have all sprung from that great fountain of the human race1 which we have distinguished by the terms1 ,scythian1 ,german or ,gothic4 ,the first appearance of the ,scythian tribes in ,europe1 may be placed1 according to ,strabo and ,homer1 about the eighth1 or according to ,herodotus1 in the seventh century before the ,christian era4 ,the first scenes of their civil existence1 and of their progressive power were in ,asia to the east of the ,araxes4 ,here they multiplied and extended their territorial limits for some centuries1 unknown to ,europe4 ,with regard to the ,saxons1 ,mr4 ,turner writes1 ,they were a ,german or ,teutonic1 that is a ,gothic or ,scythian tribe2 and of the various ,scythian nations which have been recorded1 the ,sakai or ,sacae are the people from whom the descent of the ,saxons may be inferred1 with the least violation of probability4 ,they were so celebrated that the ,persians called all the ,scythians by the name of ,sacae4 99 99 99 ,that some of the divisions of this people were really called ,sakasuna 7from which we have our word ,saxon or ,sacson7 is obvious from ,pliny2 for he says that the ,sakai who settled in ,armenia were named ,sacassani which is ,saka-suna1 spelt by a person who was unacquainted with the meaning of the combined words2 and the name ,sacasina1 which they gave to that part of ,armenia they occupied1 is nearly the same sound as ,saxonia4 ,it is also important to remark1 that ,ptolemy mentions a ,scythian people sprung from the ,sakai1 who resided near the ,baltic ,sea1 by the name of ,saxones4 ,mr4 ,turner was not advocating the ,israelitish ancestry of the ,saxons1 hence those who believe in that theory put the greater stress on his two most important statements3 that the forefathers of this race dwelt in the region east of the ,araxes1 the exact spot to which ,israel was carried captive1 and that they began to spread out therefrom some six or seven hundred years before ,christ1 answering to the very period that the children of ,jacob dwelt captives in that country4 ,one author has assumed a very unique derivation for the word ,saxon4 ,he says3 ,we suppose it is derived from ,isaac1 by which1 we find from ,amos1 this house of ,israel had begun to denominate itself1 just before the captivity4 ,it was usual to contract the commencement of the name1 especially when they combined it with any other word1 or when it came to be familiarly applied4 ,saxon is1 literally or fully expressed1 the son of ,isaac4 ,just as ,dickson in modern ,english was abbreviated to ,dixon4,a ,such abbreviations1 we may remark in passing1 in familiar talk are also common with our neighbors1 the ,shoshones1 also a remnant of the seed of ,jacob1 ,one writer on this portion of the subject sees in this explanation of the word ,saxon a fulfillment of the promise made to our father ,abraham1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called1 and goes as far as to advance the argument that ,cossack is another expression of this same idea1 or that a ,don ,cossack is literally and truly a son of ,isaac1 of the tribe of ,dan4 ,footnote ,a3 ,it is claimed by some that the word ,brahmin is an abbreviation of ,abraham in fact that the god ,brahma is the patriarch himself deified4 ,the ferocity of the northern races1 who overthrew the ,roman empire1 is thought by some to argue against their ,israelitish origin4 ,but we must recollect that the pictures of the ,goths and ,vandals1 which have been handed down to us1 were painted by their enemies4 ,nor would the argument1 however true1 have any weight with us were the rest proven4 ,if they were of ,israel they had been wandering1 fighting and colonizing for a thousand years since they left ,palestine before they overwhelmed ,rome4 ,and as far as ferocity is concerned they cannot equal the seed of ,joseph on this continent1 who but three hundred years after the fullness of the gospel was proclaimed to their fathers by the crucified ,redeemer1 committed atrocities that no ,goth or ,vandal ever exceeded4 ,a very pretty theory has been advocated in connection with this portion of their history1 to the effect that as the ,roman empire was used by the ,lord to destroy the house of ,judah and slay millions of that devoted race1 so the ,lord chose a portion of the house of ,israel 7unknown to both themselves and their enemies7 to destroy the ,gentile rulers of the world who had slain and scattered their brother's house4 ,the mythology of the northern races of ,europe may also be noticed in connection with these inquiries4 ,those learned in the mythologies of ancient ,rome and ,greece say that it bears no likeness to them3 its peculiarities would rather tend to the idea that it was of ,persian origin 7,british ,encyclopaedia74 ,some of the early ,christian fathers fancied they discovered a great resemblance between one of their deities1 named ,baldur or ,balder1 and our ,savior4,b ,this god is represented as the son of ,odin and ,frigga1 youthful1 beautiful and benignant1 the dispenser of kindness1 the bringer of joy and blessings1 who loves to dwell with men1 and whom all men love4 ,but he is killed by the wicked4 7,the manner of his death is surrounded with mythological nonsense47 ,all men mourn the loss of their friend1 and search through the world for some remedy to bring him to life2 but in vain2 stern death has taken him away to the realms of the dead1 and he cannot come back4 ,his wife ,nanna1 that she may not be separated from him1 has gone to dwell with him there4 ,at last ,frigga1 his mother1 sends a messenger to obtain his release4 ,he leaps the gate of the gloomy world1 sees ,baldur1 and speaks with him1 but no1 ,baldur cannot be released1 here he must remain1 and his wife ,nanna must dwell with him forever4 ,footnote ,b3 ,the early ,saxons4 ,american ,s4 ,s4 ,union1 ,philadelphia4 ,from some of the details not here inserted1 we incline somewhat to the opinion that the above narration is a confused tradition of the way death was brought into the world through the transgression of ,adam and ,eve1 rather than that it bears relation to the life of the ,savior4 ,we draw attention to the way ,baldur's death was brought about4 ,the tradition runs 7,american ,cyclopdia71 ,baldur having long been troubled by dreams and evil omens1 indicating danger to his life1 his mother traveled through the whole universe1 eliciting from every created thing a promise not to injure the god4 ,but she neglected to ask it from the apparently harmless mistletoe4 ,loki1 the most deceitful among the gods1 an enemy of ,baldur1 noticed this omission1 and cut from the mistletoe a piece for the point of a dart4 ,the other gods1 surrounding ,baldur1 made proof of his invulnerability in sport1 by casting at him their weapons1 with stones1 etc42 but nothing injured him4 ,loki approached and induced the blind god ,hodur to throw the dart he had made from the forgotten mistletoe4 ,baldur was pierced by it and killed4 ,in this tradition ,loki takes the place of ,satan1 ,hodur typifies the serpent1 and the mistletoe the tree of knowledge of good and evil4 ,it is also noticeable that they represent1 in this tradition1 that man could do nothing1 of himself1 to overcome the power of death4 ,the very earliest literature of the ,scandinavian people1 preserved on the island of ,iceland1 adds many testimonies to the ,scandinavians' ,israelitish origin4 ,on this point1 the ,encyclopaedia ,britannica says3 ,on entering on these ancient books1 we are immediately struck with the corroborative evidence which they furnish of the eastern origin of the ,goths1 the fathers of the ,scandinavians4 ,as all languages1 so all mythologies run in lines1 which converge in one common center1 99 99 99 ,central ,asia4 ,and little as we might expect it1 no sooner do we open the ancient religious books of ,scandinavia than we are carried back thither4 ,our northern people are a people of eastern origin4 ,odin ,c and his ,asar1 are ,asiatics1 declare themselves to be from the great ,svithiod1 a country which appears to have been the present ,circassia1 lying between the ,black and ,caspian ,seas4 ,the whole of their memoirs abounded with the proofs of it4 ,they brought with them abundant eastern customs1 those of burning the dead1 and burying under mounds4 ,they practiced polygamy1 looked back with imperishable affection to the great ,svithiod1 to the primitive district of ,asgord and the city of ,gudahem1 or the home of the gods4 ,they transferred a religion bearing the primal features of those of ,persia1 ,india and ,greece1 to the snowy mountains of ,scandinavia4 ,in reading the above we were strongly impressed with the geographical idea there expressed4 ,without any great stretch of the imagination we could easily consider the traditions regarding the great ,svithiod1 to refer to ,media1 the primitive district of ,asgord1 to be the dim remembrance of their first home in the land of promise1 and ,gudahem1 the home of the gods1 to be ,jerusalem1 the city of the great ,king4 ,the parallel we consider to be very significant4 ,footnote ,c3 ,rev4 ,a4 ,b4 ,grimaldi1 ,m4 ,a41 states2 ,the ,saxon kings traced themselves back to ,odin1 who was traced back in his descent from ,david1 as may be seen in a very ancient ,,mss4 in the ,herald's ,college1 ,london1 and in ,sharon ,turner4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,numerous ,identifications ,considered--,religion and ,laws of the ,ancient ,northern ,races--,free ,masonry--,language4 ,it would be almost impossible to enumerate the multitude of likenesses that have been found1 by authors predisposed in that direction1 between the habits1 manners1 customs1 personal appearance1 etc41 of the ,israelites and the ,anglo-,saxons4 ,to give even a cursory glance at these identifications would occupy more space than we feel would be desirable4 ,we will simply mention a few that have been advanced by various writers1 and then proceed to a short consideration of their laws2 it may be observed1 however1 that some of their identifications are very remarkable1 while others1 in our opinion1 are puerile1 and would be advanced by none but zealots4 ,great similarity has been claimed between the form of the ,jewish and ,saxon heads1 and the great beauty of both races has been advanced as a proof of common ancestry4 ,the style of dress of the early northern ,european nations has also been claimed to be distinctively ,israelitish4 ,the care with which both people kept their records or chronicles has also been largely commented upon4 ,one author claims connection between the two in the manner that they mustered their forces in battle1 and their love of distinctive or tribal banners1 giving rise in ,europe to the system of heraldry and the development of chivalry4 ,their division of the people into tithings1 hundreds and thousands1 has been a strong argument in favor of the ,saxon's ,jewish descent4 ,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 ,jews4 ,the ,saxons' marriage ceremonies1 their respect for women1 and the great misfortune which the latter esteemed it to be without children1 are also adverted to as links in the chain of evidence4 ,one author 7,mr4 ,ed4 ,hine7 pursues a different line of argument and makes the history of the ,english nation1 its constitution1 laws1 insular position1 etc41 fulfill the varied prophecies of the ancient servants of ,god with regard to the ,ten ,tribes4 ,to our mind1 however1 these fulfillments of ancient prophecy are often strained and frequently untenable4 ,in the religion of the ancient ,scandinavians1 terrible and bloodthirsty as were many of its rites1 students have found striking analogies to the religion of ancient ,israel1 so much so that it is considered one of the strongest proofs of the ancestry of this people in ,jacob4 ,and it is claimed that the further we trace the matter back through the centuries1 the greater does the likeness become4 ,least we shall be considered as straining this point we will quote the language of another3 ,they 7the ,anglo-,saxons and their brethren of the north of ,europe7 are described as having been acquainted with the great doctrine of one supreme ,deity1 the ,author of everything that existeth2 the eternal1 the living1 the ancient1 the living and awful ,being2 the searcher into concealed things2 the ,being that never changeth2 who liveth and governeth during the ages2 directeth everything that is high1 and everything that is low2 of this glorious ,being they had anciently esteemed it impious to make any visible representation1 or to imagine it possible that he could be confined within the walls of a temple4 ,these great truths1 the same as we know were taught to ,israel1 had in a great measure become lost or obscured before the people's coming into ,britain4 ,but this very obscuration itself1 speaks of their origin2 it having chiefly taken place1 it is said1 in consequence of their receiving a mighty conqueror from the east as their god in human nature1 correspondent to the expectation of ,israel with regard to the ,messiah4 ,this supposed god incarnate is thought to have presented himself among these people about the same time as the true ,messiah appeared among the ,jews4 7,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 form87 ,the name of this pretender was ,odin or ,woden1 and he was esteemed the great dispenser of happiness to his followers1 as well as fury to his enemies4 ,when ,woden was removed from them they placed his image in their most holy place1 where was a kind of raised place or ark1 as if in imitation of that at ,jerusalem1 where1 between the ,cherubim1 the divine presence was supposed to abide4 99 99 99 ,before this elevation or ark1 in this most holy place on which the symbols of their worship were placed1 they had an altar1 on which the holy fire burned continually2 and near it was a vase for receiving the blood of the victims1 and a brush for sprinkling the blood upon the people2 reminding us again of what was done in ancient ,israel4 ,they had generally one great temple for the whole nation1 and in one of these1 it is particularly noticed1 they had twelve priests presided over by a high priest1 and having under their charge the religious concerns of the whole people4 ,this temple is said to have been of the most splendid description--of incredible grandeur and magnificence4 ,it was at ,upsala1 ,sweden4 ,as nearly related to this branch of our subject1 it has been remarked that ,free ,masonry was first known in ,europe among these people1 a fact that will have its weight among ,latter-day ,saints4 ,in the middle ages these lodges of free masons built the cathedrals of ,europe1 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 ,christianity4 ,and these cathedrals1 it has been observed1 seem evidently to be built after the design of the temple at ,jerusalem4 ,like this1 they have their most holy place1 the altar1 and their holy place1 choir2 and the court outward from thence for the body of the people4 ,it is also somewhat remarkable that the only ,gentile people of old1 among whom anything like ,free ,masonry was found1 were the ,ionians1 for whom we stated in a previous chapter some claim an ,israelitish ancestry4 ,their temples dedicated to ,bacchus and other heathen deities1 were built by lodges1 who had secret signs1 etc41 and conducted their affairs much after the manner of the masons of the middle ages4 ,but the strongest of all the supposed identifications of the two races1 stronger even than the religious phases of the subject1 is the peculiar ,mosaic tendency of the ancient ,norseman's laws4 ,so great is the similarity that most writers on this subject have been greatly puzzled to account therefor4 ,it is written1 ,to those who have attentively studied the institutions of ,moses1 and compared them with the ,saxon1 there must appear a similarity as will be apt to lead to the conclusion that the ,saxon commonwealth was thus framed1 after their becoming acquainted with ,christianity4 ,this1 however1 does not appear to have been the case4 ,they brought these institutions with them into ,england1 and left similar institutions among the people in the north of ,europe1 with whom they had been from time immemorial4 ,limited monarchy1 constitutional law1 and representative government1 an efficient civil police1 and trial by jury1 are among the most important legacies left the ,english nation by their ,anglo-,saxon forefathers1 and these may all be easily traced to an ,israelitish origin4 ,and to this origin they have been traced 99 99 99 even by those who were obliged1 in rather an unphilosophical way1 to account for the connection4 ,among the ,anglo-,saxons the theory of their constitution seems to have been1 that every ten men or heads of families1 should choose one from among them1 to act for them in the council of their little community1 consisting generally of ten such compartments or wards4 ,ten of these wards formed a tything or parish4 ,and ten of these tithings formed a hundred1 the elders of which1 thus chosen1 were supposed to meet for the management of matters belonging to the ten tithings in general2 while each tything took charge of the affairs that especially belonged to itself4 ,the county which was still more extensive corresponded to the tribe in ,israel4 ,the word county or compte seems to be derived from the ,hebrew word signifying to rise up1 to stand--and refers to the rod or ensign of the tribe to which they congregated themselves in the large assemblies of the people4 99 99 99 ,the nation of ,israel we have seen1 were1 at an earlier period of their history1 given proper rules for their association1 such as were equally adapted for a small society or for a large one4 ,the people were given to have a mutual oversight of each other in tens2 each ten had one who represented and acted for them4 ,see #ast chapter of ,deuteronomy3 ,so ,i ,moses took the chiefs of your tribes1 wise men and known1 and made them heads over you1 captains over thousands1 and captains over hundreds and captains over fifties1 and captains over tens1 and officers among your tribes4 ,the law of primogeniture1 so prevalent in different degrees among the nations overrun by the ,goths and ,vandals1 and their kinsmen1 strikes us as being a relic of ,mosaic law4 ,according to ,hebrew law1 the first born son received a double portion of his father's estate4 ,the ,english law greatly resembles this4 ,it would almost appear that this double portion was conferred1 among the ,hebrews1 on the oldest male child1 to compensate in some degree for the loss of the ,priesthood held by him of right in patriarchal days1 but under the ,mosaic dispensation vested in the house of ,aaron1 so far as the lesser ,priesthood called after his name is concerned1 while the higher or ,melchizedec ,priesthood appears1 after the days of ,moses until the coming of ,christ1 only to have been held by a certain favored few1 who because of their righteousness were endowed with this special measure of ,divine favor4 ,with a certain class of scientists1 the language of a people has great weight in determining its origin4 ,this test has been applied to the language of the ,anglo-,saxons1 and it has been found that a number of ,hebrew words exist almost unaltered in our modern ,english tongue4 ,on this point1 the author of ,our ,israelitish ,origin writes3 ,as to language1 it is granted1 that this1 of itself could not identify a people1 or distinguish ,israel1 for example1 from the ,canaanites4 99 99 99 ,still it may be expected that a sufficiency would remain of the ,hebrew1 to tell of this people's 7the ,saxon's7 acquaintance therewith2 and such is the case4 ,it has been observed by linguists1 that a very great deal of the ancient language of ,israel exists in the modern languages of ,europe1 and that it is through a ,gothic medium that this plentiful supply of ,hebrew has come4 ,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 languages4 ,another writer1 referring to ,mr4 ,wilson's statements1 remarks3 ,a ,there is no reason to doubt that in common with the wave of nations speaking the ,indo-,germanic dialects1 which overflowed ,europe on the breaking up of the ,roman empire1 the ,anglo-,saxons came from the ,zend-speaking districts of ,asia4 ,and while ,mr4 ,wilson adduces reasons from the language of the ,anglo-,saxons and ,danes1 for believing that a long and intimate association had existed between these people and the ,persians before the former moved westward1 he also proves the existence of a large admixture of ,hebrew words in the language of the ,anglo-,saxons1 and not the least in the ,scottish branch of that people4 ,in this he sets a proof of the descent of these people from the ,israelitish tribes that were removed by the kings of ,nineveh1 from their native land1 and planted in the cities of ,media and ,persia4 ,they had retained1 in their new abode1 much of their ,hebrew mother-tongue1 while gradually adopting the ,zend as the body of their new language4 ,an additional and most important confirmation of ,mr4 ,wilson's idea has been supplied by ,prof4 ,c4 ,p4 ,smyth4 ,this is seen in the circumstance that the ,anglo-,saxons possessed a metrology ,b corresponding exactly1 as far as it extended1 with the metrology common to the temple of ,jerusalem and the great pyramid4 ,footnote ,a3 ,ethnic ,inspiration by ,rev4 ,j4 ,t4 ,goodsir4 ,footnote ,b3 ,metrology--the science of measures ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,salvation a ,gift to ,all--,god's ,covenant with ,abraham-,proselytes-,the ,dispersion--,conclusion4 ,before proceeding further we wish to remark that we trust no one will imagine1 from reading these chapters1 that we believe that the literal descendants of ,abraham will be the only ones saved in the kingdom of ,god4 ,to the contrary we are fully aware that ,god has made of one blood all the nations of the earth1 and realize that all men of every clime and age1 may be partakers of the priceless blessings resulting to fallen humanity from the infinite sacrifice on ,calvary4 ,we also firmly believe that within the scope of the gospel covenant are provisions1 and ways and means1 by which the obedient of all races become the recognized children of ,abraham1 and heirs1 by adoption1 to all the ,god-given promises to that ,patriarch4 ,john the ,baptist told the degenerate ,jews of his day who were boasting of their ,abrahamic descent1 that of the very stones in the roadway1 if it so pleased ,him1 ,god could raise up children unto ,abraham4 ,all we claim for ,israel1 no more1 no less1 is the fulfillment of ,god's covenant with the father of the faithful1 which covenant modern revelation lays before us in the following language3 ,my name is ,jehovah1 and ,i know the end from beginning2 therefore my hand shall be over thee ,abraham and ,i will make of thee a great nation1 and ,i will bless thee above measure1 and make thy name great among all nations1 and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee1 that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and ,priesthood unto all nations1 and ,i will bless them through thy name2 for as many as receive this gospel1 shall be called after thy name1 and shall be accounted thy seed1 and shall rise up and bless thee1 as their father2 and ,i will bless them that bless thee1 and curse them that curse thee1 and in thee 7that is in thy ,priesthood7 and in thy seed 7that is1 thy ,priesthood71 for ,i give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee1 and in thy seed after thee 7that is to say1 the literal seed1 or the seed of the body7 shall all the families of the earth be blessed1 even with the blessings of the gospel1 which are the blessings of salvation1 even of life eternal4 7,book of ,abraham47 ,from this we learn that it has been covenanted by the ,eternal ,one1 that ,abraham's seed shall bear the message and ministry of ,god's grace to all nations1 and that through him and his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed with the blessings of the gospel which1 through obedience1 brings salvation and eternal lives2 also as many as receive the gospel shall be called after his 7,abraham's7 name1 shall be accounted his seed1 and shall rise up and bless him as their father4 ,this last mentioned portion of the covenant was well understood by the ,jews and acted upon by them1 even though they had cringed from obedience to the fullness of the gospel1 and were living under a lesser law of bondage and carnal commandments4 ,the manner in which the ,israelites received and treated proselytes is certainly not one of the least interesting features of their policy and history1 and may here be glanced at1 without wandering far from the question under consideration4 ,there appears to have been two classes of proselytes recognized among the ancient ,jews4 ,the first1 known as ,proselytes of ,righteousness1 or ,proselytes of the ,covenant1 became perfect ,israelites1 and1 according to the ,talmud1 were admitted to the household of ,abraham by circumcision and baptism4 ,the other class were termed ,proselytes of the ,gate 7the stranger that is within thy gate47 ,it is said converts of this class were not bound by circumcision and the other special laws of the ,mosaic code4 ,it was enough for such to observe the precepts against idolatry1 blasphemy1 bloodshed1 uncleanness and theft1 and of obedience1 also1 to that precept against eating flesh with the blood thereof4 ,of this latter class were converts who embraced ,judaism for other than the purest motives2 for instance1 for the sake of a lover1 a husband or a wife1 to court favor and promotion1 or in dread of some calamity or threatened judgment4 ,such converts were regarded by the ,jews of old very much in the same manner as their counterparts are regarded among the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,again1 the ,jews sometimes spread their faith with the same weapons as those with which they had defended it4 ,the ,idumeans1 after their conquest by ,john ,hyrcanus1 had the alternative of death1 exile or circumcision offered to them4 ,they chose the latter4 ,the ,iturians were converted 787 in the same way by ,aristobolus4 ,in the days of ,jesus1 when the light of truth shone but dimly in the ,jewish creed1 and the vices of the degenerate ,jews had been engrafted on those of the profligate heathen1 the ,savior cried1 ,woe unto you1 ,scribes and ,pharisees1 hypocrites6 for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte1 and when he is made1 ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves4 7,matt4 xxiii3 #ac47 ,there is one factor that tended greatly to the diffusion of ,israelitish blood1 that we have scarcely noticed1 as it relates far more largely to ,judah than to ,ephraim4 ,we refer to those who remained settled in foreign countries after the return of the ,jews from the ,babylonian captivity1 and during the period of the second temple4 ,at the beginning of the ,christian era the dispersed were divided into three great sections1 the ,babylonian1 the ,syrian1 and the ,egyptian4 ,from ,babylon the ,jews spread through ,persia1 ,media and ,parthia4 ,the ,greek conquests in ,asia extended the limits of this dispersion4 ,large settlements of the children of ,judah were established in ,cyprus1 and on the western coast of ,asia ,minor4 ,these latter1 to a very unfortunate extent1 adopted the ,greek language and ,greek ideas4 ,in ,africa1 ,alexander and ,ptolemy ,i4 established large colonies of ,jews at ,alexandria1 not far from which place a temple was erected to ,jehovah after the order of that at ,jerusalem4 ,from ,alexandria the ,jews spread out over the coasts of northern and eastern ,africa4 ,how greatly the ,jews had become scattered in the time of ,christ1 may be judged from the devout men who came up to worship and keep the passover at ,jerusalem1 and who listened to the preaching of ,peter on the day of ,pentecost4 ,they are stated to have been ,parthians1 ,medes1 ,elamites 7,persians71 dwellers in ,mesopotamia1 ,judea1 ,cappadocia1 ,pontus1 ,asia1 ,phrygia1 ,pamphilia1 ,egypt1 ,cyrene 7,tripoli71 ,cretes1 ,arabians1 ,romans1 ,jews and proselytes4 ,there is also another view of the subject1 which we are not prepared to enlarge upon in this article1 but which bears the weight of abundant proof4 ,it is1 that the ,latter-day ,saints have been1 and are today1 fulfilling the work that it has been oft foretold ,ephraim and his fellows should do4 ,then1 if we are doing the work1 and claim that we are they who should do it1 and it being impossible to invalidate our assumption1 is not our claim worthy of thoughtful consideration and average respect8 ,god has declared that ,he will make of ,his latter-day ,israel a nation of kings and priests4 ,in former dispensations 7except that lesser authority among the ,jews given to the house of ,aaron7 the ,priesthood was conferred upon the few1 it was an honor of the highest kind2 but in the dispensation of the fullness of times1 the whole people are to be a race of kings and priests1 and not less honorable because of the multitude4 ,to our mind this is a great proof that that people will be of ,ephraim4 ,there is a cause for all ,god's promises--there is one for this4 ,in the order of the higher law1 the ,priesthood belongs to the first-born4 ,ephraim is ,god's adopted first-born in all the races of mankind1 therefore1 by right of that adoption1 they are a nation of priests--priests of ,god after the order of ,melchisedek1 under ,jesus our ,redeemer1 the ,savior of the world4 ,to conclude1 we believe that there is scarcely a people or nation under heaven in which is not to be found some of the blood of ,abraham1 leavening with the promised seed all the families of the earth4 ,and this chosen generation will1 by right of kindred1 administer to all people the word of ,god1 and as saviors will they stand upon ,mount ,zion1 drawing all men unto the great ,savior of our race1 who will stand in their midst1 on the right hand of the ,father1 crowned and exalted as ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords1 the great ,apostle and ,high ,priest of our salvation4 ,truly the ,lord is fulfilling ,his promises1 ,israel has blossomed and budded and filled the earth with fruit1 but in the great future ,he will do it yet more abundantly and gloriously4