Hamitic Heritage; clues and misconceptions on the origin of the black man(Part 2)

Biblical education and history has generally been dominated by European pattern of thinking for centuries. Our perception of Biblical characters and events is based on the pattern set forth by European thinkers and historians. Da Vinci made the painting of ‘The Last Supper’ and Jesus Christ was made to be a white man. Imagine a black artist painting Jesus black in his artwork! The church and the general public will scream heresy, just like they’ve done to Madonna. Yet, it’s the same thing; nobody has proved beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus was white. Today, every representation of Jesus conforms to the Da Vinci illustration of the messiah. Actors must be costumed to conform to this dogmatic picture if they want to act Jesus in movies. Jesus trod the surface of this earth more than 2000 year ago. So far, there has not been discovered, any picture, portrait, sculpture or statue of Jesus that has survived from his time. So nobody really knows what He looked like. He could have been olive skinned like a typical Jew; he could be fair skinned or colored like a black man. For convenience, people have generally come to accept the Da Vinci portrayal of Jesus Christ as the standard. Nevertheless, historical evidences point to the appearance of the black race in the lineage of Jesus. Mathew chapter 1 lists the lineage of Jesus Christ. Note that when the Israelites were coming out of Egypt , a mixed multitude went out with them (exod 12:38). Now, inferring from the black heritage of Egypt , many Egyptians must have been part of the Israelites that went out. Joseph, who became the second highest ruler in Egypt , married an Egyptian woman (most probably a black woman). Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of Pharaoh. It was this same Joseph that became the father of two major tribes in Israel ; Ephraim and Manasseh. Moses, the Hebrew leader married Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel, the Ethiopian Midianite. Now, the daughters of Reuel told their father that an Egyptian saved them. If Egyptians were majorly black people and Moses had resembled them, then most probably, Moses must have been a black. Genealogically, Black Africans are called the sons of Cush . Cush is the Hebrew word for black; it is the Biblical name of Ethiopia . Can the Ethiopian change his skin? (Jer 13:23). In second Samuel 18:21, during Absalom’s revolt against David, we come across Ha Cushie, who brought the news of Absalom’s death to David. In Hebrew, the etymological meaning of Cush is black. Zephaniah, one of the minor prophets in the old testament, was called the son of Cushie. Cushie means ‘the black one’ (Zeph 1:1). Also in the same Zephaniah chapter one, the Bible gives a short list of the family links. Here is the shocker; King Hezekiah was a grand uncle to Zephaniah. This was the same Hezekiah, who is a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ.

Hamitic Heritage; clues and misconceptions on the origin of the black man

If we infer from the dogmatic Euro-American definition of a black man as someone with any trace of Negro blood in his ancestry, most people in history, indeed Biblical history would be termed as black. The proponents of intellectual and ideological racism have committed a great error by not considering the fact that there has been a considerable level of mixing amongst the different races of the world, with a consequence that many people today do not belong to any distinct race. Today, people with a trace of black lineage like Mariah Carey and Beyonce are considered as Negroes.
A long time ago in Europe, there arose an idea that suggests that, since blacks are descendants of Ham, Noah's wayward son, they are bound under the curse of Ham. Note that the term "curse of Ham" is a misconception

because Ham himself was not cursed; it was Canaan, his last born that was cursed. Nevertheless, this despicable idea was used as an excuse in justifying slavery and colonization. The Europeans of the colonial period saw a backward, almost primitive Sub-Saharan Africa and concluded that Africans are naturally backward, primitive people and so are incapable of initiating civilization. Different suggestions were given as to the reasons for the primitive nature of blacks. Some suggested that blacks cannot be equal in intellect and must always remain servants to the whites because they are not full human beings. This idea was common in the middle ages and was called the Pre-Adamite school of thought. According to this idea, the ancestors of blacks were Pre-Adamite creatures. Cain committed an abomination by marrying into this race, and the black race came into existence. Another school of thought said that Blacks are a result of God's punishment on Eve. When Eve ate the apple, there was intercourse between her and the serpent and the result of that union was the blackman. Another, but more moderate school of thought suggested that Ham committed an abomination by lying with his father's wife (Gen 9: 25-27). The claim lies in the inference from the Bible and Jewish tradition that, seeing one's father's nakedness is the same as lying with one's father's wife.
However, beyond all the propositions and racial dogma that has dominated the ideas about the origin of blacks for centuries, it is necessary to make it clear that blacks have equal intellect and equal rights with any other race in the world. Though, this is not a debatable issue, yet there is still need for enough knowledge so as to erase all misconceptions about the black man. There is considerable evidence to show that all human beings originated from one common source and it is only by variation in their environments that they have different colors. Grogers law proposed that all creatures living near the equator are bound to secrete a black pigment on their skins. It is significant for mankind to gain more us insight into the origin of the black man so that we will be able to appreciate why race is only physical appearance, beyond that, human beings are the same in all aspects.