Bible Studies: Looking Through a Different Lens

Dr. Josef Ben Levi

Presented by Omni-U Virtual University 

I consider it of the utmost importance to share the reasons that there should be an examination, or re-examination by the African American community of biblical texts. There are ancient African people and cultural mores described all throughout the Bible who are not identified as African.

We need to delve into the historical existence of these Africans because it is their literature which has been usurped, used, reused and abused by non- Africans for the purpose of controlling the minds of our people at home as well as in the diaspora. (Jones, 1842)

For my Bible Studies, I rely on the JPS, Jewish Publication Society, version of the Bible. My reason for doing so is that the JPS is an “exact” translation of the Hebrew Scriptures based on the “earliest” translation of the TaNaKh (the original pronunciation of the Christian Old Testament) and a translation from the original Hebrew. The JPS TaNaKh (an acronym for the original 3 divisions of the Old Testament, (T) Torah -first 5 books; (N) Nebe’em- prophets; (Kh)-Kotev’em -writings. 

The books are in the correct order with Chronicles being the final book in the TaNaKh versus Malachi in the King James Version (KJV). (Campbell & Crystal, 2011; Greenspoon, 2003; Nicolson, 2003) The KJV, which is based on the Latin Vulgate translated by Jerome, attempts to prepare for the New Testament phase of the Catholic and Protestant Bibles (the Catholic version including the Apocrypha -not included in the Protestant version) and the coming Messiah based on Christian apocalyptic doctrine. The original TaNaKh ends with the books of Chronicles, while the Catholic and Protestant Old Testament end with the book of the Prophet Malachi. This is true of the Ethiopian Bible (the most complete one which has all of the books in the proper order). 

The key codex for any early translations is the Aleppo Codex (the oldest complete translation, along with Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and Codex Leningrad) of the Septuagint. The Aleppo and Leningrad Codex are the foundations for the Masoretic Text which serve as the basis for the JPH TaNaKh. Those codex are important because they contained vowel markers. Since the destruction of the Aleppo Codex after Israel’s declaration of independence (1948), the Leningrad Codex has had another advantage. It alone is complete. Editions of the Hebrew Bible based on the Aleppo Codex now have to look to other sources to complete the missing parts. Nor should the texts of the Dead Dea Scrolls,i.e.,  the Scrolls from Qumran  be overlooked. (But, that is a discussion for another time.)

Under the guise of oriental studies and theological doctrines, Euro-Aryan mythmakers, called social-scientists and clergymen, have decided, with one accord, to eliminate the African presence- not only from the Old Testament- but from the entire biblical world.

By establishing the assumptions that :(1) the world was created in 4004 B.C., which was expounded by Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656), and (2) projecting, to generations of African people, a white-washed Messiah as Savior of mankind, Europeans have planted a seed of deception which is difficult for many Africans to shake loose.

In his day, Ussher was an eminent scholar known to the foremost thinkers and statesmen in England. His collected works total seventeen volumes; the most famous of these is his Annals of the Old and New Testament, published in the 1650's. The work is a detailed chronology and dating of Biblical history. It is in this work that Ussher said God created the world on the morning of October 23, 4004 B.C. (Gould, 1991)

He arrived at this date, in part, by adding the ages of Adam and his descendants found in Genesis 5 and 11. He assumed that the Old Testament genealogies did not omit any names and that the periods of time in the texts were all consecutive. Scholars today question both assumptions. Although Ussher went by the best knowledge of his day, pouring deep learning into the subject, even then there were strong reasons to doubt his conclusions. The Jewish calculation of the creation of the world placed it at 3761 B.C. and Byzantine calculations placed it at 5509 B.C. (Stephen & Lee, 1991)

In spite of the fact that Africa significantly shaped the Christian mind, the portrayal of Jesus as a white, European man has come under renewed scrutiny during this period of introspection. During the Renaissance, European artists began to combine the icon and the portrait, making Christ in their own likeness. This happened for a variety of reasons, from identifying with the human suffering of Christ to commenting on one’s own creative power. (Oden, 2007; Moss, 2016)

As Europeans colonized increasingly farther-flung lands, they brought this European portrayal with them. Jesuit missionaries established painting schools that taught   Christian art,in a European  mode,to new converts.

Out of the more than three quarters of a million words in the Bible, Christian slaveholders and- if asked- most slaveholders   who would have defined themselves as Christian—had two favorite texts: one from the beginning of the Old Testament and the other from the end of the New Testament. In the   King James Version of the Bible, which was the version then current, these were first : Genesis 9: 18–27 and Ephesians 4: 5-7.  (Rae, 2018)

The first  reference equates the so-called “Curse of Ham” with “Black inferiority” and justified enslavement. The second verse demanded obedience to their slave masters. (Sanders, 1969)

The failure of African and African American scholars, with facilities or interest in biblical literature, to challenge the early assumptions of these mythmakers, is tantamount to the loss of a major battle. By accepting European distortions, many of our people have become either confused beyond redemption or indifferent to the Creator of the universe. To make matters worse, Europeans substituted their languages for the ancient Kushite languages in the Bible and, thereby, spread the tentacles of misunderstanding throughout the African world.

The most influential groups in this relentless campaign, set out- between the years 220 B.C. and 500 A.D.- to train a legion of non- African scholars, clergy, and teachers in strategies to eradicate the African presence from the biblical literature. (Patai & Wing, 1975; Tanner, 2025) They also conjured up the "curse of Ham", which has scarred African people and justified their intellectual, spiritual, physical, and emotional bondage ever since.

Therefore, the restoration of the importance of Africa’s antiquity and influence on the Biblical world is essential to our understanding of this aspect of ancient African societies which remain virtually untouched by African scholars, themselves. This reclamation is important to our discussion of ancient Kemet/ancient Egypt, because it was through her womb that the birth pangs and delivery of the Africans in the Biblical world took place.

Amun vs Amen: 

Now, a few words about the idea of ancient Egyptian Amun/Amen and its relationship to the Hebrew word Amen which is used by many at the end of prayers or just as a colloquial acknowledgement.

First, the ancient Egyptian term Amun/Amen is not correct. The term, when read in ancient Egyptian, does not say Amun or Amen. The letter being read with the “Ah” sound is represented as a vulture. The actual beginning sound is a “Y”. These two sounds are quite different in ancient Egyptian. Ymen is the proper pronunciation. The reed leaf at the beginning of this word has the “ee” sound. It is properly pronounced “eemen”. The game board at the top next to it has the phonetic value of “mn” and the water sign under it is known as a phonetic complement. 

This word means “hidden, unknown”. everywhere, and in everything. 

The ancient Egyptians would sometimes say, “it is before Eemen, who, though hidden, is the source of all life, all power, and all health.” No one knew who Eemen was, but it was everywhere and in everything. Everything was filled with the Hidden One! (Allen, 2000; Faulkner, 1962).

The Hebrew term Amen (keep in mind that Hebrew, like Arabic, is read and written from right to left) אמן is derived from the verb form in the infinitive לאמונה, pronounced Le’emoonah, it means “to be true.” So, when someone responds with Amen, they are merely acknowledging that what is/was said is/was true! (Brown, F. & Driver, S. & Briggs, C. 1906/2000; Kelley, 1992).

Therefore, there is no connection between the two terms, not even by sound laws. Again, this is the importance of knowing ancient languages.

Another example, from Hebrew is the notion of the Elohim אלוהים. Contrary to some opinions, Elohim does not mean “gods”. Remember, that the ancient writers in the Hebrew language would not have conceptualized the Germanic idea of “G-O-D” since there were no Germans as a cultural entity at that time.

Elohim means “Forces”, “Powers”. Elohim אלוהים is the plural form of the noun EL אל. An “EL” is only one power.

EL was the first person in the Canaanite trinity of EL, Asherah, and Ba’al. There are many names in Hebrew that express the use of the name EL in personal names and epithets expressing power dynamics.

For example, there are the names of the so-called four archangels, each of which controls the four directions of the winds: North, South, East, and West:

Michael:  מכיאל (Pronounced Mika-el- ‘who is like the Power’.)

Gabriel: גבריאל (Pronounced Gabri-el- “My warrior is Power’ or the “warring Power”) sometimes referred to as the ‘messenger of truth’ Raphael: רפאל (Pronounced Rafa-el- Healing Power’.)

Uriel: עוריאל (Pronounced Uhri-el- ‘Light Power’.)

There is also the name Israel. After Jacqob יעקב- (Pronounced Ya’aqob or 'he who takes the heel'). He wrestles with Power (Angel) at a place called Beth-El בתאל or the 'House of Power.’ More correctly, Beth means ‘house ‘and El means ‘Power’ in ancient Hebrew. He is asked by this form of the Power, “What is your name?” and Ya’aqob responds, “My name is Jacob.” He is told, ‘No longer shall you be called Ya’aqob, but Israel ישראל (Pronounced ‘Yisra-el’. Its literal translation is “He is a prince of the Power, Force”. ‘Y-He- י, Sar-Prince- שר, El-Power-. אל’ Or literally, ‘He is Prince of the Power.’ 

The verse goes on to say, “I am El Shaddai”. El Shaddai אל שדי which means ‘Almighty Power,’ Gen. 35. (Brown, F. & Driver, S. & Briggs, C. 1906/2000). (Continued in PART References

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