The Jewish "look" 2: Princess Berenice and the historian Josephus Flavius

These are very rare visual portraits of two notable Jews who lived to see the holy great Jewish Temple and it's destruction by the Roman Empire in the year 70 CE. The first is a statue of Berenice, daughter of Herod Agrippa, ordered by her lover the Roman emperor Titus, the destroyer of our beloved Temple. In the following years Berenice had to leave Titus and then she returned to her Jewish roots. Roman historians of her time portrait her as extremely beautiful and in this image one can see only a glimpse of her beauty (28-90 CE).
The second is a Roman portrait bust of Josephus Flavius the greatest Jewish historian in antiquity (37-100 CE).
His Works: The Wars of the Jews- is a description of Jewish history from the capture of Jerusalem by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 164 BC to the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in the First Jewish Roman War in 73 CE.
Antiquities of the Jews- is a history of the Jewish people, written in Greek for Josephus' gentile patrons. Beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve, it follows the events of the historical books of the Hebrew Bible, but sometimes omits or adds information.
Against Apion- is polemical work as a defense of Judaism as a classical religion and philosophy, stressing its antiquity. In this book Josephus counter Antisemitic allegations made by Apion, Manetho and Tacitus.

**Important**

Lately I have come across some black racists who claim that the original Jews were black.

So, let's see what the Hebrew Bible says:

1.
Numbers 12:1
And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married: for he had married a Cushite woman.

(Cushite=Black)

2.
Jeremiah 13:23
23 Can the Cushite change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

In the above verse the dark skin of the Cushite symbolizes evil.

The term Cushite is not only referring to a member of the kingdom of Cush but also to a people with much darker skin.

Can the Cushite change his skin - Can a black, at his own pleasure, change the color of his skin? Can the leopard at will change the variety of his spots? These things are natural to them, and they cannot be altered; so sin, and especially your attachment to idolatry, is become a second nature; and we may as well expect the Cushite to change his skin, and the leopard his spots, as you to do good, who have been accustomed to do evil.

==The black skin of the Cushite is being paralleled with doing evil==


3.
The Song of Sons 1:5
'I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
Look not upon me, that I am swarthy, that the sun hath **TANNED** me; my mother's sons were incensed against me, they made me keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.'

The speaker is a Female who explains that her skin color turned black due to TANNING while keeping the vineyards under the sun.

The Daughters of Jerusalem looked upon her in a negative way DUE to her tanning.

In ancient Israel black was NOT beautiful.

4.
Job 30:30
My skin is become black and falleth off me, and my bones are burned with heat.

In the Hebrew text it is clear that his skin TURNED black.

He was not black before, he was not born black.

Again, black as a sign of sickness, sin and evil.

5.
Jeremiah 14:1
The Word of YHWH that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they QADRU unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

QADRU=blackened unto the ground

The gates FELL unto the ground due to burning in the war.


The color black as a sign of sign of sickness, sin and evil.

6.
Amos 9:7
Are ye not as children of the Cushites unto me, O Children of Israel? saith YHWH. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?

.... And therefore had no reason to think they should be delivered because they were the Children of Israel, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; since they were no more to God than the children of the Cushites, having behaved like them; and were become as black as they through sin, and were idolaters like them; and so accustomed to sin, and hardened in it, that they could no more change their course and custom of sinning than the Cushite could change his skin, Jeremiah 13:23;

The color black as a sign of sign of sickness, sin and evil.

Regarding King David:
1 Samuel 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was RUDDY (ADMONI), and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And YHWH said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.


The exact same Hebrew word "ADMONI" is used to describe both Esau and King David.

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[zionmalka]

The ancient Hebrews (as the Mizrahi Jews of today) were not pale whites or blondes but neither were they black skinned.

[zionmalka]

@tillallareoneluv Sir, the parallel is between doing evil and dark skin.

Can a Cushi change his skin- change his skin

do good-change his skin

Then may ye also do good- do good

Changing the skin of a Cushi=doing good

The dark skin of the Cushi=evil

If you were right then why the Prophet Jeremiah have chosen to give the Cushi (one with dark skin) as an example?

The dark skin is paralleled with evil and changing it is paralleled with doing good.

[tillallareoneluv]

@zionmalka Nonsense. It speaks to the impossibility of evil thinking people being able to change to right thinking people. Just as people can't change their skin color and leopards can't change their spots evil people can't change their evil thinking. The permanency of skin color and of spots is something tangible humans can understand to reinforce the point. Only twisted, sick minds try to construe things to fit into their twisted narrative. Fail.

[tillallareoneluv]

@zionmalka So you conclude. That quote does not mention darker skin.

[zionmalka]

@tillallareoneluv In Jeremiah 13:23 the dark skin of the Cushi symbolizes evil.



[zionmalka]

@tillallareoneluv 23 Can a Cushi change his skin, or a leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

24 Therefore will I scatter them, as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness. 25 This is thy lot, the portion measured unto thee from Me, saith YHWH; because thou hast forgotten Me, and trusted in falsehood.

The term Cushi is not only referring to a member of the kingdom of Cush but also to a people with much darker skin.

[tillallareoneluv]

@zionmalka Just like its CLEAR that biblical scholars who do speak and read hebrew don't even agree what is meant by "Cush".

[zionmalka]

@tillallareoneluv Look not upon me, that I am swarthy, that the sun hath **TANNED** me;

Furthermore, the Daughters of Jerusalem looked upon her in a negative way DUE to her tan.

[zionmalka]

@tillallareoneluv Sir, have you read the text in the Song of Songs?

The speaker (who is a female) explains HOW she became black:

[zionmalka]

@tillallareoneluv It is Clear to Every Hebrew speaker.

For your info, Hebrew is the Original language of the Hebrew Bible and only in Hebrew it can be fully understood.

Leave the KJV, learn Hebrew.