America Before Columbus

America Before Columbus

The First Americans When we speak of the “discovery” of the New World, it is important to realize that when the first Europeans arrived in the New World, they found indigenous peoples who were already living on this continent. These were descendants of persons who had discovered the New World in the most ancient of times. Most of these descended from people who crossed a “land bridge” which once traversed the Bering Strait.

At the time of the nation’s founding, it was widely suspected that one of the groups from which these “Native Americans” had descended, had been the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. President Thomas Jefferson wrote a brief letter to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in which he instructed them to:

…acuire what knolege you can of the state of morality, religion & information among them [the Indians] as it may better enable those who endeavor to civilize & instruct them.

Jefferson further shared a personal correspondence with his friend, Meriwether Lewis, in which he expressed his hope that their voyage west might provide evidence as to the whereabouts of the lost tribes of Israel[1].

Early American Congregationalist Ethan Smith interpreted "where never mankind dwelt" in 2 Esdras 13:41 to mean America. While others maintained that the American Indians were mere "savages" who could not have created the sophisticated burial mounds found in North America. Smith argued that Native Americans were potential converts worthy of salvation. “If our natives be indeed from the tribes of Israel,” Smith wrote, “American Christians may well feel, that one great object of their inheritance here, is, that they may have a primary agency in restoring those 'lost sheep of the house of Israel.'” To this end, in 1823 Smith published his monumental volume “View of the Hebrews”.

A well known American Jew named Mordecai Manuel Noah shared Ethan Smith’s belief that some of the Native American Indians were from the Lost Tribes of Israel. In 1825 he purchased most of Grand Island, a 27-square-mile island near Buffalo, New York in order to found “Ararat”. Ararat was established as a city of refuge for the Jewish nation. Noah also wrote two booklets espousing these views, titled Discourse on the Evidences of the American Indians being the Descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel and Restoration of the Jews. He envisioned this city as a joint settlement between Jews and American Indians. When the effort failed, Noah turned his attentions toward creating a Jewish homeland in what was then Palestine, and Zionism was born.

Americans Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis sought to debunk the theory that the American Indians were descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes in their 1848 book, "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the Results of Extensive Original Surveys and Explorations." The work recorded the excavations of several mounds on behalf of the Smithsonian Institute.

The prevailing theory became that the American Indians were mere savages. This led to the doctrine of manifest destiny and the treatment of the American Indian as a sub-human for over one hundred years.

Ancient Hebrews in America Many civilizations had weird myths about the nature of the earth. Some thought it was carried on the back of an animal such as an elephant or turtle, and most thought the earth to be flat. Yet the ancient Hebrews were well aware that the earth is round. The prophet Isaiah wrote:

“It is He that sits above the circle of the earth...”
(Is. 40:22a).

The Hebrew word for “circle” here is KHUG (Strong’s 2329) which refers to a “circle or sphere” and is also used to describe the arched domelike shape of the sky (Prov. 8:27; Job. 22:14).

The ancient Hebrews were well aware of this spherical shape of the earth. Additionally the book of Job told them that the earth is not sitting on the back of some animal, but is suspended in the void of space by nothing:

“He stretches out the north over the empty space,
and hangs the earth over nothing.”
(Job 26:7)

When we compare Luke (17:34-36) with Matthew (24:40-41) we see that at the instant of the return of Messiah two will be lying in one bed (Luke 17:34-36) while two will be at work in one field and two will be grinding in the mill (Luke 17:34-36 and Matt. 24:40-41). In other words the ancient Hebrews were well aware that is night and day on different sides of the globe at the same instant!

The ancient Hebrews were also sea faring peoples from very early times. For example when Ya’akov blessed Zebulon he said:

“Z’vulun shall dwell in the shore of the sea,
and he shall be a shore for ships,
and his flank shall be kept by Tzidon”
(Gen. 49:13)

And when the Hebrews celebrated their victory over the Canaanites with a song, they sang of the victories of the Danite navy:

“Gil’ad abode beyond the Yarden;
and Dan, why does he sojourn by the ships?
Asher dwelt at the shore of the sea,
and abides by its bays.”
(Judges 5:17)

Not only were the ancient Hebrews sailing the Mediterranean Sea, but it may also be demonstrated that King Solomon's ships sailed the Atlantic and Indian Oceans as well. King Solomon had a navy of ships capable of making the voyage to Tarshish:

For the king had at sea, a navy of Tarshish,
with the navy of Hiram; once every three years
came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver,
ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
(1 Kings 10:22)

Tarshish was a land rich in silver, iron, tin and lead :

Tarshish was your merchant by reason of the multitude
of all kinds of riches: with silver, iron, tin, and lead,
they traded for your wares.
(Ezek. 27:12).

Where was Tarshish? The Scripture tells us that Jehoshaphat king of Judah and Achazyah king of Israel worked together to build a fleet of ships also capable of sailing to Tarshish. They built these ships at the Red Sea port of Ezion-Geber:

And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:
And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.
(2Chron. 30:35-36 KJV)

Tarshish could also be reached from the Mediterranean port of Jaffa:

But Yonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of YHWH,
and he went down to Yafo, and found a ship going to Tarshish.
So he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it,
to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of YHWH.
(Jonah 1:3)

This would place Tarshish somewhere in the Atlantic or Indian Oceans.

Years earlier Solomon’s navy was sailing to Tarshish as well. Solomon’s navy went on regular voyages that had them away for three years:

For the king had at sea, a navy of Tarshish,
with the navy of Hiram; once every three years
came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver,
ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
(1Kn. 10:22)

This is comparable to the length of Magellan’s voyage around the world (1519-1522) which lasted almost three years. 

The New Testament made the statement that certain Pharisees would “compass the sea and land in order to make one proselyte” (Mt. 23:15). This word means that Jewish missionaries in ancient times actually circled the globe.

Further evidence may be found in the apocryphal book of 2^nd Esdras. Columbus quoted this book to Queen Isabella of Spain in order to obtain financial support for his voyage. The passage in question reads:

Upon the third day you did command that the waters
should be gathered to one of the seven parts of the earth:
six parts have you dried up, and kept them,
to the intent that of these some being planted of God
and tilled might serve you.
(2nd Esdras 6:42)

There are in fact many evidences of cultural exchanges between ancient Americans and the ancient Hebrews. Upon arriving in the New World many early settlers of Connecticut where shocked to find American Indians who practiced circumcision[2]. Another tribe, native to Georgia, but later moved to Oklahoma, observe a festival very similar to the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated by the Hebrews. This festival takes place during the full moon of their holy harvest month[3]. During the festival the Yuchi have a ritual of waving branches as they dance. Yet other tribes in the Southwest and Mexico make a form of unleavened bread called tortillas as a staple in their diet.

There are also Hebrew linguistic influences on some Indian languages. For example the Mayan word for “real” or “true” is halach. Could this have been derived from the Hebrew term halacha meaning “the way to go” and commonly used to refer to Jewish customs and laws? The ancient Hebrews called false gods Baalim (“lords”) while the Mayans worshiped the jaguar which they called Balam.

Also, there are connections between Hebrew and the Uto-Aztecan dialects. Dr. Cyrus Gordon has pointed out “In Teletzinco Nahuatl[4] wa means ‘and’ as in Semitic.”[5] In 1998 linguist Brian Stubbs published a revolutionary paper which demonstrated a distinct Hebrew influence on the Uto-Aztecan languages[6]. A noted expert on Mayan glyphs, Dr. David Kelley, has found evidence of a connection between the names of the Mayan days of the month and the Hebrew letters.[7]

In addition to linguistic connections, there are several parallels to Jewish stories and legends as well. The various American Indian tribes have at least fifty eight different versions of the Flood Story[8]. Numerous other legends also closely parallel the story of the tower of Babel.

Artifacts with Hebrew inscriptions have been discovered in Ohio, Tennessee and New Mexico[9].

 The Newark Holy Stones found in Newark Ohio
Have Hebrew Inscriptions on them.

 The Lost Lunas "Hidden Mountain" Stone in New Mexico
is inscribed with the Ten Commandments in Ancient Hebrew.

The Bat Creek Stone, found in a Cherokee Indian mound in Tennessee
by a Smithsonian Institute Excavation, has an ancient Hebrew Inscription.

 

Perhaps the most astounding evidence of Ancient Hebrew contact with the New World is the use various forms of the Sacred Name of Yahuweh by various American Indians. The Navajo pantheon includes a white bearded god names Yehovah (note that American Indians tended to have no facial hair). A popular religious song sung by many tribes contains the divine name repeated as the syllables Yoh Heh Wah[10]. The state of Iowa is named after a tribe who called themselves the People of Ioway. Additionally a Dutch Jew names Aaron Levy in the 18^th century spoke of an Indian guide who “called his god after the Name of the Hebrew God, Adonai”[11]. “Adonai” is the Hebrew word for “lord” and is often used by Jews as a substitute for Yahweh, since the actual Name is considered by them to be to sacred to pronounce. Thus the Indian guide likely used the name of Yahweh.

Many artifacts have been discovered in the New World which are evidence of contact with the ancient Hebrews. In 1815 Joseph Merrick, Esq. discovered a Jewish Phylactery buried in a field which had once been a Mohican settlement near Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Ancient Romans in America There is also evidence of contact between ancient Romans and the New World in ancient times. In the mid twentieth century several iron and brass artifacts which appeared to be of Roman origin were discovered in Virginia by an engineer by the name of James V. Howe. Some symbols found inscribed at the site may indicate that the artifacts were left by early Christian refugees in ancient time.[12]

Hui Shen – A Chinese Buddhist Monk Comes to America - In the year 499 CE the Chinese Buddhist missionary Hui Shen took a ship on a voyage 20,000 li (about 10,000 Kilometers or 6,214 miles) east of China to a land he called "Fusang" and reported his discovery to the Emporer upon his return. An account of his voyage is found in the book of Liang (7th Century). It is widely believed that Hui Shen's land of "Fusang" was in fact the New World.

Brendan the Bold - Sometime between 512-530 C.E. an Irish monk known as Brendan the Bold is said to have crossed the Atlantic with a number of fellow pilgrims and discovered an "Island" which he called "Isle of the Blessed". Many scholars have concluded that "the Isle of the Blessed" was in fact North America. The St Brendan Society maintains the claim that Brendan was the first European to reach North America.

Norsemen discover America about l000 C.E. The Norsemen from the Scandinavian Peninsula were the next Europeans to set foot upon the American continent. In the latter part of the tenth century (985), these hardy sea rovers, under the leadership of Eric the Red, made settlements in Greenland, and about the year 1000, Leif Ericson, the son of

Eric, is said to have come from Norway by way of Greenland and Iceland and to have landed upon the shore of North America somewhere to the south of Labrador. He and his

Companions, about thirty-five in number, named the place “Vinland” because of the abundance of wild grapes which they found. Here they spent the winter. Other settlers came, and a colony was founded, only to be abandoned later. 

Prince Madoc of Whales - In the year 1171 C.E. Prince Madoc of Wales set sail from Llandrillo (Rhos-on-Sea) in the cantref of Rhos to explore the Atlantic Ocean with a small fleet of ships. Their expedition crossed the Atlantic and discovered a distant and abundant land on the other side. There about one hundred men disembarked and established a colony, while Madoc and some others returned to Wales in an attempt to recruit more settlers. After gathering ten more ships of men and women they sailed back to this New World, never to return. It is unknown what became of Madoc’s settlement.

Paul Knutson and the Kensington Stone In November 1354 Paul Knutsson was commissioned by King Magnus of Sweden and Norway to travel to Greenland and to investigate the state of affairs there, as a report had come that the people of Greenland were falling from the Christian Faith. Knutson's expedition may have journeyed deep into North America and left behind the Kensington Runestone in what is now Minnesota. The Kensington stone has been regarded by some as a hoax, while others are convinced of its authenticity. The inscription on the stone reads: 

Eight Swedes and 22 Northmen on (this?) acquisition journey from Vinland far to the west. We had a camp by two (shelters?) one day's journey north from this stone. We were fishing one day. After we came home, found 10 men red from blood and dead. Ave Maria save from evil. (side of stone) There are 10 men by the inland sea to look after our ships fourteen days journey from this peninsula (or island). Year 1362 

There is great debate as to whether Knutson's expedition could have made it to Minnesota and left this inscription there. The authenticity of this stone has remained a matter of much controversy among scholars.

 The Kensington Stone

Prince Henry Sinclair and the Brothers Zeno - In 1784 Johann Reinhold Forster identified Prince Henry Sinclair (known as “Henry the Navigator”) with a certain "Prince Zichmni" described in letters written around the year 1400 by the Zeno brothers of Venice. In these letters they describe a voyage throughout the North Atlantic under the command of Zichmni, in which "Zichmni" discovered the land we now know of as North America in 1395 C.E., almost a century before Columbus' voyage. Detractors from this theory question the authenticity of the letters, and the identification of Sinclair with "Zichmni".

João Vaz Corte-Real - In his book Saudades de terra (1570-80), Gaspar Frutuoso gives the account of the discovery of a land across the Atlantic. Corte-Real was a Portuguese sailor and according to the account, he discovered a land called Terra Nova do Bacalhau ("New Land of the Codfish") speculated by some to have been a part of North America in 1472, twenty years before the voyage of Columbus.

The Rediscovery of America by Columbus grew out of the Renaissance. Columbus may well have known that the "New World" was waiting to be "discovered" though he may also have believed that India, China and Japan were somewhere beyond this New World. Several maps and nautical charts predating 1492 have emerged which appear to show parts of North America on the far side of the Atlantic. The "Vineland Map" of 1440 shows a "new" and "fertile" land to west of Vinland. While once discredited, a July 22, 2009 article in the Scientific American gave evidence that this map could be authentic after all. A nautical chart not discovered until 1955, gives evidence that Portuguese captains were already in the New World by 1424[13]. Columbus' brother Bartolomeo was a professional map maker and in fact worked in a cartography workshop in Lisbon. Some have speculated that Columbus actually used a map to get to the New World.

The Vinland Map -

The "Vineland Map" of 1440 shows a "new" and "fertile" land to west of Vinland.

It was stated in the previous lesson that the rediscovery of America grew out of that remarkable revival in learning, industry, and commerce which took place in Europe in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It will be necessary for us at this time to note more definitely the way in which this came about. We have seen that the intellectual and material life of Europe was greatly quickened near the close of the Middle Ages. 

There was greater interest in learning. Commerce and manufacturing developed, and gunpowder was introduced. Printing was invented, and there was a renewed interest in geography and travel. The spirit of enterprise was in the air. One result of all this was to stimulate trade with the East. 

The East was looked upon as a Country of Great Riches. For centuries the people of Europe had carried on an extensive and valuable trade with the East. India and China, or Cathay, as it was then called, were the sources from which the nations of Europe obtained gold, precious stones, silks, perfumes, spices, and other highly desirable commodities. The fact that little was known about the East made the locality still more attractive. There was fascination in its mystery. Travelers returning from India and China brought marvelous tales concerning the wealth and magnificence of those countries. 

Marco Polo, an Italian who had traveled extensively in the East, wrote of the country in glowing terms in 1299, and soon after there appeared the entertaining "Voyage and Travels of Sir John Mandeville," made up from earlier narratives of travel. These books fired the imagination of the West. They told of "silver walls and golden towers," of precious stones and fountains of youth, and of palaces paved with plates of gold "like slabs of stone, a good two fingers thick." "For centuries," says Justin Winsor, "the Orient had been the dream of the philosopher and the goal of the merchant. Everything in the East was thought to be on a larger scale than in Europe, metals were more abundant, pearls were rarer, spices were richer, plants were nobler, animals were statelier."

Access to this wonderful country was naturally a matter of great importance, and routes of trade between Europe and the East were studied with great care. In the Middle Ages there were three important routes: one leading to Genoa by way of Caspian and Black seas and Constantinople; another to Antioch by way of the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates valley ; and the third to Venice by way of the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Mediterranean.

These routes, dangerous and expensive at best, were being gradually cut off by the Turks as they extended their sway over Asia. Finally, in 1453, Constantinople fell into the hands of the Turks, and the route leading to Genoa, the birthplace of Columbus, was closed. It now seemed that the time was approaching when all overland communication between Europe and the East would be cut off. The great commercial and geographical problem of the fifteenth century was therefore the finding of a new trade route to the East. Some improvements had recently been made in art of navigation, and for this and other reasons an all-water route was especially desirable. 

Spain and Portugal, the leading maritime nations of Europe at the time, attempted to solve this great problem by different methods. Portuguese sailors tried to reach India by sailing around Africa and thence into the Indian Ocean; while the Spaniards, guided by Columbus and acting upon the theory that the earth was a globe, attempted to reach the same place by sailing directly west. Both of these attempts should receive attention at this time. 

Prince Henry, the Navigator. - The most notable efforts of the Portuguese were made under the wise and unselfish guidance of Prince Henry, the Navigator mentioned earlier. It is claimed by some that he discovered the New World in 1395, nearly a century before Columbus. A half a century before Columbus sailed on his first voyage of discovery, navigators sent by Prince Henry were cautiously creeping down the western coast of Africa in an attempt to round the continent and thus reach India. They finally succeeded after many years of patient endeavor. In 1497 Vasco da Gama sailed from Lisbon, and returned two years later laden with the jewels, silks, and fine fabrics of the East. The Portuguese had solved the problem, but not in the lifetime of their noble prince, and not until Columbus was about to sail for the third time in search of a western route to India.

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[1] Undaunted Courage, Stephen Ambrose 154

[2] America B.C.; Barry Fell; 1977, New York, pp. 16-17

[3] Before Columbus; Cyrus Gordon; Crown Publishers; N.Y. 1971 pp. 89-90

[4] A Uto-Aztecan dialect

[5] Before Columbus; Cyrus Gordon; Crown Publishers; N.Y. 1971 p. 136

[6] ESOP (Epigraphic Society Occasional Papers) 23; “A Curious Element in Uto-Aztecan”; Brian Darrel Stubbs; pp. 109-140; 1998.

[7] The Quarterly Review of Archaeology; “Culture History and Linguistics in Mesoamerica”; by David Kelley; Sept-Dec 1986; pp. 12-13.

[8] In Search of Noah’s Ark; Dave Balsinger and Charles E. Sellier Jr.; 1976 p. 32.

[9] For details on these see Appendix I and Hebrews in Ancient America; by James Scott Trimm; 2010

[10] The Great Migration; J. Fitzgerald Lee; 1932; p. 36

[11] Ibid p. 63

[12] They All Discovered America; by Charles Michael Boland; 1963; p 55-78.

[13] American Heritage Magazine 1955 Volume 6, Issue 3