Fascinating Conversation with Laouali Yahaya

Alice C. Linsley

The following is the email conversation with Laouali Yahaya, an administrator from Niger with whom I have been communicating about the Hausa-Egyptian connection. It was in this conversation that I learned about the recent discovery of twin pyramids and a sphinx in Niger. I found the announcement and translated the information from French sources. My news report on this discovery is the first in English.  I have Mr. Yahaya to thank for calling this amazing discovery to my attention.

Dear Madam,

As the question of the discovery of a pyramid in Zinder/Niger arose, I came across one of your discussions with Digare Ahmed, a Fulani in northern Nigeria, in January, 2010. This question became controversial in the sense that many don't believe this can be right. Please, if you have other knowledge or a document that attests the Egyptian origin of Hausa, I will be very grateful that you send me it by my Email address.

Yours faithfully.

Laouali Yahaya

Dear Sir,

I have no recollection of writing about a pyramid in Niger. Nor have I written that Hausa originated in Egypt.  I have pointed out that there are linguistic connections between Hausa and other Afro-Asiatic languages, especially Arabic. Ancient Egyptian is in the Afro-Asiatic language family.

I have written some on the Ijebu, the Igbo and the Ashanti.  I've also had numerous communications with Nigerians about Yoruba customs and words.

My research focuses on the Nilotic origins of peoples related by blood and marriage to Abraham of the Bible.  I am a Biblical Anthropologist.

You will find most of my research at Just Genesis and at Biblical Anthropology. There is an INDEX at both sites and the articles are organized alphabetically by topic. Perhaps you will find something helpful.  If not, I would be glad to communicate with you again to answer any questions that you might have.

Best wishes to you!

Alice C. Linsley

Dear Madam,

Many names of ancient Egyptian civilization exist in Hausa. This includes place names such as the towns Qasr El Fara-Farah, Dandereh, El Amarna, Qarah, Dakhla, Kharga, and kom ombo. Also the names of temples such as Esna, Queen of Azna in Niger, associated with Karnak, and areas or regions such as wadi Es Sebouah: Es Saboua, meaning “the new valley."  Even the name of priesthood, which was Harwa in Ancient Egyptian and is Arwa in Hausa. Arwa predicts the future, like a prophet.  Kora is Aaron, because he is shaved. In Hausa, Kora means lack of hair nowadays.

The names of pharaohs correspond to Hausa words also.

Toutankhamon: Touta in Hausa means representation or image of something (Toutan Niger: the flag of Niger Republic);

Chabaka means endowed with arc and arrows.

Torrocco/Toroko refers to a pit fall or a cart.

Napata (who everybody wishes to resemble): pata means also skin. The Gobir king’s name during Ousman Dan Fodio Islamic Jihad was Bunu Napata.

Asha: In Katsena there was a king whose name was Mani Asha. There is still a village now which name is Kaura Asha, meaning "the departure of Asha."

Tanout, where the twin pyramids were found, is probably Ta Nout. This means "belongs to Nout." Nojut is the Egyptian for sky.

Taseti, Nubia: Ta Seti means "belongs to Seth", etc.

Yours faithfully,

Laouali Yahaya

Dear Sir,

Thank you for this valuable information! I have no doubt that there are strong connections between Hausa and Ancient Egyptian. Mr. Garba, who announced the discovery of the Niger pyramids, believes that the Egyptians derived their words from Hausa. I don't agree with this. Instead, it appears that Nilotic peoples spread westward into Nigeria, Chad and Niger. This happened when the Sahara was much wetter.

They also went east into Mesopotamia, Iraq, India, Nepal, Cambodia, and as far as Japan.  There are Harwa priests in Nepal, and many place names can be correlated between Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Nepal, India and Cambodia. These Nilotic peoples spread their religion where they went, and many of the oldest words in the languages of these countries are traceable to the ancient Nilotic religion.  This is why I maintain that African religion is older than Hinduism.

The Proto-Dravidian caru refers to the number six. This correlates to koro in Proto-Saharan, a directional element (the cardinal poles were associated with numbers); to karkia in some Chadic Languages; and to korci in Meidob (a language of eastern Sudan). The most striking similarity is between the Kanembu (another language of Sudan) araku and the Dravido-Tamil aarru. All these refer to the number six or to six coordinates. The number of center points on the early compass was probably six, since a circle of eight segments has six center points. Compass in Arabic is al-konbas, a compound of kon (universe) and bas (home), which was the point on the horizon where the first rays of the Sun were visible.

Horite priests shaved their heads and bodies before they served in the temple. Kora is the name of Moses' older half-brother, not Aaron. Moses was the younger son which explains why Korah challenged his leadership in the wilderness. According to Numbers 26, Korah's claim to be the ruler-priest was supported by the Hanochites. They were the descendants of Hanock, the firstborn son of Jacob's firstborn son Reuben.

The name “Korah” means shaved head in Hebrew. This was the custom for priests in Egypt. (See Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August 2007, p.37.) Do the words Kora and Arwa have the same meaning in Hausa?  Do both relate to shaved priests who tell the future?

Korah and Aaron were Horite priests. They belonged to the caste of ruler-priests who were devotees of Horus, called "son of God." Horus' mother was Hathor, the Virgin Queen, who gave birth in a manger.  This was a foreshadowing of the birth of Jesus Christ. The expectation of the Righteous Ruler who would defeat death and restore paradise can be traced to the Proto-Saharan and Nilotic peoples.  It is much older than the Jewish religion, just as Arabic is much older than Hebrew. 

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Best wishes,

Alice C. Linsley

Dear Madam,

I also forgot to tell you that for a long time I have been searching for the meaning of the name "Ango" which name qualified a newly-married man on the first days of ceremony in Hausa. As some said "Amaria", his new wife, is said to be "Amon Ré Iya" which means wife or mother of Amon RE. Iya in Hausa refers generally to mother or wife. Example: Sa a bull, feminine gives Saniya etc.

You answered my question in one of your publications: Ankh Hor in ancient Egypt, Anghor in Cambodia and now we have a third "Ango" in Hausa. All of these mean "long live Horus." Kat koré!, used for a man who performs a viril act, may signify Hat Hor! Because we don’t have the meaning nowadays.

In Arewa Dogo'n-Doutchi/Niger Republic, where the Saraounia of ancient Daura settled, Lougou people called the mistress of marriage ceremony "Ouwar Rana." This may be "mother of Sun” or “mother of the day."  People of this part of Hausa used the ancient terms, even the Egyptian terms: Ren, Ba, Dan.

Ren Sarki (soul of the King); Ren used with something in ancient Egyptian gives life to that thing. It is the same in Hausa.

Bâ Sarki (The King is no longer: he is dead); the Bâ in ancient Egyptian came up after the death in the form of birds or some thing else: the two terms are related to death.

One of their ancient kings, Kabrin-Kabra, had the same history as Nimrud and, as some people used to say, the Daurawa are descendants of Nimrud.

What surprised me is some names used in ancient Babylon like Samaria (youth in Hausa), Warka which became Irak nowadays (warka is recovery from illness and also a proper name Warka Dillaalia), Mitanni or Moutané in Hausa: people, and the term used to qualify the Niphilims Announaki is certainly Hausa.  The term is transformed nowadays into "Anné” instead of Anou and the plural is Announaki (terrible, capable of all bad deeds, outlawer).

And so also the term Akkadian or Summerian corresponding to past period or epoch: DA. They said DA 1, Da 2, etc. The Hausa said also "Da" to refer to events in ancient time.

In the past there were people in this Hausa part which were called "Yan Kassa" sons of the land/earth, it was said that there were God's cousins.

See you soon...

Laouali Yahaya

Dear Sir,

I've been certain that the Horite religion spread into Nigeria, Niger, Chad and possibly Benin.  There is much evidence that it spread into Mesopotamia and India. I've termed this the Afro-Asiatic Dominion. Linguistics is very useful in reconstructing a picture of the past, but we need archaeological findings also. Do you know of any ancient artifacts that constitute evidence of Horus being venerated in Niger?

I believe the Agadez Cross, made by the Inadan of Niger, is a Horite artifact. It seems to represent God's presence at the sacred center of the universe.

This email communication is fascinating and deserves a wider reading. Would you be willing for me to publish our conversation at Just Genesis?  I did this recently with an email conversation that I had with a friend on the subject of Genesis and Darwin.  I think we could put together a good conversation that would enlighten many readers.

I send you my best wishes.

Alice C. Linsley

Dear Madam,

When the Saraounia of Azna (queen of Azna- Azna means black people) moved from Daura = bush of Ra, she was with the Baura = the servant of Ra (the priest, who is said to be capable to invade farms of enemies with birds and insects.)

People said: "Baura, the owner of birds and insects."  Baura built his grave before his death. He was always accompanied by his sacred snake, a python. It was said that on the road to this place, they found Toungouma, a stone from DauRa which is used to make justice: The stone is held by two persons and after some recitations the stone drags the two persons toward the culprit.

The Kona (wherever they settled Kona is chief, people said: "Kona ouwar Sarki" which means "Kona mother of sarki", there were again the Sarkin Rouafi and Sarkin Toudou (the sarki of valley/low altitude and the one of high altitude).

There is also the sarkin Noma, master of crops who is under the authority of the Kona. Saraounia Mangou, one of these queens made a great resistance to the penetration of white people. She was defeated, but not captured. It was said that she used magic against Voulet and Chanoine army, and some kilometers from her bastion in Lougou,Voulet and Chanoine were killed by their soldiers. Because of this defeat, Saraounia refused to come out of her hut in day light.

Even those elected nowadays come out of their palaces only after sunset.  Perhaps they fear to dishonor Rana (my RA), the Sun, symbol of Re.

All these chieftains exist nowadays in Arewa, a region in Niger, but their power is lessened by colons.

I am busy these days. We shall do this discussion on the suited moment. Thank you!

Do you understand French? Our official language is French.

With all my greetings,

Laouali Yahaya

Greetings again!

I speak only English and Spanish. I can read French. However, you communicate very well in English.  : )

It is interesting that you mention Niger. The Inadan metalworkers of Niger make Agadez crosses. This design appears to be a Horite artifact as it symbolizes the ancient Egyptian cosmology and religious beliefs about Ra and the Sun.

Further, the Inadan metalworking chiefs of Niger maintain two wives in separate households on a north-south axis. This was a custom among the Horite rulers who are listed in the first book of the Bible.  It is interesting that these chiefs of Arewa preserve the older tradition.  The Inadan have their own secret language called TNT.

The Inadan metal workers are subservient to the Taureg in Sudan and Niger. Inadan men are protective about their metalworking practices. They claim to be kin to King David. (See National Geographic, Aug. 1979, p. 389) They are probably related to the Beja of Sudan. BJA is likely the root of the Hausa name Bayajidda. He too is associated with metalworkers. They made the knife which he used to cut off the head of the serpent Sarki at a well in Daura in Katsina State. I didn't know that Dau-ra means "the Bush of Ra."  That is very interesting!

I'm also interested to learn more about the high-elevation and low-elevation sarki. Doesn't sarkin maharba mean "lead hunter" in Hausa?

When you have time, we can discuss these matters further.

Best wishes to you.

Alice C. Linsley

Ok Madam,

I want to make a correction about the name "Azna" Queen of Azna. I asked some old people because I am not certain of the definition. Now Azna appears to be people who are like Harwa, they do “Arwa” - they predict good and bad harvest. After organizing a hunting campaign an animal is caught alive and slaughtered. It is said that in the inside of the animal they extract the cereals which will abound on that year.  It may be that Arwa is Aaron.

They also heal sorcery: people accused of sorcery are brought there and soon after they are given a beverage, they start telling all the people they killed.  After this beverage, they will not kill any person again.

Laouali Yahaya

Dear Sir,

That is helpful information. Thank you very much.

In Arabic, Aaron is spelled Haroun and means light-bringer. Haroun seems closer to Harwa than Aaron. It may be that Aaron is related to Arwa.

Still, it is clear that Arwa and Harwa refer to priest-diviners; men who discover what is hidden and bring it to light.  That is what the Horite priests did, in addition to offering sacrifice. The high priest kept the divination tools in his breast plate. Abraham consulted such a person at the sacred oak where the moreh met with people (Gen. 12:6). Jesus is a direct descendant of the Horite priests by his mother Mary, a daughter of the ruler-priest lines.

Best wishes,

Alice C. Linsley

Related reading: Was the Giza Sphinx a Recumbent Lion?; The Nile-Japan Ainu Connection; A Kindling of Ancient Memory; Abraham's Ainu Ancestors; The Afro-Asiatic Dominion

Lévi-Strauss and Derrida on Binary Oppositions

Alice C. Linsley


There is no doubt that Proto-Saharan and Nilotic peoples as early as 3,800 B.C. thought of the observable world in terms of binary sets such as male-female, night-day, heaven above-earth below, dry-wet, raw-cooked, and life-death. This characterized the worldview of Abraham's Horite Hebrew ancestors and is an important feature to recognize when studying the biblical texts.

The directional axes of east-west and north-south comprised fundamental binary sets for Abraham's people and underpin their cosmology, worship, and burial practices. It appears that Horite Hebrew rulers were buried with their heads to the north and their faces to the east. The rising of the sun, the emblem of God Father (Ra or Ani) and God Son (Horus or Enki), spoke to them of the hope of bodily resurrection. They anticipated a Righteous Ruler who would overcome death and lead his people to immortality.

The Horite Hebrew venerated the sun and aligned their monuments to the solar arc. The overshadowing of the sun signified divine appointment of rulers. Ascent to the mountain top (the spatial sacred center) at high noon marked the sacred temporal center, and the place and time of theophanies.

Likewise the sacred pillars in the Horite Hebrew temples and elevated shrines (called bnbn in Ancient Egyptian) connected heaven and earth.

The biblical worldview observes binary sets or binary oppositions which distinguishes this worldview from dualism. In a binary set, one of the entities is recognized as being superior in some way to its opposite. The entities are not equal opposites as in dualism. The sun and moon are posed as a binary set, and we note that the sun is the greater light (Gen.1:16).


An ancient way of thinking

The French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss observed binary thinking among pre-literate Amazon tribes in the 20th century. In his book, Le cru et le cuit, Strauss explores cultural perceptions of natural/raw-prepared/cooked, and other binary oppositions/sets within primitive cultures.

Lévi-Strauss dedicated himself to searching for the "underlying patterns of thought in all forms of human activity." On the basis of his anthropological findings he argued that the primitive mind has the same structures or patterns as the civilized mind. These observations culminated in his famous book Tristes Tropiques, which positioned him as the central figure in the structuralist school.

Lévi-Strauss was interested in how meaning is related to and derived from observation of binary oppositions/sets. His structuralist theory considers how meaning relies not only on a single entity in the binary set, but also on the relationship of the entities and the beyond thing to which the relationship points. So "man" and "woman" each represent a unique idea, but the relationship of the two presents additional layers of meaning. Levi-Strauss argued that binary distinctions generate a hierarchy of meanings and are central to cultural narratives.

On the surface binary logic seems straightforward. However, the work of Jacques Derrida reveals great complexities in deconstruction of texts, ideas, myths and human customs. In the case of binary oppositions, each entity of the binary set means something, and the relationship of the oppositions means something, and the hierarchy exhibited by the set means something, and then there is still a beyond Presence, a constancy beyond human grasp.

Binary sets require that we make distinctions between entities, consider the relationship of dominance and subservience, and explore reversals.  In so doing, deeper and/or unfamiliar meanings emerge. This is what Derrida recognized in his playful and profound exploration of texts and myths.

Derrida ascribes to objects a less substantial existence than the shadow they cast, or their trace. He explores the metaphysical aspect behind the physical. He moves behind Aristotle to Plato, and behind Plato to the ancient Nilotic mysteries which informed Plato. Derrida's reversals are a strategic intervention to free Western Philosophy from the constraints of empiricism, materialism and linear logic. His method involves neutralizing the shouting voice in order to hear resonances of underlying sounds.

As Derrida suggested: "Deconstruction cannot limit itself or proceed immediately to neutralization: it must, by means of a double gesture, a double science, a double writing, practice an overturning of the classical opposition, and a general displacement of the system. It is on that condition alone that deconstruction will provide the means of intervening in the field of oppositions it criticizes" (Metaphysics).

This reversal of the subordinated term of an opposition is no small aspect of deconstruction's strategy. Derrida's argument is that in examining a binary opposition and reversals, deconstruction brings to light traces of meaning that cannot be said to be present, but which must have metaphysical existence. This is not a new idea or even a new approach to meaning. It is consistent with the binary thought and observations of the Abraham's Proto-Saharan ancestors from whom we receive the binary narratives in Genesis.

After deconstruction, Jacques Derrida concluded that there is a center and that something is there. He spoke of this something as "presence." He claimed that throughout the history of Philosophy this metaphysical presence is called by different names, “God” being one of them. This is uncomfortable for materialists. They find the metaphysical baffling. If there is a "presence" at the metaphysical center, it must surely be of ultimate authority (Romans 13:1). It is natural that many should feel existential angst about this possibility.

Derrida was a North African Arabic-speaking Jew. In a sense,  his contribution to Western Philosophy has been to re-introduce the Afro-Arabian interpretive approach to meaning. In this, he unintentionally renders a great service to Bible scholars. In Romans 1:20, Paul asserts that God's invisible qualities, namely His divine nature and eternal power, are evident in the fixed binary order of creation.  Here the Apostle is drawing on the received tradition of his Horim.

In the Horite Hebrew view, the world does not change. Flux occurs within boundaries, but the order of creation is fixed. Lévi-Strauss and other structuralists agree that all humans observe certain patterns in the ordering of their societies and these patterns are informed by objective observation of the fixed order in creation. This flies in the face of the gay activists' claim, expressed by Gene Robinson at Emory University, "You can’t take a 20th century word, stick it back into an ancient text, and expect it to mean something entirely unknown to the authors of the text. These verses are quoted as if our world has never changed."

Gay advocates refuse to recognize that the biblical consideration of homosex is not restricted to a few verses in Genesis and Romans. It is a fundamental aspect of the binary framework of the entire Bible.

As a Biblical anthropologist, I seek to understand the cultural context of the Bible, especially at the oldest, pre-Abrahamic foundations. Biblical Anthropology concerns itself with antecedents. The oldest layers of the biblical material reveal a binary and hierarchically structured worldview relative to gender, blood, circumcision, cosmology and priesthood. This is not a popular idea in these egalitarian times, but it is important that we understand the biblical worldview to discern falsehood from truth. A blow to the binary distinctions strikes the very heart of Christianity, for without this understanding, the Incarnation and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ is meaningless. Were all equal, there would be none greater than ourselves who could stoop to save us.


Related reading:  Something Older; Genesis and Jacques Derrida; Ontology and the Philosophical Project; Binary Sets in the Ancient World;  Blood and Binary Distinctions; Binary Opposition and Narrative; Binary Distinctions and Kenosis; Gender Reversal and Sacred Mystery; Reality is Cross Shaped; Sweeping Away Gender and the Binary Distinctions; Full documentary "Claude Lévi-Strauss in His Own Worlds" (2008)

Who Did Cain Marry?

Alice C. Linsley

Figurine of a Nok Ruler

If Cain were born of Eve, the first mother, we would have to speculate that he married a sister or perhaps a daughter of his brother Seth. If Eve is the original mother of all humanity, she and her children would have lived at least 3.8 million years ago since that is the age of archaic human fossils. In this case, Cain's historicity is impossible to prove.

That said, Genesis 4 describes Cain as a city builder and his descendants as metal-workers and artisans. This indicates that he was a ruler, as only ruler's build cities, and the technologies described place him in the Neolithic period. He would have lived about 3000 B.C., well after the establishment of Nilo-Saharan settlements (70,000 years ago) and inland settlements in Southern Arabia (55,000 years ago). He was one of the "mighty men of old."

It is certain from the biblical data that Cain was not one of the first humans on earth. He was the first king of biblical history, however. The Bible tells us many details about Cain, all of them pointing to his rank as a ruler. When he was born his mother declared kan-itti. E.A. Speiser noted that Qany(ty) or Qan itti shows close affinity to the Akkadian itti, as in itti šarrim, which means "with the king". Akkadian was the language of the empire during Nimrod's time (BC 2290-2215). Genesis 10 tells us that Nimrod was a Kushite, so it is not surprising to find that Akkadian shares many words with Nilotic languages. Among the Oromo of Ethiopia and Somalia, itti is attached to names. Examples include Kaartuumitti, Finfinneetti and Dimashqitti. That itti is associated with Nilotic rulers is evident in the name Nefertitti.

Cain was a tiller of the soil (Gen. 4:2). He controlled a territory as did Noah, one of his descendents, who was said to have planted a vineyard.

Cain married his cousin, the royal daughter of Enoch (Nok) as evidenced by analysis of the Genesis 4-5 kinship pattern.

He was a city builder (Gen. 4:17) as was his descendent Nimrod. These cities represent sacred centers of larger territories.

Cain is associated with metal smiths and one of his descendents – Tubal-Cain – is said to be the “father” of smiths. Smiths held a high social status in the ancient world. Early in the upper Nile, Badari smiths smelted copper. These are the same people who used ritual flint knives for circumcision, such at that used by Zipporah.

Cain’s name is derived from the word meaning “possession” or “lot”. As the first born son, he inherited the role of ruler. We might ask if he inherited it from Adam or by marrying into the House of Enoch (Nok).

He was a religious man, offering sacrifice to God, though his sacrifice wasn’t always acceptable (Gen. 4:5).

His bride named their first-born son after her father, which was the pattern among the ruler-priests of Abraham’s people.

By the time that Jude wrote his epistle (c. 68 AD) Cain was solidly established as the archetype of an earthly ruler. Jude warns those who might abandon Christ because of their suffering and false teachers that God punishes those who rebel against Him. He uses three men as examples: Cain the ruler, Balaam the prophet, and Korah the priest. These were the three most sacred offices among Abraham’s people and they were often filled by people corrupted by the world.

Cain's cousin bride

When we consider the king lists of Genesis 4 and 5 together, we discover that the lines of Cain and Seth intermarried. This makes Cain in historical time the first ruler named in the Bible to establish a territory which he named for his son Enoch. Enoch was born to Cain by a daughter of another chief named Enoch (Ha-Nock, Nok, Anochie). In other words, Cain married a princess to whom he was related. Since she named their first born son after her father, she was likely Cain's patrilineal cousin. This is called the "cousin bride's naming prerogative."

The line of descent of Cain's princess bride is given in Genesis 4. She is not named, nor is her sister, the bride of Cain's brother Seth. The line of descent from Seth's wife is given in Genesis chapter 5. Both Cain's wife and Seth's wife names their first-born sons after their father Enoch/Nok, so we know their father's identity.

When reading the "Begets" of Genesis 4 and 5, most readers imagine that they are reading about the children of Adam and Eve. Instead they are reading King Lists that reflect a fully developed pattern of marriage and ascendancy among Abraham's Proto-Saharan ancestors.This marriage and ascendancy pattern, involving two wives and two firstborn sons, can be traced throughout the Bible by tracing the cousin bride naming prerogative.

Analysis of this material reveals that Cain and Seth married the daughters of a ruler named Nok. Nok is the Chadic form of Enoch/Hanoch/Henosh; and the Arabic Anoosha. Chadic words tend to be bi-consonantal.

The brides named their firstborn sons after their father. This indicates that Cain and Seth married patrilineal cousins or nieces, since only the cousin or niece bride named her firstborn son after her father. Were we to diagram this kinship, it would look like this:

Enoch/Nok

/  \

Wife of Cain    Wife of Seth

/   \

Enoch/Nok    Enosh/Nok

Enoch is likely derived from the Ancient Egyptian anochi which means "I" and is likely the royal first person pronoun.The word anochi is also found among peoples who migrated from the Nile westward, such as the Igbo and the Ashante. Among the Igbo, anochie means “a replacer” or “to replace”and among the Ashante the word ano kyi means "Ano Junior." In both cases, we find the idea of succession from father to son, suggesting royal descent. A Nigerian biblical anthropologist reports that "Anochie also means 'direct heir to a throne.'" Therefore the biblical name "Enoch" is associated with royal ascendancy. Likewise, Terah is not a name, but a title, meaning priest.

Genesis 4 and 5 trace descent from a Proto-Saharan ruler who lived about 4500 B.C. and not from Adam and Eve. As we see from the diagram, the wives of Cain and Seth named their firstborn sons after their father. This naming prerogative of cousin brides continues throughout the Bible. We may assume from this that Cain and Seth married patrilineal parallel cousins, as did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is also likely that Cain and Seth had second wives who would have been half-sisters, as did Nahor, Terah and Abraham.

Bloodline among Abraham's people was figured through the mother, but social status (caste) and livelihood (occupation) were inherited from the father. Tubal-Cain is said to have worked metal. He would have inherited this from his father.

The brides of Cain and Seth were of noble status. Their father was a ruler of great wealth who controlled the water systems of his region. During this time Africa was much wetter than it is today. The Chadic Sea was about 600 feet deep and sustained boating and fishing industries. The average fishermen used canoe dugouts, but nobles used boats constructed of marsh reeds lashed together and sealed with pitch.

The Nile and central Africa were once integrated. It took a long time for these water systems to shrink. The region was still wet in the time of Cain and Seth. The connection of the major water ways, controlled by rulers and chiefs, explains how the House of Nok (northern Nigeria) and the House of Set (Nubia) became the controlling houses of Kush. Ancient Kush would have included Egypt, southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. Now there is evidence that these Proto-Saharan rulers also governed Chad and Niger where they built pyramids that are 1000 years older than the Giza pyramids in Egypt.

An Ancient River Civilization

Recent evidence suggests that the Nile floods were much more extensive than previously thought. Space photos show that they spread nearly 100 miles west of the river and created "mega-lakes" in the ancient desert. Ted Maxwell of the National Air and Space Museum believes this is how the Nile Valley and central Africa were once integrated. It took a long time for these water systems to shrink. The region was still wet in the time of Kain and Seth. The major water ways were controlled by rulers whose houses were related by marriage. This explains how the House of Nok (Nigeria) and the House of Set (Nubia) came to control such a vast region.

On the west, the Nile connected with the Chadic Sea, which in turn connected to the Benue and Niger Watershed in Nigeria (the Benue Trough). This is the region of Noah's flood. As a ruler, Noah probably had a fleet of boats constructed of reeds and pitch. The biblical flood likely took place during the late Holocene Wet Period in the only area on earth that claims to be Noah's homeland: Bor-No, meaning "the Land of Noah."

The western Nile watershed extended well into the Sudan. This explains why the Sudanese always have thought of the Nile as their river. The Sudanese-born BBC commentator, Zeinab Badawi, expresses the Sudanese view of the Nile:

"I think that the biggest source of friction and potential tension between Egypt and Sudan has been in the Nile, and how the waters of the Nile are used. The feeling that a lot of northern Sudanese might have is that the Nile actually in a sense runs much more through Sudan than it does through Egypt. Sudan is the biggest country in Africa. It's the tenth biggest in the world, the size of western Europe. It is the land of the Nile, and maybe there is a kind of brotherly resentment by the northern Sudanese that the Egyptians have in a sense claimed the Nile as their own, whereas the Sudanese in a sense feel they are the proper custodians of the Nile, because after all, most of its journey is through the territory of Sudan." (From here.)

Dr. Christopher Ehret explains how the climate caused the movement of groups of people. He writes, "The initial warming of climate in the Bølling-Allerød interstadial, 12,700-10,900 BCE, brought increased rainfall and warmer conditions in many African regions. Three sets of peoples, speaking languages of the three language families that predominate across the continent today, probably began their early expansions in this period. Nilo-Saharan peoples spread out in the areas around and east of the middle Nile River in what is today the country of Sudan. (History in Africa 3-4)

The Nilo-Saharan Ruling Houses Intermarried

It was the custom for the rulers of this region to have two wives. One was a half-sister (as was Sarah to Abraham) and the second wife, taken later in life, was a patrilineal cousin or niece. The second wife named her firstborn son after her father. This cousin-bride naming prerogative allows biblical anthropologists to trace the lineage from the earliest rulers in Genesis to Jesus. It also explains why there are two named Esau, two named Joktan (Yaqtan), two named Sheba and two named Lamech named in Genesis.

For example, Lamech's daughter Naamah (mentioned in Gen. 4) married her patrilineal cousin Methuselah and named their firstborn son "Lamech" after her father.

Copyright 1981 Alice C. Linsley

The intermarriage between the lines of Cain and Seth is paralled by the intermarriage between the lines of Ham and Shem and later between the lines of Eber and Sheba, and Abraham and Nahor. In fact, analysis of the Genesis genealogies reveals a consistent and unchanging marriage pattern among the Horite rulers before and after the time of Abraham.

Note that the Virgin Mary was Joseph's patrilineal cousin and that both were in the priestly lines.

Related reading: Cain's Princess Bride; Boats and Cows of the Nilo-Saharans; The Saharan Origins of the Pharaohs; The Marriage and Ascendancy Pattern of Abraham's Ancestors; Sub-Saharan DNA of Modern Jews; Are the Names Enoch and Enosh Linguistically Equivalent?

Answers to High Schoolers' Questions About the Earth

Alice C. Linsley




Part 5:  The Creation of Earth
This continues the series on Answers to High Schooler's Questions About Genesis.


Q:  How old is the Earth?

A:  The earth is about 4.5 billion years old. This is based on radiometric age dating of meteorite material and the earth's oldest rocks, and is consistent with lunar samples. Young-Earth Creationists argue that radiometric dating is not reliable because it contradicts what they believe the Bible says about the age of the Earth.  For the sake of argument, let us consider that radiometric calculations are off by 50%. Were this the case (and it is not), the earth would still be over 2 billion years old.  The oldest human fossils are about 3.6 million years.  Again for the sake of argument, let us consider that the carbon dating of the oldest human fossils is off by 50%.  These humans would still have lived over 1 million years ago

Young-Earth Creationists calculate the Earth's age at 6000 years on the basis of ages assigned to the rulers in the Genesis King Lists.  They assume that Bishop James Ussher's scheme is accurate.  However, Ussher didn't recognize that these lists are not generational, but regnal. The reigns of some kings coincided. For example, Tubal-Cain (Gen. 4) and Methuselah (Gen. 5) ruled at the same time.  Further, these rulers had two wives. The first wife was the bride of the ruler-to-be's youth.  The second wife was a patrilineal cousin and this wedding took place shortly before the heir ascended to the throne. This is why Abraham was anxious for Isaac to marry his cousin bride before he died (Gen. 24).

With two wives, there were two first-born sons.  They ascended to different thrones, but the ruling lines intermarried exclusively. Bishop Ussher didn't take this unique marriage and ascendancy pattern into consideration. He apparently was unaware of its importance.



Q:  How many times has God created Earth?

A:  The creation of the Earth was a singular event according to the Bible. John 1:3 says that everything that was created in the beginning was created from nothing (creatio ex nihilo).  In other words, God did not create from pre-existing elements or from the substance of a previous world.

The idea that God created more than one Earth developed out of Greek Philosophy and can be traced to the thought of Anaximander of Miletus (B.C. 610 – 546). He believed that the universe or “all the heavens and the worlds within them” came from “some boundless nature.” Their existence involved the interaction of the four elements of ancient physics: Earth, Water, Air and Fire.

Anaximander speculated that these elements constantly interact to produce new worlds. This is why some thought this world came about as the result of the explosion of a previously existing world.  He hypothesized that the world originated when a firey ball surrounded Earth like bark on a tree. When the ball broke apart it formed other worlds as hollow concentric circles or spirals, filled with fire.

In his first sermon on creation, Basil the Great argued against Anaximander's view that a world is created by the spiraling motion of the four interactive elements.  He declared, "Do not then imagine, O man! that the visible world is without a beginning; and because the celestial bodies move in a circular course, and it is difficult for our senses to define the point where the circle begins, do not believe that bodies impelled by a circular movement are, from their nature, without a beginning." (The Hexaemeron, Homily I)

This idea of previously existing worlds is not found in the Bible. According to the Bible, God fashioned all the worlds from nothing. Hebrews 11:13 says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible."



Q:  What existed before God created everything?

A:  No matter existed. Only the triune God existed: Christ the Logos and the Spirit of God were one with God the Father. The Holy Trinity is evident in Genesis 1 and was manifested to John the Baptist and his disciples when Jesus was baptised in the Jordan River. (See Matthew 3:16,17; Mark 1:9-11)

Genesis 1:2 speaks of a void (bohu in Hebrew).  This may be the work of Hellenistic Jews who translated the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) into Greek. That version of the Old Testament is called the Septuagint and it appears to be influenced by Greek Philosophy which debated the idea of motion, matter and a void. John Sailhamer makes this point in his book Genesis Unbound.  The Greek-speaking Jews who translated the Old Testament were likely drawing on the thought of Democritus (460 – ca. 370 BC), a ancient philosopher who argued that any movement would require a void.  Since God is the Unmoved Mover, there was movement at the beginning and therefore a void.  This argument has been used to suggest that God as Unmoved Mover is illogical since, as Democritus asserted, a void cannot exist.

Obviously there is a conflict between the Greek and the Semitic worldviews. As Genesis reflects a Nilo-Semitic worldview, we must look for another explanation of the word bohu.

Genesis 1 describes when God began the work of creation. It uses the words tohu (formless or confused) and bohu (empty or void). The Hebrew phrase "formless and void" (Gen. 1: 2) is tohu wa-bohu and is of Nilotic origin. The word tohu in Isaiah 34:11 means "confused" so it appears that Genesis 1 refers to matter in a confused or chaotic state before God set things in order.

In Nilotic mythology chaos or disorder preceded creation. The Egyptians believed that chaos (tehom) dwelt south of Yebu (Elephantine Island) as a great river serpent between the Nile's east (bahku) and west (manu) banks. The word bohu appears to be related to the word bahku, the direction from which the Sun rose and filled the valley with light - And God said, "Let there be light and there was light." (Gen. 1:3)




Q:  How did everything just appear when God spoke?

A:  The Word of God generates life. This is what John explains in the Prologue to his Gospel:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men." John 1:1-4

Basil the Great explains, "It must be well understood that when we speak of the voice, of the word, of the command of God, this divine language does not mean to us a sound which escapes from the organs of speech, a collision of air struck by the tongue; it is a simple sign of the will of God."  (The Hexaemeron, Homily II)



Q:  Could God have created the world through evolution?

A:  Evolution is an explanation for how species emerge, adapt and survive. Darwin's observations about the complexity, diversity, adaptability and survival of species do not address the question of the origin of matter.  His hypothesis that humans and apes had a common ancestor has never been proven. There is no physical evidence that this is true.

Some Christians believe that God created the different species by the processes described in evolutionary theory. Their view is called "Theistic Evolution" and has grown in popularity among Evangelicals. 

Other theories held by Christians include Intelligent Design, the Framework Theory, Progressive Creationism, Age-Day Creationism, Gap Theory Creationism, and Young-Earth Creationism. These are described here.

Genesis tells us that God created in an orderly fashion over a period of time and according to a plan. It is the work of science to discover the order and the work of theologians and Bible scholars to discern the plan. For Abraham's ancestors the order was perceived as fixed, though they recognized flux within the fixed boundaries. Their acute observation of the patterns in nature suggested a divine plan.

If the biblical worldview is true, no discrepancy should exist between genetics and the biblical assertion that the order of creation is fixed with genetic boundaries between "kinds."  Specific fixed boundaries exist within the DNA code. This explains why humans reproduce humans and not some other animal. Further, while the similarity of humans to apes may suggest a common origin, this common ancestor is not known to have existed.  A common ancestor exists in the imaginations of artists who draw images for Biology books.

Evolutionary theory rests on many unconfirmed and often ludicrous assumptions.  For example, some assume that because nurse sharks and camels share an antigen receptor protein they are descended from a common ancestor. However, the DNA sequences that code for the proteins are different between sharks and camels. 




Q:  Why did God take seven days to create?

A:  Actually,the first creation story says that God created in six days and rested on the seventh.

According to Genesis 1, God created in an orderly fashion over a period of time.  Order implies duration of time.  Consider how time passes as you write the letters of the alphabet in order.  Seconds pass as you draw each on the paper.  Time began to pass, like a ticking clock, from the moment that God created matter and space.



Q:  Were the seven days of creation 24-hour days?

A:  Genesis 1 suggests that the seven days are to be taken as 24-hour days.  However, Genesis 2 says that God created everything in a single day.  In both creation stories the Hebrew word for day is yom. This word is used in the Bible to mean a 24-hour day or an unspecified duration of time.



Q:  When Genesis says "hovered over the waters" does that mean that water existed before God formed the earth? Or was this water over an unformed earth?

A:  According to the ancient Nilotic peoples, the world emerged as a dry mound rising up from the primordial ocean. Because the Sun is essential to life on earth, the first rising of Ra (the Creator whose emblem was the Sun) marked the moment of the world's emergence. This is why God's first words in Genesis are "let there be light" and why St. John says that Christ, the Word, was the real light that was coming into the world. (John 1:9)




Q: How could water come up from the ground if it hadn't rained yet?

A:  Genesis 2:4-6 says "On the day that God made earth and heaven there was as yet no wild bush on the earth nor had any wild plant sprung up for Yahweh God had not sent rain on the earth, nor was there any man to till the soil. Instead, water flowed out of the ground and watered the whole surface of the soil."

This picture of the primeval Earth as a watery world is consistent with the cosmology of Abraham's Nilotic ancestors from whom we receive this account. They believed that the dry ground emerged from a universal ocean.  It is also consistent with scientific findings that suggest that 2.5 billion years ago oceans covered most of the planet. Just 2% to 3% of the Earth's surface would have been dry land, compared with 28% today.




Q: Where was the Garden of Eden?

A:  Eden is described as a vast watery region that extended from the Nile to Mesopotamia.  The writer of Genesis 2-3 says that God prepared a garden somewhere in this region and placed the first humans there.  This is also the region where the oldest human fossils have been found. This is the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion and the place of origin of the Genesis rulers and of "him that holds the scepter from the house of Eden" (Amos 1:5).

Genesis 2:10-14 says that Eden was watered by four rivers: the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Pishon and the Gihon. The Tigris and Euphrates are in Mesopotamia and the Pishon and Gihon are in Africa. The Ethiopians identify the Gihon with the Abay River, which encircles the former Kushite kingdom of Gojjam. The Pishon "flows through the whole land of Havilah" (Gen. 2:11). Havilah is a son of Kush (Gen. 10:7) and the "Kushites" lived in the Upper Nile region and the Sudan. Kushite kings also ruled in Egypt.

The description of Eden as a well-watered region is supported by climate and geological studies. These four rivers encompass the heart of the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion which was ruled by a network of chief priests. They controlled the major water systems and built shrines along the rivers.



Q: Where do dinosaurs fit in the story of creation?

A:

Dinosaurs are not mentioned in the Genesis creation accounts. These accounts speak of great diversity and an hierarchy within the animal world, but the peoples from whom we receive the creation stories did not have any direct experience of dinosaurs. Likely they had oral traditions about great creatures that once lived on the Earth. They may have associated the avian dinosaur with the serpent-dragon. This dragon was called by the RahuKetu (drawing from the Ancient Egyptian words Ra and Ketu). The avian dinosaurs survived after the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

Scientists have identified seven major global and local dinosaur subgroups during the latest Cretaceous period. The large herbivores, such as ceratopsids and hadrosauroids, appear to have been in decline for some time before their extinction. Carnivorous dinosaurs, mid-sized herbivores, and some Asian species appear to have fared better. Their populations were thriving and appear to have disappeared rather suddenly.

The reason for the extinction of the dinosaurs is still a mystery.  However, most scientists believe that their extinction was environment and likely triggered by the impact on Earth of a large asteroid or comet.  Evidence for such events have been identified in the Yucatan and in Siberia. An object 10 kilometers across struck Earth off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula 65 million years ago.

It is believed that this caused dense clouds of dust that blocked the sun's rays. The darker and colder environment caused many plants to die and these were the food source of the large bulk-feeding herbivores.  According to this theory, once the dust cleared greenhouse gases caused temperatures to skyrocket and the frigid and sweltering climatic extremes caused the extinction of up to 70 percent of all plants and animals living at the time.

Another theory involves global volcanic activity. Massive beds of ancient lava found around the world depict an Earth where volcanic eruptions were commonplace. According to this theory, volcanic activity spewed gas, ash, and dust into the atmosphere, blocking light from the sun. Plant production plummeted, and dinosaurs that were poorly adapted to the harsh conditions perished.



Related reading: YEC Dogma is NOT Biblical; Tehut's Victory Over Tehom; Bishop Ussher Goofed; The Nilotic Substrata of Genesis 1; Biblical Anthropologists Discuss Darwin

Twin Pyramids in Zinder

 Dan Baki mound

Alice C. Linsley


In February 2012, Egyptologist Souley Garba (a Nigerian) announced his discovery of a pyramid mound near the village of Dan Baki, 20 km west of Zinderand 2 km north of the village of Tirmini. Garba speculates that the unopened pyramid might contain more than 40,000 gold objects.

The Dan Baki pyramid has a twin nearby and may to be part of a series of mounds located in the region of Tanout. Many other pyramids have been found across the Sahara.

The Proto-Saharans left behind engraving of bulls, calves, elephants, and mules. These giraffe petrogylphs in Niger date to between 6000 and 8000 years. The two giraffe, thought to be one large male in front of a smaller female, were engraved on the weathered surface of a sandstone outcrop.

Souley Garba claims that the mound of Dan Baki is 4500 years old. It is in an advanced state of deterioration, but was not open when it was discovered by Garba.

Sanounou Ybrah and Sidney Davis in front of Dan Baki mound
Photo taken October 2014.

Mr. Garba reports that this discovery is the "result of our activities we have been carrying out over 7 years and with a private institute of the United States of America." Garba explained that years of study of the hieroglyphic texts led him to the name of the village where he discovered the pyramid. He believes that the point of origin of humanity is in Niger. From there people spread into Chad, Nigeria, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. He has not attempted to explain the presence of more ancient monuments in Southern Africa, Turkey and China.

Study of the ancient hieroglyphic texts reveals a close affinity between Ancient Egyptian and Hausa. The names Tanout and Dar-Gaza recur in the hieroglyphic texts that Garba studied. He says that Ta-nout means "belongs to the sky"  and Dar-Gaza means "crown of God" and refers to the sun. Gaza is a variant of Giza.

Hausa is in the Afro-Asiatic language group. This group includes Akkadian (the oldest known Semitic language), Ancient Egyptian, Arabic, Aramaic, Amharic, Babylonian, Chadic, Elamite, Ethiopic, Hahm/Jaba, Hebrew, Phoenician, Sumerian and Ugartic. The diversity of this group is amazing! Chadic alone has 600 dialects.

There is also a sphinx near the twin pyramids and Garba describes it has having a lion shape.

The Zinder mounds reflect a very ancient practice of building mounds, pyramids, and high places. The Dan Baki site is especially interesting because there appears to be a sphinx. This is Sanounou Ybrah's 3D before and after reconstruction of the pyramid and sphinx. 

Here are some interesting facts about Niger:

Niger has both prehistoric sites and protohistorical settlements.

Paul Sereno has been studying the 200 human burials at the Gobero site, on the edge of a paleolake in Niger. This cemetery provides a record of human occupation in this area from 8000 B.C. to about 2500 B.C.

Niger has grown 200 million trees over the past two decades; the only country in Africa to have added forest cover in the same period.

Related reading: Pyramids and Mounds Galore; Was the Giza Sphinx a Recumbent Lion?; The Mysterious Pyramid at Zinder (en français); Fascinating Conversation With Laouali Yahaya; Undiscovered Pyramids Seen From Space; When the Sahara Was Wet; Nilotic Cattle Herders; Boats and Cows of the Proto-Saharans

Christ is Risen! Cristos Anesti!

"a new mode of being has arisen in the universe" - C.S. Lewis on the Resurrection

Pascua 2012  Holy Fire

Read this and be blessed.

Related reading:  The Empty Tomb

Esau in Yoruba Tradition

Alice C. Linsley

In Genesis, Esau is the victim of trickery and betrayal by his brother Jacob. When Jacob returns from Paddan-Aram, Esau greets him warmly and offers to help him settle his wives, children and flocks in the land.

In this action, Esau embodies forgiveness. It has been noted that the name Esau is also spelled Issa, which is a variant of the name Jesus.

There are two named Esau in Genesis and both represent respected leaders among their people. Esau the Elder married the daughter of Elon. Their son Eliphaz married a daughter of Seir the Horite (Gen. 36).

Esau the Younger, Jacob's brother, married a high ranking Horite woman named Oholibamah. Her name means Exalted Tent or Most High Tabernacle and she is a type of the Virgin Mary.

According to Yoruba tradition, Esau was a Ketu ruler. This connects him to the Jebusites and the royal house of Sheba.  Abraham's second wife was Ketu-ra and she lived at Beer-Sheba (the Well of Sheba).

Is it possible that Euro-Christian thinking has presented a distorted idea of Esau? Has Esau "been unfairly slandered by overzealous Christians and their sympathizers?"  That is what Remi Oyeyemi argues in this article in Sahara Reporters.


Related reading:  Who Was Oholibamah?; Two Named Esau; Keturah: Wife or Concubine?; Biblical Sheba Linked to East African Settlements; Edom and the Horites; Ido, Edom, Idumea

Is Nehesi Related to the Name Nahor?

Alice C. Linsley


A reader from Torrence, California has asked if the name Nehesi might be the same as the Biblical name Nahor. On the surface this seems a possibility since the vowels are not certain and the root is the same. Removing the vowels, we have NH as a common root. Na-Hor means the Na of Horus, that is to say "One who serves Horus." In the Akkadian, Na is a modal prefix indicating service to, affirmation, or affiliation. Nahor was apparently a Horite ruler-priest, as was his father Terah. Terah means priest. Terah and Nahor are not names. They are titles.

Nehesi is also a title. It means One who serves Hesi.  Hesi refers to wisdom. There is a relationship between the Nehesi and Nahor in that both appear to be dedicated to Horus and his mother Hathor-Meri, the patroness of smiths and an ancient symbol of wisdom (sophia). Shrines were dedicated to both Horus and Hathor throughout ancient Canaan, Syria and Lebanon. These were mound cities with water sources. Tell-Hesi is an example. Other mound shrines included Hazor and Beersheba.

Nahor was Abraham's older brother. He was named after his maternal grandfather. Nahor the Younger ascended to the throne of his father Terah in the region of Aram Naharaim, between the western Tigris and the Euphrates. This territory was ruled by Nimrod, one of Nahor's ancestors (Gen. 10:8-12).

Nehesi refers to people of the Upper Nile, a region called Ta-Nehesi, meaning "Land of Nehesi." This was earlier called Wawat. The Upper Nile appears to be the point of origin of the features of religion that are associated with Moses and his people. This includes animal sacrifice, the burning of incense, circumcision, ruler-priests, the Holy Name YHWH, and the solar imagery of the Habiru/Hebrews.

Red and black Nubians

Terah is a title found among the ancient Nubians. Tera-neter designated a nobleman of the Ainu people, pre-dynastic inhabitants of the Upper Nile. Neter refers to ruler or a deified king. Neter was retained in the Coptic language as Nuti.


The Line of Nahor the Elder

Nahor the Elder was Abraham's maternal grandfather. He was a descendant of Nimrod, the great Kushite kingdom builder. Erech (Uruk), Accad (Akkad or Agade) and Calneh were centers of Nimrod's initial territory. From there he went north and conquered or founded Asshur, Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen. All these city-states were united by a common script, the Akkadian cuneiform. The language of Nimrod's territory was related to Elamite, Dravidian, Chadic and Kushite languages. This should not surprise us since Nimrod was a son of Kush (Gen. 10:8-12).


Related reading:  God's African Ancestors; Issues in the Historical Phonology of Chadic Languages; Abraham's Kushite Ancestors; Tomb of Nubian Priest Found; Terah's Nubian Ancestors

Biblical Anthropologists Discuss Darwin

The following is an email correspondance with Biblical Anthropologist Susan Burns.  Susan and I had the opportunity to meet last summer in Washington.  She is bright, articulate, highly intuitive and a great stimulation to my research. Susan writes, "A point I am trying to make in my blog is that unless we incorporate the contribution of religious tradition, we will never understand what has made us human."

Alice,

I am very curious about your views on human evolution. For some reason, I assumed you agreed with Darwin's basic premise although I can't remember what post I read that brought me to that conclusion. Could you elaborate on your views? I am sure they are very insightful.

You stated that H. Afarensis was human and I would love to hear your reasoning on this subject. Although it is difficult to determine what is the criteria for "human", I am sure your opinion is more informed than most. I say that because of the same reasons you outline in your frustrations about young earthers. IMHO Australopithecines have the dentition for papyrus consumption so that is the human line of descent.

I am not hung up on race but there is some kind of genome relationship to the sons of Noah. What a beautiful design! First we are isolated and evolve adaptations to regional conditions and then we are mixed together and use the best of the variables for new adaptations.

Which brings me to the million dollar question: How do you reconcile Genesis and Darwin?


Kind regards,

Susan

Susan,

As you are aware, my research is on-going so I am not able to speak definitively on the Genesis-Darwin question. I do agree with this statement:  "The classification into races has proved to be a futile exercise for reasons that were already clear to Darwin." -- Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza (1994)

The Young-Earthers' simplistic view that the races came from the three sons of Noah is without support in genetics and in Genesis. Distinct populations descend from them, but not races. I discuss this here.

Evolutionists speak of "species" and "genus" and paint a picture consistent with their ideology. They persist in classifications that confuse people. A species is either human or ape. Darwin's view that we share a common ancestor remains unproven. The differences between ape and human fossils is obvious. I prefer to speak of archaic human populations and modern human populations. That there are some anatomical differences between these is not indicative of evolutionary branching but is evidence of human adaptation to environment.

Additionally, a range of anatomical features is to be expected among human populations that were isolated and practiced endogamy. This is one of the observations Darwin made concerning the isolation of species. 

Further, most archaic populations lived in dense rain forests in the equatorial belt. They were well adapted to the heavy wet conditions. This is indicated by the evidence of air sacks in the throat, as do apes of the tropics. However, this does not mean that these human populations evolved from apes or that humans and apes had a common ancestor. It simply means that Darwin was right about adaptability of species. Humans exhibit great adaptability.  I agree with you that this has been divinely guided.

In the Bible, Adam and Eve represent the First Couple created by God. If this is historically true, they would have lived before 3.6 million years ago. That is when A. afarensis lived in tropical Africa. There is no reason to assume that A. afarensis were not human. The morphology of the hyoid that suggests this population had air sacks in the throat is not indicative of them being apes. The same hyoid bone shape has been found in other human populations as an adaption to jungle or tropical environments such as existed in Israel around 60,000 B.C. Similar hyoid structure was found with the archaic population that lived in the Kebara Caves in Israel. All other traits of A. afarensis indicate that this population was fully human, including evidence of controlled fire.

When it comes to natural selection, human populations are unique among animal species.  Many factors have an impact on human survival and adaptation. These include imagination, innovation, diplomacy, intuition, collective memory, kinship and non-random mating structures. Molecular genealogists recognize mating structure as a key factor in genetic flow. This is where my research on the marriage pattern of Abraham's Nilotic ancestors comes into play. This unique marriage pattern was well established among Abraham's ruler-ancestors between 4000-3000 B.C., and the ascendancy of firstborn sons by two wives drove the migration out of Africa into Mesopotamia and into West Central Africa.

I have no doubt that A. afarensis was an archaic human population.  The term Australopithecus afarensis was coined by South African anatomist Donald C. Johanson. These remains were first found in Hadar, Ethiopia in 1973. For about 20 years A. afarensis was described as the earliest known “human ancestor species.” Australopithecus means “Ape of the South” and afarensis refers to the Afar Triangle of Ethiopia where the fossils were found. Johanson now recognizes that this was an archaic human species. The first discovered skeleton of this population was named "Lucy" and she was described as Homo by Mary Leakey. She was not pleased with Johanson's attempt to classify her Hadar find as ape.

Since 1974, many more A. afarensis bones have been found, mainly in Cameroon, Ethiopia and Tanzania. All are at least 3 million years old. The bone structure reveals that these were archaic humans. They were erect and had human ankle bones.

When Jeremy DeSilva, a British anthropologist, compared the ankle joint, the tibia and the talus fossils of  these 4.12 to 1.5 million year remains, he discovered that all of the ankle joints resembled those of modern humans rather than those of apes. Chimpanzees flex their ankles 45 degrees from normal resting position. This makes it possible for apes to climb trees with great ease. While walking, humans flex their ankles a maximum of 20 degrees. The human ankle bones are quite distinct from those of apes. (Read about DeSilva’s research here.)

As you point out, the Australopithecine had human dentition.  I agree that dentition for papyrus consumption is indicative of early archaic humans. This would be expected for river, coastal and marsh populations. Archaic humans lived near the major water sources which ancient rulers came to control.

All the evidence surrounding the Australopithecine points to archaic humans.  They walked upright, used butchering tools and controlled fire. Further, it appears that they shared food which they gathered/hunted collectively. This has never been observed among apes, as far as I know.

Best wishes,

Alice


Alice,

Darwin's theory does not propose humans evolved from apes. It simply says we have a common ancestor. Although I am sure you are aware of this, it does seem to be a sticking point with Young-Earth Creationists.

Your point about air sacs is really key. Humans did evolve in wet conditions as I point out in my blog. Before I had my children, I was extremely inspired by a book I read called "The Aquatic Ape" by Elaine Morgan. She outlines all of the attributes humans share with aquatic mammals. I was extremely inspired by Morgan's work and used my own children as guinea pigs. Both girls could float and propel themselves underwater and on their backs before they could walk.

You and I seem to have very similar views and are just a few degrees on either side of the dividing line of Darwin's theory. Although I am an evolutionist, I am not an atheist and I find that it is almost impossible to talk with secular scientists about the effects of religious traditions on the evolutionary process.

I would agree with your frustration with Young-Earthers and extend that frustration to anthropologists. At least Young-Earthers are usually civil.

I am still somewhat unclear on your view of the origin of H. Afarensis. Do you think archaic humans came from a completely separate line of descent that does not share a evolutionary branch with other primates or even hominids?

Kind regards,
Susan


Susan,

I am a creationist.  I believe that from "the beginning" God created humans in the divine image and fully human, and that humans and apes have always been separate species.  As far as I have been able to determine, finds labled "hominids" in evolutionary taxonomy represent different archaic human populations.
 
After almost 100 years of frantic searching, there remains no material evidence that humans and apes had a common ancestor.  This aspect of Darwin simply has not been proven. Until it is, I feel no compulsion to relent in my position. That's the empirical approach, afterall.

This doesn't mean that I reject a role for natural processes. These can be observed. I wonder why such observations must be forced into Neo-Darwinian interpretations. The air sacs being an example. Many features that Darwinians insist are evidence of evolution have other likely explanations. The morphology of the hyoid that suggests that A. afarensis had air sacks in the throat is not indicative of evolution of humans and apes from a common ancestor. The same hyoid bone feature has been found in other archaic human populations as an adaption to aquaboreal environments. Similar hyoid structure appears in the Kebara Cave population of Israel that lived around 60,000 B.C.

Genesis tells us that God created in an orderly fashion over a period of time and according to a plan. It is the work of science to discover the order and the work of theologians and Bible scholars to discern the plan.  For Abraham's ancestors the order was perceived as fixed, though they recognized flux within the fixed boundaries. Their acute observation of the patterns in nature suggested a divine plan.

Are you familiar with the BioLogos Group? Their website might interest you. They are theistic evolutionists, mostly Evangelical Protestants. BioLogos sees evolution as the means by which God created life, in contrast to Atheistic Evolutionism, Intelligent Design, and Creationism.

Personally, I think they try too hard to align Darwin with Genesis. Genesis isn't about the origin of the universe and life on Earth. It is about the origin of Messianic expectation among Abraham's Nilotic ancestors. Their focus on the evolutionary angle causes people to lose sight of this.

I too have found it nearly impossible to discuss the impact of religion on human advancement with secular or atheistic Darwinians. Religion simply does not fit into their Materialist worldview.

They are ignorant of ancient civilizations and dismiss the importance of this knowledge because in their evolutionary scheme, humans have evolved to a higher consciousness. Therefore the ancient past has little to teach us.

Materialists recite a litany of Dawkins' writings and his ignorance of ancient civilizations is shocking. When I bring up examples of how religion is the early foundation for science, materialists dismiss this.  Recently, I cited the example of how the trinity of pyramids of Giza, Saqqara and Abusir aligned to the temple of Horus at Heliopolis, and in reply, I was told that this could just as easily have been the work of aliens! 

Best wishes,

Alice


Alice


The Biologos group is heavy on the logos and light on the bio. They do try very hard but everything I read was conjecture. Genesis may be about Messianic expectation but its backdrop is an archaic world view that could provide invaluable insights. However humanity evolved, its story is told in the ethnography of religion. Why this resource is not being exploited is unfathomable to me.

Comparing the air sacs of humans to other indigenous primates places the ancestor of man and ape someplace in equatorial Africa. The air sac adaptation allowed this ancestor to adapt to ever wetter environments. While the ape branch became more specialized by knucklewalking, the human branch acquired more aquatic adaptations. Hairlessness, adipose fat distribution, deep diving reflex, ear ichthyosis, even upright walking allowed Pithecines to exploit the semi-aquatic ecosystem of tropical papyrus swamps. All primates are arboreal but the pithecine branch was apparently aquaboreal. Their forest ecosystem was cane.

The aquaboreal ecosystem that nurtured early man must have been coastal. The reason is our need for so much salt. Human blood contains .9% salt and is crucial for healthy brain development. Every bodily system down to the cellular level uses salt to function normally. It is especially important for pregnant women to get enough salt. Babies are able to tolerate much higher levels of salt than adults. This is why I think the aquaboreal home of early man was a brackish swamp. This brackish swamp also needed an inflow of fresh water. Babies need so much water! They spit up almost as much as they take in.

Susan



Susan,

Yes, the papyrus sedge was a food source among Abraham's Nilotic ancestors.  It was likely the main vegetable.  The soft lower part of the plant was baked, often with fish. Herodotus wrote about this, saying:

... they pull up from the fens the papyrus which grows every year, and the upper parts of it they cut off and turn to other uses, but that which is left below for about a cubit in length they eat or sell: and those who desire to have the papyrus at its very best bake it in an oven heated red-hot, and then eat it.  (Herodotus, Histories, Vol. 2)

The reeds were used to fuel fires, make sleeping mats, sandals, boats, and papyrus paper and its flowers were offered to the Virgin Queen Hathor at river shrines and temples. The papyrus reed and its flowers symbolized the Upper Nile. The sema (shown right), with its segments, represents the papyrus reed. It was the symbol for the Upper Nile and the sema-tawy, composed of lilies and papyrus reeds knotted around the hieroglyphic sign for union, was the symbol of the union of the Upper and Lower Nile regions. These regions were first united by Menes.


Related reading: Why Anthropologists Rejected the Aquatic Ape Theory; Genesis: Is it Really About Human Origins?; Biblical Anthropology is Scientific Study; Theories of Creation: An Overview