The origins of the Jews before the Exodus has been shrouded in mystery. The consensus is that the modern humans evolved in Africa around 160,000 years ago. Professor Stephen Oppenheimer of Oxford University has provided some details of the migration of humans from Africa to Asia. He concurs that the modern humans evolved around 160,000 years ago in Africa. Then, he says, that around 70,000 years ago they moved around the Indian Ocean from Africa and the reached South Asia.
Migration of Jews
First, the migration from Africa at 70,000 years ago or migration from South Asia 40,000 to 25,000 years ago does not give us any information about the possible migration to Egypt from where the Exodus took place. Second, the migration from Europe to Iraq, from where Abraham may have started his journey to Canaan, is not established from genetic material.
Therefore, this narrative, though accurate, does not help resolve the question of the origin of the Exodus.The, around 40,000 to 25,000 years ago one stream migrated from South Asia to Europe. The presumption is that through some unknown route they migrated to from Europe to Iraq. Abraham migrated to Egypt from here and then Moses led the Hebrews from Egypt to Israel. However, this narrative does not help us resolve the question of Exodus for two reasons.
Jewish priests
The second information we have is from Prof. Steven Weitzman of University of Pennsylvania. He reports a study by Michael Hammer and others who have traced a particular gene called Cohen Modal Haplotype found among the Jewish priests. The Jewish tradition holds that the sons of Aaron were made priests and this lineage of the priests has continued for a long time.
The Cohen Modal Haplotype gene is transferred from the father to the son. Michael Hammer has established that the priests among the Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews, which are the two major lines of the Jews, both have Cohen Modal Haplotype gene. This suggests that the tradition of the priest being made from the sons of Aaron is supported by genetic evidence. Aaron may have had this Cohen Modal Haplotype gene and that gene may have been transferred among the Jewish priests, generation after generation. Thus, we find this particular gene in the Jewish priests.
It is suggested that the Ashkenazic and Sephardic lines separated around 500 BCE. This means that the two lines had common ancestors at 500 BCE. However, that information does not tell us what was the location of the Jews before 1500 BCE when Aaron lived. All we can say is that the Jewish priests inherited the Cohen Modal Haplotype gene from Aaron wherever he may have lived. Thus, the Cohen Modal Haplotype gene does not help trace the location of the Exodus.
What is the National Geographic Society?
The third information we have is from the R-M124 project of the National Geographic Society. This gene is found in about two percent of the Ashkenazic Jews. This gene stabilized in present form around 16,000 years ago. Therefore, the gene came in its present form after the migration from South Asia to Europe around 25,000 years ago.
The interesting part is that a study by Sahoo and others says that the Haplogroup R-M124 forms the majority of the South Asian population. Among the regional groups, he says, it is found among the people of West Bengal – 23% — Bengal is the Eastern most part of the mainland India; the Karmalis of West Bengal – 100%; the Kshatriyas, a particular community of Jaunpur in the Northern plains of the Ganges river — 87%; the Bihar Yadav community, which inhabits the Eastern part of India — 50%. This establishes that the R-M124 gene is dominant in the eastern part of India. It is also found in the Ashkenazic Jews. So, there may be some remote connection between the two communities.
The National Geographic Society Project has suggested that one possible way of the R-M124 gene having entered the Jewish line could be like this. The Jews were exiled from Israel in the 6th century BCE and they were held in Captivity in Babylon for about 50 years. Approximately at this same time Cyrus had led a westward movement from Persia and had entered Babylon. The National Geographic Society suggests that some persons from India having R-M124 gene may have come to Persia, they may have moved westward along with Cyrus, they may have come in contact with the Jews in Babylon and in this manner the R-M124 gene may have travelled from India to enter among the Jewish population. The National Geographic Society accepts an India connection of the R-M124 gene. However, the specific pathway suggested appears to be speculative because there is no genetic evidence of the connection of the R-M124 gene with Persia or Cyrus.
What are Kurds famous for?
The fourth information we have is from a paper by Ferdinand Hennerbichler. He has studied the genetic constitution of the Kurds of Iraq. He points out that among the ancient Iraqi literature there is reference to are people called Umman-Manda. These are supposed to have lived between 21st century BCE and 5th century BCE. The term “Umman” means “army troops;” whereas the term “Manda” could either means a “soldier” or it could mean “distant mountains land in the far east.” This latter meaning gives us an indication of the possible connection between the Umman-Manda and India.
What is the genetic origin of Yadav?
One possibility is that there were a number of westward migrations from India. One migration may have taken place around 18th century BCE to the Hittite lands. These migrants may have carried the Hindu mythology which was absorbed into the Hittite mythology. The migrants may have been known as Semites.Hennerbichler also says that the term “Umman-Manda” was used in the North/West during 18th to 17th century BCE mainly for Semites.” Thus Umman-Manda have a connection with both India and the Semites.
Another group of the Indian people may have migrated from the Indus Valley to Israel during the Exodus. These people may also have been known as Semites, or they may have been named Semites as they entered West Asia because of the affinity with the earlier Umman Manda migrants. In this way a connection between Indus Valley, Umman Manda, Semites and Hebrews could be established.
Ancient Migration to India
Hennerbichler gives a map showing migrations in Asia based upon genetic studies by Anatole Klyosov. Very tantalizingly, this map shows that around 3,500 years ago, that is around 1500 BCE or the time of the Exodus, there was a migration from the northern part of India in the East to Iraq in the West. It is conceivable that this migration hides within it the migration of the Jews from India to Israel during the Exodus.
Are Yadavs and Jews related?
To conclude, the first evidence for a possible Exodus from Indus Valley is that the people from India have dominance of the R-M124 gene. One line of these people moved westward led by Moses during the Exodus to the Israel and they carried the R-M124 gene with them. Another line of the same people moved eastward to the Ganges Basin in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal and that explains the dominance of the R-M124 gene in this area. This scenario would provide a more credible connection between the R-M124 gene found among the Ashkenazic Jews and the Indians.
A grey area is that the R-M124 gene is found only among the Ashkenazic Jews and not found among the Sephardic Jews who also may have been expected to carry this gene if this was a common heritage from before the Exodus. This requires more study.
Note that the Bihar Yadavas have 50% of this gene. The Yadavas were shepherds just as the Jews led by the Moses were.
On the whole the R-M124 gene provides a genetic link of the Jews with India and the Yadavas in India. That could solve the puzzle of the origin of Jews before the Exodus.
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