Descendants of Joseph and the Jews
“For it sufficeth me to say that we are descendants of Joseph....” (1 Nephi 6:2-4)
“...our fathers...Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob....” (1 Nephi 17:40)
“And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren.” (Alma 10:3)
“...our seed...came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews.” (2 Nephi 30:4)
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These scriptures indicate that the Nephites and Lamanities were descendants of Joseph, Abraham, and Isaac, Jacob “descendants of the Jews”.
The following evidence supports the Book of Mormon record that in fact the Aztecs, Maya, Inca and American Indians whose early ancestors were the Book of Mormon people were “descendants of Joseph and the Jews".
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<< Title of the Lords of Totonicapán
An ancient American text written by Native Americans was translated at the request of the Quiché Indians, Dionisio Jose Chonay, a Catholic priest, translated the document from the Quiché language into Spanish in 1834, It was first translated into English by Delia Goetz and published in 1953. However, Dr. M. Wells Jackman from Spanish into English published a few extracts in 1945.
This document was called the Title of the Lords of Totonicapán, the original text of which was recorded in 1554 in the language of the Quiché of Guatemala, and signed by the kings and dignitaries of the Quiché court. Information centuries old give us additional information as follows;
“The three great Quiché nations … are descendants of the Ten Tribes of the Kingdom of Israel, whom Shalmaneser reduced to perpetual captivity and who, finding themselves on the border of Assyria, resolved to emigrate. …
“These, then, were the three nations of Quichés, and they came from where the sun rises ...descendants of Israel, of the same language and same customs. … They were sons of Abraham and Jacob. …
“Now on the twenty-eighth of September of 1554 we sign this attestation in which we have written that which by tradition our ancestors told us, who came from the other part of the sea, from Civán-Tulán, bordering on Babylonia” (Title of the Lords of Totonicapán, trans. Dionisio José Chonay and Delia Goetz, Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1953, pp. 167, 170, 194) (Archaeology and the Book of Mormon, by Milton R. Hunter p. 40)
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"These tribes came from the other part of the sea, from the East, from Pa-Tulan, Pa-Civan. They came from where the sun rises, descendants of Israel, of the same language and the same customs…When they rose from Pa-Tulán, Pa-Civán, the first leader was Balam-Qitse, by unanimous vote, and then the great father Nacxit, [God] gave them a present called Girón-Gagal, [the Liahona]." (Title of the Lords of Totonicapán, Goetz 1953, 170)
[Was the "present called Girón-Gagald", the Liahona? (1 Nephi 16:10)]
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The Book of Mormon: A Sacred Ancient Record (Video 9:59 min.) ("Descendants of the Jews", Elder Ted E. Brewerton, October 1995 General Conference)
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The Catholic Bishop, Diego de Landa stated the following:
“Some of the old people of the Yucatan say that they have heard from their ancestors, that this land was occupied by a race of people, who came from the East and whom God had delivered by opening twelve paths through the sea. If this were true, it necessarily follows that all the inhabitants of the Indies are descendants of the Jews.” (Tozzer, Landa’s Relacion, XVIII, 16-17.(37)
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<< From (Times & Seasons Newspaper Sept, 15 1842 Descended from Israel) "According to Frentes the chronicler of the kingdon of Guatimala...the Toltecas themselves descended from the house of Israel..." (Times & Seasons Newspaper Sept, 15 1842 Descended from Israel)
These native American Indians were descendants of the Lamanites.
Charles Crawford Esq. was able to observe or notice that there were remarkable similarities between the Jews, as recorded in the Bible, and the native American Indians.
Gives 23 reasons why some of the Indians are the desendants of the Jews.
1. Their division into tribes;
Mr. Charles Crawford after listing 23 reasons why some of the Indians are the descendants of the Jews, makes the following statement; "The defense of the Indians from, [being descendants of], the Jews...would be clearly proved, if they could only establish two points, and they can establish many more, the separation of their women at a certain time by the Indians, and their dance in which they sing Hallelujah Yo-he-wah.' "Mr. Adair supposes the practice of circumcision."
(An essay listing reasons why the Indians in America are descended from the ten tribes....)
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