Article
What Do Black Hebrew Israelites Believe?
The name covers more than one group. Israel United in Christ says Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans are the twelve tribes. The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem describe a community in Dimona, Arad, and Mitzpe Ramon and say they do not subscribe to any religion.
On This Page
“Black Hebrew Israelites” is a name people use for more than one group. Israel United in Christ says Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans are the descendants of the twelve tribes. The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem describe their own community in southern Israel and say they do not subscribe to any religion. Neither page is Judaism, and neither is the Nicene confession that Jesus is God.
Key Points
- Israel United in Christ (1) says, “Black, Hispanic and Native Americans are the true descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and are in fact the real Jews also known as the Israelites and the 12 Tribes of Israel, according to the Bible.”
- The same page says its beliefs “are firmly rooted in the scriptures of the original 1611 King James Bible, including the books of the Apocrypha,” and that the mission is “to restore the identity, history, culture, and traditions of our people that were lost through slavery and displacement.”
- Its footer says, “ISRAEL UNITED IN CHRIST IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OTHER ISRAELITE ORGANIZATION OR GROUP,” and “ISRAEL UNITED IN CHRIST IS A NON-VIOLENT BIBLE BASED MOVEMENT.”
- The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (2) say they “are comprised of approximately 2,000 men, women and children” in Dimona, Arad, and Mitzpe Ramon, and “We do not subscribe to any religion because religions have only divided men.”
- What Do Jews Believe? quotes the Shema and Maimonides. John 20:28John 20:28 · King James Version
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.
John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source (4) records Thomas calling Jesus “My LORD and my God.”
The Name Covers More Than One Group
The two sites do not speak for each other. Israel United in Christ prints that it is not affiliated with any other Israelite organization. The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem tell their own story, from a 1966 vision of Ben Ammi to a community in the Negev. A sentence from one page is not a sentence from the other.
What Does Israel United in Christ Say?
Black, Hispanic and Native Americans are the true descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and are in fact the real Jews also known as the Israelites and the 12 Tribes of Israel, according to the Bible.
The page says the belief system “is not founded upon the philosophies of men, our thoughts, nor our feelings but instead the sacred scriptural writings of the Holy Bible.” It names “the original 1611 King James Bible, including the books of the Apocrypha.” Those extra books are not part of the 66-book Protestant canon. Catholic and Orthodox churches receive them as deuterocanonical. That distinction is What Is the Apocrypha? and the shelf at Apocrypha.
“Our mission is to restore the identity, history, culture, and traditions of our people that were lost through slavery and displacement.” The page says what God wants is “to unify as one nation, keep His commandments and endure until Christ returns.”
The footer, in the page’s capitals: “ISRAEL UNITED IN CHRIST IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OTHER ISRAELITE ORGANIZATION OR GROUP! ISRAEL UNITED IN CHRIST IS A NON-VIOLENT BIBLE BASED MOVEMENT! WE DON’T ADVOCATE OR CONDONE ANY ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY RACE, ETHNICITY OR GENDER!”
The fetched beliefs page does not state a rule about birthdays or about marriage to more than one wife. This article does not add one.
What Do the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem Say?
We do not subscribe to any religion because religions have only divided men. We regard the true worship of God as a continuous process: 24 hours a day… 7 days a week.
The philosophy page says the community is “approximately 2,000 men, women and children” in Dimona, Arad, and Mitzpe Ramon, with “a communal lifestyle, a vegan diet, a system of preventive health care and high moral standards.” “Since our arrival in Dimona, in 1969, it has been our objective to be the foundation for the establishing of God’s Kingdom on Earth.”
On the history they print: “In 1966 our spiritual leader, Ben Ammi, had a vision that it was time for the Children of Israel who remained in America (the land of their captivity) to return to the Holy Land.” They describe a stay in Liberia, then a return to Israel in 1969. They say that in 70 C.E. remnants “were driven from Jerusalem by the Romans into different parts of the world, including Africa.” That date and that route are their page’s account.
They quote Ben Ammi, God The Black Man and Truth: “The true worship of God is an entire way of life, a continuous action, from the meal you eat in the morning, to the job you work on.”
How Does That Differ From Judaism?
Judaism on this site is the confession of the God of Israel in the Shema, the Torah, and the hope of a Davidic Messiah, as What Do Jews Believe? quotes from Jewish sources. Do Jews Believe in the Old Testament? is the Tanakh, twenty-four books in the count Chabad publishes. Israel United in Christ claims the tribal name for Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans and adds the Apocrypha to a 1611 Bible. The African Hebrew Israelites say they do not subscribe to any religion. Those are not the Shema’s community speaking.
Are They Christians?
Israel United in Christ says its people should keep the commandments and endure until Christ returns. That sentence names Christ. It does not say that Jesus is God, or that the one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The African Hebrew Israelites say they do not subscribe to any religion. John 1:1John 1:1 · King James VersionIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source (3) says the Word was God. The Trinity is that confession.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do Black Hebrew Israelites Believe About Jesus?
Israel United in Christ says to endure until Christ returns and quotes John 15 on the world’s hatred. The African Hebrew Israelites speak of the Kingdom of God and of Ben Ammi as spiritual leader. Neither fetched page confesses the Nicene sentence that the Son is true God from true God.
Are Black Hebrew Israelites the Same as Jews?
The Jewish sources on What Do Jews Believe? are not these two sites. Israel United in Christ says it is not affiliated with any other Israelite organization. The African Hebrew Israelites say religions have divided men and that they do not subscribe to any religion.
What Is the History They Tell?
The African Hebrew Israelites date a vision of Ben Ammi to 1966, a stay in Liberia, and arrival in Dimona in 1969, and they place a Roman exile in 70 C.E. Israel United in Christ ties the mission to identity lost through slavery and displacement. This page does not add a DNA study. The fetched pages do not print one.
Keep Reading
References
- Israel United in Christ, What We Believe (The group’s own beliefs page. The footer says the group is not affiliated with any other Israelite organization.)
- African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem, Our Philosophy (The community’s philosophy page.)
- Gospel of John, 1:1John 1:1 · King James Version
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Gospel of John, 20:28John 20:28 · King James Version
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.
John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version
See Also
- Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday? Must Christians Keep It? — The Sabbath in Exodus is the seventh day, Saturday. The apostles also met on the first day of the week, and Colossians 2 calls sabbath days a shadow. Christians are not bound to keep Saturday.
- Does Judaism Believe in Heaven? — The Mishnah says all Israel have a portion in the world to come. Maimonides says that world is life without a body, and that the righteous delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence. Daniel 12 says the dead will awake.
- What Do Jews Believe? — Jews confess the God of Israel, one and not a body, the Torah from heaven, a Messiah from the house of David who is still to finish his work, and the revival of the dead. That is Maimonides’ confession, read beside the Shema.
- What Does Messiah Mean? — Messiah means anointed one. The King James Version uses that word in Daniel and “anointed” for the same idea elsewhere. Christians confess that Jesus is this Messiah and that he is God the Son.
- What Is the Difference Between Judaism and Christianity? — Jews and Christians share the God of Israel, the Shema, and the Hebrew Scriptures. Christians confess that Jesus is the Messiah and is God the Son, and that his death and resurrection are salvation.