Moreover, this exhaustive book illustrates how, over the course of many centuries, the Church systematically altered the Jewish Scriptures in its authorized translations of the Bible in order to persuade its adherents that Jesus is the promised Jewish messiah. To accomplish this task, Christian translators manipulated, misquoted, and mistranslated verses in the Hebrew Scriptures so that these texts appear to be speaking about Jesus.
Genesis 11 was manipulated in the time of Josephus in the Hebrew version.
Why do I say this?
I will now treat of the Hebrews. The son of Phaleg, whose father Was Heber, was Ragau; whose son was Serug, to whom was born Nahor; his son was Terah, who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth from Noah, and was born in the two hundred and ninety-second year after the deluge; for Terah begat Abram in his seventieth year. Nahor begat Haran when he was one hundred and twenty years old; Nahor was born to Serug in his hundred and thirty-second year; Ragau had Serug at one hundred and thirty; at the same age also Phaleg had Ragau; Heber begat Phaleg in his hundred and thirty-fourth year; he himself being begotten by Sala when he was a hundred and thirty years old, whom Arphaxad had for his son at the hundred and thirty-fifth year of his age. Arphaxad was the son of Shem, and born twelve years after the deluge. Now Abram had two brethren, Nahor and Haran: of these Haran left a son, Lot; as also Sarai and Milcha his daughters; and died among the Chaldeans, in a city of the Chaldeans, called Ur; and his monument is shown to this day. These married their nieces. Nabor married Milcha, and Abram married Sarai. Now Terah hating Chaldea, on account of his mourning for Ilaran, they all removed to Haran of Mesopotamia, where Terah died, and was buried, when he had lived to be two hundred and five years old; for the life of man was already, by degrees, diminished, and became shorter than before, till the birth of Moses; after whom the term of human life was one hundred and twenty years, God determining it to the length that Moses happened to live. Now Nahor had eight sons by Milcha; Uz and Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Azau, Pheldas, Jadelph, and Bethuel. These were all the genuine sons of Nahor; for Teba, and Gaam, and Tachas, and Maaca, were born of Reuma his concubine: but Bethuel had a daughter, Rebecca, and a son, Laban.
This is from
Josephus, Antiquities
BOOK I. Containing The Interval Of Three Thousand Eight Hundred And Thirty-Three Years. — From The Creation To The Death Of Isaac.
CHAPTER 6. How Every Nation Was Denominated From Their First Inhabitants.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm#link2HCH0006
Why do I think the text was manipulated in this time?
How long after the Flood is Abraham born? He gives a total:
who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth from Noah, and was born in the two hundred and ninety-second year after the deluge
So, the total according to Josephus is 292 years.
He also gives a detailed account:
| for Terah begat Abram in his seventieth year. | 70 |
|---|---|
| Nahor begat Haran [Terah] when he was one hundred and twenty years old; | 120, 190 |
| Nahor was born to Serug in his hundred and thirty-second year; | 132, 322 |
| Ragau had Serug at one hundred and thirty; | 130, 452 |
| at the same age also Phaleg had Ragau; | 130, 582 |
| Heber begat Phaleg in his hundred and thirty-fourth year; | 134, 716 |
| he himself being begotten by Sala when he was a hundred and thirty years old, | 130, 846 |
| whom Arphaxad had for his son at the hundred and thirty-fifth year of his age. | 135, 981 |
| Arphaxad was the son of Shem, and born twelve years after the deluge. | 12, 993 |
The detailed account doesn't add up to 292, but to 993. Is there a specific reason?
Now, obviously Shem died 500 after the Flood. This means, he never met Abraham, in their earthly lives, if the detailed account is the original one or close to it.
Genesis 14:18—20 says:
But Melchisedech the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God, Blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who created heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, by whose protection the enemies are in thy hands. And he gave him the tithes of all.
This is generally taken as Abraham giving tithes to Melchisedech. If Abraham was born more like 993 than 292 after the Flood, obviously Melchisedech was not Shem. Why is this important?
Here is Hebrews chapter 7.
9 And (as it may be said) even Levi who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham: 10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedech met him.
11 If then perfection was by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchisedech, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being translated, it is necessary that a translation also be made of the law. 13 For he, of whom these things are spoken, is of another tribe, of which no one attended on the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord sprung out of Juda: in which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And it is yet far more evident: if according to the similitude of Melchisedech there ariseth another priest,
16 Who is made not according to the law of a carnal commandment, but according to the power of an indissoluble life: 17 For he testifieth: Thou art a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech.
The obvious Jewish answer, if Abraham was born 292 after the Flood, would be to take Melchisedech as being Shem. In that case, Levi or his descendant Aaron was less "still in the loins of Abraham when he gave tithes" than "still in the loins of Shem who received tithes" ...
Is there some other trace that the Jewish text of Genesis 11 was altered in the time of Josephus? Here are the comments of Haydock on Genesis 14:18, omitting some other comment collected by him in between:
Ver. 18. Melchisedech was not Sem: for his genealogy is given in Scripture. (Hebrews vii. 6.); nor God the Son, for they are compared together; nor the Holy Ghost, as some have asserted, but a virtuous Gentile who adored the true God, and was king of Salem, or Jerusalem, and Priest of an order different from that of Aaron, offering in sacrifice bread and wine, a figure of Christ's sacrifice in the Mass; as the fathers constantly affirm. (Haydock)
[...]
If Josephus take notice only of Melchisedech, offering Abram and his men corporal refreshment, we need not wonder; he was a Jewish priest, to whom the order of Melchisedech might not be agreeable. It is not indeed improbable, but Abram might partake of the meat, which had been offered in thanksgiving by Melchisedech; and in this sense his words are true. But there would be no need of observing, that he was a priest on this account; as this was a piece of civility expected from princes on similar occasions. (Deuteronomy xxiii. 4; 2 Kings xvii. 27.) (Haydock)
Well, is this true of what Josephus said:
2. So Abram, when he had saved the captive Sodomites, who had been taken by the Assyrians, and Lot also, his kinsman, returned home in peace. Now the king of Sodom met him at a certain place, which they called The King's Dale, where Melchisedec, king of the city Salem, received him. That name signifies, the righteous king: and such he was, without dispute, insomuch that, on this account, he was made the priest of God: however, they afterward called Salem Jerusalem. Now this Melchisedec supplied Abram's army in an hospitable manner, and gave them provisions in abundance; and as they were feasting, he began to praise him, and to bless God for subduing his enemies under him. And when Abram gave him the tenth part of his prey, he accepted of the gift: but the king of Sodom desired Abram to take the prey, but entreated that he might have those men restored to him whom Abram had saved from the Assyrians, because they belonged to him. But Abram would not do so; nor would make any other advantage of that prey than what his servants had eaten; but still insisted that he should afford a part to his friends that had assisted him in the battle. The first of them was called Eschol, and then Enner, and Mambre.
CHAPTER 10. How Abram Fought With The Assyrians, And Overcame Them, And Saved The Sodomite Prisoners, And Took From The Assyrians The Prey They Had Gotten.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm#link2HCH0010
- Josephus doesn't say the bread and wine were a sacrifice;
- Josephus mentioning the tithe mentions it as just a gift, a present, which Abraham wanted to offer, and which Melchisedech accepted;
- Josephus also doesn't say that Melchisedech was Shem.
So, when there is a change of tradition within the community commonly known as Jewish, Tovia Singer in Let's Get Biblical! shifts the blame and pretends that it was Christians who falsified the Old Testament tradition. No, it was Jews who did that.
Hans Georg Lundahl
Paris
St. Augustine of Hippo
28.VIII.2024
Hippone Regio, in Africa, natalis sancti Augustini Episcopi, Confessoris et Ecclesiae Doctoris eximii, qui, beati Ambrosii Episcopi opera ad catholicam fidem conversus et baptizatus, eam adversus Manichaeos aliosque haereticos acerrimus propugnator defendit, multisque aliis pro Ecclesia Dei perfunctus laboribus, ad praemia migravit in caelum. Ejus reliquiae, primo de sua civitate propter barbaros in Sardiniam advectae, et postea a Rege Longobardorum Luitprando Papiam translatae, ibi honorifice conditae sunt.
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