The Tribe of Levi - Found
The Tribe of Levi - Found
Chromosome ties modern Jews to Aaron; Priestly caste shares a genetic marker
A team of scientists say they've used modern genetics to prove
a biblical tradition -- that today's members of the Jewish priestly class who
consider themselves descendants of the brother of Moses can indeed trace their
origins back thousands of years.
The researchers from England and Israel say they found that members of the
kohanim, who call themselves descendants of Aaron, the biblical high priest and
brother of Moses, share a Y chromosome with similar genetic markers that
distinguishes them from the general Jewish population.
The results of the study will be published today in the journal Nature.
The kohanim include most, but not all, Jews with the surname Cohen, as well as
Kaplan, Katz, Kahn or Rappaport. They trace their lineage to the very origins of
the Israelites. "In the Book of Numbers, you have a division of the
Israelite population in the desert, wandering in the Sinai wilderness,"
said Barry M. Gittlen, an archaeologist and professor at Baltimore Hebrew
University. One of these tribes is the Levites, who are singled out for service
to the sanctuary, which contained the Ark of the Covenant. Each Levite was given
a specific role, and those roles had a hierarchy.
"At the pinnacle of the hierarchy are the Aaronites, the descendants of
Aaron, the priests who offer sacrifice," Gittlen said. Their descendants
are the kohanim.
But Gittlen was skeptical that the tradition could be "proven" through
science.
"I remain extremely dubious that genetic links can be traced all the way
down to today," he said. "However, my mind can be changed by
facts."
The kohanim still retain privileges in Orthodox synagogues, as well as some
other congregations. They are the first to be called up to read from the Torah.
They bless the rest of the community on holidays and preside over a ceremony for
first-born males. They must adhere to strict laws prohibiting contact with the
dead and are not allowed to marry divorcees, widows or converts.
David B. Goldstein, an American who teaches at the University of Oxford, in
England, was one of the researchers.
Genetics and tradition
He said the team used genetics to test the biblical oral tradition that priestly
status has been passed from father to son in a unbroken line that begins with
Aaron. And the best way to do that was to compare the Y chromosome, which is
passed from father to son, of the kohanim with that of the general Jewish
population to see if there was any difference, Goldstein said.
"If it's in fact true that father-to-son inheritance of priestly status has
been fairly strictly adhered to, that would make the prediction that the Y
chromosome carried by priests should be in some sense distinguishable from the
general population of Y chromosomes," Goldstein said.
The study of 306 Jewish men from Israel, Canada and England did find that the
106 self-identified kohanim for the most part shared a Y chromosome with unique
genetic markers, while members of the general Jewish population had a
multiplicity of types of Y chromosomes. It built on the results of a study
released last year that first established kohanim passed on a similar Y
chromosome.
Average: 3,000 years
Equally important, Goldstein said, was that researchers in the latest study
found that while kohanim had a dominant type of Y chromosome, there was some
variation. If they were all identical, that would indicate the genetic link was
very recent. Researchers, using statistical methods that they admitted could not
be precise, were able to estimate that the kohanim line began no later than 700
years ago and could stretch as far back as 10,000 years. The average came out to
about 3,000 years, a period which could date to the Exodus from Egypt.
The findings show "that oral tradition is actually right. That it has been
followed over some period of time," Goldstein said. "This line of
priestly Y chromosomes did not get started very recently. We can say that with
statistical confidence."
For Morris Cohen, a retired court reporter who attends Beth Jacob Congregation
in Park Heights, the study just confirms what he knows to be true.
"I think it would prove the Jewish theory that parents who hand down their
lineage would be a true one," he said. "I think it will prove right
down the line that tradition that's gone from parent to parent to parent, that
we are true kohanim."
Source: The Baltimore Sun/July 9, 1998
Addition to the article
An article in yesterday's editions of The Sun incorrectly stated that members of
the kohanim, the Jewish priestly class that descends from Aaron, the brother of
Moses, cannot marry widows. Only high priests cannot marry widows.
The Sun regrets the errors.
Y Chromosome Bears Witness to Story of the
Jewish Diaspora
By NICHOLAS WADE
May 9/2000 - With a new technique based on the male or Y chromosome,
biologists have traced the diaspora of Jewish populations from the dispersals
that began
in 586 B.C. to the modern communities of Europe and the Middle East.
The analysis provides genetic witness that these communities have, to a
remarkable extent, retained their biological identity separate from
their host populations, evidence of relatively little intermarriage or
conversion into Judaism over the centuries.
Posted under terms of Fair-use
Mormon Claims Undercut by DNA Studies
DNA vs. The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon, which serves as the keystone
of the Mormon religion, is purported to be a
scriptural and literal history of an Israelite family that immigrated to and
fully populated the Americas. Modern-day Native Americans are said to be the
direct descendants of these Israelites. With the recent advances in DNA
research, scientists are now able to trace genetic ancestry. Thousands of Native
Americans from over 150 tribes have been DNA tested by researchers, including Mormon
scientists. The results are presented in this video: Mormonism now faces the DNA
dilemma.
Information Here Soon
"The Genetic Bonds Between Kurds and Jews"
The fascinating story of how DNA studies confirm an ancient biblical tradition
http://www.aish.com/societywork/sciencenature/Jewish_Genes.asp