England or Bust 

Anglo-Israelism makes it possible for its members to reject the traditional notion that as Europeans, or descendants of Europeans, they are not the little-talked-about line of Japheth within the biblical text. Japheth means “expansion,”[1] which certainly identifies them quite well. However, the Anglo-Israelists’ desire is to be called God’s chosen people and to be the center of attention from a biblical perspective. It is this author’s opinion that without this belief, for many in the system, the Bible would be a very dull book, just about Jews.

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To explain their much-needed ancestral connection to Israel, specifically to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and to describe how these tribes arrived in England, Anglo-Israelists begin their commentary after the initial deportation by the Assyrians, commencing around 734 BC and the conquering of Samaria and final removal of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC. After this, came the Babylonian captivity of the Southern Kingdom that lasted until 538 BC.

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Supporters believe the tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel never returned home in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah after the Babylonian captivity.[2] They believe they journeyed westward, settled in what is today Germany, and eventually moved on to Britain to become Anglo-Saxons.

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The idea for the Northern Kingdom moving westward across the Euphrates “into a further country, where never mankind dwelt”[3] to a region called “Arsareth”[4] is explained in the Apocryphal book of 2 Esdras. This book describes how the Northern Kingdom decided to leave the heathen lands east of the Euphrates to find another place to reside. Perhaps with a bit of cynicism, the author adds that the Israelites wanted a place to live where they could “keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land.”[5] According to 2 Esdras, it took them a year and a half to arrive at the region referred to as Arsareth.[6]

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Anglo-Israelists tend to be very accepting of the Apocrypha.[7] The reason for this is because of this particular section of 2 Esdras that appears to support their narrative of the northern tribes journeying far from Israel. Whether one accepts the Apocrypha or not, it should be understood that this section of 2 Esdras was written late, probably around AD 100, and was never included in the Hebrew, Catholic, or Protestant Canon. Except for the unknown place name of Arsareth, which many ascribe to various locations throughout the world, including Britain, 2 Esdras does not explicitly tell us where the northern tribes supposedly traveled. In the end, 2 Esdras offers little specific information, even if one views it as a trustworthy historical text.

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The idea of the “Ten Lost Tribes” has been a romanticized misrepresentation of the biblical text that has led to countless theories and many published books. During the emergence of the British Empire between the late 1500s and early 1700s, the British began to get the idea that they were the descendants of one of these tribes.

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Today, there are a few prevailing theories on how Anglo-Israelism developed at this time. One idea asserts that it originated with the mythology of Freemasons. Another theory suggests it commenced within the aristocratic class who, once desiring to link Elizabeth I with King Arthur, laid the groundwork within the British mind to desire a better pedigree with that of the Israelites. Others claim Kabbalist John Dee, an advisor to Elizabeth I, invented British-Israelism to forge an ancestral link with Jewish merchants to further the British Empire.

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Whichever theory is correct, it is reasonable to conclude that Anglo-Israelism did not exist in any formal way before the expansion of the British Empire for the simple reason that no one would have believed Britain was Ephraim prior to its “greatness.” We will leave it for others to debate whether this belief was employed to bring about further expansion or was used as a justification for it. What is readily known is that a great many writers began to publish books concerning this belief during and after this expansion, such as Reverend F. R. A. Glover, who is explored in the "The Stone of Destiny" section below. The other ways in which Anglo-Israelists explain how Anglo-Saxons are Israelites are examined in the Scythians and Senior Moment sections below.

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Footnotes

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[1] Strong, Strong’s New Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Yepheth, 3315.

[2] Armstrong, The United States and Britain in Prophecy, pp. 87–89.

[3] “KJV Apocrypha,” https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Apocrypha-Books/, 2 Esdras 13:41.

[4] Ibid., v. 45.

[5] Ibid., v. 42.

[6] Ibid., v. 45.

[7] The original KJV included a collection of books referred to as the Apocrypha. Some believe this set of books should never have been included in the Holy Scriptures since none of the original Hebrew manuscripts contained them. Others, however, think these books were inspired. Like reformer Martin Luther, others take a middle-of-the-road approach and contend these books were not inspired but are at least worth reading for instructional purposes.