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Tribunal was empowered to hunt apostates wherever it The historian Procopius relates that, in his day, there
could. Thus, by 1570, Inquisition tribunals were estab- were at Tigisis (Tangier), two columns of white stone
lished in Mexico City and Lima, Peru. Many conversos upon which -- in the Phoenician language -- appeared
were either forced into strict acceptance of Catholi- the inscription: "We are they who fled before the face
cism or executed. At the turn of the 16th century, con- of Joshua, the robber, the son of Nun." Procopius' re-
versos took advantage of a colonizing expedition by cord of the Tigisis columns confirms the Old Testa-
the explorer Juan de Onate to settle in what is now ment narrative of the Israelite conquest of Canaan.
New Mexico in the southwestern United States. Joshua's campaign thus produced a Canaanite exodus
reaching as far as the Atlantic coast of North Africa.
Still, the earlier terror left its mark, and they continued
to practice their faith in secret -- so secret in fact that Procopius' Extracts from History of the
they lost contact with the main bodies of Judaism. Wars, Book IV, Cap. X
Soon the rituals became remnants and family curiosi-
ties. Today, one family may still light candles on the
eve of the Sabbath and another will be known not to eat "And now, since the narrative of the history has brought
pork (according to the food law). me to this point, it is necessary to tell from the begin-
ning whence the nations of the Moors came to Libya
and how they settled there. When the Hebrews had
A great number of academics have begun uncovering withdrawn from Egypt and had come near the bounda-
documents that give a context to such apparently ec- ries of Palestine, Moses, a wise man, who was their
centric ways -- and even some of the research workers leader on the journey, died, and the leadership was
have traced their lineage to Sephardic roots in Spain. passed on to Joshua, the son of Nun, who led this peo-
Most who have delved into their ancestry are comfort- ple into Palestine and, by displaying a valour in war
able with their discovery of Jewish roots; some are greater than that natural to a man, gained possession of
ashamed and see their ancestry as a stigma. Others the land.
have converted to the faith of their distant forefathers.
"And after overthrowing all the nations he easily won
Most of the younger generation are so thoroughly the cities and he seemed to be altogether invincible.
Christian that they consider reverting to Judaism un- Now at that time the whole country along the sea from
thinkable. One day they will come to know their true Sidon as far as the boundaries of Egypt was called
identity and faith rests in the Israel Identity message Phoenicia. And one king in ancient times held sway
and that they live among the great multitude of the dis- over it, as is agreed by all who have written the earliest
persed families of the House of Israel.
accounts of the Phoenicians. In that country there
dwelt very populace tribes, the Gergasites and the Je-
-- Wake Up!, January/April 1991. busites and some others with other names by which
they are called in the history of the Hebrews. Now
The Canaanites also Moved West when these nations saw that the invading general was an
(from the Bible Research Handbook) irresistible prodigy, they emigrated from their ances-
tral homes and made their way to Egypt, which ad-
joined their country.
The people ultimately to be known as Moors migrated
to North Africa from the "Phoenician" coastlands of
Palestine between Sidon and Egypt. They included the "And finding there no place sufficient for them to
Gergasites, Jebusites, and other Canaanite tribes who dwell in, since there has been a great population in
fled before the victorious Israelites after the Exodus Egypt from ancient times, they proceeded to Libya.
from Egypt. These refugees journeyed by way of Egypt And they established numerous cities and took posses-
and Libya as far west as Tangier, establishing numerous sion of the whole of Libya as far as the pillars of Hera-
cities. A later wave came with (Queen) Dido and these cles and there they have lived even up to my time,
were accepted as kinsmen, being allowed to found and using the Phoenician tongue. They also built a fortress
hold Carthage. After a period of Roman domination the in Numidia, where now is the city called Tigisis. In that
Moors won many victories over the Vandals, gaining place are two columns made of white stone near by the
possession of almost the whole of North Africa. great spring, having Phoenician letters cut in them
which say in the Phoenician tongue: 'We are they who
fled from before the face of Joshua, the robber, the

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