Copyright © 1999 Ed Ladeur,

To carry on from the July Eddie-Torial, the rest of 1999 will focus on our attitudes into the new millennium. This month we carry on in our dealings about the question of 'beliefs'. It has been approximately 2500 years since Gautama walked this earth, 2000 since Christ, 1400 since Mohammed (discussed in the last three topics).

This month's article somehow fits into the past 3 and will concentrate on a little known, perhaps suppressed history of a people without whom the world would look a lot different today. I am not going to give this away at this point. Hopefully I can spin a factual story which is at once captivating and truthful. You will realise that history is not always what it appears to be. Without this history Europe and the America's would have a different face. These historical aspects, have been researched extensively, and you all know by now that I am a history buff to the extreme.

The era starts about 800 AD. Christianity had established itself in Rome and Byzantium, the two churches were as yet combined. In the middle east things seem to have been on the upswing, with Mohammad's Muslim sect on a constant Holy War. But when this holy war spread into Europe and Asia proper there seems to have been a barrier, and it was not really the mountains which forbade them entry. It is true that the Muslim hordes broke into what is now Spain, and then into France from which they were then repelled. On the Asian entrance to Eastern Europe there was a formidible curtain, that of a nation little known today.There lived a people of Turkish stock (not the Turkey we know today, they were an Asian Steppe people originally), which were in those times considered to be as important as the people ruled by Charles the Great.
The people of the Asian steppes had provided wave upon wave of movement from the east, primarily by Attila the Hun. We in our modern era call the Germans the Huns, which is about as far from the truth as considering that all European Jews originally came from Palestine.

This country and its people lay across the line of advance of the Arabs, and the Caucasus did not really represent a barrier. But there was a force of organized power they had not counted on. If it had not been for these forces Islam would have conquered Europe via the eastern route.

'in Khazaria, sheep, honey, and Jews exist in large quantities'
Muqaddasi - 10th Century.

The nation of the Khazars lay north of the Khazarian Sea (Caspian Sea) and the Black Sea, from what is now the Ukraine to Kazakhstan, and everything south to the Caucasus Mountains. This vast area was ruled by a King who was at a loss of what to do about the pressures from the west (Christian) and the South (Muslim). In order to build his nation into a solid entity he needed to gather his people under one flag so to speak, under one belief...that of his identity as supreme worldly ruler as king, and that of a spiritual bonding. How this nation became a nation of Jews is even now discussed or disputed, but it went on this wise.

It was not unknown to all and sundry, whether of the Jewish, Muslim, or Christian faith that there was a 'Chosen' people. The story of the covenant in Genesis among others comes to mind. The King was in such a 'controlling and balancing' position in his area of the world that the princes of the Ishmaelites (Muslims) and Byzantium (Christians) sent envoys for the purpose of alliances. But the king was troubled by the paganism practiced by his people, he himself had seen and met the holy men of all three faiths. He was further troubled by the claims of the Muslims that they were the 'only true' faith, worshipping the only 'One True God'. The Christians in their turn claimed the same. And yet also the Jews.

One story of how this whole nation was won over to Judaism goes like this...The king asked of the Christian envoys who visited him about which belief is nearest to the truth, to which the Christians answered 'the Jews'. He then asks the same question of the Muslims in his presence and gets the same reply. This of course carried the day for the king, making him appear neutral between these two sworn enemies. That both these religions would revere the holy books of the Jews left him no choice, for if he had chosen one over the other to convert to then he would have made himself an enemy of one or the other. Not such a dumb decision after all.

However, another version to the story...the King of the Khazars, being previously pagan had adopted Christianity, but because of the bondage to Byzantium, (some say that he was trouble about the truth of Chritianity) had second thoughts and sent for advisors. One of them told him that the believers in the Scriptures fall into 3 groups. He should send for them each to state their case, and convert to the one who professes the truth.
He sent for a Christian representative, a Muslim rep, and a Jew. Now the Jew arrived first, and being skilled in discussion on religious issues tells the king that he will state his case last, however he will play 'devil's advocate'. The Jew then arguing for the king asks the Christian representative about Moses and the Torah (laws). The Christian replies that Moses and the Torah speak the truth. The Jew turns to the king and states that this Christian has already confirmed that the Jews speak the truth, "now ask him what he believes in"...The king then asks the Christian who begins to he speaks of Jesus and the crucifixion, he speaks of Jesus as the Messiah. Then the Jew says to the King..."he preaches a doctrine which I know not, but he accepts my propositions". Next the king goes thru the same arguments with the Muslim which has the same outcome.
From an Arab historian comes the above tale but with a twist. When it was time to send for the Muslim the Jew went to meet him and murdered the envoy. But even if he had proceeded to stay alive to present his arguments he would have fallen into the same trap.

So taking the bottom line the King took the common denominator, more a political move than a spiritual one. But this nation of several million people was converted to Judaism, and from that point went on to rule the Eastern steppes of Asia for about 3 hundred years until their dispersal by the wave upon wave of movement from the East. Many of the Jewish faith who survived the crusades were Khazarians, and it is these who populated the lands of eastern Europe. That Poland and northern Russia sheltered most of these Khazarian Jews is understandable, this was way outside the routes taken by the Crusaders to get to Jerusalem. And so the majority of European Jewry who were sent for extermination during the Second World War by Hitler's regime were from Poland as it escaped the main thrust of the pogroms throughout the ages. That is to say, the severe ones which were practiced by the Inquisition, Christian zealots, and Crusaders.

Well, don't know if you agree or disagree, or just find this a bunch of bunk, feel free to respond on the The Eddie-Torial Message/Discussion Board
So until next month, play safe, surf wisely, and help yourself to a cookie
(make sure your dog gets one too).

*smiles*, Eddie

Previous Eddie-Torials
July, 1999 Islam
June, 1999 the Bible and Christianity
May, 1999 Buddhism
April, 1999 Love in the new millennium
March, 1999 Some accomplishments
February, 1999 Surviving the new millennium
January, 1999 Dates and prophecies
December, 1998 Holiday greetings
November, 1998 A sense of humour
October, 1998 The good, bad and unwise of the internet
September, 1998 Volunteerism
August, 1998 Websites on free servers

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Ed Ladeur
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