Lecturers to Discuss DNA and Jewish History - Dallas News
Posted March 15, 2008 
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At the JCC: Lecturers to discuss DNA and Jewish history
10:20 AM Fri, Mar 14, 2008 | Permalink
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Author Jon Entine and DNA expert Bennett Greenspan will speak at 7 p.m. on April 1 (a Tuesday) at the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road in Dallas.
Entine wrote “Abraham’s Children: Race Identity and DNA of the Chosen People,” a geneological, scientific and historical examination of the shared biblical ancestry of Jews and Christians. There’s a press release about the book after the jump.
Greenspan is the founder of FamilyTreeDNA of Houston, a well-known genealogical service that uses the science of DNA to help trace family histories.
Tickets are $10 in advance ($8 for seniors) and $15 at the door.
For reservations or more information, call Rachelle Weiss Crane at 214-239-7128 or send her n e-mail at rweisscrane@jccdallas.org.
HAS CHRISTIANITY FORGOTTEN ITS JEWISH HERITAGE?
Author Explores Christianity’s Shared Ancestry with Israelites,
Reminds Christians of Shared Spiritual Legacy
Villanova, PA (February 2008) - A strong, yet multi-faceted bond has formed between Religious Conservatives here in America and Israel. Contemporary Christian leaders urge modern Christians to rally behind Israel, citing the “Biblical Imperative” to support the restoration of the Jewish State. Nearly two thousand years ago, the religious rebels inspired by Jesus founded what has come to be known as Christianity which sprang forth from Judaism. However, most Christians know very little about Judaism even when reading and lessons from the Old Testament is part of their services. What impact does this shared religious tradition have today? More importantly in what ways might Jewish traditions shape the future of Christianity?
In “ABRAHAM’S CHILDREN: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People,” Jon Entine, a scholar with the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., helps us understand how the revolutionary field of genetics is shedding new light on the stories of the Bible and the spiritual seeds of Christianity. What is the genetic evidence of the story of the Exodus? What can DNA tell us about the mysterious disappearance of the Lost Tribes and their potential return to Israel? How did Jesus and his Apostles transform the notion of blood ancestry so crucial to the Israelites? Can genes help bridge the religious and spiritual gap that sometimes separates Christians and Jews by underscoring the shared legacy of the Israelites? Many readers will find the answers they seek in this book which Kirkus Reviews calls “An epic tale of ‘The Chosen People’…engaging and informative for Jews and non-Jews alike.”
Entine provides an exciting look at how cutting edge genetic research is changing how we view Biblical history Western identity, and Jewish ethnicity, including the provocative question of “Who is a Jew?” But DNA is also a time machine that allows us to address the riddles of history. He addresses why scientists believe that Jews expelled from ancient Palestine may be responsible for building the vast ruins known as the Great Zimbabwe, the only surviving architectural marvel in Africa. He discusses the rise and fall of the golden age of religious tolerance in an enlightened medieval Spain, when Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived at peace. In a book BostonNOW reports “offers fascinating accounts of how genes travel and how we study them,” Entine tells the story of Christian Hispaños of the American Southwest, whose recent discovery of their Israelite ancestry has led them to reaffirm their belief in Jesus.
The Old Testament meticulously records generations worth of genealogies and family records and the New Testament makes a point of documenting the bloodline of Jesus through the house of David. Clearly genealogy and bloodlines are of great importance to Western religion and the author brings together the Old and the New in his book. In fact, Nature Genetics explains that Entine’s “broad, well-documented sweep of Jewish history will inform even the most knowledgeable of readers.” Abraham’s Children explores questions such as:
• Could anyone really trace their ancestry back dozens of generations to biblical times, possibly to Moses?
• Could Jews or Christians have maintained unique, distinct lineages throughout the centuries?
• What would confirming this lineage mean to Jewish–and Christian– identity?
In today’s multiethnic, culturally fragmented, post-modern world, identity can often be elusive. As Howard Wolinsky in the Chicago Sun Times notes, “ABRAHAM’S CHILDREN can help Jew or non-Jew alike understand this new promised land of DNA and the thorny issues it will raise.” ABRAHAM’S CHILDREN showcases the profound implications of the Age of Genetics and its effect on the way we look at history and how we think about who we are.
