Part 10
CAUCASIAN TRIBES CONQUER THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Historians confirm that Gothic numbers and powers had grown so strong by 238 AD, that the Romans began making payments of money to the Goths. These payments were tribute money designed to deter a Gothic attack. These payments began twelve years after the fall of Parthia. This supports a conclusion that the ranks of the Goths had swollen due to the waves of refugees from Parthia-Scythia Empire. All of these people would remember the Roman atrocities of the past when the Romans desecrated the graves of the Arsacid kings in 216 AD. These new additions would be very anti-Rome. Some of these Goths could have been veterans of the battle of Nisibis when Parthia defeated Rome in 217 AD.
At first the tribute money worked as the displaced Parthians were not ready for war and had to consolidate with the native Goths. Merging their populations went smoothly because they had a common culture and ethnic heritage. The native Goths were descended from the Gauthei or Scythians, members of the ten tribes of Israel who had lived in that area since the fall of Samaria in 721 BC. Other Israelites who had settled in the Caucasus where known as “Iberians” named after “Eber” the namesake of the Hebrews. Since this merger was taking place in the land of the Goths, and the people were ethnically similar, the Romans simply called them Goths.
This alliance of people which the Goths came to dominate was very anti-Roman. Parthian refugees would certainly blame Rome for the fall of their empire. They would want revenge and to take Roman territories for their own. Rome’s initial tribute payments indicate the Romans understood this.
THE GOTH’S INITIAL INVASION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
When Rome quit paying tribute the Goths invaded the Roman Empire to seize land for themselves. Between 248 and 251 AD, barely two decades after Parthia fell, the Goths ravaged Roman soil, especially Dacia and Moesia. People who are well fed and comfortable do not wage war. The Goths needed land area for the swelling refugee population. The two decades since the fall of Parthia gave the Parthian/Scythian refugees time to raise and train an army. A new younger generation would fill the ranks.
When a native Gothic king died in 250 AD, he was succeeded by King Cniva, who was not a relative of the old king. This new king led the Goths in an invasion of Rome. Who was he? To be accepted as a king over the Goths he would have had to have claim to royal rights and leadership. History records that Parthian princes had fled with the refugees, that the Parthians were loyal to the Arsacids (David’s royal line), and the Goths were now dominated by Parthian refugees. It can be argued this king was a Parthian Arsacid. Parthian refugees would be ready to rally around an Arascid ruler eager to lead vengeful attacks on Rome.
In 249-251 AD, the Roman Emperor Decius led a Roman army to repel the Goths. In 251 AD a climatic battle was fought in which Decius was killed and his army all but decimated. That the Goths utterly defeated a disciplined Roman army led by the emperor himself is evidence that the Goths were not a ragged barbarian bunch. The ability of the Goths to crush a formidable Roman army indicates the Goths had a strong military tradition. This trait would be expected of a Parthian refugee army with centuries of experience fighting the Romans.
The body of the Roman emperor, Decius was never found. Prior to the Parthian-Roman battle of Nisibis in 217 AD the Romans had desecrated the graves of the Parthian kings, scattering their bones. Now the Goths-Parthians had the body of a Roman Emperor. What do you suppose they did with it? They probably scattered so many pieces of his body in so many places it would never be found!
Besides desecrating the graves of Parthian Emperors in 217AD, the Romans had also treacherously and mercilessly massacred the citizens of Ctesiphon, Parthia’s western capital. During this war the Goths did the same thing to a large Roman city called Philippopolis, located in modern Bulgaria. This action also indicates revenge for a past deed of the Romans.
Later when invading Greece, the Goths were much subdued and merciful. The Scythian-Parthians would have had some good will toward the Greeks as they had been trading partners. A Greek named Dexippus described Athenian resistance to the invasion in a work called Scythia. This is significant because it confirms that while the Romans called these invaders Gothic, the Greeks still called them Scythians! Here we see the Goths bearing the name of Isaac the Hebrew patriarch.
Modern reference sources and history books teach a very incomplete and biased version of history, omitting vast quantities of information about Phoenicia, Carthage, Scythia, and Parthia. Is it only a coincidence that as the non-biblical theory of evolution has been added to the history books, the factual history of the Israelite nations, empires, and migrations have been purged from those same books?
VISIGOTHS SACK ROME
In 410 AD the Visigoths under King Alaric conquered and occupied the city of Rome. Many believe that these Visigoths were “barbarians” wildly destroying Rome, but that is not so. What really happened?
Alaric was a Visigoth noble from a princely family who had served well in Rome’s army leading Goths in Roman service. He may even have been a descendant of the Parthian Arsacids who fled to the homeland of the Goths around the Black Sea. When a Roman emperor failed to keep his word on various agreements (a Roman habit), many Goths rebelled and Alaric became their king. Alaric invaded Greece in 395 AD, conquering many Greek cities. He spared Athens, however, and they gave Alaric a huge banquet!
Alaric defeated a Roman army led by the Roman emperor after making many brilliant military moves. These Goths were not a mob of barbarians, but excellent soldiers who had been trained by the Romans. Alaric was later made a military governor by the Romans. He later invaded Italy in 400 AD, but was repulsed by the Romans.
In 406 AD, another Goth army, not associated with Alaric who, was now a Roman governor, invaded Rome and again was repulsed. The Romans then quickly made and broke a treaty with Alaric. This angered Alaric and he attacked Rome. The Romans expelled many Goths from the empire at that time also massacring many innocents. This caused many other Goths to become bitter enemies of Rome. It is reported that Alaric was careful to restrain his followers from acting the same way as the Romans. Who were the real barbarians? The murderous, treaty breaking Romans or the restrained Goths? After more political intrigue and treaty breaking Alaric returned to conquer and occupy Rome.
The above facts show that Alaric’s Gothic occupation of Rome was entirely provoked by Rome’s crimes and treaty breaking. Again, Alaric did not permit a general massacre of Roman citizens. Alaric remembered that he was a Christian and he tried to act mercifully in victory. The soldiers were allowed to loot, but not massacre citizens or loot churches. Many ancient Roman writers confirm this.
The Christian Goths were noted for a tolerant and enlightened rule over subject peoples. They were exhibiting another classic Parthian trait, for the Parthians were known for their tolerance. Since warfare was involved, death and destruction would have taken place, but the army was restrained by Alaric.
OSTROGOTH’S RULE OVER ROME
Theodoric, a king of the Ostrogoths conquered the Romans after Alaric. He ruled Italy from 493-526 AD. He ruled for thirty-three years and unbroken peace reigned. The venality of Roman officials and turbulence of the Gothic nobles was quelled. He was also impartial in religious matters. He also refused to destroy old buildings and statues of antiquity. Does this sound like barbarian activity?
ATTILA THE HUN INVADES EUROPE
Attila the Hun led a horde of Asiatic Huns and subject tribes deep into Europe, but was stopped in 451 AD, at the battle of Chalons in modern France. The European force that stopped Attila was a mix of Visigoths, Germans, Franks, Alans, and Saxon tribes led by an army of “Romanized Goths”. This battle determined who would rule Western and Central Europe. This European army was literally composed of descendants of the ten tribes of Israel!
This victory allowed God’s promises to the Hebrew patriarchs to come to pass. In Isaiah 41:21-26, God declares that His ability to foretell the future and bring his prophecies to pass is a primary proof of His reality and sovereignty in human events. The battle of Chalons determined the outcome of God’s prophecies. It is God Himself who directs the outcomes of man’s endeavors.
CULTURAL LINKS: THE PARTHIANS - SCYTHIANS AND MODERN EUROPE
The Gothic, Saxon and Germanic nations in the Middle Ages long exhibited a governmental structure known as feudalism. This form of government was a re-establishment of the former Parthian, and you could say, Israelite system of government.
Parthia’s feudal system featured a “king of kings” who ruled over lesser royalty and nobles who were autonomous within their local jurisdictions. Some nobles were blood relatives to the king. This systems roots, however, are seen in the Israelite form of government under the kings. Each tribe was led by nobles or judges and tithed a certain amount of their agricultural products to the king and the Temple upkeep. In time of war both Parthia and Israelite kings would summon the local tribes together to support their cause.
The Parthian heavy cavalry featured armored horses and riders with long lances. These were the forerunners of the armored knights of feudal Europe. The Parthians were also expert bowmen, which the English were later famous for.
In the book The Scythians by Tamara Talbot Rice, she notes that Scythian artwork has been identified as having a major impact on the artwork styles of the modern European nations. She also notes that, “all traces of Scythians disappear’ in south Russia in the time frame of 200-300 AD. This directly coincides with the Parthian Empire’s fall in 226 AD, and the subsequent mass migrations into Europe at that time. Since the Parthians and Scythians were related tribes with similar cultures, the word “Scythian” would also identify Parthians fleeing into Europe.
Scythian culture spread throughout Europe as Scythian refugee tribes fanned out across the continent. The fact that Goths, Germans, Saxons, and Vikings spread Scythian culture throughout Europe documents the common Scythian- Parthian origin of all these people.
THE “DAVIDIC” ORIGIN OF EUROPEAN DYNASTIES
Parthian kings also preserved David’s dynasty, as can be seen in the Hellenized names of kings such as Phraates, Phraotes, and kings in India such as Gondophares. These dynasties fulfilled the promises of God that the descendants of King David of the tribe of Judah would perpetually have rulers over the House of Israel. Jeremiah 33:17-21, and 1 Kings 2:4. King David’s Asian offspring were known as Arsacid’s, while the Parthian, Scythians and related tribes were known as the Sacae or Saka fulfilling another prophecy that the Israelites would be known throughout history by the name of Isaac. Gen 21:12
In this manner God has kept His promise into modern times that David’s descendants would serve as kings over the ten tribe's descendants. While the role of European royalty is now mostly ceremonial, their presence in several nations fulfils the promise that King David’s descendants would constitute the royalty of Israelite nations until the Messianic Kingdom is established on earth. Revelation 19:16 says that at that time, Jesus Christ will inherit the title of the Arsacid throne, becoming the “King of Kings” at His second coming.
Note on the final section, Modern Nations of the Ten Tribes: The following section, Modern Nations of the Ten Tribes, will speculate on the location of the ten lost tribes today. I use the word speculate because to some degree it is speculation. Everything we have discussed so far has nothing to do with our personal salvation, nor is it to be construed as doctrine. The Bible only gives hints as to what may have happened to the ten lost tribes. The information shared in this study is to show how God has kept his promises in the Old Testament and to explain areas on which little light has been shed, but may have caused you to ask, “What does that prophecy mean?” You are not required to believe any of these things, but for me it has opened my understanding of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, and God’s participation in the affairs of men and world history.
Those who have studied the present location of today’s ten tribes don’t all agree on what nations they have been assimilated into. God said he was going to scatter them throughout the earth. It is reasonable to believe that many nations today have descendants of the ten lost tribes living among them. Many of us may be descendants of these people and have no idea about it. I hope this teaching has helped you understand the Bible in a fresh way and has increased your faith in the Living God.
Tomorrow: Pt 11 MODERN NATIONS OF THE TEN TRIBES
Sources: Parthia: The Forgotten Ancient Superpower and Its Role in Biblical History - by Steven Collins
Israel’s Tribes Today by Steven Collins -
www.bibleblessings.net
Jewish sources:
www.kolhator.org.il/
www.britam.org/
Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica
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