Theos-Talk Archives (May 2000 Message tt00243)

In a message dated 05/22/00 8:45:09 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
bartl@sprynet.com writes:

<<    Anti-Semite sounds fancier than "Jew Hater". In the Old Testament, Noah 
had
 three sons, Shem, Ham, and Yapheth (which translate, more or less, to "good
 reputation", "good mind", and "good looks"). The Middle Eastern people, 
Biblically
 speaking, were descendents of Shem, hence, "Semitic". I can look up the exact
 names and dates,. but essentially a German newspaper devoted to the 
anti-Jewish
 cause in the 19th Century called itself the "Anti-Semite", and the term 
took. The
 newspaper had nothing to do with Arabs, so that even though Arabs are 
technically
 Semites, the term "anti-semitism" refers only to Jews, although it has been 
used
 as a layer of confusion by Jew-hating Arab leaders (saying "I'm not 
anti-Semitic;
 I'm a Semite myself!" begs the real question, "Do you hate Jews?").
 
     Bart Lidofsky
  >>

Thanks Bart. Your explanation is useful. It does raise the further question 
of who then, are the descendants of Ham, and Yapheth? If the Middle Eastern 
peoples (Arabs and Jews) are the descendants of Shem, Who are the descendants 
of the other two brothers? Any thoughts on this? Thanks. 

Louis

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