Page:Essays ethnological and linguistic.djvu/216

204 they became absorbed among the nations with whom they dwelt. They would then become lost in becoming heathens, and so may now be followers of Mahomet, as are the Afghans. This, however, would be inconsistent with the story told in Esdras, of their being disgusted with the practices of the heathen, so as to resolve to go into a further country to avoid them. Those who felt any such desire to return to the pure worship of their fathers, had the best means afforded them to do so by returning to their own land, and not by wandering into unknown regions. We may therefore conclude, from all these motives influencing their conduct, that the great majority of the captives, or of their descendants, actually returned to Judæa, rather than remain in the countries whither they had been led captive.

The different colonies of Jews found in India and other parts of Asia have generally a tradition, that they are descendants of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judæa, driven away by the Romans. But the very fact of their acknowledging the appellation of Jews, proves that they could not be descendants of the ten tribes, to whom that name could never have been applied. It was only in later times, when all the tribes had become associated together in Judæa, they obtained the general appellation of Jews as inhabitants of that country; and thus their descendants throughout the East may justly continue to hold it as appropriately as do their brethren in Europe. If, however, there be any considerable number of their race in Asia, as has been asserted, who ignore the name of Jews, and who style themselves Israelites, still this could not be any solid reason to conclude that they were necessarily descendants of the ten tribes taken away captive. We have shown, that in the time of Ezra the restored people were generally known by the name of Israelites, which name was also in general use in the time of the Maccabees, and even still later, in the time of our Saviour, so that the latest migrations of the nation might have had some families among them acknowledging the name of Israelites only, who would consequently leave that of Jews unknown to their descendants.

Various accounts have been from time to time transmitted us of people existing in different countries, some for instance in Malabar, and some in China, who profess to be Israelites, and who, possessing many Israelitish characteristics, have been thereupon supposed to be descendants of the ten tribes. These accounts however are so vague, that, with every desire to acknowledge the good faith of the narrators, we cannot accept all their statements without more satisfactory evidence