Among the ancient Gauls and Britons lived the DRUIDS (Greek "Oak") who venerated the OAK (cp.Ez.6:13). Israelites also "sacrifice under OAKS" (Hos. 4:13) and used the OAK in making images (Isa. 44:14). See also Gen. 35:4,8; Josh. 24:26; Judges 6:11,21; 1 Ki. 13:14; 1 Chr. 10:12. DRUIDS offered a white BULL under their OAKS on certain occasions. Israel from the days of Moses onward worshipped a "golden CALF" or the BULL. DRUIDS worshipped a God called HESSUS corresponding to the Hebrew HEZZUZ meaning "strong" or "mighty" which is an adjective often used to describe God in the Bible (Ps. 24:8). They also worshipped "Odin" (ADON) and "Balder" (BAAL) (Hos.2:16). DRUIDS learned their practices directly from the PERSIANS (Pliny 30:1:4) which is where Israel was taken captive. Caesar tells us that it was a tenet of theirs that "whosoever shed man's blood, by man should his blood be shed" (Gen.9:6). The DRUIDS teach that reconciliation with divine justice is possible only by ransoming one man's life by another man's life (Matt.20:28). Druids, like Levites, were EXEMPT from TAXES (Ezra 7:24) and military service and were JUDGES and LEGISLATORS (Deut.19:17; 21:5; 1 Chr.23:4) (Maclear's Celts 2:15-17). They gave TITHES and FIRSTFRUITS (Deut. 26:1-15). They practiced RITUAL PURITY (Num. 19). The laws, SACRIFICES of sheep and oxen, sacred order of a PRIESTHOOD, three leading FEASTS, two of which were in May andOctober (cp. Lev.23), the UNHEWN STONES for Yahweh's altars (Ex.20:25) were all DRUIDICAL institutions. Their priesthood was HEREDITARY and they had a HIGH PRIEST. "No sacred rite was ever performed without a DRUID. The people were submissive to their commands. They were dispensers of JUSTICE (Deut.17:7-10; 2 Chr. 19:8--11; Ez. 44:24) and TEACHERS of the youth. They dressed like LEVITES. Their SACRIFICES were selected with GREAT CARE (Lev. 4). Generally sacrifices were divided into THREE PARTS. One consumed upon the altar; one for the priest and one for the person who brought the sacrifice. They compute their time by NIGHTS, not days. They taught that the world had a beginning and that it would eventually be destroyed by fire. The chief DRUID and the Hebrew High Priest were similarly dressed, even to the BREAST-PLATE of judgment, and the HOLY NAME upon his head-gear. The High Priest wore a tiara with I.A.U. on it. However, the breast-plate of the DRUID had NINE STONES rather than twelve -- perhaps because only nine tribes were present in Britain. A facsimile of a Hebrew BREASTPLATE was found on the breast of a skeleton dug up in a cist or barrow at Stonehenge ("Crania Britannica"). All the prehistoric temples of Palestine, Persia, Italy and Greece, commonly called Cyclopean or Pelasgic, were DRUIDIC. The third name of the Druidic trinity was named "Esu" or "Yesu."
Both Josephus and Esdras speak about TEN tribes and TWO tribes. 1 Kings 11:31 also mentions the TEN pieces and the TWO pieces. Many LEVITES fled to Judah before the TEN tribes were exiled (2 Chr.13:9-11; 11:13-17) which would make NINE and THREE. But this lasted only for THREE years (2 Chr.11:17; Josephus 8:13). TWO tribes couldn't support such an influx and the LEVITES would need to return to their lands in Israel. Besides this, Rehoboam apostasized causing LEVITE disillusionment. LEVI returned making TEN and apostasized with them (Jer.2:8; Ez.22:26; 44:10-12) and Jeroboam's new priesthood later included them (Josephus 8:8). Notice that in 2 Chronicles 29:34 there is a shortage of enough priests in Judah. Yes LEVI (meaning "Joined") was taken captive "unto Halah (Holman), and Habor (Khabur), and Harah (Aria, Ariana, Arachosia, Harat), and to the river Gozan (Gauzanitis, Ouzan R., Cyrus R.)" (1 Chr.5:26) along with the other NINE tribes. "Among the purest (genetically isolated) North Americans, in a most restricted, recent sense, are those with ancestral WELSH surnames" (Jones, Lewis, Owens) (15:352 Encyc. Brit.). Coal-mining and the manufacture of iron, steel and tinplate are important in Wales. The WALLOONS (cf, Ger. welsch, Du. waalsch, Eng. welsh) live in Belgium, Luxemburg and France primarily and are ironsmiths by trade. Liege (in Wallonia) produces firearms. The oldest gunmakers in the world -- Beretta -- have been making guns in the Lombard region (Levite) of Italy for 500 years. Hence "instruments of cruelty are in their habitations" (Gen.49:5). Some WALLOONS live in MALMEDY Prussia named after the MAHLITES (Num.3:20) of Merari.
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