The Roots of the Nations
by Arthur C. Custance
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE DESCENDANTS OF NOAH
THE AUTHENTICITY OF GENESIS 10 AS A TABLE OF NATIONS
Chapter 1 - THE TABLE OF NATIONS:
GENEALOGY OF JAPHETH
Chapter 2 - THE FAMILY OF JAPHETHChapter 3 - THE DESCENDANTS OF HAM
GENEALOGY OF SHEM
Chapter 4 - THE DESCENDANTS OF SHEMCHAPTER 5 - THE WIDENING CIRCLE
EPILOGUE
GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE DESCENDANTS OF NOAH
Editor's Note
This trilogy, (Part II) a shortened version of Noah's Three Sons, (Volume 1 of Zondervan 1975 edition of the Doorway Paper Series) which in turn, was a composite of five separate Papers, includes only four Papers. Presented here in the basic framework of Dr. Arthur Custance's view of human history in its simplified form, with limited expansion of two basic concepts. We have omitted Paper #29 (A Christian World View), a detailed scholarly defence of his premises. (This exclusion will exasperate those requiring that detail, but its inclusion would have distracted others!).
For the most part, the text used is that of the original Paper, although changes made by Dr. Custance for the 1975 Zondervan edition have been incorporated. Occasionally, some notes that he had subsequently accumulated in his master copy have been added, where they clarified or completed his thoughts.
We have made every effort to maintain his style, making changes only in the interest of clarity of meaning. Often this was merely a matter of sentence structure or punctuation.
Another difficult problem encountered concerned specific words, for language is a living thing. Meanings are not static. Words are embedded in a culture and find meanings that "everybody knows" but may not be perceived and understood rightly by readers of another culture or time. Words like Negro or Eskimo, or the term coloured races were in no sense derogatory in the author's mind and, for lack of better terms, we have let them stand. When Dr. Custance uses man in the abstract sense (as opposed to a man or the man indicating a particular male individual), women are included, and children too. It is synonymous with people, human beings, with humanity, the human race. Similarly, he, in the abstract includes she. It was too cumbersome to change every instance (though often changes could be easily made and were), For those who are offended by what is viewed as sexist language, please remember that, at the time of writing, this was not a problem. Such terms should be understood in their generic sense. Dr. Custance personally had a deep respect for all peoples, and for the worth of each individual, irrespective of gender of colour. It is in this context that he (and also many writers of the past century) used words which are now regarded as 'sexist' or 'politically incorrect'.
For some readers, the documentation may seem woefully out-of-date, but at the time of writing, it was indeed current. (We have included the original title page that you might be aware of its date." For some, this questions the validity of Dr. Custance's interpretation in light of new knowledge.
New knowledge is not really a threat a recurring phrase in scientific literature is, "it is now known" implying that past knowledge was erroneous. Dr. Custance did not "fear" science's progress, nor did he claim any kind of finality for his views. This is how he explained the purpose of The Doorway Papers in 1958:
The title for this Series is intended to signify that these Papers are exploratory and do not pretend to provide final answers. They are designed to invite further exploration.
In the interests of clarity of exposition, no apology is made for statements which are matters of faith rather than fact, but as far as possible the distinction is indicated where appropriate.
They are the result of over twenty-five years of careful examination of the biblical records and the light they receive from, and contribute to, the whole field of modern knowledge.
As a rule, they represent new approaches to old issues, the author being fully persuaded that Scripture has nothing to fear and everything to gain from the closest examination. possible.
This confidence that "Scripture has nothing to fear and everything to gain: is succinctly expressed in the words of Lord Arundell of Wardour:
We desire only, by opening up fresh views, to contribute light to minds of greater precision who may thus be enabled, perhaps, to hit upon the exact truth.
In this trilogy, Dr. Custance is inviting you to view history in the light of God's revealed purposes and of acquired knowledge in a new and refreshing way, Here, may you discover and explore your roots and your relationships, your uniqueness and significance, to fellow human beings and to God.
Evelyn White, 1995.
ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS
It is now ten years since Dr. Custance laid down his pen. I wish to acknowledge the encouragement and support his many loyal readers have given to me tokeep his writings in print.
For the actural task I am indebted to and grateful beyond words for the competent help in editing and constant enuthusiasim of Anna DeZoete, I am deeply appreciative of all the computer work done so patiently and willing and untiringly by Don Clark, whose health is sustained by the Lord daily; and I am indeed thankful that Harley Rollins has undertaken the task of production. marketing, and sales, which requires his expertise and contacts (which I do not have!), and his quiet confidence in this vetnure.
Our prayer is that God, Who began this work may continue it, bring glory and praise to His name and knowledge and joy to all who read.
E. White
THE DIFFICULTIES of elucidating, at this time and date in human history, the origins and relationships of the various races of mankind, are so great that many would doubt if it is even worthwhile to attempt it at all. Even a cursory examination of such a volume as Coon's Races of Europe (1) will quickly reveal that racial mixture has already proceeded so far that, in almost any part of the world, one may find individuals or groups of people representative of all the currently recognized racial stocks or sub-races indiscriminately intermingled. To propose in the face of such evidence that, from the Table of Nations in Genesis, one can show the origins, relationships, and patterns of dispersion of these racial stocks would seem at first rather absurd.
Undoubtedly, we shall be accused of oversimplification. Yet there is a sense in which this may be an advantage here, since it allows one to ignore certain complicating factors and to avoid being completely overwhelmed by detail. This allows us to set forth an intelligible alternative to current ethnological theories which, I believe, better explains the differentiation between present-day racial groups and even that of fossil remains of pre-historic man. There is, therefore, some justification for presenting the grossly simplified picture which appears in this paper.
A second point which I should like to underscore is that what constitutes evidence in favour of, or virtual proof of a thesis, depends, in this kind of research, very much upon the bias of the reader. To demonstrate that the earth is flat would require an enormous amount of evidence! Indeed, most people would feel that no amount of evidence would be sufficient. But to confirm that the earth is round would require very little. Thus, whether a piece of evidence is considered as strong or weak often hinges not so much upon its intrinsic weight as it does upon whether it supports accepted opinion.
I believe that anyone who accepts Scripture as a touchstone of Truth, even when its plain statements appear to be contradicted by the reasonably assured findings of secular research, will not require the same kind of evidence to be convinced. If the children of Japheth are, as we shall propose, the people of Europe (and part of Northern India, etc.) as Genesis 10 implies, then slight evidence in confirmation will tend to clinch the matter for those who already believe it, whereas no amount of evidence will clinch the matter for those who simply don't. Similarly, for those who are persuaded that this Table of Nations is truly comprehensive, the coloured races must, logically, be included, and somewhere here we shall find the ancestors of the so-called black, brown, and yellow peoples. The question is whether this kind of comprehensiveness is implied in the words "by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood." (verse32.) In the interpretation of passages such as this, there tends to be a parting of the ways between those who attach great importance to the actual words of Scripture and their implications, and those who attach much less importance to the words themselves and do not, therefore, examine the implications very seriously. The latter tend to be suspicious whenever the former allow implications to play a large part in their interpretation. The question is, more broadly, whether God intends us to look for implications and logically work them out when the kind of concrete statements (which are much to be preferred and which would then clinch the matter) are actually lacking.
On this issue, some words of Dr. Blunt in his quite famous book, Undesigned Coincidences in the Old and New Testament, are very much to the point. After observing, rightly, with what alacrity imagination enters where implications are in view and how readily it breaks all bounds and becomes highly visionary, he nevertheless argues strongly in favour of the wide and active investigation of implications in Scripture. He says: (2)
The principle is good, for it is sanctioned by our Lord Himself, Who reproaches the Sadducees with not knowing [his emphasis] those Scriptures which they received, because they had not deduced [his emphasis] the doctrine of the future state from the words of Moses, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob," though the doctrine was there if they would have but sought it out.
The point is well taken and, as he adds in the next paragraph, "the proofs of this are numberless." He then proceeds to illustrate his point in some detail. But his opening illustration is particularly apt because, while it is perfectly true that the implication of Moses' words was, in this instance, clearly of profound importance, that learned men of our Lord's time who, incidently, were not lacking in devoutness very probably took the same rather sceptical attitude that is current today in such matters and would have flouted the idea as quite absurd if anyone else than the Lord Himself had proposed it. They did not believe in the resurrection and would not, therefore, have accepted such an inference from Moses' words. And I suspect that, in our determination to discourage the over-use of imagination in interpreting Scripture (a determination which is quite proper, I believe), we have, nevertheless, robbed ourselves of many insights.
So it is proposed, in the first chapter, to consider this Table of Nations in Genesis 10 as a whole with respect to its value, importance, and uniqueness among similar records, and also to examine its structure and date.
This very early document lists the descendants of the three sons of one man and, in the next three chapters, we see how these individual families became tribes and nations which can be traced, even today, with some certainty. By means of linguistic links and historical notes it becomes apparent that this genealogy is not only truly comprehensive, encompassing all the nations of the world, but also shows their origin.
Then, in the final chapter, from clues given in this remarkable Table combined with information from archaeology, fossil finds, traditions and history, a picture can be drawn of the relationships between these racial stocks and of the migration patterns by which the whole earth has been populated.
Modern ethnology, though it has ignored Genesis 10, has, to my mind, tended rather steadily towards its confirmation. However, I see no reason at all to hope that ethnology will ever seek to advance itself by building itself upon this Table as a working basis. But I see every reason to believe that, once we know enough, we shall find there was never any need to be ashamed of our confidence in it as a guide of the past. We have only to bide our time.
References:
1. Coon, C. S., Races of Europe, New York, NY, Macmillan, 1939, 739 pages.
2. Blunt, J. J., Undesigned Coincidences in the Old and New Testaments,
London, UK, Murray, 1869, 6.
Foreword: The Authenticity of Genesis Ten as a Table
of Nations
Proceed to Chapter One
Return to the Index Page
Return to Arthur Custance Home
Page