Yair Davidiy's review of Isaac's Empire by Cam Rea:
Cam Rea has written Isaac's Empire. Ancient Persia's Forgotten Identity. We have corresponded with Cam for quite some time and benefited from his insights and instinctive appreciation of historical reality.
In our work, The Tribes. The Israelite Origins of Western Peoples (1993, 2004) we traced exiled Israelite Tribes to groups amongst the Cimmerians and Scythians as well as to other entities within the Median and Persian domain. We noticed Scythian and other groups in areas where traditions related the Lost Ten Tribes were to be found. The Bible itself says that the Israelites were re-settled in the Cities of the Medes (2-Kings 17:6). Entities int he said areas in several cases had names that confirmed their Israelites origins: The Pasargadie have a name meaning "Sons of Gad", the Dangali meaning Dan of the Galilee, the Iskiguli meaning the Exiled of Isaac, the Asarkati for Issachar, and so on. Cam Rea has taken these identifications a step further, added others of his own. He has found evidence of Israelite origins in the names of Persian tribes, rulers, and officials. No-one is saying that the Ancient Persians were Hebrews. On the contrary. What is being said is that in the area at that time were important Israelite groups. Later the Israelites moved out of the region going to the north and westward. They have little or no relation to the present-day Iranians and only a tenuous one with the bulk of the Ancient Persians.
We do not necessarily agree with Cam Rea on every point but we still recommend his work. Cam Rea writes very well. He has done valid research. His observations are all worth considering. In the course of his narrative he gives an outline of the historical background of great value. The majority of the Israelites were exiled. They were taken into northern regions of the Assyrian Realm which area later became the Persian-Median Empire. Israelites were there. This is an important subject. It is worth knowing about. Cam Rea has prepared a work that prepares the reader towards a study of this matter and its historical background.
Yair Davidiy,
Director of Brit-Am,
In our work, The Tribes. The Israelite Origins of Western Peoples (1993, 2004) we traced exiled Israelite Tribes to groups amongst the Cimmerians and Scythians as well as to other entities within the Median and Persian domain. We noticed Scythian and other groups in areas where traditions related the Lost Ten Tribes were to be found. The Bible itself says that the Israelites were re-settled in the Cities of the Medes (2-Kings 17:6). Entities int he said areas in several cases had names that confirmed their Israelites origins: The Pasargadie have a name meaning "Sons of Gad", the Dangali meaning Dan of the Galilee, the Iskiguli meaning the Exiled of Isaac, the Asarkati for Issachar, and so on. Cam Rea has taken these identifications a step further, added others of his own. He has found evidence of Israelite origins in the names of Persian tribes, rulers, and officials. No-one is saying that the Ancient Persians were Hebrews. On the contrary. What is being said is that in the area at that time were important Israelite groups. Later the Israelites moved out of the region going to the north and westward. They have little or no relation to the present-day Iranians and only a tenuous one with the bulk of the Ancient Persians.
We do not necessarily agree with Cam Rea on every point but we still recommend his work. Cam Rea writes very well. He has done valid research. His observations are all worth considering. In the course of his narrative he gives an outline of the historical background of great value. The majority of the Israelites were exiled. They were taken into northern regions of the Assyrian Realm which area later became the Persian-Median Empire. Israelites were there. This is an important subject. It is worth knowing about. Cam Rea has prepared a work that prepares the reader towards a study of this matter and its historical background.
Yair Davidiy,
Director of Brit-Am,
Jerusalem, Israel
