From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
The controversy whether the Igbo are Jews or not may have been laid to rest following a fresh scriptural, archeological and cultural backing by Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem headquarters, Israel in Nigeria, to the recent laboratory test result from the officials of Jewish Voice Ministries International, which proved that the Igbo are not Jews.
General Overseer of the Congregation of Yahweh in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nwayaweh Earnest Udoyaweh, made the clarifications when a senior elder of the Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem, Kenya, Harrison Marimba, and his team stormed the industrial city to ordain him elder.
Elder Udoyahweh who is also a Chief Medical Laboratory Scientist in the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, made it clear that the ssue of whether the Igbo are Jews or not had gone beyond Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test to determine, saying that this “may have suffered mutations when there are other scriptural, cultural and archeological factors to prove that Igbo are Hebrews rather than Jews.”
From the biblical point of view, according to Udoyahweh, Igbo are the descendants of Gad who was the seventh son of Israel.
He said that Gad gave birth to Eri, a community in Anambra State; Arodi, interpreted to mean Arondizuogu, a community in Imo State; Oraeri, another community in Anambra, among other sons of Gad spread across the South East of Nigeria.
He said that all these names are in the Bible and traceable to Gad who was a Hebrew.
The cleric cited the book of Genesis, Chapters 46 verse 16 and 14 verse 13 to substantiate his claims.
He said it was in those portions of the Bible that anyone in doubt could trace the three primordial ancestors of the Hebrews.
He noted that there were other archeological and cultural evidences, including behavioural patterns of the Igbo which were in agreement with the way the Hebrew behave.
He explained that the Hebrew, for instance, never allowed the corpse of their relation to be buried outside their ancestral homes which the Igbo practice.
Udoyahweh noted that there were some artifacts excavated in a community like Igbo-Ukwu in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State that had Hebrew inscriptions on them, adding that “even the Igbo as a word is an adulterated Hebrew word, Heber.
He also explained that Abraham as a Hebrew was instructed in the scripture to circumcise his family members which he said the Igbo practiced today.
During the ordination, Elder Marimba enjoined all the members of the congregation to give newly ordained Elder Udoyahweh maximum support and loyalty for him to be able to executive the work of Yahweh.
Udoyahweh said he was overwhelmed and humbled for his new responsibility as the Elder taking care of the congregation. He, therefore, appealed to both other Senior Elders and the congregants to always remember him in their prayers for the task ahead.
“I earnestly request from you, Senior Elder Don and all the elders in this Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem (COYJ) before me to pray continuously for me in order to carry out this restoration work and worship of Yahweh from Jerusalem as I ought to do and teach with all fairness and firmness, faithfulness and fruitfulness till the end. And in such a way and manner that whatever is done in Yahweh’s heaven which is also done at the congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem Headquarters, Israel shall be done same way and manner in this awesome place of Yah. This is my one and only real and earnest prayer request,” he said.