I don't know how many black Hebrews there might have been though I tend to think there wouldn't have been many. Of course, Moses is said to have had a Cushite wife who one would suppose was black, and many have supposed that the Queen of Sheba was from Ethiopia though that is pure conjecture (but when you think about it, why would an Ethiopian eunuch be going to Jerusalem if Judaism wasn't established there?).
I am somewhat concerned with the possibility of provincialism in the church. To mention another connected subject, there are a number of women authors in the field of OT, but they all seem to be interested mainly in matters concerning women in the OT. My advice is to not avoid a particular area of interest due to one's background but to be sure to take a broader view of biblical studies in general.
I would suggest that the following titles would supplement those above:
The Beta Israel: Falasha in Ethiopia: From Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century by Steven B. Kaplan
Falasha Anthology (Yale Judaica Series) by Wolf Leslau
The "Black" Jewish Bible is especially interesting because of its broader canon. George, I know you are the same age as Jack Benny but you may still remember Project Moses to extract the Black Jews out of Ethiopia...
and many have supposed that the Queen of Sheba was from Ethiopia
Curious: is that based on the supposition that Solomon procreated with the Queen, or does she have some other Hebrew connection?
Some time back, I did a search on the possibility of offspring from Solomon and Sheba in my modest library and basically came up with a fanciful story from the Second Targum to Esther about Solomon being a little uneasy from seeing the Queen's hairy legs (secondarily sourced from "The Original Sources of the Qur'an"; I don't have the Targum resource). Incidentally, part of the same story was lifted by the author of the Quran (Surah 27).
I know the late emperor of Ethiopia claimed descent from Solomon via Sheba, but dictators are notoriously unreliable history sources.
You prefer the tribe of Dan theory?
No; I don't know that theory and don't have a preference.I was thinking someone might have actual historical sources regarding possible Solomon/Sheba offspring. All that I have heard regarding that is anecdotal, "after this, due to this".The OT tends to note such genealogical info, but is silent in this case.
You could start with the Wikipedia article on Beta Israel which does have a history section ... the references will lead you to so reliable sources.
You could start with the Wikipedia article on
Black Hebrew Israelites https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
I have had people in robes (one with a staff) visit my church identifying themselves as Black Hebrew Israelites. I felt like greeting them as a White Jewish American.But then I thought twice.
ou could start with the Wikipedia article on Beta Israel
Thanks. I didn't think about Wikipedia and didn't know the term Beta Israel.
