The God Culture: 100 Lies About the Philippines: Lie #23: The La Paz Sand Dunes is the Desert of Chabor
Welcome back to 100 Lies the God Culture Teaches About the Philippines. Today's lie once more concerns Tim's claims about Abraham Farissol. In his book Iggeret Orhot Olam Farissol says that the Lost Tribes of Israel live in the Desert of Chabor. Tim claims that is the La Paz Sand Dunes in Northern Luzon. As we shall see this is just one more lie from Timothy Jay Schwab.
In his videos Tim says the following:
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| Lost Tribes Series Part 2G: The Landing of the 2nd Exodus In Ophir, Philippines |
18:07 Remember our historic reference from the Italian Jewish scholar Peritsol or Farissol. Notice he's a Pharisee, a Persian, and the P is an F sound as well. That's Persian, but we'll get there. We had set aside this reference though for this video and now it's time. "Others he places in the desert of Chabor which according to him lies upon the Indian sea where they live in the manner of the ancient Rechabites," we covered that, "without houses" bayanihan, right? "Sowing or the use of wine. Nay, he enters the Indies the aisles of Bengala the Philippines and several other places." The Hebrew word Chabor means to unite, be joined, to tie a magic knot or spell. This isn't about magic, obviously, this is the Lost Tribes. To charm. No, this isn't about magic. So, unite or be joined. Compact, couple together, have fellowship with, heap up, join self together, league. A rather generic reference and no we do not find a desert called Chabor anywhere in Asia.
Wait a minute I live in the Philippines and I have never seen any desert here, right? Some may be thinking that. Well, actually this is what makes this one so simple because there is only but one desert in the entire Philippines. Do you know where it is?
Near the northernmost tip of Luzon Island the largest island is the only desert in the Philippines by definition. The La Paz Sand Dunes is an 85 square kilometer, 33 square mile, protected sandy coastal desert and beach located in Laoag, Ilocos Norte in the Philippines. Now this is Wikipedia's definition as a desert, not ours. It doesn't just look like a desert though it is by definition and it is the only one we can find in the whole of the Philippines. Oh, and would you look? La Paz is two Hebrew words. If you are headed to ancient Ophir what is the first thing you expect to see when you come from Israel originally? That's right Gold but there was no gold in the desert was there? And thus in Hebrew La Paz means "no gold."
These same claims also appear in Tim's book The Search for King Solomon's Treasure.
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| The Search for King Solomon's Treasure, pg 128 |
In fact, there is only one desert in the Philippines which is the Paoay- LaPaz Sand Dunes in Laoag on Luzon and that is “a further country, where never mankind dwelt.”
Everything Tim has to say about the matter is completely wrong.
First of all there are no deserts in the Philippines. The La Paz Sand Dunes are by no means a desert. They are simply dunes. A desert is defined as follows:
A desert is a region of land that is very dry because it receives low amounts of precipitation (usually in the form of rain, but it may be snow, mist or fog), often has little coverage by plants, and in which streams dry up unless they are supplied by water from outside the area. Deserts generally receive less than 250 mm (10 in) of precipitation each year.
The La Paz Sand Dunes are in Laoag which receives an average of 85 inches of rain per year.
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| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laoag#Climate |
Does the La Paz Sand Dunes somewhow avoid all that rain? Of course not. That is by no means or any definition a desert. Colloquially one might call the dunes a desert because they are a large sandy area but they really are not a desert. A dune is defined as follows.
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field. while broad, flat regions covered with wind-swept sand or dunes with little or no vegetation are called ergs or sand seas.
There is a huge difference between dunes and a desert.
Second of all Tim is not reading the words of Farissol but those of Thomas Stackhouse. If he had bothered to read Farissol's words Tim would know that he places the Desert of Chabor in Arabia. In chapter 14 of Farissol's book we read the following.
One of the chief advantages of this treatise, which I, Abraham Peritsol, have compiled for the instruction of such as are unacquainted with the science of cosmography, will be found, in that I have determined to devote this chapter to a relation of the journeyings of a Jew of the tribes, or of Judah, called David ben Shelomoh, “Captain of the host of Israel,” who came to this our country of Italy, where we ourselves have seen him. He came, according to his own assertions, from the Desert of Chabor. Those who read concerning him, will find that which will delight their souls, and those who have a desire (to learn something relative to the ten tribes of Israel), will receive this account with much satisfaction; for I will not err in narrating what I have received from honourable men, and seen in the writings of creditable persons. He who alone is true, knows my veracity, and that I am a person who gives but little credence to vanities.
The Occident and Jewish American Advocate, April 1849, pgs. 37-40
As understood from his own assertions, this Jew was from the company of the two tribes, and he farther said that he was an inhabitant of those deserts, and, like the Rechabites, dwell in tents, and that his station was in the Desert of Chabor, which is in Asia Major. Beneath them were the rest of the ten tribes, near to the deserts adjoining Mecca and Gjudda, which are adjacent to the Red Sea. They have each and all of them their chiefs and princes, and the people are as the sand of the seashore for numbers. They raise spices, pepper in particular, as also medical drugs ; and, indeed, they possess many excellent things, as we shall show hereafter. Living between these two sections of the Jewish people, however, there is a strong and mighty people who are followers of Mahomet. These, with their numerous kings, render a communication among the Jews exceedingly dangerous, and they will not permit one party to approach the other.
Many years had they been thus widely separated, endeavouring to approach each other, but finding it impossible to do so, when they were apprised of the arrival of some Christian ships of very large and mighty proportions. They also heard, and, indeed, saw, that the Christians had in their hands certain hollow metal instruments of war designed to throw stones by means of fire, and which could destroy any fortress or village. Whereupon, the Jews of Mount Chabor, according to his statement, determined upon sending him to the great king of all the Christians, with the credentials then in his possession, as before stated, in order to authenticate his assertions. These credentials were confirmed by the king of Portugal who then navigated the regions of the Hodiyim (or Indies), and who knew of the existence of a Jewish community there. He also wrote to the Pope, (whose glory be exalted,) that the above mentioned Jew was worthy of credit, as were also his declarations. But be this Jew what he may, and be his words true or false, it is sufficient for us, in our captivity and in our dispersions (to know), that the existence of the ten tribes was acknowledged by kings, by princes, and by many influential persons in Rome—that Ephraim existed, even then—a numerous people with their rulers; be this Jew, who came to us, who and what he may.
Since the existence of these Israelites and their kings has been thus acknowledged; we may be permitted to state, that this Jew came by the way and in the manner following : From the desert of Chabor he journeyed with a caravan, which is the usual mode of travelling in these places. This was heard from his own lips and so recorded. Passing through Arabia Felix, he arrived at the Red Sea descended into Egypt, thence journeyed to the Holy Land, where he awaited the arrival of a ship from Venice, by which he might proceed to Italy. He reached Rome, and resided there about eight months, until the reply of the king of Portugal had been received,which authenticated his mission.
The Occident and Jewish American Advocate, June 1849, pgs. 129-134
Farissol says this Jew, David ben Shelomoh, came to visit Italy from the Desert of Chabor. Beneath that desert is Mecca and Jeddah. Therefore this desert is in the Arabian Peninsula. Further witness for this can be gleaned from The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela. While traveling across Arabia visiting the Jews he writes:
From Tilinas to Kheibar it is three days' journey. People say that the men of Kheibar belong to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, whom Shalmaneser, king of Assyria. led hither into captivity. They have built strongly fortified cities, and make war upon all other kingdoms. No man can readily reach their territory, because it is a march of eighteen days' journey through the desert, which is altogether uninhabited, so that no one can enter the land.
Kheibar is a very large city with 50,000 Jews.
The note on Kheibar reads as follows:
R. Abraham Farissol, who flourished at the beginning of the sixteenth century, writes that there was a large number of Jews in the district, who lived in tents and in wooden houses or huts. His contemporary, David Reubeni, who crossed from Arabia to Abyssinia and came to Europe in 1524, pretended to be brother of Joseph, king of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh in the desert of Chabor (Kheibar). Benjamin takes care to qualify his statement as to the origin of the Jews of Kheibar by adding "people say they belong to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, whom Salmanesser, King of Assyria, led hither into captivity."
The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, pg. 49
This David Reubeni is the same as David ben Shelomoh. Farissol later refers to him as R. David in chapter 14 of his book. The Desert of Chabor is that of Kheibar or Khaybar. Historically there has been a large Jewish population in Khaybar.
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| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Khaybar |
Third of all Tim's Hebrew etymology of Chabor is so ridiculous as to not warrant comment especially now it has been established that the Desert of Chabor is in Arabia. Since Farissol's book is available in the original Hebrew it must be asked if Tim bothered to check what Hebrew word he actually used. Of course he did not do this because he is on record saying this book is lost to history.
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| https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_oBqOAecJ4vcC/page/n107/mode/2up |
Compare that with Strongs H2266.
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| https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2266/kjv/wlc/0-1/ |
Fourth of all the Hebrew word Paz means refined gold as Tim even acknowledges on screen in his video.
Why would anyone expect to find refined gold lying about? If Tim's story was true the lost tribes would have used the word "zahab" because zahab means regular, plain unrefined gold like one would find in a raw state.
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| https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2091.htm |
This story is shown to be preposterous by the fact that several places in the Philippines are named La Paz. The capitol of Bolivia is also named La Paz. La paz is Spanish for "peace."
As I noted in the previous article about Tim's claims concerning Abraham Farissol all these errors could be avoided if Tim had only read Farissol's actual words. The fact that he did not do so coupled with the fact that he falsely claims Farissol's book is lost to history simply exposes his ignorance and proves beyond a doubt Timothy Jay Schwab is a very poor researcher and The God Culture is no team.
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