It is always nice to see places in The Bible that reinforce a Catholic Fundamentalism theory. CF believes that most Europeans, and many neighboring peoples from Africa to India, are genetically descended from Abraham and his many children.
Further, Catholic Fundamentalism believes that descendants from two of his children, Isaac and Ishmael, are particularly important.
Does the Bible agree with these two theories?
Today’s Reading certainly supports the first, that many peoples are descended from Isaac/Jacob. Acts 23: 26-33 begins with “When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue: “My brothers, children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who are God-fearing, to us this word of salvation has been sent.”
Paul is telling those of the Tribes that the “children of the family of Abraham” are “brothers”. That includes both the Southern Tribes and the Ten Northern Tribes, by that time scattered among the nations of Scythia, Europe, and North Africa. Over the preceding 700 years, they had taken over much of those lands, as their descendants would displace many earlier inhabitants of The Americas.
Much of this history has been expunged. Most Hispanics, for instance, have never been told that they are descended from the Scythian Visigoths who settled Spain after the Romans left.
All Catholics are children of Abraham in that they are beloved by God. Those who are descended from The Tribes have a special obligation to be Catholics.
