Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 61
strong and close resemblance to them. The small deviations are both a product of time and change of language and some distortion. No one can travel even a short distance in these countries without coming across a member of a tribe or name of a place or a monument which historically takes him back to the biblical period. . Khwaja Nazir Ahmad in his book Jesus In Heaven on. Earth has in fact listed some 405 such names in Afghanistan,. Kashmir and parts of Pakistan and India which show strong similarities and common origin with biblical names and those interested can have recourse to this valuable piece of research. . The strong linguistic evidence is further fortified by and reflected in customs and habits which, despite the passage of centuries and change of religion, have persisted. Both Afghanistan and Kashmir observe customs, and practice ceremonies on births, burials, funerals, marriages, eating habits and on festivals which establish similarities with those of the Jews. A detailed collection of them is also available in the book to which I have just referred. . Again, the common heritage and ancestry is reflected in the structure of the Kashmiri boats and the heart-shaped oars commonly used to paddle them. Major T. R. Swinburne in his book. A Holiday in the Happy Valley, on this unusual evidence alone, connects the Kashmiris with the lost tribes of Israel. Again, all three peoples name their sub-tribes after various animals and practice methods of irrigation of which the origin can be traced back to the Israelites and Egypt. . The evidence of common ancestry and heritage is also to be found embedded deeper even in traditions, folklore and fables which resound with stories of Jewish flavor and origin. There is a well in Afghanistan and also in Kashmir called Chahi Babal, that is the Well of Babylon, associated with angels like Harut and Marut. . Archaeological discoveries also point in the same direction of common ancestry and the pottery found in Afghanistan and Kashmir bears close resemblance to that found in Babylon and associated with the Jews. . The old monuments in Kashmir tell the same story. The ancient temples in Kashmir have little in common with Buddhist or Brahmanical architecture and have more affinity with the Jewish synagogues and pediments of Syrian origin. G. T. 63