Arthur Talmage Abernethy
Arthur Talmage Abernethy
First published in 1910 by North Carolina minister and professor Arthur Talmage Abernethy, ''The Jew a Negro'' is a controversial historical work that argues ancient Jewish people shared significant ancestry with African populations. Abernethy utilized what he termed "ethnology" and "Scriptural proofs" to support several central claims. He argued that ancient Jews mixed thoroughly with neighbouring African peoples, specifically noting that there was little racial difference between Jewish and "Negro" types in antiquity. The book posits that as Jewish populations migrated to more temperate climates, their skin lightened over time, though their "essential racial similarity" remained unchanged. Abernethy claimed modern Jews of his era still exhibit "habits, physical peculiarities, and tendencies" essentially similar to Black people.