Continuing on with examples of caste in the bible, we can name civilizations where caste applied to people who were born in these regions and existed while blindly following many of the pagan faiths that are about to be mentioned. Many may discredit the existence of God, to refute the argument that God did not exist I have provided then and now comparisons to give real, archaeological proof that these civilizations are real and God’s word is still standing to this day.
The time period that I am going to lay out to you is known as The Hellenistic Period. This highlights ancient civilizations between 323 - 31 BC when Alexander The Great was a ruler of all of the below civilizations, in order. This time period is really important because the bible outlines how these civilization were not honorable to God, their sins, and how this lead to their destruction.
Babylon
This becomes Alexander’s capital in Daniel Chapter 8, God did not favor Babylon so when Alexander passed away in 323 BC Babylon began to decline. Babylon is modern day Iraq and the ruins still stand.
Babylonians can be credited for the creation of a lot of modern influences. They did not follow God and created their own systems that were advanced. Due to practicing idolatry they were not favored by God so they were the second civilization to fall after the Canaanites. Babylons can be credited for having the illusion that they are going to be permanent, however they were very prideful with plenty of splendor before God which led to a permanent curse being placed upon them.
Alongside the Canaanites, the Babylonians are one of the earliest civilizations where people with olive skin, thick hair, and strong features were present. This is relevant because many people argue that “black” people weren’t actually in the bible, but according to research many of the earliest individuals in the Bible, starting with Adam, presented with color.
Modern Day Babylon/Iraq, evidence that God’s detestation for Babylon still stands, more about God’s opinion towards Babylon can be found in the book of Revelation.
Egypt
After Alexander The Great dies in Babylon, Egypt is taken by Ptolemy I Soter which created a new dynasty that was ruled for 300 years. Alexandria becomes the capital and Egypt climaxes from 323 - 30 BC. The rulers of the Egypt were pagan, they believed in the Egyptian Gods and mythology. The Egyptians are most known for their collection of knowledge around the world, The Library of Alexandria, The Mouselon which is the original creation of a university, The Lighthouse of Pharos, and the The Great Synagogue of Alexandria — which is the center of Jewish learning.
The Egyptians are really important because they are the intersection of many countries during this period, Greek rationalism and Egyptian mysticism were fused together. The Egyptians took some of their teachings from Romans, which in the end Cleopatra VII became the downfall of the Egyptian empire when she betrayed herself by laying down Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. In the bible, God did not like the paganism that the Egyptians were practicing. Even after the death of Pharaoh the Egyptians were given multiple chances to change their ways.
Persia
Persia is founded by Cyrus the Great in approximately 559 BC, in Isaiah 45 God refers to Cyrus as being his shepherd. God favored Persia, however, the Kings that were placed in charge were not in steady practice of being a believer of God which lead to Persia’s downfall because many of them continued the teaching of Zoroatrianism. Persia experienced six different Kings they were: Cyrus The Great, Cambyses II, Darius The Great, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, and Darius III. Darius III was defeated by Alexander the Great which lead to the fall of the Persian empire.
This is a famous structure that once stood, it was known as Persepolis
Greece
Greece existed for a long time, dating back to 800 BC which was the earliest creation of City-State (Polis). Greece can be credited for being extremely creative with influence on culture. Most famously, God detested Greece because of Greek mythology.
800-500 BC is the era of Homer, Hesiod, and the Olympic Games. 500-323 BC, marks the time period of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Alexander which defines the Western civilization. In the bible, God makes it clear that he does not agree with any of those philosophers or their ways. And, as such, Greece fell.
Rome existed from 753 - 509 BC. Rome was established by Romulus and Remus who are the twin sons of Mars, the god of war. The Roman Republic from 509-27 BC becomes the inspiration for modern day democracy. The republic falls from 133-27 BC with the last leader being Julius Caesar who was a general that was assassinated in 44 BC. Rome is the place where Jesus is born, but prior to his birth God ordained for Rome to have issues because they believed in Roman Gods which were pagan.
Aside from Isabel Wilkerson and Allison Davison, caste was detailed throughly in the Bible, beginning with the story of Noah’s sons in Genesis Chapter 9.
This is how the New International Version reads:
Pay attention to the repetition of Ham being the father of Canaan because Canaan is the creator of one of the earliest civilizations known as the Canaanites. The Canaanites are an earlier civilization that most history textbooks do not explain, they are overlooked. The Canaanites were one of the most disrespectful groups in God’s eyes, their story runs for a good portion of the old testament. They do not become as powerful as Babylon but they are very influential to other civilizations that evolve from the family of Noah.
The Canaanites are the earliest and first example of caste from God because they were not born into blessings from God, instead, they were detested. And, as read above, when Noah speaks he tells him that Canaan is to be the slave of Shem, from this all descendants from Canaan are born into being the bottom of society.
The above video talks about all of the idolatry that the Canaanites were into, they taught those who were in their society to hate God and they practiced sacrificing children. The Canaanites did not believe that God was fair and they lived on Earth with hate in their heart.
With this earliest version of caste, we can see how naturally, not all people are born equal or the same. This relates to African Americans because many do not understand that spiritual warfare is real and some are not born into biblical salvation from God. In understanding this, many have to reeducate themselves about history to understand that inequality is biblical. From the story of Canaan we can see that God did not favor all people and there were generations of slavery before it was ever thought to be introduced in America.
Caste was made popular by Isabel Wilkerson’s book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, where she defines Caste as being an invisible social order that is deeply embedded in a society where value and status is applied to a person based on inherited traits. In her definition of caste, she explains that people are born into their value and their status, they have no control over where they stand among their society. In this definition, Isabel furthers her explanation by giving examples of the Dalits community of India. The Dalits of India are treated similarly to the African American slaves of America, they are forced to work jobs and complete hard labor on their hands and knees due to the fact that they are born into the lowest social hierarchy in India.
According to Isabel Wilkerson, when someone is born into their value and status of a particular society they are not able to change it (this ascribed value is fixed), it is enduring, and self perpetuating. Meaning, individuals who are born into their place in a given society have no choice but to deal with their circumstances as best as they can because no matter what they do - they will forever be “in their place.” Another example she uses in her book relates to the Jews who were victims of the Nazis during the holocaust, it was clear that genocide occurred because they were supposed to “stay in their place” in Germany.
Wilkerson’s book was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and has been featured among the New York Times because she explains how caste has been discussed among other scholars, one being Martin Luther King Jr.
Caste is really important to understand as it relates to the evolution of African Americans because Isabel described black Americans as being victims of race issues due to being born beneath Caucasian Americans.
Allison Davis also wrote about caste in her book, Deep South: A Social Anthropological Study of Case and Class (Southern Classics), where she detailed the Jim Crow South in detail. This was originally published in 1941 when Allison Davis, Burleigh B. Gardner, and Mary R. Gardner lived among people of color in Natchez, Mississippi. They detailed the racial division, the tenant-landlord relationships of the people who resided there, the way local government was established, and the economic system. In this book, they are highlighting key interviews and witnesses of people who can not help that they are born into these circumstances in Mississippi.
