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Khazaria
Questions are sometimes asked about a Jewish kingdom said to have existed during the Middle Ages in southern Russia. Although receiving scant attention in the history books it is a fact that such a kingdom did exist. The Russians as a people did not appear until about the 10th century and then only in the north. Prior to that time the southern area, now known as the Ukraine and the Caucasus, was populated by descendants of the ancient Scythians (the Meshech and Tubal of the Old Testament). During the 6th century there developed an infusion of Jews of the Dispersion among these Scythians, and this joint nation under their influence became a powerful commercial and military force in the world. The empire they created stretched from the western end of the Black Sea to the shores of the Caspian and the people were known as the Khazars. By the 8th century it was at the peak of its power. In AD 740 the then ruler, Bulan, embraced Judaism and from then on the empire was ruled by Jews. Their ships traded with every country in Europe and their ambassadors resided at many European courts. One of their kings proposed to the Pope of his day a joint Papal-Jewish crusade to free Jerusalem from the Moslems, offering to put three hundred thousand warriors in the field as his contribution. The Pope declined the offer. By the end of the 10th century this Jewish empire of Khazaria began to decline before the rising power of Russia and in another two hundred years it had disappeared. The celebrated Rabbi Petachia of Bavaria travelled through the land in AD 1170 visiting his compatriots and recorded his findings in his 'Travels', but after that they virtually disappear from history.
The present day Jews of Russia and Poland are believed to owe their descent in large measure to the Khazars. To the question whether they have any place in the prophetic Scriptures the answer has to be 'No'. The present population of the area is Russian and to the extent that any true Jews remain, they, like Jews all over the world, can only come into the framework of prophecy if and when they return to the land of their forefathers and share in the experiences of the Holy Nation that will one day come into existence there and fulfil the promises made so long ago by God to their fathers.
AOH
