A Strange Kenyan Book on Judaism
In December 2005, I finished my high school education in the lake town of Homa Bay and packed my bags for Nairobi. One of the things I looked forward to was access to interesting books for they were in short supply around Homa Bay town. Luckily, two months into Nairobi adult life I got a job as a shopkeeper. Although the wage was low, the job came with other perks — access to daily newspapers. On a random day, I came across a book review on the daily nation describing a revolutionary scientific book written by a Kenyan author.
The book was titled “The Unified Field: A Theory on the Origins and Existence of Physical Reality”. It was on sale at a bookshop along Moi Avenue for Kshs 560. Given I had just finished reading A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkings, I couldn’t resist sinking my teeth to another scientific marvel, and better yet this time with a local hint. So I saved up my weekly wage of about Kshs 500 and purchased the book. Unfortunately, my shopkeeping duties couldn’t allow me to devour each page of the book. I bound the book and kept it at my parent’s residence for future reading. I had forgotten about the book until a month ago when I stumbled upon it on my parent’s bookshelf. Voila!
With time in hand, I decided to give it the slow page turning it deserved 11 years ago. The book is self-published by Ben Abraham who was previously known as Peter Wanjohi. After his conversion in 1995, he adopted a more Jewish name and set out to find what he describes as ‘true science’. He writes in the preface:
My interest in true science was stimulated when I discovered Judaism ten years ago. The religion contrasted so much with Christianity which I had embraced with the ABCs that I felt I need to revise these ABCs.
This led me to question physics and the primacy of matter and space. I concluded that space and matter are the problems….I decided to publicize my findings so that others may learn from them as I have learned from others.
The first part of the book sub-titled Unified Field Theory does a splendid job in explaining Einstein’s theory of relativity and the quest to find one unified formula to describes all physical forces on earth. However, the second part sub-titled True Science is where hell breaks loose. He claims God revealed to Moses a V-shaped knot that separates heaven and earth at the north and south poles. At death, everyone becomes a Zionist thus making haste towards Zion without wasting a femtosecond through the V-shaped knot.
It gets better. He writes: “These are some of the findings which I, Ben Abraham, made when I descended into the chambers of the Merkebah (Ezekiel’s Divine Chariot). I also heard these truths being taught at the Heavenly Academy in Gan Eden”. The chapter ends with Ben’s conclusion that the physical universe and heaven are one single continuum accessible through a portal much like Einstein discovered space and time are a single continuum depending on one’s perspective.
On the third part sub-titled “Protocols on the Christianity” he goes bear knuckles on the Christian religion. It begins;” Islamic teachings differ and argue that Jesus, far from being a god, was among the great Hebrew prophets. Jewish religion gives him a blackout, preferring not to be drawn into arguments for or against him. After all, he was himself a Jew”. He claims further the death of Jesus and resurrection was staged. In his observation, someone cannot die simply from flogging and crucifixion. He gave the example of a man named Mugo from Lamu who crucified himself every year on Easter and never died.
To explain the resurrection, he puts forth the idea that the cup of water administered to Jesus on the famous Friday contained a concoction that knocked him out temporarily until Monday. The two other thieves on the cross were given an actual poison that killed them. In the end, it becomes dark with this passage on death.
“In his deep unconscious, man loves death and actually courts it to escape from the hardships and pain of bodily existence. As one climbs the ladder of real and felt needs, it increasingly becomes impossible to satisfy his needs. Only death finally satisfies his needs. Therefore, it becomes the highest pleasure that can be. Unconsciously, man works towards it without fail”
- Efforts to get in touch with the author never bore any fruits.
