Dr. Yosef A. A. Ben-Jochannan - activist, egyptologist, educator, writer and historian

Dr. Ben
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Born December 31, 1918 in Gondar, Ethiopia, Dr. Yosef Alfredo Antonio ben-Jochannan, or "Dr. Ben", as he is affectionately known) has devoted the better part of his life to the illumination of the indigenous origins of African civilizations. By profession, he is a trained lawyer, engineer, historian and Egyptologist. Ben-Jochannan went to Egypt for the first time in 1939, and moved to Harlem, New York in 1945. Dr. Ben knew Malcolm X personally, and was a student and colleague of George G.M. James. He was exceptionally close to the late Dr. John Henrik Clarke. Since 1957, he has coordinated regular study tours and pilgrimages to the Nile Valley, directly exposing thousands of African people to the still visible splendors of ancient Egypt. Formerly adjunct professor at Cornell University's Africana Studies Department, Dr. ben-Jochannan has also been a professor-at-large at Al Azar University in Cairo.

While now advanced in years, Dr. Ben continues to wield tremendous influence on African studies. He is indeed one of the most unrelenting twentieth century advocates of the African origins of Nile Valley civilizations and the African origins of Western religions. By his own account, he has prepared seventy-five manuscripts for publication, and was working on another during his 1997 tour. He is the author of more than twenty books, including African Origins of the Major Western Religions in 1970, Africa: Mother of Western Civilization in 1971, Black Man of the Nile and His Family in 1972, A Chronology of the Bible: A Challenge to the Standard Version in 1973, The African Called Rameses ("The Great") II and the African Origin of Western Civilization in 1990. Several of his works have gone through a number of reprints and different editions, and although controversial, all of them are well-documented. As pointed by Dr. Leonard Jeffries:

Dr Yosef Ben Jochannan VS Rabbi Arthur Seltzer on Gil Noble's "Like It Is"

A Chronology of the Bible: Challenge to the Standard Version
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Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: Black Classic Pr (June 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0933121288
ISBN-13: 978-0933121287
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches

Over the years a frequent AALBC.com bestselling book

A chronology of the Bible (first published in 1972) is perhaps his most popular work. Originally prepared at the request of a group of Harlem-based ministers, Chronology documents the African origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Dr. Ben traces significant influences, developments, and people that have shaped and provided the foundation for the holy books used in these religions.

The Need for a Black Bible
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Paperback: 120 pages
Publisher: Black Classic Press (March 1, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 093312158X
ISBN-13: 978-0933121584
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches

The third book in a 3-book volume set, The Need for a Black Bible is a companion volume to African Origins of the Major western Religions and The Myth of Genesis and Exodus and the Exclusion of Their African Origins. These three volumes were originally published as the 3-volume set The Black Man's Religion and are available separately for the first time. The Black Man's Religion is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to gain a better understanding of belief systems in the Western World.

African Origins of Major "Western Religions"
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Paperback: 363 pages
Publisher: Black Classic Pr (December 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0933121296
ISBN-13: 978-0933121294
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches

African Origins of the Major "Western Religions" first published in 1970, continues to be one of Dr. Ben's most thought-provoking works. This critical examination of the history, beliefs and myths, remains instructive and fresh. By highlighting the African influences and roots of these religions, Dr. Ben reveals an untold history that many would prefer to froget.

The Myth of Exodus and Genesis and the Exclusion of Their African Origins
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Paperback: 74 pages
Publisher: Black Classic Press (December 1, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0933121768
ISBN-13: 978-0933121768
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches

The second book in a 3-volume set, The Myth of Genesis and Exodus and the Excursion of Their African Origins is a companion volume to African Origins of the Major Western Religions and The Need for a Black Bible . These three volumes were originally published as a 3-volume set The Black Man's Religion and are available separately for the first time. The Black Man's Religion is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to gain a better understanding of belief systems in the Western World.

We, the Black Jews: Witness to the 'White Jewish Race' Myth, Volumes I & II (in One)
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Paperback: 408 pages
Publisher: Black Classic Press (December 18, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0933121407
ISBN-13: 978-0933121409
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches

Dr. Ben destroys the myth of a "white Jewish race" and the bigotry that has denied the existence of an African Jewish culture. He establishes the legitimacy of contemporary Black Jewish culture in Africa and the diaspora and predates its origin before ancient Nile Valley civilizations.

Cultural Genocide in the Black and African Studies Curriculum
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Paperback: 150 pages
Publisher: Black Classic Press (January 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1574780220
ISBN-13: 978-1574780222
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches

As Black and African Studies programs emerged in the early 1970's, the question of who has the right and responsibility to determine course and curriculum also emerged.

The Black Man's North and East Africa
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Paperback: 93 pages
Publisher: Black Classic Press (November 2, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1574780328
ISBN-13: 978-1574780321
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches

Few of Dr. Ben's books are written with co-authors. The Black Man's North and East Africa is an exception. Written with one of his early colleagues, George E. Simmonds, this work attacks the racist manipulation of African and Black history by 'educators' and 'authorities on Africa'. Defenders of the Africans' right to tell their own story, the authors insist that Black people must take responsibility for their own history, "Until African (Black) people are willing, and do write their own experience, past, and present, we will continue being slaves, mentally, physically, and spiritually, to Caucasian and Semitic racism and religious bigotry."1971*,2005. 96 pp. illus.

Black Man of the Nile
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Paperback: 428 pages
Publisher: Black Classic Press (November 22, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0933121261
ISBN-13: 978-0933121263
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches