investigation, it is a distinctly different issue. What I am concerned with investigating at this time is whether the Israelite/Judahites did or even could have conceived of this particular people as essentially distinct in a “racialist” manner. Because of differences in phenotypical presentation and cultural customs, were the Cushites racially othered by the Hebrews, or were such differences viewed with less significance than they have been in a contemporary milieu? I will also consider other practical