ty of California ern Regional ary Facility o ^WEUNIVERV/. %a3AINn-3V\V^ .vWSANCElfj> o 2 , n w » — I n w 5w >c^OfCAL i3 ■^^MS" C^' '■^Omm\Y0^ ^TiUONVSOl^ %J13AINfl-3WV o vvlOSANGElfj> %a3AiNn-3WV u3 Wli % ^ / 'Or O ^lOSANCElfx^ g :g v3— ,-™^ i¥r ''-'AavoaiJ-i^^ 0.jO^> %OJI1V3-J0't^ If0% ^OFCAllFOff^ w g — Q ij J %, ^ AWEUNIVERT/a v>:lOS-AVGEIfj>^ THE JEWS NINETEENTH CENTURY. A COLLECTION iS«0a$«i, iHtt)ie\09, mil i@i$tarttal j%oti(e». OllIGIVALLY PUBLISHED IN THE 'JEWISH INTELLIGENCE." BY THE REV. W. AYER8T, A.M., OF ST. John's college, Cambridge; ilvlGS SECRETARY OF THE LONDON SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTJANITV AMONGST THJi JEWS; Formerly Missiona}-// to the Jews in Germany and Poland. WITH A PORTRAIT OF THE LxVTE BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. LONDON: SOLD AT THE LONDON SOCIETY'S HOUSE. 3, CUATHAM-PLACE. BLArKFRIARS; BY H. WERTHEIM, ALDINE < HAMBERS, PATERNOSTER-ROW; If A KHAR 1/ AND .SON, VICCADILLY ; AND BELLERIiY AND SAMPSON. YORK. MDCCCXLVIII. ALEX. MACINTOSH, PRINTER, GREAT NEW- STREET, LONDON. StacR Annex q7\ TO THK REVEREND ALEXANDER M^CAUL, D.D., OF TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN, ETC., ETC., ETC., Sj^is WH^^ IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE VERY NUMEROUS INSTANCES IN WHICH HIS ADVICE HAS ASSISTED, HIS EXAMPLE HAS ENCOURAGED, HIS FRIEND AND BROTHER IN CHRIST, THE AUTHOR. 2994GS3 PREFACE The publication of the following pages has been undertaken in the hope of giving greater publicity to the information they afford, respecting the present state and condition of the dispersed of the house of Israel, They contain the substance of observations founded on experience gained in more than tvrenty years spent in humble, but earnest endeavours to promote the spread of Christianity among the Jews. The Author regrets that the publication of the volume, of which by far the greater part had left the press in March last, has been deferred through various unforeseen and unavoidable causes of delay. He is much indebted to his friend, Mr. J. C. Holm, for his assistance in preparing the Survey of the Foreign Missionary Stations, and for his aid in arranging the materials of which the volume consists. London, Dec. 30, 1847. CONTENTS. I. — Essays and Original Papers. Jewish translations of the Holy Scriptures The Jewish Synagogue Service ..... Jewish preachers and preaching ..... Jewish explanation of the motives by which the London Society is actuated in seeking the welfare of their nation . Talmudists and Anti-talmudists in Berlin "Temple " of the Reformed Jews in Hamburgh Service for the Day of Atonement .... Death of an aged Israelite at Frankfort-on-the-Maine Interview between a converted Jew and his father Dr. Frankel and the Missionaries in Prussia ITie three Moses ....... Jewish attachment to sacred literature unabated by poverty and suffering Popular prejudices against the Jews .... Jewish testimony to the effects produced by reading the Hebrew New Testament ....... Productions of the Jewish press at Jerusalem A word in due season ...... What is the office of a Jewish rabbi .... The Chasidim in Galicia ....... Anniversary of the arrival of the Protestant Bishop of Jeru salem in the Holy City ...... Opinion of a learned rabbi concerning efforts for the conver sion of the Jews ........ On the use of the Hebrew language .... On the use of Hebrew in Jewish Divine worship The Elect people ....... Early missionary labours of the late Bishop Alexander 1 13 23 36 41 46 50 62 66 71 76 83 8.5 91 93 95 97 100 105 107 111 114 117 120 n. — Reviews. Rabbi Hirsch's Essays on Israel's duties in dispersion . . 141 '' Jeven Mezulah," or, Jews in Poland in the year 1848 . 152 VIU CONTENTS. PAGE Dr. Jost on the "Old Paths," &c. 156 Rise and progress of Talmudic influence . . . .160 History and literature of the Spanish Jews . . . . 166 The Confessions of a Proselyte — By Dr. Frankel . . .177 Memoir of Maria , a converted Jewess . • . . 187 The Itinerary of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela .... 192 Christian Churches in Jerusalem and Syria . . . . 200 Wilde's Travels in Palestine 212 The Church of St. James 219 " The Spirit of Judaism " 227 The Jews in China 233 Eighteen Treatises from the Mishna ..... 240 The Talmud with a German translation 246 Sermon at the Burton-street synagogue, by the Rev. D. W. Marks 249 " The Festivals of the Lord " 257 Jewish testimony to the effects produced by reading the Hebrew New Testament ........ 259 " A Pastor's Memorial of the Holy Land " . . . . 260 " An Apology for the Study of Hebrew and Rabbinical Litera- ture " 267 " Rabbi David Kimchi's Commentary upon the Prophecies of Zechariah" 269 "Dr. Wolff's Mission in Bokhara' 276 " Modern Judaism investigated " 284 Eldad and Medad : a Dialogue, by Stanislaus Hoga . . 291 Interest taken in Jerusalem and Palestine . . . . 292 Funeral Sermons on occasion of the death of the Bishop of Jerusalem ......... 296 The Jews in Great Britain ....... 301 III. — Historical Notices. Reform among the Jews in London . . . . .311 Election of Chief Rabbi for England 337 The Annual Assembly of Rabbles 349 Oppression of the Jews 366 Religious Education of Jewish Females in France . . 382 Historical Survey of the Foreign Missions of the London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews . . 389 London Society's Institutions at Palestine-place . . . 421 I.-ESSAYS AND ORIGINAL PAPERS. ^cbjtsf) translations of tije l^olg ^ctiptur^s. One of the most important and encouraging signs of the times, as it regards the welfare of the people of Israel, is the desire which they manifest to procure copies of the sacred volume. As many of them cannot read the original Hebrew, so as to understand it without help, Mendelsohn, the celebrated Jewish philosopher who flourished toward the close of the last century, introduced the custom of printing a correct German translation parallel with the original text. This was a very great step. Before his time very few of the Jewish nation were accustomed to read or understand good and classical German. Among themselves, and in their intercourse with other nations, they generally made use of an imperfect and very irregular dialect, which, although it contained most of the German words necessary for the common purposes of life, was mainly indebted to the Hebrew for all the terms employed in theological works and religious discourses. Of course, the use of such a mixture or jargon of two languages, often employed in a very indiscriminate and sometiines in a very ungrammatical and incorrect manner, was not likely to be favourable to regular and sound habits of thinking. It ia much to be deplored that the great Mendelsohn, B 2 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. at the time that he taught his nation to write and speak German, and showed them that the language of modern Europe may be properly used in discoursing on the most sacred subjects, did not at the same time endeavour to establish the authority of the sacred volume as distinguished from all Rabbinical traditions. While, however, we most sincerely regret the unsoundness which prevailed among the Jews of Mendelsohn's school on the most vital points of religion, it is quite evident that the Bible has made its way among the bulk of the nation, since the time that they were thus led to read it in a tongue which is familiar to them. As a proof of this, we now propose giving a short account of eight different translations of the Word of God, published by the Jews during the last fifteen years,* which have fallen into our hands ; saying nothing of some others which have been published at Vienna and other places, as these are, for the most part, merely reprints of older editions, or only take in part of the Bible. The very existence of such books is a very important thing. It shows that the Jews have not lost that attach- ment to the sacred volume which marks the national character of that people. Amidst their ^videst wanderings and their saddest falls, "they are those to whom were com- mitted the oracles of God ;" and we heartily rejoice that their attention is still turned towards the holy page their fathers have guarded so carefully and studied so diligently. It is, indeed, very remarkable that during the thick night of the dark ages of the Christian Church, biblical learning was so diligently cultivated as we find it to have been, judging from those stupendous monuments of Hebrew learning which we possess in the writings of the rabbles of the twelfth century, as Abenezra, Bamchi, Rashi, and others, Avho, with all their faults, deserve our warmest admiration for tlieir unwearied diligence and patient research. • This was written towards the close of the year 1839. JEWISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 3 I. Mr. S. J. Cohen published a Bible at Hamburgh, \n five volumes octavo. This edition has the Hebrew text and the German translation on opposite pages. We believe this to have been the first complete copy of the Old Testament published by a Jew for the use of his countrymen in com- mon German. Before this, only parts of the Old Testament had been printed in common German, or they had used the Hebrew character in printing, which makes the work inac- cessible to a great portion of the modern Jews. The work bears date 1824. Li the Pentateuch Mendelsohn is followed with but sUght variations, although the translator does not acknowledge it. This translation has never been very extensively used, so that it is not often met with. Perhaps the expensive form in which it was printed might prevent its more general use. II. Dr. Ileinemann published a Pentateuch at Berlin, in 1831, in five volumes octavo, containing the Hebrew text with Mendelsohn's German translation in Hebrew letters in parallel columns, accompanied by the Targum of Onkelos, the Commentaries of Rashi and Mendelsohn, as also one of his own, entitled Tttbnb "ilSa. The synagogue prayers for the Sabbath are added at the end of each volume, as also the riT^tacn, or lessons from the prophets. I have noticed this edition here, as it would be wrong to omit all those which have the Rabbinical commentaries ; and although I have not yet seen anything more than the Pentateuch, I find that Dr. H. has pledged himself to complete the whole Bible ; he commenced printing the remaining books a long time ago, but I do not know how far he has as yet gone. III. Dr. Johlson, of Franhfort-on-the-Maine, began to publish his translation of the Bible in 1831. He published a second part in 1836. This edition, which lias not yet extended to the poetical books, is greatly extolled as being a work of great labour and diligence. The high price at which it is published is probably an obstacle to its use in B 2 4 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, many cases. Although it only contains the German text with occasionally a short remark on the different senses of the original words, the price is 4s. 6d. for the five ])Ooks of Moses, and as much for the next part, which would make at least three times as much as the editions by Salomon and Zunz. IV. Dr. G. Salomon published at Altona a complete German " Bible for Israelites." This Bible has neither note nor comment. The name of each book is printed both in Hebrew and in German at the top of each page ; and in the Pentateuch the contents of each section are given at the beginning of the same, in the same way as at the beginning of the chapters in our common Bibles. This edition is stereotyped, and was first printed in 1837 ; it has been extensively circulated. It has, however, been complained of as incorrect and loose in many passages. Dr. S. boasts, in some " Introductory Remarks " to this Bible, that he is the " first who has published a complete German Bible for the children of his people." This is not true, except indeed it be taken merely in the sense that Cohen, who published thirteen years before him, added the Hebrew text on the opposite page, and that in the edition with Commentaries the German translation has been printed in Hebrew letters. Cohen borrowed, indeed, Avithout acknowledging it ; but Dr. S. has not translated the whole himself, so that in this sense he is not the first. V. Dr. Zunz edited a Bible, printed at Berlin in 1838. This is also completed and is stereotyped ; and must cer- tainly be considered as the best translation that has yet appeared in this way, A chronological table is added at the end of the work, in which Dr. Zunz fixes the date of events much nearer that given in the margin of our English Bible, than the common Jewish account does. VI. Dr. PhiUppson has commenced publishing in Leipzic an " IsraeUte Bible," containing the original text, a German translation, and extensive notes, with woodcuts. This, like JEWISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 5 the works of Zunz, Salomon, and Heinemann, is well printed, forming in this respect a great contrast to many of the common editions of Bibles and Prayer-books published among the Jews. Many pages in Cohen's work are scarcely legible. Dr. P. seems, however, inclined to outdo all the rest in point of paper and printing. His Commentary con- tains a great deal that is derogatory to the Holy Scriptures. It will be a voluminous work if completed in the same way in which it is begun. Three parts have already appeared, containing 120 large octavo pages closely printed, and the twenty-fifth chapter of Genesis is not yet finished. VII. Dr. S. Herxheimer, rabbi at Anhalt Bernburg, has also commenced a work of the same kind, containing the Hebrew text, a literal German translation, and notes. It is pubhshed on a smaller scale than the preceding, and the notes are much shorter. "When these works are further advanced it may be desirable to give a fuller account of them than can now be done ; at present it may suffice to observe, that both these commentators belong to the Rationalist school. Dr. H. is well spoken of as to his learning in the " Annals of Israel " edited by Dr. Jost ; the text in this edition is said to be " correct," and the translation to be a " good literal " one. This work is published at Berlin. Our Jewish brethren in Germany have a peculiar difficulty to contend with, in their laudable endeavours to procure a literal and faithful version of the Old Testament. It is impossible to read a page of any one of their translations without feeling how incomparably they fall short of Luther, in point, force, vigour, and I may add, notwithstanding a few antiquated phrases, of purity, as it regards the German language. They may know the Hebrew grammar better than he did, but I think any one who can judge impartially, must admit at once that all that has hitherto appeared will not bear any comparison with Luther's manly, scriptural style. Luther was not so exact in a variety of passages as 6 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. may be required, and the Jews do well to attempt for themselves to translate anew ; but there is something stiff, forced, unnatural, in almost every chapter, especially in Zunz's Bible, which is the best on the whole ; and this must be felt by a great many, especially of the less educated of their nation, who must find the forced imitation of the original which has thus been attempted, to be rugged and uncouth. As, however, this is a point which it would not be easy to set in a clear light by any imitation of these translations in the English language, and as it is of far less importance than the great question, as to the fidelity of the versio?is, it is not worth while to dwell longer on it, although it could not be entirely passed over. It is rather a difficult undertaking to represent the different versions satisfactorily to an English reader : but as every one who cares for Israel must feel interested to know how far they really give the sense of the original, we wiU endeavour, as literally and faithfully as may be, to give a specimen of the different renderings as we find them in the copies before us : — I. and II. Cohen and Heinemann, who both follow Mendelsohn, translate Gen. i. 1, 2 — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. But the earth was unshaped and mixed, darkness upon the surface of the abyss, and the Divine Spirit moving upon the waters. III. Jolilson translates the same passage — In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. But the earth was confused and waste, and it was dark upon the floodings : a breath of God moved upon the waters. rV. Salomon — In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Never- theless the earth was waste and desert, and it was dark upon the surface of the abyss ; but the Spirit of God hovered over the water. V. Zunz— In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was desert and waste, and darkness upon the surface of the abyss, and the Spirit of God hovering upon the surface of the waters. JEWISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 7 VI. Pliilippson In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, But the earth was waste and confused, and darkness upon tlie flood, and the Spirit of God moving upon the waters. VII. Herxheimer — In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was a desert and emptiness, and darkness upon the surface of the mass of water, and the breath of God hovering upon the surface of the water. Gon. XV. 6, is translated thus by the different authors above-mentioned : — Cohen and Heinemann — Abraham believed the Eternal, and he reckoned this to him for virtue. Johlson — And he believed the Eternal. This he reckoned to him for virtue. Salomon — And he triisted God. And he reckoned it to him for righteousness. Zunz — And he trusted in the Eternal, and he reckoned it to him as piety. Philippson — And he believed the Eternal. And he reckoned it to him as righteousness. Herxheimer — And he trusted in the Eternal. And he reckoned it to him for uprightness. As the Bibles of Zunz and Salomon have been ste- reotyped and very extensively circulated, it may be well to add a few more passages from them. Zunz translates Psalm ii. 12 — Do homage to the Son, that he be not angry, and ye go astray on the way ; for his wrath is soon kindled. Blessed are all that hide themselves in him. 8 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Salomon — Do homage to the Son, that he be not angry, and ye perish (the German is literally, go to ground) on the way, for his wrath is easily kindled — Blessed are all they who seek defence in him. The last part of the verse is made by Salomon to begin a new line, and has also the mark — to divide it from the first part, which we have copied. This seems to be intended to lead the common reader to refer the word " him " not to the Son but to God, as mentioned in verse 11 ; as this is the usual way of attempting to get rid of the argument for the divinity of the Son, as implied when read in the natural way. Zunz only puts a common full stop before the word "Blessed" and does not begin a fresh line with the last clause. We need hardly add, that in the Hebrew there is not the least intimation of any division or separation of the words, more than in the middle of the other verses of this or any other Psalm. We cannot imagine any motive for thus separating the clauses here, unless it be that which we have mentioned. But although this is a liberty which ought not to be taken in translating the sacred text, it must not be forgotten that the translation of the first part of the verse is worthy of particular notice. Most Jews, in argument, when pressed with this text, maintain that the word "13, here translated son, means purity. This is the explanation given by Rashi, and although both Abenezra and Kimchi say that ~)2 means son, to say nothing of a host of others, still we have often had to encounter no small degree of contempt among the Jews for translating the passage as it is rendered in the English authorized version. It is therefore satisfactory to see that in these two Bibles the point is conceded in our favour ; as the passage is a very striking and important one. Zimz translates Isa. ix. 5, 6, (or according to the English Bible, Isa. ix. 6, 7,) — For a child is born to us, a son given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder ; and his name is called Wonder, Counsellor, strong God, eternal Father, Prince of Peace; That the government increase, and there be no end of the peace upon the throne of JEWISH TRANSLATIONS OP THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 9 David and in his kingdom ; to set up and to support it by duty and right from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Eternal of hosts does this. Salomon — For a child was born to us, a son was given to us, and the chief power rests upon his shoulder, and his name is called : Wonder, Counsel of the mighty God, of the eternal Father, Prince of Peace, that he increase the chief power and the peace without end upon the throne of David, and in his kingdom, that he establish and support it by right and by righteousness, from henceforth and for ever. The zeal of the God of armies will do this. Dr. Salomon translates Jehovah by the word God, print- ing this word in a different way from the others, so as to mark its peculiar importance. Both Zunz and Salomon translate n^b^H, Isa. vii. 14. the young looman. TaXxwz translates Isa. liii. 1 — Who would have believed our information? And the arm of the Eternal, upon whom hath it revealed itself? Salomon — Who would have believed what we now hear ? and the arm of God — to whom hath it revealed itself? Zunz translates Zech xiii. 7 — Sword! awake upon my shepherd, and upon the man whom 1 have associated with me! is the word of the Eternal of hosts; smite the shepherd that the sheep be scattered, and I will turn my hand again to the spare ones. Salomon — Sword ! arise against my shepherd, and against the man who has associated himself to me, saith the God of armies : Smite the shepherd, that the flock may be scattered; but I turn my hand towards the tender ones. Johlson translates the latter part of Gen. xxxii. 31 — I have seen divine Beings from face to face, and my soul was delivered. Zunz — I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been delivered. Salomon — I have seen Angels face to face, and my soul was dehvered. B 3 10 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. These specimens may suffice to show in what manner these translations have been made. It seems that the Jews in France feel the same desire to possess and understand the Word of God. VIII. Mr. S. Cahen has nearly finished his French trans- lation of the Hebrew Bible with notes. We must, however, lament the awful departure from rehgion and truth, which we find to prevail in the translation thus offered to our Jewish brethren in France. It is sad indeed, that a son of Abraham should so far foi'get his duty to liis God and liis rehgion, as to print such a loose and incorrect version ; but at the same time, it is delightful to find that there are those left in Israel who cannot and will not sit quietly by and see the ark of God thus trifled with. This, at least, is as it ought to be ; God grant that the time may speedily come when all the learned rabbles shall not only stand up for the verity and authority of the prophetic page, but become themselves apostles of Jesus, and follow in the steps of their fellow- countrymen Peter and Paul, and be successful in teaching a multitude to cry with heart and voice, " Hosannah to the Son of David." In the meantime let us be thankful that we have been permitted to see some of these our brethren of the seed of Abraham thus engaged, and pray that God, of his infinite mercy, may grant grace to the Church of Christ that they may faithfully and diligently improve the present opportunity, and give back to the Jews the sacred volume, not in a wretched and j^erverted translation, but in purity, simplicity, and truth, as God has given it, to make us all Avise to salvation. The following remarks occur in a communication from Paris, dated September 1st, and recently published in a German periodical : — The edition of the Old Testament with a translation and notes by Mr. S. Cahen, an Israelite, shows how far the Rationalists are capable of going, and grieves every real friend of holy writ. The JEWISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE IIOLV SCRIPTURES. 11 Hebrew text is the most incorrect which has ever seen the light since tlie art of printing was disco\ered ; altliough the book is enorniously dear, as the parts already pubHslied cost fifty-four francs, — although they only extend as far as the fifty-fom-th chapter of Isaiali, tlie common paper copy being published at six francs a part. The notes contain the most striking proofs on almost every page, of the pedantry and ignorance of the editor. Tiu-y are written with the hardihood of Paine and the irony of Voltaire, although they have neither the originality or the wit of those writers. Never did Rationalism venture to sport so openly, so presumptuously witli the Word of God ; here, for the first time, has it dared (by giving the text, together with tlie translation and note, which pretends to explain the text,) to represent to the reader, who would little expect the cheat, that the Bible is a ridiculous — an injurious compilation. Although every believer must long have felt pain at seeing so many names on the list of subscribers, as published by Mr. Cahen, it was a respectable Italian Jew who first raised his voice publicly against this mischief. Isaac Samuel Reggio, of Gorz, who is him- self celebrated as an author, expressed his opinion of the plan adopted by Cahen in a letter to Mr. L. H. Lowenstein, which may be read in the original Hebrew in the introduction to Mr. Lowen- stein's edition of the Proverbs, with a CJcrman translation and Hebrew Commentary, recently published in Frankfort. Thus, then, we have eight different translations of the holy Scriptures, either completed or in progress. The ex- istence of these works demonstrates sufficiently the desire and longing that exists in the heart of man to be directed from above ; and the consciousness that this direction is to be found in that old-fashioned too mucli neglected book, the Bible. Notwithstanding the awful progress which Deism and Infidelity have made in Israel, still thousands and tens of thousands among them feel that they cannot do without the Bible. Although Deism and Infidelity have dared to intrude themselves, and in many cases to mar the work of ministering the Word of Life to tliose who cannot read the original text with sufficient ease and fluency ; still the number of copies of these different editions which have already been sold, is a testimony to the great truth, that the hope of Israel is not entirely lost. Amid the ruins of the Talmud, and the oA'er- flowings of unbelief, we still find in these repeated efforts to distribute and procure the AVord of God, a cheering proof oi' tlie truth of Jehovah's decree, as recorded by the prophet, 12 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUllY. Isa. Ixv. 8, 9 : " As the new Avine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it : so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains." Yes, we weep over the perversion of talent and the .unbelief of heart which has led to many of the notes and remarks and renderings con- tained in the above works ; but we may well say of the whole, " Subjudice lis est.^' We have never heard a single Jew say that he considered any one of the above-named works as satisfactory ; they are estimated differently by different persons, but aU agree in considering them merely attempts. Dr. Salomon says of his own work : " It is ended, but not completed," and adds, " I will never cease to polish, and to correct, and thus to get rid of errors as well as errata." Notwithstanding much that we lament in them, we cannot help observing that things have changed in Israel since the time when it was made a matter of solemn discussion, whether it be lawful to have the Bible in any other language than those used in the Holy Land, and Rabbi Simeon, the son of Gamaliel, maintained n''3*l'' sbs ')2nr"'tZ? "nTin sb (see Talmud Megilla, fol. 8, 6), i.e. "It is not allowed to write them except in Greek." The everlasting Gospel has gone forth to all nations, and in all languages, and the Jews who live in Germany and in France, feeling a strong desire to read and understand the Word of Life, have given occa- sion to the above-mentioned efforts to supply their wants. It is indeed a very remarkable thing that in the above quo- tation from the Talmud, an exception should have been made in favour of Greek. This was in ancient times accounted a secret language, and an account is given in the Talmud of the manner in which the Septuagint was made, adorned, indeed, with some circumstances which are doubtless fabulous. How thankful ought we to be, that the Almighty has THE JEA\^S^ SYNAGOGUE SERVICE. 13 blessed us with a ti-anslation, not like tlie above, made in too great haste, and containing too many marks of the private opinions of individuals mixed up with the AVord of God, but which, being the result of the united efforts of numbers of men, as pious as they wei'e learned, and as learned as they were pious, may be safely relied on, as a careful and faithful representation of the original. It is obviously impossible that our Jewish brethren should obtain such a version until many years of painful and prayerful study have been be- stowed on the work. May the Holy Spirit be poured out on them, that they may see the glory of him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write, and then they will be qualified for the great work they have undertaken, in a way of which they have now but little conception. Among all the questions which are discussed with so much earnestness at the present moment by our Jewish brethren, there are but few which are more important than those concerning the interests of the congregations of Israel. There is, indeed, something very wonderful and extraor- dinary in the history of the synagogues and assemblies which form the centre and foundation of the religious com- munities in Israel. The earliest mention which is made of a synagogue is probably to be found in the Psalms. Asaph complains, Ps. Ixxiv. 8, " They have burned up all the synagogues of God in tlic land." Some think that these were only certain halls in the temple, in which the Israelites used to meet together for purposes of religious instruction ; and the 14 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. original expression bw "^1271X2, certainly does not give us any very distinct idea of the place where the assemblies alluded to were held ; but, however, as in the preceding verse the temple had ab*eady been particularly mentioned as the "sanctuary" of God, and the "dwelling-place of his name," there seems to be great propriety in using the word here chosen by our translators for expressing these congregational and regular assemblies, as being probably something distinct from the regular temple services, and as something Uke that which we generally understand by the word synagogue. It seems from Ezek. xxxiii. 3 1, that the people were accustomed to come together, and "sit before the prophet and hear his words;" and doubtless there were in ancient times something like regularly-constituted congregations or assemblies, which met at different places, in some regularly understood and acknow- ledged place. Notwithstanding all this, however, the origin of the synagogues, strictly speaking, is involved in obscurity. We only know for a certainty that they were extensively and regularly used in the time of Christ, and that the law of Moses was thus diligently read and taught to the Jewish people. (Luke iv. 16, and Acts xv. 21, &c.) The vast importance of this institution is obvious. The temple was destroyed at the time fixed in the wisdom of God ; and the Israelites, who rejected the eternal unchanging priesthood of him who by one offering of himself, once offered, for ever perfected them who are sanctified, found in the synagogue a point of union and strength. Their faith and their hope, their nationality, and their very language itself, have been maintained and cherished in the synagogues. Amidst the wildest storms and the heaviest persecutions they found refuge here. And it was, and it is here, that the pious Jew, in the use of the Psalms of David, and in reciting the promises of God as contained in the writings of the pro- phets, awaits a better morning, which shall assuredly dawn when they begin to look on Ilim whom they have pierced, and mourn. THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE SERVICE. 15 The services of the synagogue were, doubtless, at first very simple in their nature, consisting, probably, of the eighteen pi'ayers or blessings, which are certainly of very ancient date, and some of the Psalms wliich accompanied the reading of the law, and the selected portions of the prophets, and that imjiortant passage, (Deut. vi. 4, 5,) " Hear, O Israel ! the Lord our God is one Lord ; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." But in the course of time different prayers were added. It became customary to read the eighteen prayers twice on each occasion ; first, each member of the congregation praying for himself, in a silence so solemn and strict, that if the King of Israel should salute any one thus engaged, he would not dare to break off" his prayer on that account ; and while praying, the feet were to be so placed together as if they both made but one foot ; the head was to be bowed down, and the heart directed to heaven ; and the right hand to be placed on the left, and both upon the heart. Thus tliree times every day, in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening (see Ps. Iv. 17), every Israelite is bound to repeat in solemn silence these eighteen prayers or bless- ings ; and twice a-day, in the morning and afternoon prayer, as soon as each individual member has finislied tliis part of liis devotions, the minister of tlie congregation begins again, and chants the whole, the congregation responding to him. A variety of hymns for the service of the synagogue were added in the tenth century, composed by Kalir and others, wliich were introduced at different parts of the service, and, Avith other additions, extended it to such a length, that on several of the feasts it requires five or six hours, or even more, to perform it properly ; and on the Day of Atonement, no less than fourteen or fifteen hours. Many of these hymns and prayers, thus successively added, contain allegorical and cabalistic allusions to parts of the Talmud and the most ancient writings of the Jews. They are chiefiy composed in rhyme, and very frequently so contrived that the first letters 16 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUBY, of each line or verse either make up the Hebrew alphabet, or the name of the author, or contain some allusion to some particular passage of Scripture, or peculiar expression. During the last few years a great many learned and intel- ligent Jews have formed different plans for getting rid of some or aU of these additions and encumbrances, and re- ducing the worship to a more simple and natural form. In Hamburgh they omit some of the prayers, use others in a German translation, and introduce at different parts of the service verses of hymns selected from modern German authors, sung according to the tunes commonly used in Christian churches. In Frankfort, it is supposed that the reformed service wliich is held is merely supplementary to the synagogue service, which is kept up in its ancient form. Accordingly not a word of liturgy of any kind is used ; and the Hebrew language itself is for the most part lost sight of. As, however, a great part of the congregation who assemble for the reformed service never attend at the synagogue at all, it is evident that for them the wonderful and astonishing bond of union found in the synagogue is broken. But let no one suppose that the synagogue is thus gradually becoming extinct ; no, thei'e is a strong feeling of the necessity for communion, for some centre, some abiding liturgy, some fixed custom, which shall be maintained and held fast. Dr. Creizenach, in the 3d part of his " Schulchan Aruch," just published, tells us that the Mosaic religion must be more firmly established by a reform of the established usages in the Jewish congregations. He says : — " Five things are necessary in order to maintain and pro- mote the fear of God in a congregation in Israel." (Page 37.) 1. "Books, in which all the duties of men, citizens, and Israelites are distinctly and clearly taught in a language intelligible to all." " The book of books, the source of all particular duties, THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE SERVICE. 17 which an Israelite is bound by the religion he has inherited to fulfil, is, as evexy one confesses, locked up as with a hundred bolts, as far as rites are concerned. The reading of the sacred volume with diligence and zeal cannot be often enough insisted on ; but not in order to learn from it the external forms of reli- gion : for as it regards this part of religious duty, the text of the Pentateuch is, in proportion to that wliich is usually observed, but like a grain of seed compared with the plant which grows from it." 2. " The congregations in Israel are further in need of spiritual guides, whose endeavour it should be to inculcate a life in unison with the doctrine taught in the books." 3. *' The Jewish congregations need properly conducted places of worship for the instruction and edification of the people, and to enkindle the love of the young for the Jewish religion and nation." " Every one who is acquainted with the history of the synagogue knows that these are the purposes for which it was instituted ; and that, next to the Divine help, we are in- debted to the synagogue alone for the miracle, that the Jewish religion has weathered the fearful storms which it has encountered for 2,000 years. In the synagogue the Jew obtained strength to suffer, and to withstand the numerous temptations to apostasy, through the exhortations and instructions imparted by the more learned, through the prayers which he offered alone, or in communion with the pious congregation, and through intercourse occasioned by diligent attendance at the place of worsliip." " The visit to the synagogue was not only an act of piety, it was an enjoyment afforded by religion, which made the feast-days sacred and lovely. The child became intimately acquainted with the fundamentals of Judaism in its earliest years by attendance in the synagogue ; and thus the dearest recollections of youth were associated with religion, wliich penetrated the soul, and filled it with the utmost abhorrence of falsehood and sin. Unhappily, in our days, the synagogue 18 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. has ceased to be of this use to Judaism ; a great part of most congregations never visit it at all, and another part, equally numerous, go unwillingly." " The real sources of this evil are easily discovered. The synagogue has ceased to have a salutary effect upon the reli- gious education of the Jew^s. The fact that the Hebrew- language is exclusively used in it, is sufficient to drive away the great number of those who do not understand the same ; as persons whose minds are but moderately cultivated, cannot consent to sing and recite prayers for whole hours together, of which they certainly understand but very few words." "This is certainly very much to be deplored, as a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew language is one of the brightest ornaments of the Jews, a means of communication between all the Jewish congregations on the surface of the globe, and unites the present time with the past ; and this is the more to be deplored, as the Hebrew language has not been written more beautifully, since the time that the gift of prophecy ceased, than it is at present, as is evidenced by the writings of Rapoport, Bloch, Eichberg, Reggio, Luzzato, Blumenfeld, and many others. And even, if it were possible to remedy this evil, and the children in our schools, both male and female, were taught to understand the synagogue forms tole- rably well, a great many of the prayers contain things which do not in any degree suit our present times and circum- stances." " 4. It is necessary that the doctrines and forms of the Jewish religion should extend their sanctifying influence to domestic life." " Neither the school nor the synagogue can give true piety if religion be wanting in domestic life, if the business of every day be not begun and ended by acts of devotion to God, if the gifts of God be received and enjoyed without thankfulness, if sabbaths and feast-days be distinguished from work-days only by a life of greater luxury. Many piously disposed JcAvish fathers of families see all these evils THE JEA\T[SII SYNAGOGUE SERVICE. 19 in their domestic circles, and have no means at hand to remedy them. Shall they put the Hebrew prayer-book into the hands of their children, and bid them recite this or the other part of it ? The children will obey with unwilling hearts, if they can spell Avell enough to do it ; their thoughts will, in the meantime, be occupied on some other subject, while they are reading, and they will lay it aside without liaving gained a spark of real religion, like a burden which they are glad to get rid of. The prayer-book may indeed be used in a German translation, or other forms of prayer may be selected, and this is sometimes done : but in this way the family-service loses its analogy with that in public, and thus looks like an institution sanctioned only by self-constituted authority, like a separatical form of devotion, in which case, if the forms chosen exceed the proper limits, it gets a fantastical appearance. If liturgies which have some sanc- tion be not made use of as a guide, it is not often that any particular form is long adhered to ; improvements and changes are introduced, till the whole is treated with indiffer- ence and abandoned altogether. This is not a thing which is to be feared merely — it has already happened in number- less families : and this was certainly not always owing to an effeminate love of convenience, which could not form a very powerful motive in this case. Neither was it the wish to get rid of every thing Jewish as far as outward observances are concerned, (from which, indeed, many are not altogether free,) which had the greatest influence." We cannot help remarking, on reading these observations of Dr. Creizenach, on the present state of the Jews, as it re- gards their devotional exercises, how ardently it is to be de- sired that they should hasten to join such an establishment as our national Church. All the Jews to whom we have as yet had an opportunity of showing our liturgy, as translated into Hebrew, have been pleased wuth it. Dr. Creizenach evidently feels the deficiency occasioned by the faults and encumbrances of the synagogue services. It is certainly true 20 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. that the main body of the Jewish nation, or any other nation, must pray in the language used by them in daily life ; but still, as he himself says, there is something peculiar as it regards HebreAv. In Poland, however, and among those whose affections are more warmly engaged on behalf of Judaism than in Germany, Hebrew is vastly better understood by the generality. But whether the liturgy be used in Hebrew, or in the vulgar tongue, the need of some standard, some fixed, understood, intelligible, authorized form of prayer is very great among those Jews who are getting tired of the fables of the synagogue ; and although we do not agree with Dr. Creizenach in all his views, stiU the remarks of such an intelligent and able man are highly deserving of notice. He adds some very just and natural observations about the delight which those feel who can remember the time when, in early life, they joined in the solemn observances of the feasts and services of religion, and the difficulties to which the Jews are exposed in endeavouring to enforce a strict ob- servation of their solemn days, which interfere so materially with the business of life, as well as the want of some kind of service for confirmation and marriage, suitable for the occa- sion. He says : — "It is a gi-eat evil that when a daughter is born no rehgious service marks her reception into the con- gregation ; and this is chiefly the reason why the birth of a daughter is not considered to be an occasion of joy in our families." 5. " Jewish congregations must have schools in which the young, both male and female, are taught the faith and duty of an Israehte seriously and fully." In speaking of the extent to which the instruction in reh- gion ought to be carried in a Jewish school, Dr. Creizenach observes : — " Is it not most important that every Jew should know how to distinguish between those customs which are derived from the Pentateuch, those which were instituted by the THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE SERVICE. 21 ancient teachers, and those which liave been introduced in later times by scrupulous rabbies or zealous cabalists ? "Would it not be very useful if the teacher had an opportunity in his instructions to speak against many observances which are merely the offspring of superstition and a caricature of re- ligion ? Tlie teacher is obliged to be silent on all these things. For, so long as our established usages are not re- formed, so long as more clear and correct explanations of the law of Moses are not openly acknowledged by the Jewish congregations, the teacher of rehgion cannot enter into any lengthened explanation of Jewish customs, without being blamed by some as a dark-minded zealot, and by others as a self-constituted innovator." And again he says : — " I may well exclaim with Jeremiah, ' I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath,' I have seen how the wretched children were shut up in a filthy room for ten hours in a day, and compelled by the rod to mumble over the Talmud, without having been first taught the elements of Hebrew, or made to comprehend the literal sense of the Pen- tateuch, so that the most talented children left the school without the least idea as to what the Jewish religion is ; their heads were filled with incoherent fragments of the laws about eating, the order of the feast, and Rabbinical jurispru- dence, and they had been taught to use a kind of perverted logic, which tends to show their skill in subtleties rather than to help in the seai'ch after truth." We must indeed remember that there are many who, like Dr. Creizenach, have been educated in Tahnudical schools, who would not speak so strongly of the misery endured in them, but quite the contrary. There is, however, no doubt that in many cases the superstition of the system does pro- duce these melancholy effects, although better feelings and habits do sometimes neutralize its degrading power, and leave room for the exercise of much that is noble and kind in the Jewish character. 22 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Perhaps it may be well to add the theses which Dr. Creizenach has republished in this work, as being nearly connected with the particular subject of the foregoing re- max'ks, and in eveiy way worthy the attention of every friend of Israel : — "1. The Talmud cannot be reduced to practice without ordained teachers. " 2. No authentic code of the Talmud has ever yet existed. " 3. The Talmud has never been completed. " 4. The Mishna is an incomplete work. " 5. The Gemara is an incomplete work. " 6. The academy at Jerusalem consisted of opponents of the Talmud. "7. The Talmudists have never agreed in interpreting the Bible. " 8. The Talmud contains only a small number of the tra- ditional ordinances. " 9. The authors of that part of the Talmud which is not traditional do not pretend that their work is anything more than the ordinances of man. " 10. There is no ordination of priests among the Is- raelites. "11. Such an ordination cannot and dare not be again introduced. " 1 2. As there is no ordained clergy, every one is at liberty to interpret the Scriptures. " 13. The decrees of the Synod were only in force for a time. " 14. All these decrees lost their force when ordination ceased. " 15. The traditional ordinances have no higher authority than the decrees of the Synod. " 16. The Talmudists have introduced and abrogated laws. " 17. The Talmud does not admit of any exclusion of the Agrada. JEWISH PREACHERS AND rREACIIING. 23 " 18. The histories and interpretations of tlie Talmud have no mystical sense, and very seldom an allegorical one. " 19. The articles of faith of Maimonides arc not founded in the Talmud. " 20. The Talmud has never been followed in the spirit of it. "21. Moses has not introduced any ordination according to the sense in which that word is usually taken. " 22. The laws of Moses are sufficiently intelligible." Dr. Creizenach says a good deal in explanation and con- firmation of these theses ; but as they are for the most part sufficiently plain of themselves, and this article has already been extended beyond due length, w^e abstain from quoting his remarks. 5^eb)ii3i^ ^reacfjcrs ant ^reaci^ing. We can never sufficiently adore the goodness and mercy o God, in that wonderful appointment in his Church, according to which, " it pleases him by the fooKshness of preaching, to save them that believe." But while we are thankful for the blessings which are vouchsafed to the Church of Christ by this ordinance of God, we are naturally led to inquire concerning the state of our elder brethren of the house of Israel, as it regards their use of this inq)ortant means for edification and instruction. When Paul and Barnabas came to Antioch, in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, we are told, that " after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on ;" and when Jesus had finished reading a portion of the Prophet Isaiah, in the synagogue at Nazareth, we are told, that "the eyes of all 24 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTDRr. them that were in the synagogue were fastened on liim." These circumstances show, that it was an established custom among the Jews at that period, that an address should be delivered to the congregation, in addition to the reading of portions of tlie Scriptures. It is indeed most likely, that from the time when Ezra and those that laboured with him, " read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading," (Neh. viii. 8,) it was usual to add something by way of explanation, when the Hebrew text was rendered in Chaldee for the benefit of those who did not understand the sacred original ; and that, as in the course of time, after the destruction of the second temple and the dispersion of the Jews, these Chaldee interpretations were no longer necessary or serviceable, the custom was in many places kept up, of adding some exhorta- tion and explanation for the benefit of those who joined in the services of the synagogue. There are several passages in the Talmud which speak of "Sabbath keeping" and " Sabbath preaching " as synonymous to a certain extent.* Unhappily, however, those who engaged in preaching in the synagogue, seem to have done but little in very many cases for making the law and the prophets easy to be understood by all. They abounded in allegories and dark sentences, and vied with each other in striving to show their own ingenuity in their discourses, rather than to lead to the sense and import of the sacred oracles. There is an ancient and widespread custom among the Jews which prevails to this day, that on the Sabbath before the Feast of the Passover, and on the Sabbath before the Day of Atonement, the rabbi of the place holds a pubhc discourse in the synagogue. There is, however, this peculiarity in these old-fasliioned Jewish sermons ; any person present is allowed to state any * " Die gottesdienstlichen Vortriige der Juden," by Dr. Zunz, may be advantageously consulted by those who wish for more particular information on these points. JEWISH PREACHERS AND PREACniNG, 25 objection he may be inclined to make to anything which is said ; and the rabbi must then show his skill and knowledge of the subject Avhich he has chosen by defending his positions. This was not allowed in more ancient times, but must, when done in a becoming manner, have added greatly to the interest excited by the subject in hand. It seems, indeed, that the ordinary mode of teaching the law, oral as well as written, in the schools, which is something like the " hearing and asking questions in the temple," (Luke ii. 46,) became in process of time so general in the synagogues, that the solemnity and formality of public and stated discourses was almost lost sight of ; and thus every member of the congrega- tion considered himself as a scholar rather than as engaged in a devotional exercise. It is only a few years since, as we were informed during our residence at Berlin, that, at the large synagogue in that place, as the presiding rabbi was preaching, the next in authority to liim objected to some- thing which he said ; but the tone and manner in which he spake did not seem to the preacher to be exactly that which he had a right to expect from a junior rabbi, and thus a violent altercation ensued, to the no small annoyance of every one present. We cannot vouch for the exact particulars, as we were not present at the time it happened ; but we are in- clined to think, that there was some foundation for the state- ment. We know certainly that such things most often have occurred, and have tended to bring this mode of discussing theological subjects into discredit among many of the more enlightened and better informed Jews of the present day. It may be of some service, in order to show the precise state of things among the Jews, as it regards preachers and preaching, to give a short account of the different sermons which are usually preached at Berlin and at Frankfort-on- the-Maine.* It would take up too much time to enter into all the particulars, that might easily be brought together concerning different places in Germany and Poland, and this * Written in 1841. C 26 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. is not SO necessary, as hitherto but little change has taken place in the latter country. The ntt)~il or homiletical form of allegorical exposition still prevails ; in the smaller towns strangers often apply for leave to preach in the synagogue, and both these and the regular rabbles in the larger places, often display immense powers of memory, and no small measure of wit and ingenuity, in their quotations and explications of passages, both of the Bible, and of the Talmud ; but there is no care taken for the unlearned and for women; it requires frequently almost as much skill in the Talmud, and as accurate an acquaintance with the letter of the sacred volume as the preacher himself possesses, in order to follow him through all the mazes of his subtle arguments, and abstruse speculations or odd comparisons. In Berlin and Frankfort, however, sermons are preached, diflfei'ing very much from these as well as each other, both in manner and matter. On the two Sabbaths above mentioned, the established custom is carefully observed. The senior rabbi, at Berlin, or rather, strictly speaking, the representative of the rabbi, (for the Jews have not yet agreed about the final appoint- ment of their ecclesiastical head) preaches in the Jewish- German dialect. As this dialect is a mixture of Hebrew and a corrupt kind of German, a great part of the members of the synagogue cannot understand the sermon. During the summer months the senior and the junior rabbi deliver alternately, every Saturday, an exposition of the chapter of the mnS "'piQ or " Sayings of the Fathers," appointed to be read" at the afternoon service of the day. These expositions are in the same dialect as the sermons, and are not attended by the great bulk of the Jews. They are held in the great synagogue. Two persons preach regularly in the t2;"n^-n jT^Uj or lecture-room, attached to the synagogue. Dr. Heineman, who is well-known as the editor of many theological works and books of devotion, gives an exposition of the n"i!OCn • or section of the prophets appointed for the service of the day, JE-VVISH PREACHERS AND PRE ACHING. 27 every Saturday morning at eleven o'clock. His discourse usually lasts about an hour ; he commences without any prayer, by reading his text ; this cannot be complained of, as it is to be supposed that his hearers have attended the regular service at the adjoining synagogue, which closes a short time before. Dr. H. speaks in good German, quoting largely in Hebrew from the Bible and Talmud ; but he gives sufficient explanations of his quotations as he goes on, so that any person moderately acquainted with the Hebrew literature and with classical German may understand him with ease. His discourses consist, partly of an explanation of difficult expressions which occur in the text, and partly of quotations from Rabbinical and Talmudical commentaries. Dr. H. does not arrange his discourses in any particular order, but speaks in an easy familiar way. He has a good memory and a ready delivery, so that he has little difficulty in filling up the hour with a variety of remarks and quotations, which do not cost him mucli labour for immediate preparation. He has generally about sixty or eighty hearers, chiefly the older members of the synagogue. He also lectures every evening in a similar way. On Sunday evening he begins the section of the law appointed for the following Saturday, and goes on with the exposition on the succeeding evenings until the whole section is finished, the remaining lectures for the week consist of an exposition of the Mishna or text of the Talmud. The other preacher at the tJ^m^n n"'2 is Salomon Plessner. 'Mr. P. is a man of considerable talent. He preaches once a fortnight, before the commencement of the afternoon service in the synagogue. He begins his sermon, like Dr. H., without any introductory form of prayer ; but at the conclusion, in both cases, the Jews join in repeating a short prayer called 27"^"Tp. This prayer is in Chaldee, and is often used in their services, especially toward the close of any particular act of devotion. Mr. P. writes his sermons with great care, and I'eads them c 2 " 28 TUE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. from a large MS., wliich lie places before liira. His style of composition is very vigorous, and liis delivery impres- sive. He endeavours to maintain the authority of the Talmud in all its force, and vi^hen quoting it, or any other Rabbinical work, he frequently introduces the passage by some remark or epithet, showing his anxiety to gain the respect of his hearers for his favourite authors. He is one of the best preachers, as it regards the manner of preaching, we ever listened to, and in this respect but little inferior to the great masters of pulpit eloquence, who abound in the Christian churches in Berlin. Mr. P. is very fond of the oldest and best of the Rabbinical writings, and admits that many of the most important doctrines of Christianity are to be found in the ancient authorities of the Jewish Church, who come nearest to the times of the prophets. He, however, on one occasion, preached most violently against joining the Christian Church. We were present and heard the sermon. If we remember aright, the text was Gen. xxxix. 9, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God ? " His text had, however, but little to do with the greater part of his sermon. After some introduc tory remarks, he laid it down as a maxim, that Judaism is the truth, and therefore, he that leaves Judaism leaves the truth. He said, Judaism is truth, for God himself revealed it from heaven, and those who leave it, can only be induced to do so by worldly motives. Now, he said, there can only be two cases supposed; the proselyte either obtains his worldly object, or he fails ; if he succeeds, what can the world aiford, what real satisfaction can he find in wealth or honour thus procured ? and if he fails, how miserable is his lot ; the world despises him, conscience accuses, and comfort is nowhere to be found. Thus he declaimed at great length, without once intimating that Christianity has any foundation in Judaism, or any connexion with it. In this way he avoided the whole force of the arguments which he well knew bore hai'd upon his system. He has a larger audience JEWISH PREACHERS AJsD PREACHING. 29 than Dr. IT., and is listened to by many with tlie greatest attention. But it is time that we leave the immediate precincts of the synagogue, and turn to another building not far from it, in which we find a different class of Jews. We mean the large public school, under the care of Director Auerbach. In the large room belonging to this school, a sermon is preached every Saturday, at the close of the regular morning service. At one time the sermon was preached immediately after the reading of the law, but it is now deferred until the end of the morning service. The Director and his brother, Dr. Auerbach, preach alternately. The Director usually gives a plain and simple exposition of his text, in which he confines himself, for the most part, to the Bible itself, as a guide in interpre- tation, and thus silently does away with the Talmud. It is to be regretted that he has not more commanding abilities as a preacher, as his sermons often fail of the effect they would otherwise produce, by not being regular and orderly composi- tions. He sometimes introduces very weighty observations, which would be more striking, if they were not accompanied by some trivial remarks, which do not sound well in a sermon. The Jews themselves often complain of this, as they are anxious that their pi-eachers should not suffer by a comparison with those in the churches around them. We fear that many of them are not duly sensible of the value of that which is really good in his preaching. They wish either for fine sen- timental discourses, or for the witty allegories and fables which they were accustomed to listen to in their infancy ; and thus many valuable scriptural observations, which are interspersed in the sermons of the Director, are too much lost sight of. His brother. Dr. Auerbach, preaches very much to the satisfaction of a considerable class of his hearers. He has a kind of pathos which they admire, and as he oftens speaks in a sort of tender sentimental moving style, many listen and admire. But except wlien lie treats on the providence of 30 THE JEWS OF THE NLNETEENTH CENTURY, God, on which subject he sometimes introduces very appro- priate texts in a forcible way, we never could find that his sermons contained anything but fine words. He does not preach Judaism, he does not enforce the law of Moses, he does not uphold the authority of the prophets ; he seems to have no system ; he lays no foundation, except it be a few ill-defined good works, such as caring for the education of children, or attention to conjugal duties ; his object seems to be merely to preach, to talk awhile, and the only topic that we can remember to have heard him introduce into his sermons, with any real earnestness, is that already alluded to. Sometimes he used to quote a passage from the Bible on this subject with considerable effect, but with this important exception, the dullest story in the Talmud, or the oddest conjecture of the rabbles, seemed to us to be almost as interesting as the Doctor's fine sermons, notwithstanding all the gravity and solemnity with which they were delivered. He generally preaches at Leipsic during the yearly fairs, and his sermons are much admired, owing, we suppose, to their being well composed, and containing nothing that can offend any one, whatever his creed may be. As many of the Reformed Jews now begin to see that their negative systems of Rationalism or Deism will not bear investigation, and will not do for poor suffering fallen man, it is to be hoped, that the Doctor will also turn more to the Word of God, and thus give his hearers more truth, not merely words well delivered, but lead them with simphcity and earnestness to Moses and the prophets, and insist on the great doctrines of revelation. If he will do this, he then may indeed well deserve the attention paid to his discourses. The venerable rabbi, who for many years has presided over the Jews, at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, follows the custom before alluded to, of preaching in the great synagogue, both on the duties of the Passover, and also of the Day of Atone- ment. He reads his sermons, and is listened to with great respect, which his age and character well deserve. The JEWISH PREACHERS AND rREACIlUsG. 31 Jews seem, indeed, very generally to comply with the law, (Lev. xix. 32,) " Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of an old man." In most cases which we have known, the introduction of a young man as teacher in a school, or as preacher or rabbi in a congregation, has been attended with much difficulty, and given rise to a variety of disputes and differences. But if a rabbi be once settled in his office and have grown old, nothing can exceed the filial attention paid to him. His person seems almost sacred, and all the better feelings of humanity are brought into action in a way that Avell deserves the respect and imitation of other nations. If it were not for this circumstance, the situation of the rabbi at Frankfort Avould be sad indeed, amid the hot contentions of the different religious parties into which the Jews are divided. Some are for retaining everything, and some for reforming everything. Meanwhile, the old gloomy inconvenient synagogue still stands, as it has stood for many a long year, at the end of the remnant of the Jews' street, in sad keeping vnih the wretched narrowness of those straitened abodes to which so many thousands of our elder brethren have in successive ages been confined, by the unkindness of their fellow-citizens. But dark and dull as it is, there are not wanting some tokens of former greatness ; it is a substantial building, and there are a few ornaments which tell of the wealth and devotion of some of the house of Jacob. Perhaps the time is not very distant, when the Jews will unite in their views so far as to allow the ancient edifice to give place to one more suited to the wants of their body ; but until they agree as to the manner and form of the intended erection, and the services to be performed in it, we sup- pose Talmudical sermons will still introduce tlieir most solemn feasts in compliance with the custom so Avidely established among the Rabbinical Jews. The sermons of the rabbi are in Jewish- German, which of itself would render them useless to most of his hearers, and his articulation is so indistinct, that very few can follow him in his discourse, except those who have 32 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. long been accusfomed to liear him. In addition to tliese sermons, a lecture is delivered every Saturday morning by some private individuals, who do not stand to preach in the same place as the rabbi does, but assemble their hearers near the opposite end of the synagogue, and address them in a more intelligible style. These persons are esteemed on account of their Rabbinical learning. We once heard an exposition of a text of Scripture in one of these lectures, which may be worth mentioning, as showing what the doc- trines of self-righteousness may lead to. The lecturer had selected the portion of the law read on that day in the synagogue as the subject of his discourse. It begins, Deut. vii. 12, " Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers," &c., &c. As these words ex- press a condition, he naturally took occasion to insist upon the necessity of keeping the law ; but he represented this as meritorious to such a degree, that he said the word Q3n, (Numbers xi. 5,) which we translate "freely," i.e. with- out paying for it, denotes an expostulation with God for giving them no reward for keeping the law ; it is as if they said. In Egypt thou gavest us " fish, cucumbers, and melons freely," we had not then received the law, we did nothing to merit, to deserve those good things ; but now we have a great variety of statutes and ordinances which we keep, and obtain not so much reward as at the time we did less. It really seemed, according to the tenour of his remarks, to have been rather excusable in the Israelites that they thus murmured against God, for withholding that which they had a right to expect, as the consequence of their obedience. He gave himself a great deal of trouble in explaining Psalm cxxxi., " Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty," &c. It almost seemed to us, that he was afraid this would be thought to militate against his scheme, as he was very diffuse in pointing out certain tilings, which a man might JEWISH PREACHERS AND PREACHING. 33 look upon with complacency and self-gratulation, as if David liad really ground and reason to be satisfied with himself as it regards many actions of his life. Thus, in short, the whole sermon was a direct contradiction to those expressions of self-abasement, which we are taught in so many passages of Scripture to use, saying with Isaiah, that " We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ; " and with Daniel, " We have sinned and rebelled, and committed iniquity, and done wickedness." God's promises are indeed conditional, he does require unreserved obedience, and woe be to those who withhold this obedience ; but we are warranted by Scripture to add, woe be to those who fondly imagine that they have complied with the prescribed condition, so as to have anything to claim at the hand of God but punishment and death. I need scarcely add, tliat the sermon resembled too much the general doctrines main- tained in the Talmud. There is a sermon every Saturday in what many call the New Temple. This is a building connected with the Jewish public school. Four of the teachers in that school preach alternately. The service is distinguished by having nothing Je^vish in its forms. An organ is played, and hymns are sung before and after the sermon, just as in many of the Christian churches. Dr. Hesse, who is at the head of the establishment, is a man of great intellectual powers, and well qualified for the situation he fills in the school ; but he is by no means elo- quent ; his sermons are dry moral essays, accurately com- posed, but they contain very few references to the Bible, so that there is not much in them to fix the attention of the hearers. Dr. Jost, the celebrated historian of his nation, who be- longs also to this establishment, preaches in his turn. It must at all times be interesting to listen to a man of such extensive knowledge and great ability. He sometimes refers to the history of Israel, as contained in the Bible, witli c 3 34 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. great effect, and introduces many stinking observations, which are clothed in beautiful language and well delivered. It is most sincerely to be hoped, that his candour and love for historic truth may lead him to a better understanding of the Avhole of that revealed word, which alone can make any one wise unto salvation. Dr. Creizenach is much esteemed by many as a preacher. He speaks with great earnestness of the history and hopes of Israel, and, unlike many of the Reformed Jews, he attaches great importance to their separate existence, as a people dwelling alone and not numbered among the nations. But it is not easy to say precisely what his ideas on these subjects are. He sometimes refers, in the most impas- sioned manner, to some of the peculiarities of Rabbinical Judaism, as if he almost wished to maintain the whole Talmudical system ; and yet, on the other hand, he com- plains in some of his printed works most bitterly of the bondage and bigotry which that system entails on its ad- herents. He doubtless sees something, feels something of those great truths, which were the hope of Abraham and the consolation of Jacob in ancient times ; but as the temple and the priesthood have long ceased to exist, as in times of old, he is necessitated to patch up as a system, and thus he takes a few fragments from the rabbles, and a few from modern philosophy, and tries, with the warmth of a lively imagination and a good degree of ingenuity, to form some representation of religious truth. This is cause for regret, to see men of powerful minds thus struggling and toiling, as Dr. C. and many enlightened well-informed Jews are now doing, and all with so little immediate profit. But while we deplore the unsatisfactory result of their investi- gations, there is a more cheering prospect opening in the distance. Inquiry must do good. History is consulted, facts are attended to and preferred to fables ; and sooner or later, without all doubt, the great fact, that the Son of David who was crucified at Jerusalem, did rise again on the third JEWISH rREACIlERS AND PREACHING. 35 (lay for our justification, will be seen and acknowledged among the thousands of Israel, who are thus stirred up to iuquii-e and seek. They know not themselves what it is they want, but they are uneasy, they are dissatisfied, they are ashamed of their ancient superstitions ; the pride of self- righteousness leads them too often to reject the message of mercy from the cross of Christ ; but they find no other foundation on which they can build ; and while we fear that some will still weary themselves to no purpose, doubtless many will not rest until they I'cst in Jesus. Dr. Johlson is the other preacher in connexion with these gentlemen ; he is deservedly celebrated as an eminent Pie- brew scholar ; but there is very little that is cheering in his sermons or the doctrines he propounds. His critical know- ledge of the saci-ed text has not led him to a very intimate acquaintance -with the purport of the message which God has so wonderfully communicated to man by the instrumentality of his forefathers. The most distressing proof of the insufficiency of the pre- sent system of religion taught in the new temple, may be found in the hymn-book edited by Dr. Johlson, which is used there. An icy coldness prevails in it, enough to make any one who uses it downright melancholy, instead of stirring him up to praise and joy. Great attention has been paid to ensure correctness and elegance in the language ; but oh ! what a falling off", if those hymns are compared with the powerful and heart-reviving compositions of Martin Luther, Paul Gerhardt, and many other distinguished servants of God, who have employed the German language to express their faith and their love, their hope, that was not and could not be put to shame, and their ardent devotion to the service of God and the Lamb. Dr. Johlson has selected hymns in the same metres, to be sung to the same tunes, but they are more insipid than nursery rhymes, and contain, if possible, less expression of religious feeling of any kind, than the worst of those dull empty harangues, which are now so often 36 THE JF.AVS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUEY. introduced into the synagogues, as an attempt to satisfy the craving of the Jews for something better and more substan- tial than tlie instruction which has been hitherto afforded them. The Jews long to imitate their Christian brethren ; and it is a most awful consideration that they should have found so much that was sufficiently superficial and indistinct in the writings of so-called Christian preachers and poets in Germany, which they could at once introduce into their own services and sermons, without any material alteration. But amidst all this decay and danger, we rejoice to know that the love of the Bible is gaining ground among the more liberal and enlightened Jews ; they have done much to get rid of the superstitious encumbrances that stood in the way of their religious improvement, and they have also done much to learn and to propagate the truth. May the spirit of prayer and of love be more and more poured out upon the churches of Jesus, that thus those who have been made the happy partakers of the blessings promised to Abraham and his seed, may join in the earnest endeavour to witness to their inquiring elder brethren of the riches and grace of Him in whom both Jew and Gentile are one. 3feb3i.6f) (Jriplanation of tf)c iHotibfS tig toi^ici^ t^t ilontion ^ocirtg is actuatrt tn srffeing tf)e toelfare of tljctr ilation. It is very painful to see how little some of the more en- lightened Jews, as they are generally called, and as they themselves usually affect to be called, really understand and care for the hopes held out to them in those glorious pro- phecies which form their rich inheritance. Thus they cannot properly estimate the motives and conduct of those who hail JEWISH EXPLANATION OF CHRISTIAN MOTIVES. 6 1 with joy the prospect which the Word of God sets before them and tlie nations at large. While the bosom of the pious but superstitious Jew swells with hope, and many a Rabbinical devotee cannot even men- tion tlie name of Jerusalem without tlie liveliest emotion, the sceptical philosopher, in his short-sightedness, gropes at noon- day, while trying to find some explanation for the excitement that prevails among Christians as well as Jews. They can neither deny nor overlook the fact, that attention is paid to the matter ; and it is curious, though at the same time dis- tressing, to sec how they indulge in speculation and fancy, in endeavouring to account for that Avhich ought to lead them to join in the prayers, which are now put up for the speedy restoration of their people to more than their ancient privi- leges and glory. But we must not merely complain of the systems of philo- sophy, falsely so called, and vain deceit, which have had so baneful an influence on the Jewish mind in deadening their hopes and expectations of the national blessings promised to them ; for we must remember that a great source of this evil is to be found in the very traditions and superstitions of Rabbinism itself. Although the prayers and synagogue hymns contain frequent and glowing allusions to the home of their fathers, and the hope of returning thither — although the Talmiul itself in very many passages distinctly acknow- ledges and alludes to the covenant blessing which secured Canaan as a permanent possession to the seed of Abraham : yet still the whole system of the oral law tends to turn the attention of its adherents J'ro7n the temple and its services, fram Canaan and its privileges, to fastings and ablutions, to prayers and observances, which very much supersede the duties of the priesthood, and those sacrifices for which the temple was peculiarly intended. There is something chilling and mischievous in the whole system of self-righteous labour enjoined by the Talmud, which acts most injuriously in this, as in every other respect. It perverts the mind ; and while 38 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. the pious Jew sings with holy emotion, " Awake, awake ; put on thy strength, O Zion : put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city : for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust ; arise, and sit down, Jeru- salem," (Isaiah Hi. 1, 2,) and for a season rejoices in the believing expectation that God will hear and answer the prayer which he has been taught to offer by the inspired Prophet — yet still some, even of tliis class, cannot altogether recover from the sickening, saddening effects, which the in- cessant monotonous study of the oral law is so calculated to produce. Wlien, therefore, a better system of worldly edu- cation is introduced, and he shakes off some of the encum- brances of that heavy yoke which the traditions of his fathers formerly imposed on him, he does not always come forth full of vigorous lively expectation of the things that are coming, but is too often already more than half dead in his super- stitions, and having lost much of that thankfulness for those promises which do actually belong to real Judaism, is thus awfully prepared to become an easy prey to that monstrous Infidelity into which he desperately plunges. The following extracts from an influential Jewish period- ical, the "Orient," taken from the number for March 20, 1841, will show how strangely some individuals among the Jews endeavour to explain the rise and progress of that movement in the public mind, which is, as we trust, the token and beginning of better days. A correspondent writing from London says — I continue my report of the proceedings of the Missionaries in our metropolis. One of their chief efforts is to induce the Jews to take possession of Palestine. He then states, oddly enough, that this idea was origi- nally started by Dr. M'Caul, in a passage which occurs towards the conclusion of the " Old Paths," and adds : — This intention is shown not only by the " Memorandum," and the " Appeal of a Clergyman to the Jews," mentioned in my last report, JEWISH EXPLANATION OF CHRISTIAN MOTIVES. 39 but also by a number of other pamjihlcts and even placards. There also the old saying is verified, that every one contrives to find his own opinions in the Bible. The Missionaries with much dexterity explain Isaiah xviii. 1, &c., as if it referred to Great Britain, as the country from whence Israel's deliverance, predicted by the Prophet, is to begin, &c. &c. If you inquire the reason why the Missionaries are so anxiously looking for this deliverance, the answer is, that the restoration of the Jews to Palestine being a Divine prophecy, the fulfilment of which cannot therefore be doubted, it is a duty to make use of the present state of things, which have not been ordered in vain by a Divine Providence, as favourable for the fulfilment of the Word of God ; the more so, as this fulfilment is connected with so many other prophecies touching the salvation of the whole world, which can only be realized after the restoration of Israel as an inde- pendent nation. Although we do not doubt the sincerity of these gentlemen, when they give the above reasons, yet they are not a suf- ficient motive for their multifarious eflbrts, which require much ener- getic exertion, and all tend to one and the same object. We are, therefore, justified in supposing that there nuist exist some other secret motive. If I am not mistaken it is the following : — The Mis- sionaries probably find a great obstacle to their seducing the Jews from tlie religion of their fathers, in the fact, that in Europe that nation, although scattered over so many countries, do yet, through circumstances ])eculiar to this quarter of the globe, form an united body, so that individuals serve as props and supporting pillars for each other, and are thus enabled to resist attacks from without. But if they succeed by the return to the Holy Land, in cutting off a por- tion from the whole body, and in placing them there, at a distance from the influence of the nation at large, where they would be isolated and placed in circumstances favourable to their embracing Chris- tianity, the work of conversion must proceed much more rapidly, and with greater success. To this we must add, that although several Governments may be favourable to the conversion of the Jews, yet there are certain limits, in every part of Europe, beyond which the Missionary cannot go ; but the case would be different in Palestine. Tiic Missionaries hope for a richer harvest in a country where there are not so many restraints arising from laws and established customs, and where the influence of the English nation is continually increasing; and this the more, as so many distinguished men in England take an active part in the work of conversion. Although, therefore, we may look on the idea of a general restor- ation of the Jews as a mere chimera, it is a matter of fact that, in consequence of the favourable circumstances oflTered in the present day, the Missionaries will have a very great field for their operations in Palestine. This adds to the deplorable state of our unhappy brethren in those countries. From witliout, the Jews there will thus have on one side to sustain the hostile influence of French Catholics ; on the other the rage for conversion among Protestants; and be- tween both Mahomedanism, oppressing the unprotected witli an iron 40 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. hand. From within, they will feci the want of every kind of protec- tion, and a total inability to avail themselves of any means of defence which might offer, caused by the total want of education, and their ignorance of the innate dignity of man. Such is the state of the Jews in that country. It is true they are included in the provisions of the Hatti-Scheriff of Giilhane. But of what use are laws in a country where they are not enforced, and the authority that is re- spected is founded on the arbitrary will of a despot ? Of what use are laws to him who does not know them, or who, even if he does know them, has not the courage to appeal to them, oi", even though he have the courage to appeal to them, has not the means for en- forcing his just claims in the highest quarters ? The light may burn brightly — it cannot be seen by him whose eyes are covered. But take off the bandages, and he will enjoy its brightness! If the pri- vileges granted to the Jews are not to be mere fine phrases, — if the return of occurrences like those which have recently brought so much misery and sorrow upon Israel, is to be lastingly obviated, vigorous measures must be taken, by which the evil can be not only superficially but radically redressed. If I have endeavoured in the above to give you a sketch of the misery of our brethren in Syria, it has not been done with the inten- tion of exciting a barren feeling of sympathy, which, perhaps, shows itself in a mere shrug of the shoulders. No ; as the physician anxiously inquires into the state of his patient, only with a view to his cure, so I have represented to you the lamentable condition of my brethren, in the hope of its amelioration. And what circum- stances could be more favourable for effecting this purpose than the present. Just now, when the attention of all our brethren in the West is directed to the East, when we are about to immortalize the remembrance of the proceedings of Sir M. Montefiore and M. Cremieux by a lasting monument, — now is the best time for effecting something lasting for our brethren in Syria. As a token of gratitude to Montefiore, it has been proposed to erect a statue, establish a college, or present him with a silver service, sub- scriptions for which have been set on foot. I ask, could the noble- minded man be better rewarded — could the memory of his efforts be better and more forcibly perpetuated — could the contributions which have been offered with true enthusiasm, even by the poorest portion of the Jews of this country, be better applied than b)^ our going hand in hand with him in the prosecution of his pm-poses, by entering into the spirit of his noble-minded plans ? For the present I only touch on this subject, which certainly deserves more serious atten- tion, and I will, therefore, on another occasion enter more fully into it. 41 Calmutrists antj antuCalmutiistsi in 15frltn. Many people seem to think that all the Jcavs may be de- scribed as belonging to one or the other of these two very important classes. There are, indeed, many decided Talmitdists to be found among them — Jews who, with slavish anxiety and super- stitious awe, endeavour to keep every part of eveiy law con- tained in that vast compendium of human ordinances. These persons have a decided opinion, and a distinct object of pur- suit. Every hour, every moment, that can possibly be spared from the pressing business of the day, and the necessary re- freshment of sleep in the night, is devoted to the study of the oral law. History and geography, poetry and romance, lite- rature and science, light reading and serious study, are all alike thought to be almost, if not altogether, unnecessary, if not absolutely sinful. The acquiring a modern language, and an attention to grammar, is abhorred as unworthy the care of a son of Abraham, as dangerous to the higher claims of morality, and repugnant to the holier and better feelings. The Talmud, and the Talmud alone, is the object of research, attention, and delight. As everything that ought to be known is supposed to be contained in that work, and as the life of man is not sufficient to complete the study of it, of course every tiling that diverts the mind from this sole object is thought to be inexpedient, if not downright wicked. Then there are a TEyv af/ti-Talmudists — men who know the absurdity of the Talmud and the mischief which these hiborious trifles have brought upon their nation. They see the folly and the danger of the system, and they are determined to avoid it ; they take every fair and fitting opportunity to protest against it, and would gladly see every vestige of its authority and influence entirely done away with. But this last class is not numerous. Very few have any 42 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. distinct notion of tlie matter. A very large party would gladly be free, but they know not how, — would gladly find some resting-place, but they know not where to look for it. Of this description of persons we have a striking example in a letter addressed, a short time since to the editor of a German Jewish newspaper, from which we have taken the following extracts. The writer, like so many of his Jewish brethren, has no acquaintance with "the truth as it is in Jesus." He has never felt the comfort and power of the Divine promises. He would gladly fear and serve God ; he dreads the coldness and the death of indifference ; he struggles against that degree of light which he cannot shut out from himself, and tries hard to prop up some decent semblance of a religious system, by retaining a part, at least, of Rabbinical Judaism. But we must let him speak for himself : — Our condition is, it cannot be denied, a very bad one. It will hardly be believed to what degree all religious observances are gradually banished from our families by our habits of life, which are hostile even to those harmless customs which cannot give the least offence, and do not require any expense worth speak- ing of. I will not now speak of the observances of the Saturday or of the feast days ; it has become impossible, even for those who do not merely sell by the yard, for many of our great manufacturers to close their shops on those days. This is now acknowledged even by the most pious Jews who have grown-up children ; they are already painfidly compelled to wink at it, and to desist from such accusations against a generation which has much to struggle with in order to satisfy the wants which, in our days, imperatively press upon every father of a family. Even in the houses of pious families, it is necessary to observe the Christian holydays, on account of the servants, the book-keeper, &c., even though the observance consists merely in having better things on the table. This you will find in every household, in the most pious families. But even the most innocent customs and ceremonies which do not require any sacrifice, disappear gradually, and give place to Christian ceremonies, the origin and cause of which is not by far so holy and important as those ancient ones. Every one will acknowledge, for instance, that our little illumi- nations on HDijn (Hanucha, the Feast of Dedication), are much more rational and look much better, than the Christian rejoicings at Christmasi You may certainly omit those illuminations, and for all that remain a Jew, and you may keep Christmas without being a TALMUDIST3 AXD ANTI-TAL.AIUDISTS IN BERLIX. 43 Cliristian ; every one, however, will acknowledge, that if the choice is left to the Jew, he ought to prefer the former ; hut, alas ! the choice is hardly now left him. You will scarcely helieve me, but so it is, that Cin-istmas festivities have gradually crept into Jewish houses, and supplanted the innocent rejoicings of our youthful days, often even against tlie will of the fathers and mothers of the families. This appears to be a trifle, hardly worth mentioning, and so it is strictly speaking, but the moral impression it leaves on the minds of our youth is immense. The jjlaythings, the habits of youth will leave an indelible im])ression on the mind, and appear sacred and delightful even in old age. What can exalt oiu-selves or our religion more than the pride with which we can say. We are Jews ? If in doing so we cannot boast of superiority, we repudiate by that exclamation many errors, which — we need not hesitate to confess it — are contained in the religion of our Christian brethren ; but, alas ! it is becoming a matter of impos- sibility to implant in the minds of our youth this noble consciousness of indwelling power. This consciousness, will you believe it, is overthrown by the toleration of our Christian fellow-citizens. The playmates of our youth, have sometimes scared us away by abusing us with, " You are a Jew ; " although it was painful to our feelings, yet it called forth in nobler minds the pride of conscious dignity ; but how is it now ? I must relate to you what happened to me the other day ; I had bought a spelling-book for my child, which, as I afterwards foiuid, contained the following pictures under the letters ; for F a flag, for G a garden, for H a Hercules, for J a Jew, &c. ; the child knew very well the representations intended for F and G, but asked me to tell him what was meant by " Hercules " and "Jew." Believe me, though at first the matter appeared ludicrous, it made me very serious! And this child has still many things to go through. Under the direction of a pious mother the Jewish customs and observances are as much as possible kept up in the house ; but after all, the Sunday, the day of general rest, is still more solemn than the Saturday, even though the table be covered with a clean cloth, and the parents occasionally should find time to go to the place of worship. And although the child is pleased at the lights on the Feast of Ha- nucha, Christmas remains deeper impressed upon its memory, more especially on accoimt of the presents and playthings which follow in its train, and which servants and playmates do not fail to keep up the remembrance of. And, if he were asked, the child would per- haps rather take me for a Hercn/cs than for a Jew. When we were children, we were taught, before we were five years old, to think of God the whole day, and religion was gradually mixed up with our ideas ; but now we must look for amends from another side The synagogue is to estal)lish schools for religious instruction ! Is the synagogue also to compose the book from which the children are to be taught ? No ! W' hich, then, of the existing books is to be used for imparting the fundamental doctrines of re- ligion, or who is the teacher of religion to be employed ! We have one old Judaism, with its venerable representatives ; we have also 44 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. many new Judaisms, which diflcr not a little from each other I think every one will acknowledge that before the directors of the community can be called upon to provide the best form for religious instruction, the question, which is the hesf relirjion, must first have been settled ; but this does not exist anywhere but in the heads of those who mamifacture reforms, constitutions, and institutions, in the twinkling of an eye Methinks I see already furtive glances cast towards Christianity. Can Christianity help us? Do not, I beseech you, compare the present reform among the Jews with the Christian Reformation ! Luther's Reformation was an honest one ; he swore on the Scriptures, and no thought arose in his heart which deviated a hair's breadth from the Word of God. That was the reason why his work suc- ceeded, whereas now levity goes for courage, and dialectic skill, with its diplomatic windings, for simple eloquent honesty If any one does not appear to be aware of the fearful gulf which separates the present Jewish generation from the last, let him look at the old portion of the community, and let him then be told that the children of those he sees there contrite and moved to tears, laugh at the idea of a particular day appointed for the judgment of the world ; if, after this sight, he still continues to think it easy to com- pose a general form of worship ibr the edification of both sexes, you may tell him upon your honour, he is a fool ! We must first have a proper religion, before a proper form for religious instruction can be provided ; the idea of prayer, as it exists in Judaism, nuist first be explained, before forms of prayer can be composed. This latter question would necessarily involve the doctrine of guilt, of sin, of retribution, of grace, of forgiveness, of atonement, &c., and who, up to the present time, has settled these questions? who will venture, without still longer delay, rashly to decide on these critical points ? If we consider our religion, as handed down to us from our fore- fathers, we find the origin of it in the Torah, from which evei'vthing is derived, and we have also that which has been founded on this, and which, among the public, erroneously bears the name of the Talmud. If we take it for granted that the Scriptures are binding, the question then arises, whether the same is the case with the doctrines of the Talmud ; and this question is the subject of much controversy. The old party, the pious, contend, that during the forty days that Moses was on Mount Sinai, God instructed him by word of mouth in the interpretation of the written law, and that this interpretation was handed down from generation to generation, until the time of the compilation of the Talmud. Their opponents con- tend that these interpretations are of human origin, and were called for by the inadequacy of the scriptural laws for exigencies which have occurred in later times. These are called Rationalists, and although no decided fundamental principle has as yet been laid down, it is easy to see that there is much ground for supposing the principles of this doctrine tenable, and that, if they were called upon, this party might fully justify the position they have taken up ; but TALMUDISTS AND AXTI-TALMUDISTS IN BERLIN. 45 it would only be on the supposition that the Scriptures are binding. Even on this supposition there are many obstacles in the way of establishing this theory for practical application. This cannot be wondered at, if we consider that we possess no solid fundamental work in which the ])rniciples of this Rationalism are unalterably laid down. But this difticulty is increased, yea, the very tenability of rationalistic position is endangered, and nnist even break down, if you do not acknowledge the binding authority of the Scriptures ; but, alas that we must say it ! the Rationalists do not consider the Scrip- tures binding We are not blind, and zve will not be blind. It would, also, not profit us in the least to shut our eyes, for falsehood never yet did, nor shall it, if God still be with us, obtain the mastery in Israel. Do not again cast your furtive glances towards Christianity ; for that was honest in its day, else it would not have succeeded. He who searches the hearts knows how I am grieved in my heart at this state of things; but if you have an honest heart you cannot, you must not, be silent, if you see this rotten generation forswear integrity for the paltry lures of office, and yet dare to take its stand in history by the side of those who were ready to saciifice their lives for their convic- tions The public requires conviction— honest conviction. I must acknowledge, it esteems and loves also the honest convictions of the old and pious, although it cannot agree with them. We can no more pray in the spirit in which they pray ; we cannot join in their hopes ; but we will not laugh in their venerable faces, when they say, with'tears in their eyes, "-i-npn T>? □''^■ajn' HDm" (andbuild Je- rusalem the holy city), and we will not exult in seeing them stand alone in their grief, in their longing ibr days that do not arrive, and which we do not pray for The time will come — how soon we know not, but it will come, when new-fashioned, rational Rabbinism will new model Judaism. From categories taken from Scripture, worthy of oin- knowledge, worthy of oin- age, it will renew the eternity of the old covenant, and apply it to ])ractical life. Look at the present generations, look at oiu- fathers and at our children! Where is tlie bond that unites them ? Tell your children how your forefathers have been driven from land to land, and how their blood has been shed, and for what? They stare in innocent wonder, and do not understand you. It is true the times of our pious fathers are passed, but our time has not arrived. Or is it a time in which we fear to touch the mighty elements, and rest satisfied with white-washing the fragile walls, within which we will not live? and shall we leave this to our children ? Our fathers were men of honour; they gave us, together with their religion, the vital spark which animated them, and told us to live as they did. But shall we give our children that which we cannot possibly think to be a vital spark, and deceive them by hiding it under a new garment? Is this our time? Let us confess it, our time has not yet arrived ; and yet it must come and it shall come, like every necessary event in history. We do not know when, but 46 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. a spirit will come, perhaps also an individual, full of all the learning and the philosophy of our times, hut also filled with that Divine and exalted simplicity which we meet with in all great reformers, in all godlike natures, who have spoken with childlike simplicity, intelligible to the whole world, and yet as great, as exalting, as the Spirit which speaks to us so powerfully out of the Old Testament. Was not Israel called to lift up a light for all the nations of the earth, and is it possible that that spirit should have been lost which penetrated into the soul of wild barbarians, bent their knees, and elevated their hearts ? Single miracles may cease ; that which is miraculous endures for ever ! "Cemple*' of ti)e irleformetr fcbjs in ?l^^mimr0. The " Orient," No. 21, for May 21st, 1842, contains a trans- lation of some remai'ks on tlie Jewish "Temple" at Hamburg, which appeared in the " Jewish Intelligence " for February last. The editor of the " Orient " gives the following reason for inserting the article in question : — Our motive in giving a translation of the above, is to give our readers an instance of the presumption with which modern intolerance passes judgment on our institutions, in its anxiety for our conversion. It is unnecessary to add, that no Jew, of whatever partjr, can assent to the opinions of the writer of this article. It is not, however, quite easy to understand why it should be presumption in any one to express an opinion concerning a public institution founded for religious purposes. We have been accustomed from earliest childhood to read about the Temple. The altar and the high priest, the sacrifices and the incense, and all the services of the sanctuary, ^vith aU their splendour and mystery, their importance and their solemnity, are objects most frequently present to our thoughts, most dear to our affections, most intimately connected with that dispensation of mercy, which is the only ground of all our hopes. " TEMPLE " OF THE EEFORMED JE"\VS IN HAMBUEG, 47 When Ave hear, then, that there is a Temple now existing ; that among our own neighbours, in our own times, a building has been erected and is now used, which bears the name so famihar to our ears, or so interesting to our best and holiest feelings, we cannot remain unmoved. Had it been a castle or a pyramid, a pillar or an arch, it might reasonably have excited our curiosity, and engaged our attention. But a temple is a place of commanding interest for every one, and must of necessity excite in the mind of the serious beholder, either emotions of lively gratitude to God for whose worship the edifice has been intended ; or sensations of keen regret at the misapplication of the zeal which has led to an attempt to serve our heavenly Father, in a way which is not consistent with liis revealed will. For this "temple" does not take its name from any of those buildings in which a wretched and degrading idolatry was practised ; it is called a " Jeidsh temple." It is intended for the worship of the God of Israel, the true eternal living God. The Jews are our brethren, their name is every day on our lips ; we can never pray, never praise God, never liope for heaven, never successfully attempt to escape from that wrath to come, which we feel to be our just doom, with- out referring to the message of salvation which we have received from this very nation, without applying for instruction to Him Avho taught in "the temple," and joining in heart with those Avho trod the courts of that holy place. Let then no one complain of us as intruders, if we give utterance to our feelings and expression to our opinions, con- cerning this or any other attempt made among the Jews to establish services of a religious kind, or to promote that which they liold to be right and true. We would treat them and all men with candour and courtesy ; we have long been accustomed to discuss questions of the utmost importance to the well-being of man, with many of the most learned and most distinguished members of the Jewish community, and have been treated with the greatest kindness and forbearance 48 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. We have learnt much from them, and feel we can never sufRciently x'egret the vast amount of prejudice and ill-will which prevail among many Cliristians, and have so often prevented those of our own community from better under- standing the real excellency and worth which distinguish the character of many of the sons of Judah now living among us. But while we would endeavour to be in very deed "gentle towards all men," we would ever hope to act according to the direction which enjoins that in our love we should "speak the truth," We would never forget that there must be some degree of mistake and error in everything which frail man thinks, or says, or does, and that we have the greatest reason to say mN'*2ti7 VI2"'''!2; hut in this case the matter is too plain and too simple, for us to feel much hesitation or doubt, as to the correctness of the opinion we have expressed. Only let a man of plain understanding and common sense read care- fully what the Bible tells him concerning the "Jewish Temple," and then let him visit the modern building we have referred to ; let him go there, not in a spirit of vain curiosity, still less of angry prejudice, and let him listen attentively to the services performed and the sermons preached ; let him look carefully at the prayer-book which is used, and the hymns which are sung, and there can be no doubt as to the result. A feeling of disappointment and sadness must take possession of him. If he believe that the ancient temple was anything better than a fond device of man's invention, and that the priesthood was an institution of God's appointment, he must moiirn over the change. He must be moved to sori'ow when he looks around him, and thinks that with the exception of a few occasional visitors like himself, he is surrounded by the sons and daughters of the father of the faithful, and the descendants of those over whom David reigned, and the prophets taught ; and yet, while Abraham " believed in God, and he counted it to him for righteousness ;" while all the holy men of old, from the "temple" of the reformed jews in Hamburg. 49 very beginning of the world, feared to draw nigh before God without an atoning sacrifice ; yet these their children and living representatives have tried to find another way. Left to their own endeavours, they are not taught to pray for the influence of that Holy Spirit who alone can sanctify our souls ; they are not taught to look to Him who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and made his soul an offering for sin. They are called upon to work out their own salvation, but not in the way appointed by God, and are never taught that God worketh in us. David lives and reigns, but they seek him not. (Hosea iii. 5.) The Holy Spirit has been promised by him who cannot lie, and will not deceive (Ezek. xxxvi, 27) ; but they ask not for his help. We tremble when we remember with what heartless indifference we have often heard the sons of Jacob repeat the glorious word.-;, bsi2 ]Vvih H21 " The Redeemer shall come to Zion." When, at the conclusion of the service, we asked some of the worshippers in the synagogue by whose side we had just before been standing, engaged in silent prayer to the God of Abraham that he would fulfil the petition in which we joined most sincerely and most heartily, what they meant by the solemn words they had just uttered, what was the answer we received in a fearful majority of cases ? We will not attempt to describe the tx-ifling manner in which they too often confessed their apathy and their unbelief in the promises of God. The inspired prophet has described this sickening indifference in the volume of trutli, and our eyes see, and our ears hear, the confirmation of that which he was commissioned to declare, " They say, our bones are dried, our hope is lost, we are cut off for our parts." This is the despair of tliousands of the worshippers in the so-called " temples " of the enlightened, and the more correctly termed "synagogues" of the orthodox Jews. D 50 THE JEAVS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. But we sorrow not as those who have no hope. It becomes us to look at the sad picture, and to mark the pi'ogress of superstition and infidelity among the tribes of the Lord. But while we would not palliate the enormity of the evil and guilt which attaches to those who thus forsake the living and true God, we would also thankfully record the tokens of returning life among the nation of whom we speak. If thousands are turned aside through philosophy and vain deceit, and thousands are still fast bound by the fetters of tradition and superstition, vast numbers are searching for truth as for liid treasures ; and there are thousands of the lineal descendants of Abraham who are now living in the communion of the visible Church of Christ, thousands who have openly and solemnly confessed their adherence to David's Son and David's Lord ; and we know full well that there are thousands more who are anxious inquirers after the truth, who are Jews and can assent to the opinions we have briefly expressed. S^rbice for tfie Bag of atonmtent. The Day of Atonement is deservedly regarded by the Jews as the most solemn of all the days in the year. The injunc- tions for the observance of this day, as well as the purpose for which it was instituted, abundantly mark its import- ance. The Jews in modem times, having no temple, priest, or sacrifice, have endeavoured to find out something which they can substitute for the solemnities of this most sacred day, as enjoined by God. (See "Old Paths," No. 36.) SERVICE FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. 51 They fast and pray with a severity and diligence which may well put the careless indiiFercnce of many nominal worshippers to shame ; but fasting and prayer are not appointed by God as the means for reconciliation for the sinner. Vain is the effort to find any other hope for the guilty transgressor than that pointed out by God himself. (Lev. xvii. 11.) The friend of Israel must naturally look to the religious observances which prevail in the synagogue on this day, wdth the deepest and most painful interest. He sees his brethren of the house of Judah shrouded in their graveclothes, thereby acknowledging that in consequence of the sins they have committed during the past year, and in the course of tlieir whole lives, they deserve to die, and are dead in the sight of God.* He hears them mourning and sighing, and confessing their sins, while they smite on their breasts and stand barefoot during the exhausting services, which admit of no cessation during the whole of the day. From a very early hour in the morning till the return of night, there is no intermission. It is one continued effort — one single unbroken service. Early on the close of the preceding day, the 9th of Tisri, the Jew, in compliance with the ancient custom, Avhich makes the appearance of the star of evening to be the commencement of the new day, had hastened to the crowded synagogue, and joined in a long and affecting service. And after the repose of a short night, those who did not feel themselves equal to undertake a service which should last the whole of the twenty-four hours of which the sacred day consists, are eager to enter on the solemn employments of confession, intercession, and suppli- cation. The very appearance of the synagogue on these occasions • It is customary among the Jews, that when a marriage takes place, the bride presents the bridegroom with a long white linen garment, which is often highly ornamented, and is worn every year in the synagogue on the Day of Atonement, and after death serves as a shroud. D 2 52 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. has something most solemn and striking in it. A vast number of lights are kindled, as if in contrast with the sadness and gloom which are strongly marked in the counte- nances of many of the earnest worshippers ; and every one present seems to join in the service with an anxiety of attention which is sought in vain on other occasions. Hundreds who during the rest of the year may be seen on the Sabbath eagerly engaged in the pursuit of pleasure, on horseback and in their carriages, or carelessly and quietly smoking their pipes at home, in defiance of the injunctions of the rabbles, who interpret the commands, " On the seventh day thou shalt rest," and, " Ye shall kindle no fire through- out your habitations upon the Sabbath-day," to the utmost strictness of the letter, are now as serious as any in their devotions. On ordinary Sabbaths they may be found as busy and as worldly as any of their neighbours, engaged in the avocations of commerce, or lost in dissipation ; but now they fast and pray with fear and trembling, and hope to atone for all their past neglect by a strict observance of this particular day. Thus they sometimes call it the " Sabbath of Sabbaths," in allusion to Leviticus xvi. 31, as if the expression, pnStt? n'2W, afforded some kind of excuse for hoping that this day could be in some measure a substitute for the other Sabbaths of the year, as being peculiarly solemn. Those who adopt this opinion seem to forget that the same words occur in Exod. xxxi. 15, and are applied to the Sabbath itself. We do not, indeed, speak of this neglect of the Sabbath in comparison with the Day of Atonement, as if it were a prevaihng or general practice in Israel, for, on the contrary, they very commonly make the most enormous sacrifices of time and gain, in abstaining from their daily callings on the seventh day, and on other festivals, as any one may see by visiting the Jewish quarter in London, or any place whex'e a considerable number of Jews reside, on those days. But while a great number are thus strict and self-denying in SERVICE FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. do their regular compliance with the requirements of those laws, whose authority tliey wish to maintain, we cannot fail to observe how great the eifect is wliich the return of the annual solemnity of the Day of Atonement produces among the thoughtless and indifferent. We liave thus a striking proof tliat there is a strong feeling, an innate conviction in the mind, which the most hardened sinner, and the gayest votary of pleasure, can scarcely overcome, that man is at enmity with his God, and requires reconciliation, atonement, and a propitiation ; and if the transgressor knows not the new and living way to the Father, opened and consecrated by the blood of the Eternal Lamb of God, he naturally turns aside to seek for other ways and means to which he may cling, and thus endeavours to drown the alarming voice of conscience, and find peace. Vie cannot attempt to convey anything like an adequate idea of the various prayers which are used in the synagogue on this occasion, in one short article. Many of them are most beautiful and touching expressions of sorrow for sin and hope in God's mercy. At present we must confine ourselves to one part of the service, and in so doing, we wish especially to call the attention of our readers to those parts of the " Service for the Eve of the Day of Atonement," which have been omitted in the prayer-book used by the " British Jews." They, having endeavoured to make the Word of God their guide and rule in the selection of those parts of the ancient services which they have retained and adopted, have been led to discard many things which for ages have been almost universally used by their brethren. The usual service commences with the following form, which is repeated three times, in the most solemn man- ner : — la^br wnn DnD3 cv iv nt c>i22 cva : S3nti?53 hv .54 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. sb SDninstt?") ♦''-ids sb sd-idsi ♦•^-na sb S3-n3 All vows, obligations, oaths, or anathemas, whether termed □ 31 p o:ip, or otherwise, which we shall have vowed, sworn, devoted or bound ourselves to, from this Day of Atonement luitil the next Day of Atonement (whose an-ival we hope for in happiness), we repent, aforehand, of £heni all ; they shall all be deemed absolved, forgiven, annulled, void, and made of no effect; they shall not be binding, nor have any power ; the vows shall not be reckoned vows, the obligations shall not be obligatory, nor the oaths considered as oaths. We are told in a note to the German translation of this service, by Heidenheim, published at Rodelheim, that the vows, obligations, &c., here mentioned, are intended to include those only which are made or entered into inad- vertently ; and Isaac Levi, the English translator, tells us that tliis form of words refers only to those which " operate solely on the individual, without any connexion or relation with any other person, and aifect only his own conscience and his conduct towards the Deity." He quotes the Talmud to prove that " oaths can only be dissolved which a man may make to bind his own person ; but those which relate between him and his neighbour, cannot be dissolved without the concurrence of the other party." Everybody knows that there are a great number of right- minded, honest men to be found in the Jewish community, who would shrink with the utmost horror from the thought of finding in this form any extenuation for a breach of any pi'omise or contract of whatever kind or sort it may be ; but still we cannot but rejoice that the new prayer-book has got rid of this detestable relic of those times when indulgences were sold for money, and absolution was granted for intended crimes of the grossest nature, as well as for those which had already been committed. It is indeed high time that it was expunged from every Jewish prayer-book, for while the better educated and more serious part of the nation may confine the expression to those inadvertencies and failings for SERVICE FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. 55 wliicli we must all humbly and earnestly implore forgiveness : we cannot forget that in every congregation there must always be a great many who are ignorant, and some who are careless, and these may never hear of the distinctions which others have made, and are in obvious danger of being led astray by the words they have heard in the house of prayer, at the very time when they were seeking for pardon and amendment. The Sephardim, or Portuguese Jews, use a different form of words, saying, D1'' IV 1'D.VW D'^ISDn DVI^ : nmiob 13''b37 rrin a"»nDDn thus referring to the year that is past instead of that which is to come. The following confessions of sin are very familiarly known among the Jews, as they occur several times in the services of the Day of Atonement, and are also frequently used on the previous days. The new prayer-book has omitted them, except a few expressions which we have marked with an asterisk : — • "I3!jb ♦ 12nT3 ♦ V-) 1223?'' ♦ IptZ? I2b2!3 ♦ 12DSDn ♦ 121T 12^tt7p ♦ ■l2-n!J • 123;tr?D • 12''137 ♦ l2-)-lD ♦ *12!iS2 ♦ 12T1!3 : I2i7ni7n ♦ ^iTvn ♦ i2nrn ♦ 'i2nn^7 ♦ "^^vwn * ^')^v ♦12b rrm? sbi ♦n^nitnn T^2tz7n?2T -f\"i"i2a!3 1210 i2n2Si n^wv nnw ^d ♦ i2>by snn bD bv pn!r nnsi : i2iJtt?^n We have trespassed ; we have dealt treacherously ; we have stolen ; we have spoken slander; we have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly ; we have acted presumptuously ; we have committed violence ; we have framed falsehood ; we have counselled evil ; we have uttered lies ; we have scorned ; we have rebelled ; we have blasphemed ; we have revolted ; we have acted perversely ; we have transgressed ; we have oppressed ; we have been stiff-necked ; Ave have acted wickedly ; we have corrupted ; we have done abominably ; we have gone astray, and have caused others to err ; we have turned aside from thy excellent precepts and institutions, and which hath not profited us ; but thou art just concerning all that is come upon us ; for thou hast dealt most truly, but we have done wickedly. ]Drj? -|^2Db -1SD2 n!2T • Q^'^)12 nt:?v -j^25b 1DW2 na : s*7V nriN mb22m n'nnD2n bD sbn ♦ D^pn^ 56 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. O ! what shall we say in thy presence, O thou who dwelleth above the universe ? Or, what shall we declare unto thee, who resideth above the skies ? Knowest thou not all the secret things, as well as the revealed ? nns :^n b3 ^-idd niaibrm 'Dbir m riv rtn^ rhv^ -Q-r ]"•« : dh^ nvbD imni • ^tan >-nn ba w^^n ^^ 7^35b^ ]i!r-) ^n^ 7221 : T3'37 "f23D -irroa 7''Si • la^ • "iD^nst^n bs by lib nbona? • la^mns Nibsi iD'^nbM : "irrtt^s bD by iDb -iDsm ♦ i^^m^iy bD by i3b binnni Thou knowest all the secrets of the world, and the most hidden transactions of all living. Thou searchest all the inward parts, and examinest the reins and the heart ; so that there is nothing concealed from thee, neither is there anything hidden from thy sight. O may it then be acceptable in thy presence, O Eternal, our God ! and the God of our fathers, to pardon all our sins, and forgive all our iniquities, and grant us remission for all our transgressions. "\DSt:)n2? sran byi *7i2"im D21S3 T^sb lasrantt? Krsn by •nbn v""'^'^'^ I'^^sb lasrantE^ sran by*i nvi ^bn2 *7>2Db tsstana? stan by ♦ CTID27 '•ii2nn "["'asb I3s:2n27 stsn byi nv-iy ^iban "i^acb lastana? sisn by ♦ -inDsi ^ib:3 -[^3Qb ■i2SC2nt:7 Stan byi njsnani nyin T^sb lastana? s::n by * no -Tism T-2b issranir Stan byi yi ns2inn T^sb lastantt? sran by ♦ nbn rnmnn ^^23b i2NDnu? sr:n byi mar m^yin T^sb lasrana; sran by • ns >m3 T^-^ st:n byi D^-nxsi nmn bitbtn T^sb lasianc? stan by * ♦ mai:?^') piTn "i^asb lasrantz? T33b iD«tDntt7 Stan byi i"' pTinn i^acb lastinc? sran by ♦ nwn bibna iDSianc? sran byi wnzw ns!:isn T^sb lasiantt? stan by ♦ns nitt?Dian T^sb "lasrantt? Stan hv^ yin -)!J^3 -['•asb lascanti? sian by : n^yiv sbm D^yivn T^^b . SERVICE FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. DY ■1D3 ODb bn!2 oib nbo Tiin^bD mbw nbs br'j *n2b For the sin whicli we have committed against thee, either by com- pulsion or vohmtarily, and for the sin which we iiave committed against thee with a stubborn heart. For the sin which wc have committed against thee out of igno- rance, and for the sin which we have committed against thee with the utterance of our lips. For the sin which we have committed against thee with incestuous lewdness, and for the sin which we have committed against thee either publicly or secretly. For the sin which we have committed against thee with deliberate deceit, and for the sin which we have committed against thee witli speech of the mouth. For the sin whicii we have committed against thee by oppressing our neighbour, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by the evil cogitation of the heart. For the sin which we have committed against thee by assembling to commit fornication, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by acknowledging our sin with our mouth (but do not repent in our heart). For the sin which we have committed against thee by despising our parents and teachers, and for the sin which we have committed against thee, either presumptuously or ignorantly. For the sin which we have committed against thee with violence, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by profanation of thy name. For the sin which we have committed against thee with defiled lips, and for the sin which we have committed against thee with foolish expressions. For the sin which we have committed against thee either know- ingly or without deliberation. Yet, for all of them, O God of forgiveness ! forgive us, pardon us, and grant us remission. iDS!Dnc7 sran bn ^TDni irnaa T^sb i^st^na? sran bi? • -rmtz? n533 T^sb 1^22b i:st2ntt7 Stan bvi p!5bn i^ssb lasisn^; stan bi^ . "SJin iiDbn i2Kt3n27 stin b!?") ]nnn"i SE?x2n i''3C!d lasrana? wton br • nrm7a3T b3SD2 -f^Dsb iDsssna? Stan \'3^ n^2iQ2"i itt7D3 i^asb "i^srsna? sran bi? • HD bi:223 T32b lasian^? sran bn irninstt? n^tt^n "I^acb lisi^na? S!:n b^? • r^ TlpD3 -T'=2b ■ D 3 0» THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. • 13b IDS • "12b bna ' 13b nbo ♦ nin^bo nib« nbD b3?i For the sin which we have committed against thee by denying and lying, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by taking or giving a bribe. For the sin which we have committed against thee by scoffing, and by the sin which we have committed against thee by calumny. For the sin which we have committed against thee in traffic, and for the sin which we have committed against thee in meat and drink. For the sin which we have committed against thee by extortion and usury, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by immodest discourse. And for the sin which we have committed against thee by chatter- ing, and for the sin which we have committed against thee with the twinkling of our eyes. For the sin which we have committed against thee with haughty looks, and for the sin which we have committed against thee with shamelessness. Yet for all them, O God of forgiveness ! forgive us, pardon us, and grant us remission. iDSt^nu? s::!n b3:i h^v n,T"i22 T^^b i3st:nt:; stan bv . nib^bsn -f"<3Db irst^niy S'j:n biJi !J>"i n^"T!>n T^sb lasting? s::n bv . i^v mn^jn i^35b isstant:? wt^n b's^ ii?s-i mbp2 T^sb 'i3St:!nti7 sran bi? • ?i-ny nvtrpn -j^isb atin bi?i mnb c>b3-i n^nn T^sb lasKina? st:in bv • (bDn2 S"3^ mVD-a 1''32b 13St2ntt7 i3s:int2? st^n bn sik? nnnti?^ i^3Db I3sr2ntt7 s^n b^ • n3n ns3tt72 T^^b i3St3n^7 ston bv) t n^sia^ns "T^ssb issrsnti? sisn bv . nb ^"incnn -i^32b :13b iCD ■ 13b bn!3 ' 13b nbo " mn-'bD nibs cbD bn For the sin which we have committed against thee by shaking off the yoke of thy law, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by litigiousness. For the sin which we have committed against thee by treachery to our neighbour, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by envy. SERVICE i^OR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. 59 For the sin which we have committed against thee by levity, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by our stubbornness. For the sin which we have committed against thee by running swiftly to do evil, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by tale-bearing. For the sin which we have committed against thee by false swear- ing, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by cause- less enmity. For the sin which we have committed against thee by embez- zlement, and for the sin which we have committed against thee by extacy. Yet for all them, O God of forgiveness ! forgive us, pardon us, and grant us remission. : nsion . nn^bi? n^n'^n idsk? n^ston b2?i : TiV"i nbir ]2np . nn'hv c^n^n 13KD D^stiin bv'\ : D^sjmN mpba . nn^bi? D>n>n "i2Stt^ D^sran b2?T : WT^w "^T^n nn'>72 . cn^'bi? w^nTi i^sa; □"^stcin bv) : (n'^nri) m3 . cn^bi? D>n"^n i^str n-^stan bv) Also for the sins for which we were obliged to bring a burnt- offering. And for the sins for whicli we were obliged to bring a sin- offering. And for the sins for which we were obliged to bring an offering according to our ability. And for the sins for which we were obliged to bring a trespass- offering for either a certain or a doubtful sin. And for the sins for which we were obliged to suffer the stripes of contumacy. And for the sins for which we were obliged to suffer flagellation. And for the sins for which we have incurred the penalty of death by the hand of God. And for the sins for which we have incurred the penalty of extir- pation and being cliildless. : 1^1 n>n mn>a r^-is ♦ nn^b^? n^n^n lasa? n^sian bri m!in bv^ • nwv nr2i2 bv ♦ p3m ♦ 3-nn ♦ ns^ntz? nb^-D 'nwv Dip nn ]>wc? ^m ♦ nwv mp nn w>m ]^2 ♦ nwvn sb 13b □"'ibna? ns ♦ lab n^iba ci^stt? nsi • 13b n^ih^iD ns □•^ib: D3^stt7 nsi > nn^bv ib i^^nm * -f^3Db Qi3n»« -122 »b mnD2n ♦ -i^ssdi:? nms ♦ c^i?*!!"^! □"'ib^ nn -j^^sb • i:b b3 nw nwvb ' db^v iv i3^3nbi i^b nb^Dm • i:\-ibs GO THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. ]bnaT • bs-itr^b ^nbo nns "'D : riKm n-nnn "^-qt bma -fba i^b ^H in ^^^^i ' "'"'"'i "^"n ^^^ V^^^ ^tsntob : (nns sbs) nbiDi And for the sins for which we have incurred the penalty of the four kinds of death formerly inflicted by our tribunal of justice, viz., stoning, burning, beheading, and strangling ; for transgressing affirmative precepts or negative precepts, whether an action be appropriated thereto or not, as well as those which are known unto us as those which are unknown unto us. As for those which are known unto us, we have already made confession of them before thee, O Lord our God, and the God of our fathers. And those which are unknown unto us are known and evident before thee, O Eternal, our God ! but the revealed things belong unto us and our posterity for ever to perform all the words of this law ; for thou art the pardoner of Israel, and who granteth remission of sins unto the tribes of Jeshurim in all ages, and besides thee there is none to whom we appeal for pardon and forgiveness. ''3'^in ♦ "^nn-'ris niaim bp ♦ "^"^nn "-as n^v * ''nn':f^2 sb ^nbs >"• i>3Dba p!jn >n^ : nabsT T^w^^ wbn ^bsD -f^:Db l^:?:b \nsKinjr nm • i^v srans wbtr? ♦ \"n2S "^nbsi Dmo^ ■'T bv sb bns D^mn • TDmn (pia s"3) pim^ : wv'n c^bni O, my God ! before I was formed I was unworthy; and now that I have been formed, am as though I had not been formed : dust I am in my lifetime, how much more at my decease ! Behold, / stand before thee as a vessel full of shame and confusion. O, may it be acceptable in thy presence, O Eternal, my God ! and the God of my fathers, to assist me that I sin no more; and the sins which I have already committed against thee, blot out through thy mercy, but not by chastisement and malignant sickness. The following contains an enumeration of the grounds on which Rabbinism teaches its followers to rest their hopes for the forgiveness of their sins : — na7!7 ^^ : latt? s-ip2 132 : ^qk? ;i3n bs : "rctt? nin-i bs Tn^-Q irxib nws : inas ]27ab r^wa : "tcu? ]3?ab 7rab iiwa : im ^y^ab nws : "[msDm fbi: ]3?X3b r\wa ]!?nb rwDS : -j^dt pab na^v : -f-nr^i ]i>r2b ryvs^ : •7^^^ ]y72b ntt?37 : '^'\^-n'^ '{sizh na^v : "721:2 pab riwa : "jion ntz^y : imDbn pab T^w^ : -f-riisb pnb ntcr : itqs SERVICE FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. 61 nwv :-jt57 ivah nwv :tiid ]5?ab nti?v :-[n!J3 ivi^b ]i?nb nt27r : inrs::? ivdh r\wv : n^^in-fcm ivab nwv ivdb nwv : isr ''^^it:? T^nms ^rab nt27V : inbnn jiwv : pnsT sti'a ]57J3b nir'v : npi?"^") v^)^" onins nti?57 : iu?"rp i^v n^btt^n^ irab nt:?!: : nabtri tit pab ntt?37 : -[b^^n mximti? pxsb na?!? : *7TinD ptt^a 1V!J pab : ]3"i n^n ba; mpiaTi ]5?ttb nw^ : inDta mo'^-in ;rnb uw hv c^2i-)n ^^ab ntijv : -jidk^h -i^ni? m ]37Db r^wv E7Wn ^s:3 irab na?^ : -fnn> b^? □"^mnia pab nwv : 1tt?^p : iNton sbtf □"'"^7 ''pav ^mb n^^i; : "laa? E^np by □"a^n n"^a")n^ pnb na^y) : 127^75 vhw nbn *'bi)2:i ]3?ttb rm727 "722?nb nK737 : i^arnb sb ds -f^mb nu727 (: maxsbsi Most merciful God is thy name ! most gracious God is tliy name ! we are also called by thy name. As Lord grant our request for thy name's sake. Grant it for the sake of thy truth. Grant it for the sake of thy covenant. Grant it for the sake of thy greatness and grandeur. Grant it for the sake of thy law. Grant it for the sake of thy glory. Grant it for the sake of thy promise. Grant it for the sake of thy memorial. Grant it for the sake of thy benignity. Grant it for the sake of thy goodness. Grant it for the sake of thy unity. Grant it for the sake of thy honour. Grant it for the sake of thy doctrine. Grant it for the sake of thy kingdom. Grant it for tlie sake of thine eternal existence. Grant it for the sake of thy decree. Grant it for the sake of thy mighty power. Grant it for the sake of thy excellence. Grant it for the sake of thy righteousness. Grant it for the sake of thy holiness. Grant it for the sake of thine abundant mercy. Grant it for the sake of thy Divine presence. Grant it for the sake of thy praise. Grant it for the sake of favourites who rest in the dust. Grant it for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, (irant it for the sake of Moses and Aaron. Grant it for the sake of David and Solomon. Grant it for the sake of Jerusalem, thy holy city. Grant it for the sake of Zion, the residence of thy glory. Grant it in compassion of the desolation of thy temple. Grant it in compassion of the destruction of thine altar. Grant it for the sake of the young children at school. Grant it for the sake of the blood of thy servants which hath been shed. Grant it for the sake of those who were slain for thy holy name. Grant it for the sake of those who were slaughtered for main- taining thy unity. (Jrant it for the sake of tliose who met the tortures of fire and water, for the sanctification of thy name. Grant it for the sake of those who suck at the breast, who have not sinned. 62 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Grant it for the sake of those who are weaned from the truth, who have not transgressed. Grant it for the sake of orphans and widows. Grant it for thine own sake, if not for om-s. Grant it for thy sake, and save us. May the time speedily arrive when Israel shall seek for mercy in the name and for the sake of Him who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Then shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. Thick, however, as is the darkness which overspread the minds of those who wrote the above, there are not wanting proofs in other parts of the services for the Day of Atone- ment, that some of those who compiled them had not alto- gether lost sight of the promises of mercy contained in the Old Testament. Beat!) of an ^gcti Egraelitc at J^ranfefurt^on^iies There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth ; but, alas ! we too often remain un- concerned and indifferent when we see a penitent successfully struggling with remaining unbelief, and the sad variety of enemies who oppose his progress. We too often excuse our- selves from taking any very lively interest in the change that is actually taking place before our eyes. Although there may be good reason to believe that the babe in Christ is gaining strength, we do not fail to remember that the ene- mies who have been once vanquished frequently return to the combat with renewed vigour ; and we do not rejoice over the believer, who has begun to confess his master, as we ought to do, because we yield to gloomy anticipations of fu- ture difficulties, and are too much disposed to anticipate a DEATH OF AN AGED ISRAELITE. 63 painful result, in those seasons of assault and temptation to which, as we know, every Christian is exposed. Tliis propensity to gloomy forebodings is peculiarly pre- valent when we are considering the case of our Jewish brethren. We cannot be long acquainted with many of them without perceiving some things which remind us that they are strangers in a strange land, banished from the land and home of their fathers, and have not enjoyed those ad- vantages in early life which can be obtained only by a Christian and regular education ; but how unjust and unkind, how unchristian and inhuman, ax*e those sad anticipations of future short-comings which we are too apt to calculate on ! "VYe seem to take credit for a certain kind oi prudence yf\\\ch, in the superabundance of the caution we exercise, has led us to form a very careful estimate of that which we suppose may reasonably be expected in any particular case which comes under our notice. But however prevalent and injurious all this prudent fore- sight, and doubting apprehension of future and contingent difficulty and discouragement, may be to the heart and feel- ings of the individual who indulges them, and to the ad- vancement of Israel's welfare at large, there are those of whom the most timid may speak witli confidence, of whom the most distrustful may think without any lingering suspi- cion. Those who rest in Jesus, who have finished their course, and, having witnessed a good confession, have been found faithful unto death, call for our unfeigned respect and unqualified esteem. The number of Jews who have embraced the faith of Christ at Frankfurt-on-the-Maine has hitherto been but limited. This cannot be wondered at, when we remember how awfully the Jews in that town have been excluded from Christian intercourse with their neighbours, until within the last few years. How could the Jews understand the nature of that message which our Saviour has commanded us to bring them, when regulations of police kept them literally 64 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. prisoners in their own confined and narrow street, during the celebration of public service in the Churches of Clmst. The Christian Sabbath dawned in vain on the Jew whose lot was cast in that town ; for the unkindly gates which fastened him within the straightened confines of his own quarter were left unbarred by those who could call themselves Christians, and still hasten to the house of prayer without compunction at leaving their unoffending brother in a confinement almost as narrow, and quite as inconvenient, as many of the prisons in which offenders against the laws of their country are con- fined as a punishment. These barbarous restrictions belong indeed to times past, but they still live in the memory of those who in their youth were personally subjected to them ; and more than one generation must pass, before the spirit and temper which they engendered and manifested shall have ceased to exert a most unfavourable influence on the minds of the inhabitants of Frankfurt. But in the midst of all there has been, there is, a remnant according to the election of grace. Li the " Jewish Intel- ligence" for 1839, page 168, the happy death of a Christian Israelite is mentioned, who was remarkable for his unaf- fected piety and sincere devotedness to the service of his Saviour. Another has just been added to the number of those who rest from their labours. Mr, Bergman departed this life, aged ninety, in the month of December last. He had been led in a very different path from the individual above referred to, who was a very active man, always engaged in some useful occupation, and always ready to confess Christ wherever he came, and he died on the evening of a day which had been spent in the service of the sanctuary ; it was but an hour or two from the time that he had returned from a religious Meeting, when he was called from this world. But Mr. Bergman had been incapable of all exertion for many years, owing to his advanced age and to the almost total loss of sight. He was formerly much respected as a DEATH OF AN AGED ISRAELITE. 65 teacher of Hebrew, and was supported by the kind assistance of Christian friends. His poverty Avas owing to his Chris- tianity ; for a rich brother would willingly liave given him a comfortable home, and have provided for him, if he would have renounced his Christian profession. It was most pain- fully interesting to visit the aged Israelite. He could scarcely distinguish between day and night, and his hearing was be- come imperfect, so that he could not recognise any one who visited him without considerable difficulty. He was most grateful to those Christian friends who visited him and read the Bible to him ; and although he could no longer read the Bible himself, he always had it carefully laid ready for any one who might call on him. When referring to the promises of God, he often seemed to become another man. His memory, which had become dim from age, and failed him on many points of ordinary occurrence, enabled him to join in repeating many portions of the sacred Word, and, as he often feelingly said, the statutes of the Lord were his "songs" in the house of his pilgrimage, and a "light" in the night season. As he drew towards his end he met with some severe struggles. A kind Christian lady who often visited him observes, " Satan w^as roaring to seize upon his prey, but He who is faithful and true kept him unto the end." He died " in peace," after having faithfully and constantly maintained a good profession for about twenty- five years. The greater part of the time had been passed in poverty and in painful privation of many of the comforts of life. Most of those around liim were not aware even of his existence ; the grave and the gay hurried past his dwelling, but tliey knew not that in his solitary chamber this aged and beUeving son of Abraham was waiting upon his God. The few who knew him esteemed it a privilege to be acquainted with him. 66 Jntcrbieb) ftcttocen a Otonbrrtftr ^cb) anti i^is J^at^er. We have often had occasion to refer to the great pain and distress which is felt by Jewish parents when their children publicly confess their faith in Jesus as the Saviour of the world. The bigoted Rabbinist has so long been accustomed to look upon his own nation as being in possession of great, pecuUar, and exclusive privileges, that he cannot imagine wh7j any member of Ms family should for a moment entertain the thought that any real blessing can possibly be obtained by joining any class or body of Gentiles whatever. He thinks that not only the land of Canaan, but the peculiar fa- vour of God is the especial inheritance of the sons of Abra- ham : and he cannot forgive that which he considers to be downright wickedness and folly, in every Jew who seeks for salvation and peace beyond the pale of the synagogue. He thinks that baptism is an insult to liis own people, and a mark of unqualified contempt for everything most dear to his own hopes and feelings. This misunderstanding is, indeed, most inexcusable. Nothing but the most wilful and persevering refusal to hear and learn concerning the truth as it is in Jesus, can lead to such a continuance in complete and deplorable error. For many ages, indeed, the Jews have lived in such complete ignorance of the New Testament, and their Rab- binical guides have been so determined in their opposi- tion to its humbling doctrines, and have clung so closely to that self-righteousness which it directly condemns, that it is not easy for an aged father, who has spent a long life in careful compliance with the laws which have been taught him by corrupted tradition, to understand that Chris- tianity should show how the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, do indeed, in all their rich fulness of blessing, still belong to his people ; and that these privi- INTERVIEW OF A CONVERTED JEW WITH HIS FATHER. 67 leges are not done away by Christ, but realized and con- firmed in hini, and in him alone. Tlie aged mother in Israel thinks that there cannot be any just or proper reason why her beloved son should bow the knee, and worship one whom she has been taught to despise ; and as long as there is this obstinate refusal to inquire and to understand on the one side, much unnecessary pain and distress must be expected and endured. The thoughtless may, indeed, at first sight be almost incUned to blame those who, by teaching the truth, have caused so much emotion, so much excitement, where formerly superstition and un- belief held undisturbed dominion. But if we look to tlie history of the servants of God in ancient times, Ave shall see that the same afflictions befel those prophets and patriarchs of whom the world was not worthy, and who sought a better country. They also were content to be reviled and misun- derstood. The patriarch left his home and his kindred that he might obey the call and inherit the promise of his God ; and the prophet continued f\iithfully to deliver his message, un- moved by the horrors of the prison, the pit, and the dungeon. Thus, then, error and human traditions pave the way for sor- row and suffering ; and whenever an individual, by the grace of God, escapes from their sad dominion, the enemy does not yield up his prey without a struggle. And when the penitent soul has been brought to taste the glorious liberty of the cliildi-en of God, we cannot wonder if those around should be involved in the same difficulties, and many of the dearest relatives should find it a hard task to reconcile their love for accustomed long-cherished error with the burstings of natural affections. An occasional gleam of light will break in upon them, and make it no easy matter to persevei-e in their self- righteous system of unnatural exclusiveness. They can no longer effectually conceal from tliemselves the truth, that those whom they formerly loved as Jews have in no degree ceased to have a just claim to their warmest affections, be- cause, instead of being content with the name of a Jew, they 68 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. have sought to become Jews in heart and life ; and, instead of resting in the circumcision which is in the flesh, they have begun to seek for that which is in the spirit, whose praise is not of men, but of God. Wliile this terrible conflict is going on, there is much that others may learn from it, who, in the gracious providence of God, have been spared such severe trials. We would not dwell with unnecessary minuteness on those painful scenes which take place, but we would magnify the grace of God, which is often shown in its blessed sufficiency in the weak- ness of those whom he thus calls to confess his name. We ought to learn, that nothing but this grace can lead the heart of erring man to understand the true nature of those deaden- ing forms of vain superstitions, which almost, if not alto- gether, stifle and destroy the effect of those glorious truths, which wei'e committed to those who have so far lost sight of them amidst the rubbish under which they have been almost buried. There is something very touching and instructive in the following narrative, which we find in the Third Annual Re- port of the Society of Friends of Israel at Bremerlehe, near Bremen. The circumstances which are here detailed have, on a for- mer occasion, been very briefly referred to in the pages of the " Jewish Intelligence ; " but as the account then given was very short, and extended to but very few particulars, we insert the following statement. The interview took place during the fair at Frankfurt-on- the-Oder, where Mr. Neander, the Agent of the Bremerlehe Society, himself a son of Abraham, met with our mission- aries, Mr. Bellson and Mr. Ilartmann. Mr. Neander reports as foUows : — July 11.— This evening I was informed that my father had ar- rived. Several Jews collected in front of our lodgings, but remained quiet. A Jew of my acquaintance requested me to visit my father, but I was to go quite alone, and without the knowledge of my friends. I mentioned, however, the matter to brother Bellson, who INTERVIE"\V OF A CONVERTED JEW WITH HIS FATHER. 69 dissuaded me from going there alone at niglit, as it might occasion a tumult among the Jews. I wrote accordingly a letter to my father, in which I briefly expressed my feelings, and asked whether he would not ])ermit me to bring a friend with me ; but I received no answer. July 12. — Mr. Bellson and myself went out to call on my father. We found the door of his room locked. We then went towards a street where we hoped to find the Jew I knew, above alluded to. 1 looked around, and my heart was moved on seeing my old father leaning against a house, and looking fixedly and mournfully at me. I trembled, and said to brother Bellson, " Look, there is my father!" My father changed his posture, and went towards the back of the house. 1 followed alone ; and as soon as he was aware of my pre- sence he stood still, supporting his feeble body on a chest. I took hold of his hand, and exclaimed, "Father!" He was silent: his look assumed more of tenderness. At last he said, " If your mother saw you now, it would be the death of her. P'rom the time of our receiving the distressing news, her eyes have seldom been without tears. Our outward circumstances are very good, but our heart is broken. Alas ! what a child we have lost in you ! " My heart sunk within me under a weight of sadness, and after a long interval of silence, I exclaimed nearly as follows : — " Oh, how painful it is to me to find you, my parents, incapable of comprehending that I have only now learnt to know and to love the true living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who is my Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer." He. Do not speak of this subject at this time and in this place, but listen to what I now command you. I will only devote one hour to private conversation with you. You may fix a time when you can come, but I will not go to your lodging. I dare not do so on account of my large family, many members of which are now here. Our meeting was fixed for five o'clock in the afternoon. I awaited the hour in prayer and supplication to the Lord. I entered his room : he locked the door. He looked very sad, but still there were traces of ])aternal love visible in his face. Having taken a seat at my side, I expressed my sorrow for his conduct towards me hitherto — that he considered me as a dead and lost son — but told him that, imdcr the weight of that distress, I found my consolation in the sure belief tluit God is my father. On this, my father asked why I had embraced the Christian faith ? /. Because in this faith I have life, ])eace, and true, eternal sal- vation. He. But what is your belief? Do you not believe in more than one God ? I now acquainted him with the principles of my faith, which was the faith of Abraham, David, and all the Patriarchs of the Old Testa- ment. Tiu; Lord enabled me to do it with cheerfulness. Blessed be his holy name ! After I had been speaking about ten minutes, he seemed to sink 70 THE JEAVS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. into a deep reverie ; we were both silent for a while, and I looked up to Him who is great and mighty. At last he spoke in an impressive and earnest manner : " The Hebrew letter you sent me fifteen months ago, and which I still pre- serve, continues to be a marvel to me. I showed it also to Rabbi I , in S . But, besides us and your mother, your letter has not been read by any one. You quote so many beautiful Scripture passages, and assure us that you believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." /. Oh, father ! If you only became acquainted with some dear pious Christians, you would learn to your astonishment that such are indeed children of God. These souls have a very great love for our Thorah, and are also children of Abraham. I then communicated to him something of my own experience, which appeared very remarkable to him. I cannot describe my feelings on sitting thus close to my old dear father, and I exclaimed, " Tell me, father, do you hate me ! Oh, tell me that neither your- self nor my mother will curse me any more ! ' ' He. We have been very much irritated against you ; and if, two years ago, you had come near me, I could have stabbed you in cold blood; but I console myself with thinking that there are more parents who must make the same experience : and after all you remain our child, and our heart is moved whenever we think of you. But your mother must not yet see you without having been prepared for it; she would not be able to bear the sight of you : but write frequently, and I will then also answer your letters. I could have exclaimed Hallelujah. This was more than I had expected. Somebody knocked ; my father went and opened the door, and some Jews of his acquaintance entered. They remained silent, but looked at me with astonishment. I was much agitated. I therefore asked my father's leave to visit him again, to which he answered in a kind tone, " Yes ;" and I left the room with praise and thanks. July 13. — After having preached the Gospel to several descend- ants of Abraham I went to my father. There were some other Jews present, and my father was busy packing goods which he had bought. On my saluting him, he shook hands with me, and sighed, but did not speak. I asked whether I should leave, as he was so much occupied ; to which he replied, " If you have nothing particular to do, you may as well remain here, I shall soon have done." I then assisted him in packing, and noted down several things for him. This business having been finished, he sat down to supper, and began to speak with me of the wisdom of the rabbles. He then asked me why I did not believe in those things? And on my dis- cussing the subject with him, and drawing his attention to the doc- trines of the Scriptures, both the Old and New, in their holiness and heavenly wisdom, he did not speak for some time, until at last he exclaimed, " I cannot comprehend your faith." Our conversation then turned on sundry family matters, and he soon began again to lament the heavy blow my conversion had caused DR. FRANKEL AND TUE jnSSIONARIES IN PRUSSIA. 71 my familj', &c. &c, I expressed my soitow at their grief, but felt they had no cause for it, it being my full conviction that I shall be saved through the grace and tender mercy of God, as manifested in the atoning death of the Messiah our Redeemer. While he now sat in deep meditation, leaning his head on his hand, the Jews present began inveighing against me with much bitterness and blasphemy. My father then rose, took my hand, and said, " Come, let us speak a few words with eacli other alone." I followed him to a large open space at the back of the house. When there, he took my hand, and said with great emotion, "Marc! — for I will still call you by that name, — Marc! I had taken the resolution never to see you any more. Myself and your mother said in public, ' We have no son more called Marc — he is dead.' But I cannot repress the feelings of my heart; for, though deeply wounded, it still tells me you are my child ; and, believe me, 1 cannot bear to hear you scoffed at. I now tell you that our heart still clings to you, our first-born son, who has cost us so much. Go, therefore, now and come again to-morrow evening, that we may take leave of each other ; but give me a letter to take with me to your mother, and say only that you believe in the God of our fathers." He ceased, and his eyes filled with tears. I could have sunk down, I was so agitated. I could only exclaim, " Father ! my father ! " and fell into his arms. At last he began again in a low voice, " But tell me candidly, are you really contented, and do you feel happy in your faith ? I know that I cannot induce you to become a Jew again. If that were pos- sible, my letter and my paternal promises would have effected it two years and a-half ago." I again declared to him my happiness in Christ Jesus our Lord, and we then parted cheerfully. The 14th, in the afternoon, I met my father alone. He took the letters for my relations. He was very much occupied, and seemed rather reserved. I felt very much depressed. After some conver- sation we embraced each other, and parted with tears. My last words to him were, " I will remember you, dear father, before the throne of God! " When the Missionaries of the London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews first Avent to Germany and Poland, considerable curiosity was excited by the appearance of visitors who were so entirely unexpected. Many listened 72 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. indeed with earnest attention to the message which was de- livered, and the word spoken was not in vain. Some have since departed this life in the faith of Christ, having hope in him of whom they then heard for the first time ; and many are now living as consistent members of the Church of Clu'ist, who thankfully remember the inestimable blessing which they received through the instrumentality of those who went forth on what then appeared to many a strange errand. As time passed on, and missionary efforts became more generally known, there were not wanting those who rejected the message that was brought to them, and affected to speak of the endeavour to spread the Gospel of Jesus among the descendants of Abraham with contempt. Such persons pre- tended to consider the missionaries as a set of simple-minded if not really silly men ; they predicted that their attempt would soon be forgotten, and maintained that it was only necessary to treat them and their work with neglect and ridicule in ox'der to consign the whole to oblivion. As, however, it was found that the number of converts was increasing, and that the effort was hkely to be a permanent one, many very unkind and very unjust remarks began to be made concerning the character of those Jews who had been led to join the Christian Church. It was said, by the hostile party, that they were but few in number, and that those few had invariably been actuated by interested motives. Thus the whole matter was still made to appear inconsiderable and despicable, and many of the enemies to missionary labour seemed to comfort themselves in the hope that the main body of the Jews would remain uninfluenced by the change that had taken place in a few instances. This mode of speaking of the matter is now found to be untenable arid useless. It cannot be denied, the fact cannot possibly be concealed, that the number of converts has been very considerable. In Prussia, for instance, it is hardly possible to meet with a Jew, who has not some relative or DR. FRANKEL AND THE mSSIONARIES IN PRUSSIA. 73 some intimate friend, who is now become a member of a Christian congregation. The respectability also of these Jewish believers in Christ is in every respect beyond ques- tion. It is impossible, in many cases, for the greatest in- genuity to suggest any worldly motive for the change that has taken place in the religious views of the individual, who is deservedly regarded with affection and esteem by a large circle of neighbours and kindred. Calumny itself is weary of trying to point out an unworthy motive for a change which has obviously led to much that is good and excellent. Had the change originated in selfish or worldly views, it could not have been followed by the good fruits, which abound in the lives and conduct of many against Avhom the enemies themselves can bring no charge. One thing, however, remains to be done, and that is, to throw suspicion upon the motives of the missionaries, and the manner in which they endeavour to accomplish the great object which they have in view. If they are not all simpletons, if they do not always fail, if it be inconvenient or imjiossible to attach a stigma to the motives of the con- verts, it is still easy to speak disparagingly of the men who have been the instruments in carrying on the woi'k ; and it must naturally be expected, that the expressions of enmity and dislike will increase in irequency and intensity, as in- creasing success is found to attend the efforts made. Some time since, it was proposed that Dr. Frankel, of Dresden, should be appointed Chief Rabbi at Berlin. He thought proper to address a letter on the occasion to the Prussian ^Minister of State for spiritual affairs, which was dated February 6, 1843, and has since been made public in the " Orient," for June 6. He first alludes to certain civil rights and privileges, to which he lays claim on behalf of the Jews in Prussia. No doubt many of the more respectable members of the Jewisli community have already intimated to him their disapproba- tion of the tone and manner in which he speaks on this E 74 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. subject. He then goes on to complain of the state of the synagogues, but has not the candour to allude to the system of Rabbinism, as the real cause of most of the abuses which have prevailed in the religious observances of the Jews. After many hard words on these subjects, he notices the labours of the missionaries in terms equally violent and uncalled for. He says that the missionaries destroy the peace and harmony of families, and he calls their proceedings " das Geicehe des Truges und der Verfiihrung," (a tissue of im- posture and seduction,) and accuses them of using " Kunste der Liige und der Tauschung und der Vorspiegelung " (arts of lying deceit and illusion ) ; at the same time insinuating that the missionaries themselves do not deserve respect and confidence, by saying, " Welchen Hdnden ist oft das Missions Wesen anvertraiitV (Who are the persons to whose hands the missionary work is often intrusted ? ) But what remedy does the learned Doctor propose ? He says — • " Der Wahrheil soil ihr Redd werden, und sie soil helcunden, wie unvereinhar jene Bekehritngsversuche mit deni eigentlic/ien Wesen der ReUgio7i seien ; ich loerde aber auch nicht ermuden von der Kaiizel und in andern Vortrdgen, in offenilicher und Privatunterredung, meine Gemeinde zu warnen, zu belehren, zu ermaJinen, wie sie vor der Hire Ruhe bedrohenden Bekehrungssuchl sich hiile. (The truth shall be heard, and shall testify of the impossibility of reconciling those attempts at conversion with true religion ; but I shall also not cease to warn, to teach, and to exhort my community from the pulpit, in lectures and in conversation, in public and in private, how to guard against the conversion-mania which threatens its repose.)" Now, we cannot forbear asking, Why has not Dr. F. long ago commenced his exhortations and expostulations ? It is absurd and ridiculous to talk about what he wishes, or what he intends to do, when it is his own fault that he has not already long ago exposed the pretended weakness of the arguments, at the success of which he is so angry ? Why has he not before this preached on the subject, and warned the Jews against the danger to which they are exposed, if he has really any inclination to preach and teach a better way BR. FRANKEL AND THE MISSIONARIES IN PRUSSIA. 75 But the truth is, he is angry, his wrath has been stirred ; and although he knows that lie has no ground for his abuse ; although he knows that the missionaries are most anxious to have the matter fairly, fully, freely, and openly discussed ; although he knows that he has no real charge to bring against them, no reason to complain of the arguments they use, he is determined to load them with invective ; and while he talks of warning and instructing, he really wishes to threaten and alarm those who are now inquiring into the truth. He knows that the doctrines of Christianity are daily gaining ground in the convictions that prevail more and more among the Jews, in Prussia as well as other countries ; and thus, although this very letter to the IVIinister of State, which has been printed and is freely cir- culated, is a sufficient proof that full scope is given for the spread of every calumny, and the repetition of every false- hood, to the intended disparagement of the missionaries, he pretends to ask for more liberty of speech, while he has ab'eady done his worst, in expressing his unjustifiable sus- picions and his unwarranted dislike of men, whose only object it is to proclaim that truth which Dr. Frankel, like so many other adherents of the Rabbinical system, has kept back from his hearers. But however futile and useless, as to any good purpose, all his noisy declamation may be, Dr. F. knows that it is not merely idle talk. He cannot produce any facts to justify his accusations ; he cannot give any reason for wishing for greater freedom of discussion ; he cannot even suggest means by which anything can be done to secure to him and others, liberty to express their sentiments more fully and freely than he now enjoys, but he knows that tliere are some among the Jews who, in the bigotry of their blind attach- ment to Rabbinic superstitions, will not be content as he is with empty declamation. We have recently heard, on the best authority, of different persons who 'have been publicly flogged in the synagogue, in order to prevent their having 76 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. intercourse with the missionaries ; and another case has also come to our knowledj^e, in which close confinement has been resorted to, as a means for restraining a believer in Christ of Jewish descent, from professing that faith which she had most heartily emijraced. There is, however, one source of consolation amidst all this talkative and active opposition to missionary labour. The conviction evidently gains ground among all parties, that this is the time to be up and doing. A great impres- sion has been made ; it is not the fault of the missionaries, that their endeavours to speak the truth in love, have been misunderstood and misrepresented ; and the result must inevitably be, that the more attention is paid to the subject, the more will superstition and Infidelity be banished, and if some will gainsay, even the wrath of man shall praise the Lord. ^IjC ^i)Xtt i^OgfS, " Thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." Such was the solemn injunction which Moses was commanded to address to the children of Israel, such the eternal law by which frail man is bound to obey the command of his God, without daring to attempt to increase or lessen that which has most assuredly been given to us in such a form as infinite wisdom knew to be best for us. If we attempt to add to the law of God, we do, in fact, diminish from it. It is not possi- ble even to attempt the unholy mixture of human injunction and Divine direction without polluting the mind and de- grading the heart. The understanding suffers as it is engaged in the sad endeavour to amalgamate that which is entirely and totally distinct and different. The feelings and THE THREE MOSES. 77 tlie affections of the heart are debased when the allegiance which is due to the Lord of liosts is offered to the fond in- ventions of erring man. " If the Lord be God, serve him ; if Baal, serve him," is an exhortation which may well be addressed to every one who has dared to trifle with the undi- vided respect which he ought to pay to the Word of God. The effects of this attempt to unite the word of man with the Word of God, are most clearly seen in the deplorable confusion of ideas which prevails in the mind of the mistaken admirers of man's wisdom, and the insensibility it produces to the transcendant importance of that Divine inspiration, which alone could qualify the prophets to declare eternal truth. The Word of God is simple, entire, and consistent with itself ; but if we are once drawn aside, and led to look to human teaching as our guide, every step we take increases the perplexity and the uncertainty which pi'evail in the dis- ordered mind, until at length, although there may be much fear, and reverence, and awe, there is no light, no comfort, no solid hope. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ; but if we fear the Lord and fear man also, the lat- ter will bring us into such a snare (Prov. xxix. 25), that unless God, by his blessed Spirit and special mercy, speedily prevent, we shall find that the opportunity for obtaining that true wisdom, which is of more wortli than thousands of gold and silver, is lost, and lost for ever. We have a striking proof of this debasing influence exer- cised by Rabbinic superstition, in an article entitled " The Three Moses," which is taken from the " Occident," an American Jewish periodical, for April, 1 843 : — When Providence creates men wlio are destined to lead nations to order and hap])incss, it seems to impart to these sons of genius ;i portion of its foreknowledge. This axiom of a great historian* ap- plies itself to tln-ee eminent men in Israel, all bearing the name of Moses, who have shone at the head of the sons of Jacob like the colmnn of fire which guided them in tlie desert. Moses, tlie son of Amram, condemned to death from his very birth, found at the horders of the Nile, and educated by charity, was chosen by the Lord as the instrument of revealing his holy law. * Beugnot, Juif's d'Occident. /8 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Nursed under the shadow of the throne of the Pharaohs, it is he who first inspired his brothers with the first ideas of independence ; he broke their fetters, and for forty years he subdued their undisciplined mass ; he put on the trij)le crown of a prophet, a warrior, and a le- gislator ; and four thousand years have passed over his grave without weakeriing the rays of his immortal glory as prophet, as warrior, and as legislator. Moses Ben Maimon (surnamed M aimonides) was born in the year 1139, when the splendour of Jerusalem was nothing but an object of memory, and when Israel, scattered over the surface of the globe, sought in the skies for the polar star which was to rally its proscribed families. It was at Cordova that he first saw the light, under the name of Moussa Ibn Maimon, and his first steps in the career of science were there first directed by the Arabian philosopher Aver- roes. * At twenty years of age his great knowledge, his sublime eloquence, and his thoughts, equally new as bold, caused him to be considered as a dangerous man ; and not deeming himself any longer safe in his own native land, he fled into Egypt, where he carried on, in order to procure a living, a trade in precious stones. But his im- mense knowledge could not leave him long in a humble situation : the Government of Egypt took him soon as its counsellor ; then he became physician to the court. It was at that time he published diflferent works, among others his commentary on the Mishna. Under the regent Saladin he worked ten years on his notes to the Talmud, which appeared in fourteen volumes, under the title of " Yad Hachasaka." This is the most remarkable commentary extant on the immense Encyclopedia of the Talmud ; wise observa- tion, soimd judgment, and a true impartiality, do as yet stamp this learned work as one of great value. At length, besides several works on medicine and philosophy, Moses Maimon, whom the rab- bins designate by the name of Rambam, published a philosophical summary, under the title of '' The Guide of those who are gone astray" (More Nevochim), a work of the deepest interest, which is yet at this day the object of admiration to the learned, although his works were exposed to the persecution of the envious and mystifiers of his time, because this twofold plague was never wanting at any period of literature. He lived tranquilly at Cairo, beloved and esteemed as a man, as a scholar, and as a physician ; his wealth be- came the patrimony of the unfortunate, and his leisure moments were devoted to the indigent sick, who flocked incessantly to his house. When he died, which was either in 1206 or 1208, his loss caused universal regret. His corpse, surrounded by a multitude in tears, was carried to Tiberias. The entire people of Israel were in affliction ; and the synagogues of Cairo and Alexandria placed the day of his death in the number of days of public mourning. Moses Mendelsohn was born in the year 1729 at Dessau, in the * This is denied by some authorities, as they place the rise of Aver- roos long after the glory of his reputed scholar had spread far and wide. — Editor of the " Occident." THE THREE MOSES. 79 Duchy of Aiihalt, in Germany. His father, having hut little wealth, could not make any sacrifice for his education. Young Mendelsohn had a taste for study, and when his teacher, David Friinkel, removed to Berlin, he followed him thither, and there, in familiar inter- course with the learned Aaron Gompertz, he acquired the desire and the power of arriving at scientific attainments ; hut he had to procure his living, and the hrilliant talents of Moses Mendelsohn were compelled to suhmit to the subordinate duties of book-keeping, and afterwards to the labours of an inspector of a silk factory. Not having the means of paying a teacher or of attending a regular course at the university, he undertook to accomplish his education himself; he saved, by living sparingly, sufficient to buy his first Latin books, and by dint of superhuman efforts, which injured his health, he became one of the most learned men of his time. Moses Mendelsohn possessed the finest talents of all modern Israelites ; and Germany is justly entitled to be honoured for count- ing him among the numbers of its writers of the first rank. This man, who instructed himself alone, has immortalized himself by an elegant and faithful translation of the Bible* into the national tongue, and by some works in which science and philosophy lavish their profoundest instruction. This simple clerk acquired for himself friends among all ranks, and admirers among all persuasions. The Israelites, above all, have vowed him a deep gratitude for the admirable lessons which he has left them, and the impulse which he has given to the great work of their emancipation. His contemporaries surrounded him with esteem and admiration ; and posterity, while ratifying this judgment, has joined thereto the expression of its thankfulness. These three men are the historical stakes, so to say, which mai-k in the best manner the passage of the Hebrew people through the vicissitudes of history. Moses, the son of Amram, announced an only God, who fills the world with his immeasurable power ; his moral system is that of all religions established since his time. 'I'he chronicle which he wrote has become the thread which guides the historian in the night of antiquity ; political science, agriculture, health, laws, the arts, and nearly every kind of useful knowledge, find some precious memorials in the Pentateuch. With what nobleness does he speak to Pharaoh ! with what force does he demonstrate to the Israelites the benefits of liberty ! with what wisdom does he govern, enlighten, and direct his people, which had been rendered torpid through slavery ! with what perseverance does he contend during forty years against rebel- lion, famine, and war ! Moses, the son of Maimon, gives to the lessons of the Pentateuch * A slight error, because Mendelsohn did not translate more than the five books of Moses, the Psalms, and the books of the Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, and Ecclesiastes. The other books of the Bible have been rendered into German by different persons since his death ; and the elucidation of the sacred writers by the countrymen of Mendel- sohn is continued to this day. — EuiToii of the " Occident." 80 THE JEAVS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. an interpretation winch is liberal, natnral, and strict. He establishes order and eoiniexion in the Talmudic laws, fixes the duties and rights of each man, sums up the foundation of religion in articles of faith, combats odious superstition, and places in bold relief what- ever of pure and elevated morality is contained in the precepts of Moses. Moses Mendelsohn, always correct and elegant at a time when these qualities should serve as a passport to truth, is, nevertheless, always full of strength and dignity. He occidentalizes, if we may use this term, the laws of the Pentateuch, and shows their relation to modern ideas : firm in his belief, and energetic in the expression of his pious sentiments, he is not the less so when it is necessary to contend against the abuses which have attached themselves to the Jewish law, and disfigure it like the rust which tarnishes the polished steel. Moses speaks to ignorant hearers ; and when he is not able to descend to their understanding, he surrounds himself with a religious obscurity, leaving to time the care of dissipating it. Maimon often fears clashing against the ideas of his readers, and it is in the form of an Arabian philosophy that he envelops his bold opinions. Mendelsohn speaks to enlightened but timid men, and his thoughts are dressed in brilliant colours, or suffer themselves to be looked for in the dreams of the metaphysician. The Israelites of Moses knew not yet the true law ; those of Maimon knew it badly, and those of Mendelsohn had already for- gotten it. Moses awakened a religious sense among a people debased by slavery ; Maimon regenerated the erudition of Israel, weakened by fanaticism ; Mendelsohn I'evived its spirit benumbed through in- difference. Moses excited the people by recalling back to their memory the past; Maimon animated them by painting the wants of the present; Mendelsohn touched them by calling up befoi-e them the future. In Moses, the legislator predominates ; in Maimon, the philoso- pher; and in Mendelsohn, the poet. Thus Moses menaces, Maimou counsels, Mendelsohn entreats. And all three, equally sublime in their ideas, equally noble in their expressions, have in view the same object — liberty ; and this by the same means — religion. Moses wrote the Pentateuch, Maimon commented on it, and Mendelsohn translated it. And all three springing from an obscure origin, reached the highest rank through means of labour and courage. Moses was a shepherd, Maimon was an humble meixhant, Mendelsohn was a poor book-keeper. And all three were exposed to the same persecutions. A people, yet half barbarous, revolted against Moses; a coalition of would-be learned men burnt the works of Maimon; and a vulgar crowd of ignorant fanatics poisoned the trium})hs of Mendelsohn. And all tliree hoped something better in a future life. Moses THE THREE MOSES. 81 scarcelj' dared to preach the consoling precept of the immortality of the soul ; Maimon took shelter under the shield of Plato ; and Men- delsohn took refuge under the wing of Ph;edon. And all three, as if to complete the parallel, died hefore having seen their works bearing fruit, before having seen tlie dream of their life realized ; none of them entered the promised land. Hut all three have claims to the gratitude of posterity. Some one has said, with good reason, that " from Moses to Moses, no other could have been compared to them." The learned, therefore, confound them in the same admiration; and witliout disturbing ourselves concerning the difierent periods and the difierent countries which saw the birth of the three Moses, all Israel claim them as tlieir own, science cites them among her fathers, philosophy places them among her elect, and humanity inscribes them among the number of her benefactoi"s. The writer seems then to be so lost to all just sense of the tx-anscendant importance of the mission of the great lawgiver of his nation, that he actually puts him on a level with those who wei'e never commissioned in any way to speak with autho- rity. And yet, notwithstanding these unworthy comparisons, the editor of the " Occident" tell us very gravely (page 33, of the very same mimber from which the above is taken), " We are honestly opposed to the notions of the ' Free Modern School.'" Who could be more free, i. e., strictly speaking, more Infidel, tlian Mendelsohn or Maimonides ? Mairaonides took care, when Avriting his great -work, the " Yad Hachasaka," to avoid every thing which might in any way shock the prejudices of the Jews, but in his " More Nevochim," he shows very sufficiently what manner of spirit he is of. His learning and intellectual powers were of the very highest order. He was fully equal to Aristotle or any other heathen sage ; but we have known too many instances in which young Jewish students, who have studied his "More Nevochim" with great attention, have been led into downright Infidelity by his bold speculations and vain philo- sophy, not to Avonder how any one Avho wishes to maintain the authority of Judaism as a revealed religion, can for a moment compare the prophet of the Lord with the vain phi- losopher. £ 3 82 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Maimonides and Mendelsohn may indeed be well com- pared together. Of the latter it has been well said — Mendelsohn's idea of reform was the disruption of Rabbinic fetters and philosophic liberty of thought. He was himself styled the Jewish philosopher, and his highest idea was to raise his country- men to the same standard. This was the natural consequence of the mode in which his mind was developed. Whilst a youth, the "More Nevochim" of Maimonides, the father of the Rationalists, was his favourite book. He thence imbibed his leading (and most detestable) principle, that no dogmatic truth is to be believed on the evidence of revelation, nor, in fact, upon any evidence, except that of abstract ratiocination. The study of the ancient Greek and the modern French philosophers, and familiar intercourse with Lessing, Abt, and Nicolai, completed his system. Outwardly he was a strict Rabbinical Jew, inwardly a Gentile philosopher. That he was the author of a great change, intellectual and civil, cannot be denied : that he was a reformer, may well be doubted. When a Protestant speaks of a religious reform, he involuntarily thinks of Elijah and other Jewish worthies, who boldly stood forward, determined to assert the truth, to bring their countrymen to the service and favour of God, or to perish in the attempt. The mention of religious reform recalls to our minds, at the very least, the heroes of the sixteenth century, who entered into the fearful struggle with all the pomp and power of Popery, and won for their fellow-men the free and full pos- session of the Word of God. Mendelsohn bears little or no re- semblance to the mighty men of his own people, nor those of the Christian Church. Though a Jew, he drank chiefly at Gentile sources. Luther, a Gentile, drew from the Jewish fountains of sal- vation. Mendelsohn endeavoured to tread in the steps of Aristotle and Plato. Luther was a follower of Moses and the prophets. Mendelsohn inspired his nation with a love of philosophy and polite literature. Luther kindled a flame of zeal and love for the truth of God's Word, Li a word, Mendelsohn communicated Gentile civi- lization, Luther preached the faith of Abraham. — Dr. AP Cauls *' Sketches of Judaism and the Jews," pp. 49, 50. These sad comparisons between the three Moses show the truth of our remai'ks. The Jewish writer may, indeed, have wished and hoped to establish the truth and authority of the Word of God, but having left off to follow the Lord fully, he has at length so far turned aside to vain jangling, that he has actually dared to speak of two uninspired, unauthorized, and unbelieving men, as if they were woi-thy of the same respect as he who was the chosen and highly-favoured ser- vant of the Most High. The Jews can never understand JEWISH ATTACHMENT TO SACRED LITERATURE. 83 their own religion until they come to see tlie difference be- tween the solemn and positive injunctions of God's eternal truth, and the dangerous speculations of all such vain phi- losophy as tliat taught by Maimonides and Mendelsohn, however splendid their talents and great their genius may have been. ^fb)is^ :attaffjmfnt to ^arrrti ILiteraturc unabatet 6p iJobcitg anti 5;uffcrtng. " Unto the Jews were committed the oracles of God," and they have not failed in faithfulness to the trust committed to them. They have not profited as they ought to have done by the precious deposit intrusted to their care, but they have not falsified, have not corrupted the sacred text. They have suffered their attention to be distracted by the traditions they have embraced ; they have foolishly en- deavoured to make a " fence for the law " (" Ethics of the Fathers," chap. I.), and that fence has awfully obstructed their view and prevented their distinct understanding of the law and the prophets ; but whilst this fence, composed as it was of strange and often noxious materials, has been a bar and a hindrance in their way, we can never sufliciently admire the strength of character and firmness of purpose, which has marked their history in all ages, and kept con- stantly alive in the nation a feeling of most decided, most devoted attachment to the letter of that Word which God intrusted to their guardianship. AVe find on every hand awful and abundant proofs that tlie Spirit alone giveth life ; without the Spirit the law can be but a ministration of condemnation, and the Jews, in their 84 TIIK JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. love for tlie command and letter of the law, have overlooked the promises and tlie hoi)es of redcni])tion which were most distinctly set forth in the institutions of tlie Mosaic economy, and declared by all the holy prophets. While, however, we mourn over this blindness which has happened unto them, we cannot but speak with respect and admiration of that attachment which they manifest to the memory of their fore- fathers and the truth taught in ancient times. They cherish with fondest affection the memorial of that loving-kindness which they do not understand ; and although they say with sorrow and with truth, " the glory is departed — our hope is lost," they have maintained and preserved faithfully the record of that mercy which shall be shown unto them in even fuller measure than it was displayed to their fathers. We have been led to these reflections by some remarks on this subject which occur in the " Orient " for October 10, in an article which speaks of the destitution and distress which prevail among the Jews in Poland. The writer had been referring to the recent ukase affecting the Jews who reside on the borders, and adds : — The Jewish population in Russia have no fields or acres, no herds or pastures, no regular or guaranteed source of employment in extensive factories, from which to derive a subsistence, — nothing but the most miserable retail and barter, the most restricted exercise of the common trades, and the alms of the few more opulent; they have grown up in nameless penury, glad if they can secure even the most precarious livelihood, and crowded together in narrow damp tenements, where even the air they breathe is almost denied them. For centuries they have been accustomed and taught, amid sorrow and oppression, misery and ignominy, to look for their consolation to eternity, to occupy themselves with the Divine law, the records of their faith, and other i-eligious -works, and to consider the object of their existence to be that pointed out to them in those words : " Thou shalt meditate therein day and night." Thus, no sooner has the child learnt to speak, than the instruction also commences, and he is soon compelled to spend the whole day in the public school-room, which bears tlie most evident maiks of the proprietor's poverty, and generally is deprived of everything that could make it a wholesome and cheerful abode for children. Nor does the college (Beth Hame- drash) ofKr a better accommodation for those adults who spend there the time they can save from their business or the hours of sleep. It must be acknowledged that these are not the most favour- POPULAR PREJUDICES AGAINST THE JEWS. 8o able circumstances for the development of bodily strength. But it ou2;]it not to be left unnoticed how thus, even among the poorest and lowliest, a dcairr after knoiclcihic is promoted, and /7'.sy;^'c/ for /aaniiiiff made a fundamental trait of ciiaracter, causing an ideal but ele- vating mental aspiration to be infused into every action (however degrading and humiliating it outwardly may be), which, under favourable circmnstances, if preserved from the mildew of innova- tions, as well as from the inroads of optimism, would present a germ from which would s])ring all that is best and most glorious, and above all, worthy of a better fate. We sliould feel some reluctance in quoting the following passage from the " Morning Post," if we were not assured that it will at once be evident to most of our readers, that as it abounds in exaggei'ation, it must have originated in mis- take and ignorance : — The Jews have been, from time immemorial, incarnations of the principle of usury; and wherever the principle of usury has been allowed scope, the rights of productive industry have been invariably trampled under foot. Let the history of modern Europe be care- fully examined, and it will be found that in direct proportion to the growing influence of the Jews, has been the abasement of the great mass of the labouring classes. Wherever the Jews flourish most, TUERE will be found to flourish, in the rankest luxuriance, the arts of usury, of money-jobbing, and extortion. Now we do not say that there are no Jews to be found who have been guilty of usury, we do not wish in any measure to conceal the fact, or extenuate the fault, as far as individuals are concerned, nor can we pretend to know exactly how many may have been involved in the guilt of tliat odious crime ; but "we do maintain that the above is anything but a just representation of that people considered as a nation. As, however, mere reasoning would avail nothing in 86 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. reply to such an accusation, however forcible our argument, however just our appeal might be; let us look at the facts of the case. Look to the Jews in London — and it must be remembered that London is not the most promising or most favourable place to lind the national character of the Jewish people fully developed. No Jew was permitted to reside in this country for 350 years. It was only at a comparatively recent date that they were allowed to take up their abode in our land. The Jews of London have therefore had but a short time to establish those institutions which assist so materially in forming the national character. How large a proportion of our churches, colleges, public schools, hospitals, &c., were built, founded, and endowed, at a time when no Jew dared settle among us. And yet, let us see what they have done : they have established no less than eight syna- gogues, two large hospitals, three lying-in institutions, six free-schools, (one of wliich contains 600 boys and 300 girls,) besides about a dozen societies for the education and clothing of children ; Jive societies for distributing bread, meat, coals, clothing, &c., to the poor ; and a host of other charities, such as almshouses, burial societies, loan societies, blind institu- tions, widow pension societies, societies for giving marriage portions to poor Jewish young women, for finding places for apprentices and servants, for visiting and relieving the sick, for the relief of the poor at festivals, for the assistance of aliens, &c., &c. — See "Jewish Intelligence," for July, 1841. If we visit the Continent we shall find the result still more favourable, as to the testimony borne by the numerous and extensive charitable institutions, established among the Jews. And what is perhaps still more to the purpose, as a reply to the false assertions of the article before us, we shall find, that the Jews are everywhere distinguished by their willingness- to assist in carrying out plans of benevolence formed for the aid of their Christian neighbours. We cannot understand how the principles of usury could by any POPULAR PREJUDICES AGAINST THE JEWS. 87 possibility have led to this wide-spread spirit of benevolence and charity. But let us not only look at those public institutions which bear such a decided testimony to the principles which prevail generally, let us look to individuals. We would recommend the writer of the above paragraph to visit the Jewish quarter in the neighbourhood of Houndsditch, on a Saturday morning ; and to observe the number of Jewish shops which are closed ; and to note the amount of pecuniary sacrifice which is cheerfully made in honour of the Sabbath, as kept by them. "UHiat a plain and undeniable proof, that, whatever we may think of their i-eligious opinions, there is a strength of character thus evident, which, to say the least, entitles the Jews to respect and admiration. Why do they voluntarily forego the advantages of commerce and trade, for so con- siderable a portion of their time ? On the Sunday the law of the land prevents their making good the loss they volun- tarily sustain by the observance of the Saturday, and yet without a murmur hundreds, or rather, we should say, thousands, in our own immediate neighbourhood, do thus give a practical demonstration every week, that they are not insensible to a religious obligation wliich they conceive to be binding. By what possible means could it come to pass that " incarnations of the principle of usury " should, of their own accord, give up for a considerable part of their time, all prospect, all possibility, of honest gain, to say nothing of the unjustifiable mode of seeking profit which they are accused of adopting. We do not now discuss the necessity for observing the Sabbath on Saturday, or keeping the great Jewish feasts which are so carefully observed by such numbers of our neighbours ; what we maintain is, that self-denial exercised to a large amount, from religious motives, can as little exist in the slaves of avarice, as benevo- lence and charity. A very few instances may, perhaps, be found, in which the hardened usurer, through fear of death and a judgment to come, has relaxed his grasp of wealth, 88 THE JEWS or the nineteenth century. and contributed largely to some object of mercy ; some few may, perhaps, exercise self-denial and charity from a regard to character, or from unworthy motives, and still be usurers and misers in their hearts ; but these are rare exceptions, and there is something in the manner of such men which shows that they are doing violence to their feelings, that the duty is a heavy burden, and that the gift is wrung from their souls. We lay no stress on a solitary and extraordinary act of kindness on the part of a dying man, be he Jew or Chris- tian ; we cannot hope much from any act of devotion per- formed under the impulse of sudden terror, by those who have long been accustomed to live to themselves, as if no eye saw them and no eternity awaited them : but while we deplore that leaning to tradition which hath caused Israel's gold to become dim, and mixed her wine with water, we cannot see the noble sons of the father of the faithful who abound in works of mercy, thus made the subjects of un- merited scor-n, without some expression of surprise and sorrow. If they are to be condemned as a nation, for worldly -mindedness, we say, "Let him that is without sin among you cast the first stone." The Jews have received the law of Moses, and have not been faithful to it ; they have departed from the simplicity and integrity of that truth which was committed to them ; and sad enough have the results been, for the nation at large as well as for individuals. Sent forth as strangers, they have been reminded at almost every step of their weary pil- grimage, that the only title they could possibly obtain to respect and esteem among the thoughtless multitudes around them, was to be found in the possession of wealth, the only part of this world's goods left to those who Avere debarred, in most countries, from the possession of every other kind of property, and the enjoyment arising from rank, honour, and station. No Avonder then that they clung to the only re- maining source by which they could obtain influence, and POPULAR PREJUDICES AGAINST THE JEWS. 89 secure to themselves that honour and those pleasures which man naturally desires and craves. Let us, before we accuse them of extraordinary baseness in craving after Avealtli, ask ourselves, what have we done by precept and example to show them the more excellent way ? A¥e often complain, and we complain justly, of the influ- ence exercised by the oral law ; but while we are duly alive to its faults, we must not overlook that in it which is really praisewortiiy. What do those who wantonly and unsparingly accuse the Jews, in the manner already alluded to, say to such passages as the following : — It is an afKrmative precept to give alms to the poor of Israel, according as tlie poor liave need, if in the power of the giver; for it is said, "Tliou sbalt open tliine liand wide unto him; " (l)eut. xv. 8 ;) and again, " Thou slialt reheve him, a proselyte * or a sojourner, that he may live with thee; " and again, "That thy brother may live with thee." (Levit. xxv. 35, 36.) Whosoever sees a poor man begging, and sliuts his eyes against him, and does not give him alms, transgresses a negative precept ; for it is said, " Thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother." (Deut. XV. 7.) Accordingly, as the poor hath need, thou art com- manded to give. If he has no clothing, he is to be clothed ; if he has no furniture, it is to be bought for him ; if he has no wife, he is to be helped to marry one : if a woman, she is to be assisted in getting a husband : yea, if it had been a poor man's custom to ride upon a horse, and to have a servant running before him, but he is now come down in the world, it is a duty to buy him a horse to ride, and a servant to run before him ; for it is said, " SutHcient for his need in that which he wanteth." (Deut. xv. 8.) And thou art commanded to relieve his want, but not to make him rich. If an orphan apply for assistance in order to marr}', it is a duty to hire a house for him, and to provide all necessary furniture, and afterwards to help him to marry. If a poor man come and ask for relief, and the giver has not so much as he wants, he ought to give what his means afford. How much ! He that gives a fifth of his property fulfils the commandment well. He that gives one part in ten fulfils it in a middling manner. He that gives less must be regarded as a person with an evil eye. (Hilchotb Matt'noth Aniim cvii. 1 — 5.) See " Old Paths," p. 417 — 119. Are we prepared to go and do likewise ? This is not an * Literally, a stranger. 90 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEEXTH CENTURY. empty name among the Jews ; there are thousands among them, whatever the writer in the " Morning Post " may say, who enter fully into the spirit of such laws, and make exer- tions to comply with its requirements which may well put their Christian neighbours to the blush. This, indeed, is a most painful thought ; Christianity has taught us " to love " even " our enemies," " to bear all tilings, believe all things, hope aU things ; " and yet we find the above paragraph not in an obscure pamphlet, which might lie hid in a corner, but in a leading article of one of our influential daily journals. Are there, then, many to be found who are willing to entertain such sentiments ? We grieve to find there should be any of our countiymen so unkind, so unjust ; we hope that their number is at most but very few. We are inclined to think that the writer, having been, as it appears, misinformed con- cerning the purport and intent of the regulations recently pub- lished in the Russian empire, was led from one mistake to another, and thus, knowing but little of the real character of the Jews, he, without further consideration, concluded that the whole community amply deserved the punishment, which, according to the picture drawn in his own imagination, had been inflicted on them. But as time will show what is the real state of the case, as it regards the Russian Ukase, so will more mature reflection, we trust, lead the writer, and all others who have thoughtlessly, by word or deed, helped to cast a stumbling-block in the way of the Jews, to a better sense of that which truth and justice, to say nothing of humanity and mercy, require at their hands. " The history of modern Eui-ope, if carefully examined," will not show that " the abasement of the great mass of the labouring classes has been in direct proportion to the growing influence of the Jews." This is most plainly proved by the state of our own country. What evidence can be brought to show that the abasement of the great mass of the labouring classes in our JEWISH TESXnrONY TO THE READING OF THE NEW TEST. 91 days is greater than it Avas in those times above referred to, when the Jews were banished from our shores ? It is worse than idle to talk in this way. The observation made by a mighty monarch has often been repeated, that no one ever injured the Jews but he suffered for it ; and Ave may well believe, that this will prove true in the history of every nation ; for the words of the prophet were doubtless written "for our learning," when he thus recorded the sentence pronounced by the Most High, — " Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease, for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction." (Zech. i. 14, 15.) The rich charter of Israel's national privilege has never been revoked. "Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee." 3Jeb)tsf) Cfgtimon:n to tf)f rfcrts protjurrt lig rcatiing tijc it^fcrcii) iJirb) ^Tcstamfnt. In the "Orient," for 1843, No. 43—49, avc find a long controversial article concerning the attempts made by missionaries to spread Christianity among the Jews. The article is written in a very bitter tone, and shows that the author is but little acquainted witli the real spirit of Cliris- tianity, altliough he is evidently a man of learning, and has paid much attention to the controversy pending between us. The most remarkable point in his statements is the admission which he makes of the great influence which the New Testament has produced, and docs produce on many 92 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. members of his nation, who have been induced to read it, by the efforts of our missionary brethren. After alluding to the tracts which we circulate, with a violence of enmity and wrath which almost seems to shew that, notwithstanding the unqualified contempt with which lie speaks of them, he is not quite indifferent to the effects produced, he observes : that as it regards missionary success among the Polish Jews, it is in vain to pretend that the converts to Christianity are mainly influenced by the jirospect of temporal advantage, and adds : — We must look deeper for the real motives. If self-interest were the cause, no missionaries would be necessary to induce the Polish Jews to embrace Christianity. The fact, therefore, that it very seldom occurs, unless as the result of missionary exertions, leads me to trace the cause to the effects of the reading the New Testament, cir- culated by the missionaries. With the Polish Jew you cannot effect anything by tracts ; his f almudical learning enables him soon to discover their weak points. But in circulating the Hebrew New Testament, especially in the Hebrew translation, the missionaries calculate on captivating his susceptible oriental imagination by the peculiar dialectic to which he has been habituated by the study of the Talmud, — so faithfully pourtrayed in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and by the mysticism to which he has become attached by the reading of Cabalisdc works — repeatedly recalled to his memory by passages in tlie fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse, as well as in the epistles, — and which is therefore most likely to promote the success of their designs. 'J'his is then followed up by the quotation of Scripture passages, prepared so as to suit the Polish taste, and made to furnish evidence (and the greater the subtlety with which they are made to bear on the subject, the better) of the doctrine and advent of their Messiah. This is a kind of reading which frequently proves very acceptable to the Polish Jews, who often are not well read in the Bible. They meet with so much that is familiar to them, that they either entirely overlook the new matter, or consider it as too irrelevant ; and thus is often very suddenly the conversion effected, for which Chasidism, more especially, has greatly paved the way! we read, therefore, also, frequently in missionary reports, that through the reading of the New Testament, grace has obtained the victory in the heart of this or that rabbi, &c. The remedy proposed is an edition of the Hebrew New Testament itself, with a commentary, in which the writer of the article in question thinks that it would be possible to do away with the effect produced by the text. PRODUCTIONS OF THE JEWISH PRESS AT JERUSALEM. 93 ^rotiurtlons of t\)t ^fbjtsf) ijlrcss at ^misalem. The activity of the Jewish press at Jerusalem may be justly regarded as an important sign of the times in which we live. It must, indeed, be expected that tlic intolerance and bigotry of Kabbinism will exert a baneful influence, and tend very much to deteriorate the value of many of the books printed by the Jews in the Holy City ; but still it gives us good reason to hope for better things, as it regards the mental and moral improvement of the nation, when we hear of a man like Rabbi Israel establishing a printing-office, in which he has two presses, and employs eighteen men. (See "Jewish Intelligence" for Dec. 1842, p. 406.) The book that is published on Zion, may, in some cases, indeed, be very far from a(!Cording with the pure and holy law of God ; it may even contain an attempt to controvert the truth of Christianity ; still, while we mourn over the blindness which seeks to shelter itself under the vain argu- ments which it collects for its excuse and defence, we rejoice to know that the very book which was intended for the subversion of the truth, shall itself but tend to bring to light that which it would fain subvert and destroy ; and while we lament every attempt to propagate error, we cannot but know that the final result must be favourable to the spread of that religion which is as eternal as its Author. Let, then, tlie disciples of Rabbinism multiply copies of " Chisuk Emunah ! " We tremble, indeed, lest the unwary should be led astray, and, during the heat of the pending controversy, and the violence of the struggle, some that had begun to learn the way of life should suffer loss in their souls ; but still, the very circumstance that the controversial work was thought to be necessary, shows that inquiry is spreading, and that tradition feels that its dominion has been invaded, and its power is tottering : and thus, although we 94 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTtTRY. by no means excuse or palliate the wrong done by the publication of a work which may mislead those who are unwary and ill-informed, concerning the truth as it is in Jesus, we cannot but regard its appearance as a favourable token of returning life and increasing inquiry, and rejoice in knowing that this, though not so intended, must ultimately tend to promote the cause of righteousness, Christianity, and truth. But while we do not overlook or underrate the importance of such a hostile work, reprinted in order to counteract the efforts of those whose endeavours to bring their brethren into the way of life and peace have caused its republication, we must also not omit to observe, that the productions of the Jewish press at Jerusalem are by no means exclusively of a controversial character, or hostile to Cliristianity. The Jews are led to inquire, to study ; and as in the prosecution of their laudable attempts to obtain knowledge on the various branches of science, they require the assistance of convenient manuals, which may serve as a guide, we are glad to find that Jerusalem, the city so long trodden down and forsaken, should be the place from whence they may obtain information on subjects, wliich, while they are infinitely subordinate to the direct revelation of God's truth and will, nevertheless, well deserve the attention of every one who is blest with ability to study the works of Him who made the sun to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. The last production of the Jewish press, at Jerusalem, is a work by Joseph Schwartz, three parts of which have already been pviblished. These are devoted to the science of astronomy, which is treated of so as to illustrate the geography and liistory of Palestine. The three first parts include spherical astronomy, the daily motions of the heavenly bodies, the refraction of light, parallax, and other subjects belonging to theoretical astronomy and also to mathematical geography.; the next A WORD IN DUE SEASON. 95 part of his work is to treat of the calculation of time in Palestine. In so doing, the author has sought to reconcile the result of scientific observations, with the statements of the Talmud, the Soliar, the Midrashim, the Poskim, and to shew the intimate connexion between the former and the institutions of the Mosaic law. The subsequent part of the work will also treat of the ancient geography of Palestine, and its history up to the present time, with an explanation of Arabic terms. a WB-oxtt in ^ut Season. The ways of God are not as our ways, neither are his thoughts as our thoughts. Men are naturally disposed to pour contempt on the small beginnings, which usually mark the first establishment of the kingdom of Divine grace in the heart. They complain, they reason, they object ; it borders on enthusiasm, they tell us, to lay so much stress on a single expression that may have been used at some particular time ; it savours of folly to attribute such great importance to a trivial event, which might have happened to any one else, and never have attracted any particular notice ; nay, it is even dangerous, in the opinion of others, to lay so much stress on a few words spoken in the course of common conversation, or a trifling change in the ordinary course of events. The accounts Avhich we read of conversions, as owing instrumentally to such apparently inadequate means may, say some, lead also to a dangerous disparagement of those laborious effoi'ts by which we are led to embi'ace, and enabled to hold fost, tlie hope of everlasting life. "We have heard learned and grave men complain of the statements sometimes 96 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURr. made by our missionary bretliren, of extraordinary success vouchsafed under circumstances when it was perhaps least expected, as if these accounts of the manifestation of God's grace and goodness might lead others carelessly to overlook the need there is that all the means of grace should he employed with earnest perseverance, and to forget that there is a special blessing for those who from their youth have been fully instructed in the ways of God. But while we Vv^ould never forget, that if we wish to prosper in the Divine life, we must sow beside all waters, we must labour, fight, strive, watch, and pray, and that not for a few days or months, but stedfastly and perseveringly^ and thus endure unto the end that we may be saved, we dare not overlook the great mercy of that gracious God, who is not confined to time or means ; who can and does bless a word spoken in season. The faithful earnest labourer in the vineyai'd, who has been most serious in preparation for the ministerial office, and has best exemplified the apostolic precept, which enjoins that we should be instant in season and out of season, will bear testimony to the fact, that while he has found it to be a blessed employment to study diligentli/, that he may set forth the whole counsel of God, sovereign grace has often been pleased to bless a simple word of friendly warning and affectionate exhortation, and made it as effectual as a stated and solemn discourse in the great congregation could be. The Jewish missionary who has faithfully endeavoured to meet all the objections of the learned Jew, and to enforce the great truths of Christianity with arguments drawn from all the varied sources within his reach, will also have to testify that the blessing of God has not been confined to his lengthened arguments and his laboured illustrations. God blesses our endeavours in every way, but he works according to his own pleasure. This is shown in the following statement taken from a sermon by the Rev. Paul Neumann, preached at Berlin on "WHAT IS THE OFFICE OF A JEWISH RADBI ? 97 June 4, 1844, before the Society for pi'omoting Christianity amongst the Jews. After speaking most feelingly of the difficulties which we have to encounter in labouring in the missionary work among Israel, and the great blessings which accompany such endeavours, he says towards the close of his sermon, — The following may serve to show how frequently a single word spoken in faith and love, becomes a grain of seed for eternity in the heart of a child of Abraham. In a town of Ponicrania there lived a youth of this nation ; he attended the school in that place. One afternoon — it was the feast of Passover — he called on one of his schoolfellows, and met there a pious candidate of theology, wlio was addressing himself to the heart of his friend, and then, turning to the young Israelite, asked him, whether he did not also feel drawn towards Jesus, tlie promised Messiah and Redeemer of Israel ? This question, every word of which testified of his Christian love, made so deep an impression on the heart of the youth, that it left him no rest; wherever he went, whatever he was engaged in, he heard the question repeated. The following day, early in the morning, he went to a Protestant minister and requested instruction; by faith he learnt to know Jesus as the Christ, and found, through faith in him, peace and consolation for his heart. And this youth, who fifteen years ago experienced this unspeakable mercy of God, am I myself! Praise the Lord with me, and let us together exalt his name. ^m^at is tfit ©ffice of a SJrtots^ ivafitii ? Many persons seem to suppose that a Jewish Rabbi is in some sense the priest of his people. The late Chief Rabbi in London was often called, in the popular literature of the day, " The High Priest of the Jews." This mistaken notion has not unfrequently been in some measure encouraged by the Jews themselves, who would gladly persuade us, that their rabbles of the present day, may be considered as the legitimate representatives of those whom God appointed to be the guides and pastors of his people. F 98 THE JEAVS OF TUE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Nothing, however, can be farther from the truth. The rabbi does not, and cannot, undertake to discharge the solemn duties which the sons of Aaron Avere privileged to perform. A very slight acquaintance with the laws and customs of the Jews, as noAV established and observed, will suffice to shew that whatever they may say of the excellence and dignity of the office of a rabbi, it has but very little to do with the peculiar service which the priest was to render to God in the great congregation. Although there is one important sense in which the rabbi or any other pious and learned man may supply the place of the priest, inasmuch as like that " messenger of the Lord of hosts," it is the duty of t^very one to see to it, that "his lips keep knowledge," so tiiat others may "seek the law at his mouth," the peculiar office of the priesthood is unchanged and unchangeable, and can never devolve on any except by the direct appointment of the Almighty. Every one who has enjoyed the advantage of being personally acquainted with any considerable number of those learned, and, in so many respects, truly estimable persons, Avho now fill tlie office of rabbi among the Jews, will gladly bear testimony to their diligence and devotedness. As a body of men they fully deserve our most cordial respect and esteem for their learning and charity, their zeal and disinterestedness ; but Avhile Ave rejoice in that which is good and praiscAvorthy in the individuals, we dare not shut our eyes to the glaring and aAvful defects of the system which they maintain : and least of all dare Ave for one moment cease to remind our JcAvish brethren that they have noAv no such serA'ice of the sanctuary as that which God appointed, no sacrifice, no atonement, no priesthood. A JcAvish periodical, edited by Dr. Friinkel, Chief Rabbi of Dresden, entitled " Zeitschrift fiir die Religiosen Interessen des Judenthums," contains some remarks con- cerning the office of rabbi among the Jcavs, which tend to illustrate Avhat we have said. WHAT IS THE OFFICE OF A JEAVISH RABBI ? 99 We do not quote them as if tliey contained a complete statement of the duties which the rabhi has to perform, but as they are taken from the writings of one of the most celebrated among the rabbies of the present time, who is regarded by many as an authority, they well deserve notice, and will serve to shew the great difference between the rabbinical office, and the duty of the priests as ordained by God. Let us first inquire into the nature of the rabbinical office among the Jews. It is well known that Judaism knows of no priests, in the sense in which tlie designation, "clergy," is understood by the Christian Church. Judaism does not acknowledge the distinction of clergy and laity, by which is understood that the latter confide to tlie former the care for their souls. Of the Jew it is expected that he shall pursue the study of the law, in addition to, and in connexion with, his usual occupations; that he shall instruct himself to the best of his ability, and not be a mere machine in the liands of otliers. As, moreover, Judaism liad no mijsteries, the study of its doctrines was open to all, no peculiar initiation was required to qualify for entering its sacred courts, and no sanction necessary from any outward ceremony, like the ordination. In Judaism we know of no congregations led by spiritual shepherds, yielding blind obedience to their mandates, and looking up to them as beings of a superior caste ; literary qualifications and proficiency alone give precedence and elevate to the office of teacher. The appellation " clergy," is unknown to Judaism. It might, perhaps, have been applicable to the priests of the tribe of Aaron, while the temple and its services were in existence: even there, however, not in the sense in which it is now used. The Jew has only teachers ; they have neitlier power to bind nor to loose, their position does not bring them nearer to God, nor are they mediators between God and the congregation. Originall}^, the teacher did not even exclusively represent the congregation. If we look into Jewish history, we do not, until within the last few centuries, meet with rabbies, like those of the present day, representatives of their congregations in all matters connected with religion. Jewish rabbies, on the contrary, were but learned men, who in the synagogue proj)ounded their opinions to the people ; and this privilege was open to all who, from their learning, had acquired the esteem of their brethren. We can only compare the office of rabbi with that of an academical teacher, who keeps up a continual intercourse with his scholars and with learned friends: the former propose (piestions to him, the latter sometimes oppose his views; but he addresses also (popular) discourses to the people, in which he propounds his doctrines. The rabbi was not elected to his office by the congregation, but was a teacher by virtue r2 100 THE JEAVS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. of the wishes of his scholars, or rather from the deference generally paid him. Every learned man could be called upon to expound the law, and he did so willingly, as the (jualiiication for doing so was considered to be the final object of ail study. No one was compelled to consult any particular individual, but could apply to any one in whom he jiiaced confidence, whose decision afterwards could not be revoked by another learned man, unless it had been very manifestly wrong. It was not until the sixteenth century, that the congregations elected rabbies. Their proper functions were to teach ex officio, and also assisted by two coadjutors to form the Beth- Din. But even then there was no intention of a cure of so\ds; the rabbi's only qualification consisted in his learning. There were also in the congregation beside him, other learned men, whose acquire- rments at times were even superior to his own, and who were also requently applied to respecting the ritual, so that the congregation was never exclusively represented by its appointed rabbi. . . . What has been the personal history of the rabbies? Have they fattened themselves with the labour of the people, seized upon rich benefices, pampered themselves in luxury and afHuence, or given ottence to the people and scandalized their religion by their morals? No; they were nothing but teachers; their lives were dedicated to study, but also to the care for their daily bread ; they struggled against poverty; doctrine and science was their recreation. They lived only for the people, their object was to watch over the maintenance of the law; they required no reward, but were, although not without their human weaknesses, men to whom even the most enlightened (?) age cannot refuse its respect. Wherever endurance or suffering was the order of the day, they stood forward, and kept up the intellectual eminence of their nation. Let us do them the justice to acknowledge this; honour is due to these men, if we will not judge them with partiality, and fail to record what is noble and worthy of remembrance. {Zeitschrift, June, pp. 95, 98, &c.) Ci)c (Eljasitiim in €falicia. It is not only a very common btit also a very important remark, that we ought to hate sin, hut love the sinner. It is essentially necessary that we should bear this in mind Avhen we enquire concerning the present condition of our Jewish brethren. The history of Israel contains much, very much, that must THE CIIASIDI5I IN GALICIA. 101 fill US with the greatest respect for their character as a nation, and their conduct as individuals. Their patience under suffering, their attachment to the memory of their ancestors, their adherence to customs and usages which they have been tauglit to consider as sacred, tlieir diligent atten- tion to the pursuits of literature, and their ardent devotion in the different exercises of religion, their affectionate rever- ence for their aged relatives, and their general benevolence and kindness, justly call for our unqualified admiration. And if we find so much to interest us in their present condition, how much more when we think of their ancient history, and of the rich blessings promised by him w^ho hath said, " This people have I formed for myself ; they shall shew forth my praise." But if we would really understand their present condition and duly magnify that grace, through which, we know, they shall " obtain mercy," we must not conceal from ourselves, or pass slightly over, the awful proofs that abound on every hand, that if a man do not believe with his heart on the Lord Jesus, and confess with his mouth, he cannot be saved. Tins is most distinctly shewn in every page of Israel's history. Their most solemn services have been defiled by an unholy mixture of traditional observances ; and their study of th;i law of God, careful and exemplary as it is, has still lost mucli of its blessed effects, from their reliance on the command- ments of men, by which they make void the law of God, even while they study its sacred contents with the greatest diligence. Every part of the rabbinical system, which has in so many respects superseded the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets, shews that it is an evil and bitter thing to forsake the fountain of living waters, and to hew out for ourselves broken cisterns that can hold no water. The doctrines and practice of tlie Chasidlm are in some respects, indeed, different from that of tlie rabbinical Jews ; but still, as they hold so many opinions in common with other Talmudists, and use the same prayer-book as the Spanish 102 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUEY. Jews, we cannot be said to act unfairly towards the rest of the nation if we speak of the state in which we find this numerous body, as furnislyng a striking and sad proof of the ill effects arising from the adherence to human tradi- tion, which is the great bane of modern Judaism. It is well knoAvu that blind veneration is usually paid by rabbinical Jews to the memory and writings of their ancient teachers, and we know also of what great and abounding evils, this submission to human authority in matters of faith, has been the fruitful cause. But the Chasidim extend this veneration to their religious guides in the present day, re- garding them as the favoured possessors of superior powers, and thus fall into still greater and more dangerous errors. It is a doctrine of the Chasidim that " the most important of aU principles is unreserved devotion to the Tsaddik ; never to turn aside from his precepts ; to reject wisdom and science, yea, one's own understanding, and to receive only what the Tsaddik says. Even when one thinks that the Tsaddik is acting contrary to the law, he is still to believe that the Tsaddik is in the right j he must, therefore, reject his own understanding, and rest confidently on that of the Rabbi." " This adherence to the Rabbi produces the perfection of the soul. By it the soul is enlightened with the knowledge of God. From thence emanates the close union of the soul with God. And that this may never be checked by grief or sadness, it is necessary to preserve cheerfulness and gaiety. For this purpose the Chasid is recommended to drink mead, and is required to do so in particular on Fridays, after the warm-bath (which is customary in Poland), with a view to their being in a cheerful frame of mind during evening prayers."* Although the Talmudists in general do not, indeed, hold the person of any living rabbi in such undue estimation, yet • See Dr. Jost's "History of the Jews," vol. ix., and Dr. M'Caul's " Judaism and the Jews," for a full account of the Chasidim. THE CIIASIDIM IN G ALICIA. 103 we cannot fail to observe, that if we compare tlie extra- vagant notions of the Chasidini, quoted above, with tin- ancient Talmudical opinions respecting the authority })os- sessed by the rabbles, the transition from one error to thf otlicr is more easy than may at first sight be supposed. Thus Rashi, in conimenting on Dcut. xvii. 1 1 : " According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shall do: thou shalt not decline from tlie sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand nor to the left : " says, — (i.e.) — " Even though he (viz. the judge, who by the Jews is a rabbi) tell thee that the right hand be the left, and the left be the right (yet thou shalt do according to his words) : how much more, when he says to thee, that the right is the right, and the left is the left." And the Talmud itself says : — -ION312J n:'DiDn "jy pbmD in "73? pbinn 73 ntdh aintix Dynnjii-D "131 □» n3'non'i?iyn'?3«:'3n-i3-iDt<3-\ tdn ,•>"■> "jy "jNTTT' ':3 131 iiUN ni'-io 'D nan tondc n:'3c by 05-1 no ib^sianbyDyiriQnbsNES ■i3«3'2n'3iin« • >"•> by D« '3 D3'ninbn ■i:'by «b ton:® rrrDc "The Rav Chasda has said, if any one contradicts his rabbi or teacher, it is the same as if he contradicted the Divine Majesty, as it is said (Numb. xxvi. 9) : 'When they strove agaiust the Lord.' The Rav lias said that the Son of Chauuina taught: Whoever con- tends with his rabbi is like one who contends with the Divine Majesty; as it is said (Numb. xx. 13) : 'This is the water of Me- ribah ; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord.' Rabbi Channina, the son of Papa, has said : AVhocver murmiu's against his rabbi is like one who murmurs against God ; as it is said (Exodus xvi. 8) : ' Your murnun-ings are not against us, but against the Lord.' (Tract, Sandhedrim, fol. 110, col. 1.) " And again : — .nn'n 3''n dmdid '"i3i br -i3irrt " He who transgresseth the words of the learned men is worthy of death. (Tract. Eruvin, fol. xxi. col. 2.) " 104 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. We have been led to these remarks by an article in the " Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums," No. 36, containing an account of the Jews at Sadigura, in which we have ano- ther proof of the great influence which the heads of the sect of the Chasidim enjoy among their followers. Sadigura has a large Jewish congregation. The general state of the Jews here differs in no respect from that of their brethren in Galicia; the place has, however, become noted from the well-known Tsaddik Rabbi Israelki having chosen it as his future abode on his expulsion from Russia. The peculiar (more princely than rabbi- nical) pompous mode of life of this man, his chasidical court, and the great number of his adherents who yield him passive obedience, drew down upon him and his party in Russia disastrous conse- quences. Now that he is in the Austrian territory, he will probably alter his mode of life. He has, however, been fortunate in his selec- tion of the place of his abode. Important cattle markets are held annually at Sadigura. The graziers who frequent the markets, mostly Jews from the contiguous province of Bessarabia, will, of course, not fail to secure the favour of the rabbi, with a view to ob- taining a good market, and after its successful termination to shew their gratitude in a substantial manner. But the town itself has also gained much by the rabbi's choice. For the immense influx of visi- tors to this place, to which now the pilgrimages of the pious are directed, causes a large circulation of money by the increased con- sumption of the necessaries of life ; but, above all, of that vital ele- ment of every community of Chasidim, spirituous liquors — by which the taverns, distilleries, and brandy-merchants flourish, far and wide, in and around Sadigura. We cannot, indeed, be surprised to find these eifects re- sulting from a degrading system, mixed with so much super- stition, and a reliance on tradition, among the Jews, when we remember how dreadful have been the results of a similar system when propagated in the Christian Chui'ch. An appalling parallel might be found in many practices which obtain among the bigoted adherents of the Romish Church, to the above description. We may well shudder when we think of this sad degene- racy among that people, whose forefathers were instructed by prophets, and in those Churches which were planted by apostles ; but, as it is our duty, while we " hate the sin, to love the sinner," so may we be assured that the time will ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE BlsnOP. lOo come wlien those who " have mourned for Jerusalem shall rejoice witli her," when God Avill have mercy on all, as he has now concluded them in unbelief. We conceal not from ourselves the sad facts which tarnish the history of a nation so distinguished in many respects for everything that "is lovely and of good report ;" but at the same time we are thankful to know that those generous and confiding feelings which have led the Jews to such devoted affection and un- warrantable submission to their rabbies and spiritual pastors, shall be ere long concentrated and fixed on the great Saviour of their nation, in whom they shall obtain life, liberty, and everlasting peace. ainnibfrsnrjj of tljc i^rribal of ii)t IJvotfStant Bisfjcp of f misalcm in tfje ?tloIg (ilitg.* The approach of the anniversary of the entrance of the Bishop of Jerusalem into the Holy City, which took place January 21, 1842, reminds us and our readers of the duty of devoutly and thankfully acknowledging the great goodness and loving-kindness of the God of Abraham, who has so graciously preserved and protected those who have been called to such arduous and useful labours in the Holy Land. Every one who has read the communications received from Palestine from time to time, or who has only seen the last Annual Letter from the Anglican Bishop himself, must say "What hath God- wrought !" The Infidel may scofi^ and the careless may disregard the importance of having a growing Church on Mount Zion, in which the services of our pure Protestant worship are regularly performed, and the Word of God faithfully proclaimed, but we think it to be one of the most extraordinary events in the history of modern * Written in December, 1844. f3 106 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. times, that such a Church should have been founded, and should prosper. In that Church, during a space of about two years and a-half, thirty-seven of the literal children of Abraham have been baptized, and the general number of communicants amounts to between forty and fifty, of whom by far the greater part are of the house of Israel. But while there is a loud call on us to praise our God for his favour to Zion, there is also the most urgent need for solemn prayer and earnest intercession in behalf of our friends in the Holy Land, who, in the midst of many encou- ragements, meet with much to try their faith and patience. The natural unbelief of the human heart which prevails everywhere and in every one, Jew or Gentile, is a mighty obstacle to the spread of Divine truth ; and the various forms of superstition which at different times have spread their withering influence, prove a great barrier to the entrance of the Gospel. But in the land of Canaan, the land of promise, the servants of the Most High have not only to contend with these obstacles, but, while thus engaged in spiritual warfare, they are called to witness scenes of appalling distress, and are exposed to various dangers that ought to lead us to be most earnest in prayer on their behalf. It is only a short time since that two brothers, the Go- vernors of JaflTa and Lydda, were murdered on their way to Jerusalem by the Sheik Aboo Ghoosh, who then sent a letter to the Pasha of Jerusalem, telling him what had taken place, and desiring him to send for the bodies. This murder was a consequence of family feuds, and the Pasha, fearing that the hostile parties might take to arms on a larger scale, applied to his Government for troops for the protection of the city. On November 3, a body of troops, about 1,000 in number, marched into Jerusalem ; but the fact that they were headed by Aboo Ghoosh himself, who, it is said, was sent for to Jaffa in order to conduct the soldiers up, who were otherwise afraid to pass through his territories, has caused great alarm to the inhabitants. A rabbi's opinion respecting conversion. 107 Frequent attempts at house-breaking liave occurred of late in Jerusalem ; and a daring and horrid murder was commit- ted on a poor Karaite Jew, whose head the robhers severed from the body, while his wife had been so ill-treated that her life was despaired of. It requires no common degree of firmness and courage to remain undaunted and undisturbed amidst such scenes of violence. We have great reason to bless God, that he has preserved the Bishop of Jerusalem and those who are privileged with him to labour in the Holy Land, from all needless alarm. They feel that they are, to use the words of the Bishop, " at the post of duty, where God has placed them," " that they are in the hands of God, and that he can and will protect them ;" or, as j\Ir. Nicolay- son says, after alluding to the murder of the two Governors and the excitement that prevails in consequence, " We feel safe in his protection, who has already guarded us in greater dangers, and commend ourselves to the prayers of our friends at home." ©pinion of a Itcarneti i^abbi concerning (irfforts for tf)c (ttonbcrsion of tfje ^t\D», One of the most painful obstacles which a missionary to the Jews has to encounter in delivering his message, arises from the difficulty he finds in convincing some of the Jews, that it is his duf// to endeavour to convince them that Jesus is the Messiah. He sometimes meets ^vith persons who seem to be unable to comprehend the motives which influence him. They think there must of necessity be some sinister, some unworthy object, which he wishes to secure by his zealous endeavours. This is owing to their not being accustomed to witness efforts among their own people for the spread of those solemn truths which they, as pious Jews, acknowledge. 108 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTtJRT. The Jews, as a nation, boast of their privilege in being witnesses for the unity of God and the truth of his law, but they do very little to teach these all-important doctrines to the nations of the world. As it regards proselytes to Judaism, the modern rabbles are divided in their opinions. There is a common proverb, ni?-)!^ V22D bsntr'"^b □'•"12 nnb □"^CCp - " Proselytes are griev- ous to Israel, like the plague of leprosy," or nnCD3. "like a scab," for which various reasons are given ; some say, bsniZ?"' n« V^^'^lbp "l^f V2C?n p-inn pl-iir, "because most of them go back again, for some trifling cause, and seduce Israel ; and it is also difficult to separate from them after they have become proselytes. They were the cause of the making the golden calf, and also of that plague which smote the Israelites on account of their lust for flesh." But others observe, " The words □"^12 D"'l27p ' proselytes are grievous,' are not meant □''~)2n ^M3ib, as blaming the proselytes, but bwniC^ "'S^ib, as blaming the Israelites ; for, seeing that the former had left their home and country, and were come to serve God, they take occasion from this fact to condemn the Israelites when they fell off from God." Our Lord complains of the Pharisees of his time, that they " compassed sea and land to make one proselyte," but it is not quite certain that he refers to any endeavours, on their part, to convert Gentiles to the knowledge of the one true God. Some suppose that it is rather a rebuke of their zeal for doing all they could to promote the interests of their own party. Nothing is more common than to find men more anxious to promote the interests of their own peculiar section? than the public good. But whatever may have been the character and conduct of the ancient Pharisees, and the meaning of the Talmudic proverb above quoted, it is quite certain that some of our Jewish brethren of the present age do not understand our motives. We might have thought that the plain command of Christ, A rabbi's opinion respecting conversion. 109 " Go ye into all the Avorkl and preach the Gospel to every creature," would be a sufficient explanation, and account for that desire Avhicli every real Christian must feel, to make known to every one, Jew as well as Gentile, the message of salvation. But it is not so, Judaism is, as now taught and believed^ essentially an exclusive religion ; and unhappily there is a strong desire, on the part of some, to remain as they are. Noli me tangere, is the feeling that pervades in their minds. "While increasing numbers ask with earnest inquiry, What shall I do to be saved ? and very many believe on the Lord Jesus, and are saved, live in faith and holiness, and die in peace with a good hope : there are not wanting those who cannot appreciate our views or justify our conduct in endea- vouring to teach their nation. They seem almost wilfully to forget, that if we are Christians at all, we must obey the commands of our Lord and Master. When the friend who makes the etfort to convince and instruct, is a Jew by birth, the difficulty becomes far greater. He is thought by the class of Jews above-mentioned to be an intruder. They insist on it, that the Christian believer in Jesus ought not to give expression to his feelings and hopes, ought not to let his light shine before his nation, ought not to confess his faith before his brethren. Thus in the " Allgem.eine Zeitung des Judenthums," for Nov. 25, we find a learned Chief Rabbi in Hungary complaining most bitterly that a believing Israelite, Mr- Bloch, has addressed a letter to his Jewish friends at Pesth, in which he gives a reason of the hope that is in him. The rabbi calls it a "reprehensible fanaticism," or at least a "blameable indiscretion," and urges the following very extraordinary argument as a proof that Mr. B. had no right to address himself in that manner to those for whose welfare he was concerned : — Although the Apostle St. Paul was certainly not deficient in zeal for conversions, his epistles are addressed to the Galatians, 110 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTU CENTURY. Corintliians, Roni.ins, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians, congregations into wliicli Christianity had already been introduced. History does not inform us of St. Paul having, by an epistle, exhorted a Jewish congregation to embrace Christianity. St. Peter has also addressed letters only to Christian congregations. Suppos- ing, therefore, that Mr. Bloch considers himself to be the apostle of the circinncision of the nineteenth century, still he could, at the most, be justified only in letting his Christian wisdom shine before the new Hebrew-Christian congregation at Pesth. His apostasy would have been blamed by some, regretted by others, and excused, perhaps, from various circumstances; but the cause of the just indignation of all Jews in Pesth, was the ingratitude, tlie obtrusiveness, the pietistic arrogance, the impudent proselytism, with which he placed himself in opposition to a com- munity, to whom he owed the acknowledgment of his gratitude and esteem. Thus, then, it seems that according to the opinion of Chief Rabbi Low, it is wrong in a Christian Jew to write to his friends and state his religious convictions. It is evident, that he, and those who think as he does, know as little of the sentiments which animated the ancient Avorshippers in the temple at Jerusalem, when they prayed. Let " the people praise thee, God, yea, let all the people praise thee," as they do of the Spirit that animated St. Paul and St. Peter, and led them to " testify both to Jews and Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." The ancient temple had its spacious court of the Gentiles, and that court was not left without worshippers, to join in the service of the God of Abraham. IModern Judaism has no sympathy with others, who are perishing in ignorance of the very truths which still remain among the rubbish which tradition has collected. Modern Judaism makes no efforts to teach, to enlighten, to save, and wishes only to be left undisturbed, a magnificent ruin, mighty in its fall. Self- righteousness and dependance on human wisdom, avoid the light, and take oifence at everything, which may shew the sad confusion which has been introduced, where once light and truth prevailed. But whether some will hear, or will forbear, the attention of the nation at large has been aroused, and multitudes of Jews, who once, like Chief Rabbi Low, ON THE USE OP THE HEDREW LANGUAGE. Ill tliought tlie admonition of a Christian friend a grievous intrusion and arrogant presumption, now find that he whom their fathers rejected is tlie Lord of Life, the Prince of Peace ; and thus gladly become in their turn the heralds of salvation to those of their nation who have not yet obtained like precious faith. Heedless of reproach, they will not cease to witness and testify for Jesus, and their labour will not be in vain. ©n tf)e 2ase of tf^t Jtlciivelu Itanguage. The following remarks on the value of the Hebrew language, and the sacred duty incumbent on the house of Israel to transmit the knowledge of the same to their posterity, are part of a lecture originally delivered by Dr. Falkenheim at the examination of a Jewish school at Konigsberg, nearly four years ago. The author has been led to publish them in a recent number of the "AUgemeine Zeitung des Juden- thums," in consequence of the discussions which have been originated by the question proposed at the late assembly of rabbles at Brunswick : — " Whether it be necessary to pray in the Hebrew language, and, if not, in how far it be advisable to continue its use for the present in a part of public worship ? " The Hebrew language is pre-eminently a holy language. All languages, indeed, differing as they do, according to the difference of the localities where they are spoken, and the changes introduced by the varieties of national character and customs, are expressive of human nature and intellect ; and all testify of God's goodness in giving to man this precious gift, and thus constituting him the organ of the dispensations of Providence, enabling liim to proclaim by means of the invaluable faculty of speech, what his eyes and his understanding behold. 112 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. But the language of the Bible claims our esteem and veneration more than any other, on account of its pithy brevity, its conciseness, and power. This was the firstborn of all known languages, the high priestess through whose mouth salvation, the knowledge of God, was proclaimed to the world, in the tones of which God himself proclaimed his law from Sinai. In this language was written the text of our wonderful national history, whicli forms also the type of the Divine government and guidance of the whole human race. Is it not the language in which the great instructors of mankind, the minstrels and prophets, have proclaimed with holy inspiration those undying and Divine precepts to which the whole civilized world pays reverence ? the language in which a David chanted, with his immortal hai^p, Divinely inspired hymns; an Isaiah, a Micah, a Habakkuk, taught the most sacred eternal truths with glowing eloquence? And this language, the primitive, the mother-tongue of all true religion, all Divine knowledge, is not a holy language? While all languages change amid the changes of centuries, so that at last they cannot be recognised as the same, the Hebrew language continues to stand forth, great and venerable, as of old, in all its original power and energy, an imperishable monument of Divine grace, administering and proclaiming until eternity the doctrine of salvation to ages and races as they pass away and arise. And should not we cling to this language with fervent love — we who have been honoured by God in being the first who received the Divine com- mandments promulgated in this language — we, who amidst cruel persecution and endless slaughter, have preserved those undying truths in rich imperishable works ? Is it possible that we can even go so far as to forget it, to neglect transmitting it to our children as their dearest treasure, as most especially their own peculiar property ? The very necessity for discussing the question about maintaitung the holy language, as is done now-a-days, is, we must confess it, a sign of our having sunk low. Yes, there can be no doubt but that with the fall of the holy language, the substantiality of our religion must perish ; and instead of the all-powerful accents of the original Divine law, merely a weak echo thereof will remain for us, and leave us indifferent, and without real feeling for the doctrines handed down to us. But is the Hebrew a dead language, or still a living one ? This 13 a second question which we have to answer. It is a dead language to all who look upon it as the mummy of a world which has long been extinct ; to all who in thought and feeling have no part in Jacob, no inheritance in Israel, or who are ignorant of its co-exist- ence with our nation during thousands of years, during which it flourished and developed the progress of the human mind, just the same as any other living language. But it is a living language to iall whotpossess the ever-living Word of God, written in its characters, — to millions who from its source are inspired with holy thoughts, with affection for the dearest link between the present and the past ; it is a living language in our house of prayer, in our faith, in our ON THE USE OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE. 113 holiest feelings and recollections. Could that be a dead language, which for a long series of centuries, even until the present day, has brought to light such rich treasures of the mind, which has produced and still produces a literature so fertile and undying ? Is this no sign of its being a living language within the pale of the Jewish coniniu- nity? i3ut has not the Hebrew language always been, and does it not still serve to renew, the common bond which unites the Israel- ites scattered among the nations in the East and the West, in the South and the North ? Does it not keep alive in the breasts of our brethren, the most widely-separated, sympathy for our most holy interests, which without this language would be extinguished? Shall we hear the reply, that this constitutes that very Jewish nationality, which we are desirous of abolishing? O disgraceful treachery against our own, against a most dear, most holy cause ! The national spirit, which it behoves us to preserve for ever and ever, is the spirit of our history and our religion, and if you will deny this, then you surrender Judaism, its whole history, and your- self. And the Hebrew language is the most important, the most holy fact in our history; it was and is the living medium of all recollections and developments. You make it a dead language by striving to banish it from the lives of Israelites, from their house of prayer, their schools, and from the study of Judaism. And it will certainly come to this, as certain as Judaism already now is a thing unknown to thousands ; even because they learn everything, but no Hebrew. Look at many of the most gifted Jewish youths ; every language, every science, becomes the object of their zealous study ; they choose old and new languages, they learn Persian, study Sanscrit, &c., but Hebrew they know not ; and should any one devote some slight attention to it, he treats it as destitute of life, soul, and feeling, unconscious of its vast importance, as connected with our national history. Let us then listen to the great call made upon us, to bequeath the Hebrew language to our children, as their own peculiar property ! Let them not one day have to accuse us for arbitrarily depriving them of that to which they had a most sacred and a most peculiar claim. We dare not, amidst the general extension of knowledge, exclude from our studies the holy language, and our religion, which is so intimately connected with it, without laying ourselves open to the just reproach of the most shameful inditi'erence and partiality. 114 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Cf)e Wim of l^cbrebj in ^tMs^ Bihint 5121iiorsi)ip, The question respecting the importance of retaining the Hebrew language in the performance of Divine service, has been frequently referred to of late. The discussions on the subject, occasioned by the proceedings of the late assemblies of rabbies, have called the attention of the friends of Israel to it. The following remarks, from the "Archives Israelites," are worthy of notice, and this the more as they are taken from a Jewish publication, which for the most part advocates the reforms which have recently been proposed among the Jews : — No one can be more desirous than we are ourselves, to see public worship conducted with as much dignity as possible ; and it is well known that we advocate such reforms as are really useful. But we maintain that to banish Hebrew from our synagogues, and to declare that it may be dispensed with, is, in a certain sense, to banish the language altogether, is to destroy Israel's unity as it now exists, and to make the Israelites of one country strangers to those of another. Providence, while it scattered us into all parts of the world, gave us in the Hebrew language a guarantee for preservation. What will become of this, if, in the different countries, public worship be cele- brated in the national language ? How could, under such circum- stances, a Jew from London attend a synagogue at Paris, or one from Prague at Metz? If it is objected that a Jew from the interior of France even now cannot follow the services in a German syna- gogue, and vice versa, we answer, that this is just the very evil which ought to be remedied : the principal difference between these two classes, consists in the pronunciation of the Hebrew ; but as all Hebrew scholars are agreed that the pronunciation, called the Portu- guese, is preferable to the German, the Central Consistory of France, and the Jewish authorities in all countries, ought to labour towards effecting the general adoption of the first-mentioned of these pro- nunciations, and to amalgamate gradually both classes of public worship. Our religion distinguishes itself everywhere by presenting, during along succession of centuries, a perfect unity, with the single exception of the Caraites, who are not, however, numerous. This unity ought to be preserved, and it is the Hebrew language which preserves it. Independent of its sacred origin, of its intrinsic beau- ties, and of its noble simplicity, the Hebrew language is mixed up with the very origin of our worship. It is, moreover, for the Israel- ites, a universal language, that philosopher's stone vainly sought for THE USE OP HEBREW IN JEWISH DIVINE WORSHIP. 115 by tlic sages. Again, by its means tlie European Israelite can pray in an African synagogue, and the African Israelite can offer up his prayers in our synagogues. If this language be banished from our places of public worship, it will at last (juit us entirely, and we shall be guilty of having neglected tlie guardianship of a trust which has been in Israel's keeping for so many centuries, and which it was our duty to transmit to posterity. But it is objected, that the question is, how to put even those, who do not understand Hebrew, in a condition to understand the prayers which they address to God. To the first part of this objection we do not reply, that it merely needs teaching Hebrew to the children, as has been done formerly : for the classical studies of some, and the apprenticeship of others to trades and mechanical pursuits, do not allow of the children being left, as formerly, until the age of fifteen in schools, where they can not only improve themselves in the Hebrew language, but also study commentaries on the Bible and the Talmud. But we maintain that there is nothing vmbecoming in individuals praying in their mother tongue. Neither Biblical nor Talmudical law is opposed to it. In support of this opinion we could quote a great number of passages from the Mishna, Gemara, and the Casuists. The existing transla- tions enable those individuals who are ignorant of Hebrew to under- stand the prayers, and to repeat them in their mother tongue ; but the public service ought to be conducted in the sacred language. We appeal with confidence to anyone, whether the words, la'n'JN '"'• "jxiuj' 3?nUJ inn »" ', repeated in a loud voice by the officiating minister, do not leave a far deeper impression than the corresponding words in the translation : " Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." Our every-day language certainly cannot produce the same efiect on the congregation. It is, moreover, well that there should be something mysterious in the relations of the creature with his Creator, both as regards language and prayer. From the same cause a vast and lofty house of prayer inspires us with more emotjon than an elegant saloon ; Hebrew ought, therefore, to be preserved in public worship. Do we mean by this, that some hymns from the pen of a great poet would not have a good effect in the course of our solemn ser- vices, for exalting our religious feelings ? We are far from doubting it. It would even be well to replace the common chant from the Pentateuch, used in our synagogues, by a gi-ave and well-delivered lecture, as is the case at the synagogue, in Burton-street, in London, or at least to adopt the Portuguese custom, and let this lecture be followed by a translation into the vernacular language, as was the custom at the time of Ezra. Why is it that up to this day, the pious Israelite adds to the reading of the Pentateuch in Hebrew, that of the Chaldee Paraphrase, which, after seventy years of Babylonish captivity, had become the language of the country, and which, in the eyes of the people, onl}^ had a greater authority, because it is written in Hebrew characters ? We maintain, therefore, that, pre- cisely because the Hebrew is essential for public worship, some hymns in the national language ought to be introduced for those 116 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. who do not comprehend the former ; tliat tlie office of meturgeman (interpreter) ought to be re-established, for the purpose of translating the lesson from the Pentateuch into the national language ; and we will add, that all those parts of the ritual which are in Chaldee, as, for instance, the Kad'tsh (prayer for the dead), the Kol Nidre (repeated on the evening of the Day of Atonement), the Akdamoth (prayer at the Feast of Pentecost,) &c,, ought to be repeated in French. There is another reason, on which we lay great stress, why Hebrew should continue to be made use of in public worship. A large number of our Christian fellow-citizens study Hebrew : would there not be something humiliating in the fact, that we, whose historical and religious origin is written in Hebrew, should repudiate that language, for, we repeat it, banish Hebrew from public worship, and you repu- diate it entirely. It is no use saying, that the rabbles will be its guardians. Who will, after a certain time, be able to judge of their knowledge of the language? Besides, the whole is relative; from the moment that Hebrew becomes a dead letter to the laity, it will also be less cultivated by the rabbles. Now-a-days, they are already scarcely at all consulted (nib«\ri) in cases which formerly exacted laborious study on their part ; no doubt, also, their experience in these matters is now not the same as that of the rabbles of old. It is with theological, as with linguistical knowledge, without continued exercise it is lost. It has happened with the Hebrew language, as has been the case with several religious usages. In abrogating usages which are not based on our faith, the door has been opened to religious indifference. The students of Hebrew did not always behold the beauties of that sublime language ; they were, as a talented writer has expressed it, on their knees before a Sdiva Mobile; they worshipped the points and accents. This is certainly exaggerated ; but it cannot be denied that there is some truth in it. If our young students, who year after year shine in public exami- nations, and distinguish themselves in the schools of the Govern- ment, wouldbut try, they would find that the study of Hebrew is infinitely ea sier than that of the classics. Let them then crown their studies by that of the Hebrew language, and let them assist us in labouring to preserve this language in public worship and in the Jewish schools ! THE ELECT PEOPLE. 117 Ci)f (Jrlcrt |3foplc. Thousands of voices have been loud in condemning Israel. The faults of individual Israelites have been magnified, and the errors that have taken too deep a root in their nation have been dwelt upon with a complacency most discreditable to those who have indulged in the feeling. We Avould not, indeed, speak lightly of their sins as a people — we Avish not to offer one word of apology for that feeling of national pride which has often deceived them ; we would not excuse pride of any kind in any one ; but while we mourn over the perversion of mind, which has led many in Israel to forget that all they have is of free unde- served mercy, and all that is promised them can only be the gift of free grace, we listen with attention to the sentiments expressed by those Israelites who are not content to be mingled among the nations, and do not forget the covenant which God made with Abraham. Although we do not agree with everything which Dr- Mayer, the Rabbi of Hechingen, has said in defence of his people, and the privileges they enjoy, we think that his re- marks well deserve our notice, as expressing the sentiments of a learned rabbi. The friends of Israel require no argu- ments to press on their consideration the impoi'tance of Israel's adherence to the hope of their fathers, and the promises which God has given them, but they will readily listen while a learned Jew states his view of the great ques- tions now agitated, concerning the position of his people among the nations of the world, and the duties which arise from their relation to those around them. When Israelites are reproached with calling themselves the elect people, tl>cy can answer with the Pythagorean, avTo^ e(j)a ; for God himself has frequently declared it in holy Scripture. But we live no longer in a time of theological, but of philosophical faith, and even the Word of God itself is summoned before the judgment- seat of 118 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. public opinion. When, therefore, Dr. Ghillany reproaches us with claiming this distinction, in No. 224 of the " Algemeine Zeitung,"a paper which is read in the highest circles ; adding, that so long as in our prayers we lay stress upon the election of Israel, and uphold the Hebrew language and circumcision, we are not fit to be eman- cipated — we cannot pass such assertions by in silence. There is a pride which is foolish, an arrogance which is ridiculous; but there is also a noble pride — namely, the exalting and honouring consciousness that we possess sacred gifts, which must never be alienated. We have no reason to be ashamed of being called or nicknamed Jews, we may rather be proud of the name. Our supe- riority is a fact in history. It consists in our ancestry, in our reli- gion, and in the language of our worship. No man of proper feelings is indifferent as to the question, Avho were his parents ; it gives him the greatest pleasure to hear noble deeds related of his ancestors. Our fathers were called to receive and propagate the highest ideas ; they were little in prosperity, but immeasurably great in adversity ; for they developed in misfortune a strength of faith never equalled, and an unshaken fidelity, so that even Titus was astounded at their Jides ohslinata, which may well be contrasted with i\\e Jides grceca. We are proud of our religion. W^hile all the nations served my- thological and symbolical dreams ; while even Plato and Aristotle accepted a dualism ; while even in these latter times Pantheism is to be ennobled, and spread as the religion of the people, the holy Scriptures have ])laced before us the most exalted metaphysical ideas. Biblical philosophy presupposes the existence of a God ; occidental philosophy labours first to establish the idea, and in this search it must lose itself Its moral is pure. Widows and orphans, the poor and strangers, animals and the vegetable creation, a';e ever recom- mended as objects of the most active sympathy. Even the cattle of our enemies we are taught not to desert (Exodus xxiii. 5), and com- manded to show all love towards our enemy. — (Prov. xxv. 21.) Its poetr}' is unequalled, as Herder has proved ; its history is truly a book of judgment, for it palliates no vices, it conceals no faults. We are proud of the Hebrew language; for it is, as it were, God's language, in which the Holy Scriptures were written : it is the language of piety, and of child-like innocent simplicity, as has been acknowledged by Schwarz and all good pedagogues. It has been the spiritual and material bond of union for all Israelites in their dispersion, which has prevented the inroads of sectarianism and schism. It is not a national bond of union, but it stands in the place of a general ecclesiastical constitution for all Israelites, in every part of the globe. We cannot, therefore, respond to wishes such as those referred to, even though the price be the attractive and seducing one of eman- cipation. We cannot place ourselves on the footing of Rationalism, for we are not so learned as Messrs. Ghillany, Paulus, and Fauth. We cannot forget our past history, for, as Milliner says, a man may learn by heart anything he likes, but it is not in his power to forget THE ELECT PEOPLE. 119 tliat which he knows. We cannot give up our history, for witliout history there is no revealed religion. Nor can we give up our reli- gious hopes : they have been oiu- consolation in the deepest misery, they will be our friends and companions also under better circum- stances. The kingdom of God has been promised us, in which peace and happiness, love and trutli, the knowledge and worship of the one God, shall reign throughout the world : and this promise cannot but fill every hmiian heart with delight. As the gentlemen above alluded to are not only Germans, but also Christians, they believe, no doubt, that the Messianic hopes have already been fulfilled : they need, therefore, apprehend no danger to the State from our hojies. We cannot give up our religion, for to us Scripture and tradition is not the work of man, but the result of revelation. Nor can we give up the Hebrew language ; for the prayers, to which we have been accustomed from our youth, have become sacred to us : they would not only have to be erased from our books, but rooted out from our hearts. If it is said that in Christi.an schools the Old Tes- tament is not taught in Hebrew, nor the New Testament in Greek, that does not touch the question at all, for Christians are not the de- scendants of the Hebrews and the Greeks. All the religious senti- ments of our fathers have been expressed and been preserved exclu- sively in the Hebrew language. We are Germans, as regards our German native country, but we are also Israelites with reference to our descent and our faith. If I fulfil faithfully my duties as a subject, if I repeat with sincerity the prayer for my sovereign, for my country, and its inhabitants, my religion has nothing further to do with my relations to the State. I must be a Jew, whether I live here or in Paris, in St. Petersburg or in Cairo. I must be a Jew, whether Persia or Germany be my native country; I svippose, if we wish to be emancipated, we must become Hohenzollern-Jewish, Wurtemberg-Jewish, Baden-Jewish, and Prussian- Jewish. No doubt much remauis to be reformed among us, but not at the price of emancipation ; for exchanging a religious conviction for an outward advantage is a shameful barter ; reform must take place solely, if found to be intrinsically necessary and advantageous. Reform makes a circuit through the world, and it is in vain to check the revolving wheels of the times. If, however, the Assemblies of rabbles have not received the desired share of sym])athy, this is but natural, for they have themselves alienated confidctice from them. If they give utterance to views, such as are to be found in the records of the Brunswick Assembly, as, e. g. that religious ordinances, instituted by those who were entitled to legis- late, may be suspended at their dictation ; or that " the times also are a Bible, by whose mouth (iod sj)eaks to Israel :' — such expres- sions may be received witli ajjprobation by the gentlemen referred to, but they can only make a most painful impression upon a reli- gious mind. Keforms in matters of religion are dangerous. Science and poli- tics become the hobljy of, and are cherished only by, the elect few; 120 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. but religion becomes, through cclucation, the property of all, without reference to station, age, and sex. A suitable reform among Israel- ites can, therefore, be accomplislied only by degrees and with cau- tion, only by tender and reverential consideration of existing laws and institutions. If any Government will emancipate us, its noble purposes will be carried into effect, without reference to our prayers ; for experience teaches, that they never yet have had occasion to insti- tute inquiries respecting dangerous political movements among the children of Israel. But if no such step be in contemplation, it will be refused to the orthodox, because they are not reformers; and to reformers, because they are not orthodox. I conclude, however, fully persuaded that Puffendorf's saying will become generally adopted as a principle of fundamental law : Bomnn et cequum juris pars est, et ad omnes homines pertinet, nullaque ratio intelligitur , cur ad Judceos communis juris participes non pertineat! (Jratlp IHisstonatB Hafiours of t|)e Hate IStsi^op aiwanticr. The following particulars respecting the early missionary labours of the late Bishop of Jerusalem will, we trust, be read with interest by many, as the author had the privilege of frequently being the companion and fellow-labourer of that devoted servant of Christ, during the first two years and a-half of his exertions as a missionary : — " Our departed friend arrived in Danzig, in December, 1827, which place had been selected as the sphere of his future labours. Although he was received with much kindness, and listened to with much attention, by many of his brethren according to the flesh, there were not wanting circumstances which reminded him of the arduous nature of the task to which he had addressed himself. " So little did the nominally Christian part of the popu- lation of Danzig, understand and value missionary efforts for the good of Israel, at that time, that when a plan was formed for opening a school for the benefit of Jewish children, and application was made to the Danzig Bible EARLY LABOURS OF THE LATE BISHOP ALEXANDER. 121 Society, for a few copies of the Bible in German, for use in the school, we were gravely informed, that they had no supply on hand of a Bible suited for use in such a school. We reminded the Secretary of that Society that they had shortly before that time received a very liberal grant of Hiblcs from London, and that we expected very soon to obtain a supply ourselves, when we should be most willing to return an equal number of good copies, equal to those with which we asked to be accommodated. The only reply we could obtain was, ' You have no idea how slovenly the Jewish children are in using their books; it would really be a pity to put copies, like those you refer to, into their hands ; wait till we get some of a cheaper sort, and then, if juu apply, no doubt the Committee will be willing to take your request into their sei'ious consideration.' " That worthy official has long since been called hence, and a much better spirit has been inti'oduced into the management of the Danzig Bible Society ; its activity and efficiency have been greatly increased, but this circumstance, in common with many others which might be mentioned, shewed that it was not among the Jews alone, that difficul- ties were to be expected. " Up to a recent period, only a very limited number of Jews had been allowed to reside within the town, and there was but veiy little friendly intercourse between the Jews and Christians. The number of learned Jews in Danzig was by no means considerable, but notwithstanding these unfavourable circumstances, Mr. A. was Avell received by many. Early in the spring of 1828, we undertook a missionary tour in the province of West Prussia. At the very first place we visited. Bishop A. met with an old schoolfellow in the Jewish teacher, with whom, both on that and subsequent occasions, he had long and very earnest conversations on the one thing needful. The plan ado})ted by Bishop A., in delivering his message, was usually this. He endeavoured to impress on those to whom he spoke, the G 122 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURT. absolute impossibility of understanding divine things, without the special aid of the Holy Spirit. How often have I heard him quote with great solemnity the well-known words of David, Psalm cxviii. 1 8, ' Open thou mine eyes, tiiat I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.' With earnest aiFection he asked his brethren, Have you ever thought that there are wondrous things in the law of God ? Have you made it a matter of earnest prayer, that you may be enabled to understand those wonders ? If you think that every thing is plain and easy to your own understanding, you are not in the way to find the truth. He would then often refer to the New Testament, and say, the same truth is inculcated by the Apostles as by the Psalmist. Thus it is expressly said, 1 Cor. xii. 3, ' No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.' Unless, therefore, we pray for assistance from on high, we shall never attain to a right judgment concerning the proofs of Christ's divinity and Messiahship. In this way he used to introduce the great questions respecting the birth, life, doctrine, miracles, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Jesus, as foretold by the prophets, and related by the Evangelists, Many, no doubt, still remember the words which he spake with earnestness and unction from on High. " One circumstance connected with his first missionary tour deserves especial notice, as shewing the peculiar trials which a Jewish convert has to endure, when he seeks to promote the spiritual welfare of his nation. " At N , we met with a violent opponent in the person of a Jewish linendraper, who shewed great hostility when urged to consider the importance of the Gospel history. On farther conversation, it turned out, that he was a distant relative of the departed Bishop. This gave him occasion to relate the circumstances of his own conversion to Christianity, which he stated Avith great simplicity and emphasis, remind- ing his relative, that no prospect of earthly gain could possibly have influenced his decision. This was indeed most EARLY LABOURS OF THE LATE BISUOP ALEXANDER. 123 apparent, from a statement of the temporal advantages enjoyed by Bishop Alexander among the Jews, and tliose connected with the position he then occupied. " Some years after, I had another opportunity, long after Mr. Alexander had returned to England, for visiting the same place on tlie same errand. In company with another missionary, I called on the same person. After some dis- cussion, he observed, I do not believe that any real Jew, who knows anything of his religion, can ever become a Christian. If lie is baptized, it must be from interested motives. And, tl linking to give great Aveight to his observations, he added, in a somewhat subdued tone of voice, ' I have a cousin, now a missionary ; he once called on me, and on my pressing the point, confessed, in this very house, where we now stand, that he had been induced by worldly motives to profess Christianity.' "I looked him full in the face, and said, with emotion, ' Do you know me ? ' He was somewhat confused. ' Do you not remember me ? ' He hardly knew what to say ; an indistinct recollection of the circumstances of our first visit came across his mind. ' Now,' said I, ' you know that you have been uttering a downright wilful falsehood. I was with your cousin when he called on you ; the uncourteous manner in which you received us, made an impression on my mind that renders it impossible for me to be mistaken : and I can tell you most positively, that your relative did not make any statement, of the kind you have now mentioned, but just the very contrary. As at my first visit, not having been long in tlie country, I could not speak German with fluency, I stood a silent, and to you an unobserved, spectator ; but I saw everything, I heard every word : and now I must remind you what an awful thing it is, thus to declare what is utterly false, and that to the disadvantage of one of your own relatives.' " The man made a lame attempt to excuse himself, by saying that interested motives must have had some share, at G 2 124 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTL'KT. least, in leading to the result, although he could not defend hig conduct in pretending to quote expressions which had never been used, " The circumstance made a deep impression on my mind, showing how deeply- rooted is the enmity which the natural heart feels to the Gospel, and how it will stick at nothing to evade the application of the same. For, as Mr. Alexander often observed, it ia not as Jews that they oppose us so much, hut because (to use the text he so often quoted, as above- mentioned,) they do not feel the need of the teaching of the Holy Spirit, without which no man can understand or receive the testimony of Jesus, whatever name he may bear as to outward profession. " But to return to the history of missionary endeavour at Danzig, and the attempt to establish a school for the benefit of Jewish children at that place. Many of the Jewish parents expressed great thankfulness, when they heard of the contemplated plan, and promised to send their children. Before, however, the necessary arrangements could be made, a spirit of opposition began to manifest itself, and those who, at first, had looked forward to the establishment of the school with great desire, were afraid to expose themselves to the dislike of their more bigoted brethren, by sending their children to be taught by missionaries. " Being anxious to ascertain the origin of the opposition thus unexpectedly made, and, if possible, to obviate the objections raised, we called on the Rabbi of one of the largest synagogues, in order to offer some explanation of our motives and purpose. " We had seen him before, and, on entering his abode, were recognised as old acquaintances. "Mr. Alexander having asked him to state the reasons why he objected to our school, the venerable Rabbi said, disclaiming every hostile feeling towards us, ' I do not, however, find that modern systems of (so-called) improved education really tend to benefit our nation.' He then men- EARLY LABOURS OF THE LATE BISHOP ALEXANDER. 125 tioned the names of some of the more enlightened Jews (as they are generally termed) in Danzig, and asked, ' Do those persons excel in piety ? ' 'I think,' said he, ' there is nothing better for onr nation than foi' the poor Jew to wander through the world with a bundle on his back, and thus enter heaven, having devoted all his spare time to the study of the Talmud ; andj besides,' he added with some warmth, ' Who are they that propose to establish this school ? Is it not the English ? Now, I do not profess to know much of history, but I ask, when did the English attempt anything for the benefit of our people ? I do not know their motives ; but I know that they are a commercial, speculative people, and I have no doubt that there is some contrivance — some design here — something more than appears to us.' It Avas in vain that we attempted to reply to his observations ; a considerable number of Jews from the neighbourhood, having heard that we were at the house of the Rabbi, came running together. They became very noisy. Some abused us for calling on the Rabbi, some for doing anything which might be taken as an attempt to induce them to ' change their religion,' as they called it. Some, more rude than the rest, laid hands on us, trying to eject us by force from the house. It was evident that the more bigoted were greatly enraged at the thought of our discussing the question at all with a learned and esteemed Rabbi, like the venerable man whom we had called on. " It was, altogether, a remarkable scene. Some of the assembled crowd were busy in condoling with the Rabbi, under the annoyance which they said we had occasioned him, although he observed, with candour, that our observations had been made in a very proper .spirit and manner. Others were busy in endeavouring to induce us to leave the place as soon as possible, although it seemed to be almost necessary to say a word or two in defence of our motives, which were attacked with so much violence, and of our demeanour prior to the interruption Avhich had stopped our conversation. 126 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUHY. " "We retired, at length, feeling that the Rabbi himself was not to blame for the rude treatment we had received, although, like too many, he was unable to comprehend even the possi- bility of missionary efforts having originated in pure benevo- lence. " This, in fact, is one of the greatest hindrances which a Jewish missionary has to contend with. Christianity has not been presented to the Jews, by its professors, as it ought to have been. One of the very first Jews with whom Mr. A. spoke in Danzig, replied, ' Would you have me to become like those who live around us ? Go,' said he, ' from house to house in this very street, and see in how many houses you can find a Bible ; or if they have a copy in possession, how many there ai"e who read it with attention. We Jews have the Word of God, and read it and study it ; but how many Christians are there who know anything of it ? ' We reminded him, that in England the proportion of those who love the Bible and follow its teaching, is much greater than on the continent of Europe. ' It may, perhaps, be so,' he replied, ' but I can tell you, I have for many years been in the habit of visiting the great fairs or markets at Leipzig and Frankfort, I have become personally acquainted with great numbers of Christians : and still, after all, when have I met with Christians who cared about the Bible ? ' " In visiting the different towns and villages in the exten- sive province of West Prussia, numerous opportunities were afforded for speaking the truth in love. Mr. A. was most anxious to avail himself of those to the very fullest extent. " I could mention many things to show the strength of that desix'e which animated him, and led him to prefer Jerusalem to his chief joy. I remember, one evening, after a long journey, on a cold day, we were comfortably seated at the hospitable table which was prepared to welcome us at the vicarage of P . A neighbouring minister, who had accompanied us from Danzig, with his wife, formed a part in the social circle, and many things were spoken of which EARLY LABOURS OF THE LATE UlSIIOr ALEXANDER. 127 tended to edification, and were calculated to be useful in promoting the interests of Missions to the Jews ; as it is obviously of great importance to do all we can to circulate information respecting tlie claims of the Jews, and what w])loral)le excited general counniseration, and a lady who frequently called, had just been told that there was no perceptible amendment, when sbe heard her cry of anguish. Instantly the mercy of God suggested the desire to tell her of her Saviour, of the God of patience and consolation, and though the apparent imprac- ticability of gaining admission, chilled her hopes, yet the idea was never absent from her mind, and he from whom all holy desires, good counsels, and just works do proceed, blessed her endeavours, and opened the way Her Christian friend left her pocket Bible, and also some tracts ; these were all returned in a few days, with a message that Miss was too ill to receive visitors. Maria afterwards acknowledged that this repulse arose from the suspicion that Miss P. was anxious to convert her. Still she was desirous to possess a small Bible, and asked her father to procure one, instead of which he sent her some narratives ; after reading them, she expressed her disappointment in not receiving a Bible, which she could read repeatedly. He had tlie kindness to send for some of the smaller editions ; and one was selected, in which the New Testament was interleaved with prints. Maria was thus led to examine into the truth of the doc- trines of Christianity ; to which, at first, she made many objections: — Miss P. repeatedly said to her, " Maria, though you and I hold such different opinions, the one who prays the most earnestly for the teaching of the Holy Spirit, will be guided into the truth." "A word in season how good it is ! " In her present perplexity, she did ask to be taught of God : and he failed not, in his own good time, to answer her prayer, though the enmity of the carnal (natural) mind against God, prevented her own from being as yet, subjected to his Word and to his Spirit. One day Maria told her friend that Mrs. B — y had some time before entreated her to read Isaiah liii., and assured her, that there, as well as in all the minor prophets, she would find passages respecting the Messiah, but added, in a tone of disappointment, " I have read them all, and I cannot tell what Mrs. B — y meant. To me Isaiah liii. appears to refer to the state of my nation." A great variety of passages, taken from the writings of the prophets, were brought before her at different times ; at length we are told, — On Miss P.'s next visit, Maria was suffering severely from the cramp ; as soon as some palliatives had been used and they were 188 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. alone, she said, " Now entreat the Lord to afford me some relief ! " — Miss P. com])Iied, adding a petition tliat " The entrance of God's Word might give light, might give miderstanding to the simple," and had the satisfaction to hear every prayer offered in the name of Jesus, and for the first time, the Lord's Prayer, audibly and fervently repeated. After a pause, Maria asked if she remarked it ; Miss P. replied, " Indeed, dear Maria, I was filled with joy and thankfulness on hearing those words from your lips. May I ask your motive ? for you must know who it was that said, ' After this manner pray ye.' " — " Yes; I know that Jesus gave that prayer to his disciples, therefore I shall always use it ; for 1 do now believe that Jesus is the suffering Messiah." The following circumstance deserves notice, as it shows the feelings of a Jew who Avas at that time sadly ignorant of that religion which he afterwards learned to esteem : — Mr. C, a Jew of superior intelligence and attainments, was accompanied by one of his elder brethren, who took no part in the subsequent conversation. After speaking upon different subjects, Mr. C. mentioned his desire of teaching Hebrew, and stated, that for that purpose, he had called upon some of the clergymen, to one of whom he had said, that it was a delusion to believe that a Jew was ever really converted to Christianity, for those who professed it, did so from hypocritical motives, either lo gain money, or an advanta- geous situation ! Maria listened with breathless anxiety, and lifted her heart to tlie Lord, to enable her to refute so unjust an assertion. Soon after Mr. C. turned towards her, and inquired whether she had long been ill. Her grandmother gave an account of her accident, of her nearly total loss of sight, and of the suffering she had endured. Maria immediately said, " I thank God for all my afflictions, for he has sent them to bring me to the knowledge of himself. I have just heard yon say, Sir, tliat no Jew can become a Christian, except from interested motives: " Mr. C. interrupted her, "Decidedly so." " Look at me, Sir ; what could a situation, or money do for me in my helpless state? and yet, I tell you. Sir, that I firmly believe that Jesus of Nazareth has suffered and died for us, and that there will be no other Messiah." C. Who told you this ? M. My God taught me ! C. What induced you to believe ? M. Reading the Scriptures ; and I can say yet more, I dare die this moment in the faith of Jesus ! C. What ! are you going to turn Goia ? Are not your father and mother Jews? Her grandmother here interposed, observing, " To be sure they are, and so are all her family and relations." It was not long after this that she expressed a wish to be baptized : — MEMOIR OF A CONVERTED JEWESS. 189 After her interview with Mr. C. her desire for immediate baptism was so much increased, that she frequently made it a subject of conversation with her Christian friends. At tliat time, tlie_accom- plishment of this duty appeared impracticable, but Maria knew that the "Eternal God was her refuge," to him she made her supplica- tion, and he failed not to send her an answer of peace. Maria experienced very painfully those difficulties which 80 often stand in the way of those who are anxious to confess their faith in Jesus : — One afternooTi Miss P. was hastily summoned, being told, that Maria was ap])arently dying. She found the poor sufferer (supported by her affectionate mother) in such a state, as to admit of no delay in referring to lier former earnestly expressed desire for baptism. Being somewhat revived by powerful stimulants, Maria faintly articulated some words of importunate appeal, entreating, that her mother would not refuse her dying recjuest. Mrs. alluded to the disgrace which in the opinion of their nation would be brought upon the family by such an act, asserting, that her own learned relatives were far better judges in matters of religion, than one so young, and who could have so little knowledge on these subjects. Maria answered every objection, by renewed entreaties that she might be baptized in that name in which alone she trusted ; and even, in the intensity of her desire, declared that she could not die in peace if refused; her only wish was to obey her Saviour's command, and then to say, " Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace." All present united in her petition, but the mother, deeply affected, was influenced only by the accents of her child, and for some time evidently straggled with contending feelings. At last she said, The father is the head of the house, if he chooses to allow it, he can do as he ])leases. Maria's alarming situation was announced to Mr. and his permission solicited, but this was positively refused. Her medical attendant told him that recovery from this attack was not impossible, but he could not answer for his daughter's life, if the unfavourable symptoms should increase, as instant suffocation might ensue. Maria then solicited her friend to entreat her father to come to her without delay. When Mr. visited his child, she said, " Dear father, I have one request to make ; remember ! it is my dying request, the last favour I shall ever ask of you, father." With much kindness he inquired, " What is it, niy dear?" M. It is, father, that you will consent to my baptism. F. No, Maria, I cannot do that; you were born a Jewess, and you nmst die one. M. Father, that is impossible, for I am a Christian ; I believe that Jesus is the Saviour, and that without him we should perish ever- lastingly. F. Maria ? what have you to do with these opinions ? You were brought up a Jewess ! 190 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. M. No, father, the religion we observed was not that of the Bible, it did not cleanse our hearts, but now I know that we must worship God in spirit and in truth. Father, the Messiah is come ! you must all believe on him : I know him. He is my only hope. Father, it is my last, my dying request ! I have no fear of death, for my blessed Saviour has procured my pardon. Again Mr. desired her to remember, that all her family were Jews, and that she must not forsake her religion. Maria replied, " No, I have not forsaken my religion, it is the poor Jews who for- sake it. If they would read their Scriptures, they would then know that Jesus is their Messiah ! He saves from sin ! He alone has made me happy under all my pains. He died for me ! It is my dying request." These sentences were uttered at intervals, and Maria now lay gasping for breath ; but when again enabled to speak she renewed her entreaties in the most supplicating tone. Mr. — — then observed, " But, Maria, what will your mother say ? " With as much strength as her exhausted state permitted, she answered, " My mother has said, it is for you to decide, father ; 1 beseech you, do not refuse me." He appeared agitated, was silent for some minutes, and at length said, " Maria, if I should be brought to consent, remember you must be buried wherever your friends may choose." " Father, I care little where you place this poor body, pi'ovided my soul be with Jesus." However reluctant her grandmother might be to add her consent, yet the state of suffering in which Maria lay, the alarming symptoms threatening immediate death, the intense anxiety evinced by her countenance, all operated so powerfully on the feelings of Mrs. , that she declared, she should never know a moment's peace if this dear grandchild should die in such distress of mind, with her last, her only request refused. The Rev. Mr. B., the curate of the parish, was requested to attend, and soon arrived, accompanied by a clergyman who had been much interested in Maria's spiritual progress. . . . None of those who were present can forget the tone of entire dependence on Divine assistance in which her replies were uttered (particularly in her answer to the fourth question), " By the help of my God I will do it ; " nor could they fail to note, the imploring expression of those uplifted but sightless eyes, which sought not the God of Jacob in vain. But we must pass over the interesting account which this memoir contains of the workings of faith, and the patience of hope, as exemplified in the experience of this dear Chris- tian, and hasten to the closing scene : — The morning preceding that of her death, she told Miss P. how powerfully it had been impressed upon her mind during the night, that she must confess Jesus more fully to her relations, before she could be released; and having called her attendants to her bed, bade them mark, that it was the Lord who had sent her mother to sit up this second night, that she might hear and believe. During its MEMOIK OF A CON\^ERTED JEATESS. 191 sleepless hours she inquired whether her mother was convinced that her senses were yet perfect. " Yes, my love," was the reply. Maria then proceeded to say, " The Lord has told me he will not take me out of my present sufferings, till I have more fully confessed Jesus to you all." About noon, being informed that her mother had had some rest, she requested to see her again, as well as her grand- mother, and exhorted tliem with great clearness and strength, to seek the Lord Jesus, assuring them that there is no " salvation in any other; " that none can be saved without coming to Christ as the Atonement for their sins ; and repeated, " It is he who has given me all the peace and comfort I enjoy." It was remarked, *' There is repentance for all." " Yes," she replied, " but it must not be put off till death ; and if it be true repentance for sin, we shall feel our need of a Saviour. It is scorning God's offered mercy, to put it off till the last, lest the day of mercy should be passed. The Scripture says, ' Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.' Oh mother! when we see our need of a Saviour, then we can rejoice that ' God so loved the world,' that he gave his Son to die for us all. Our sacrifices were all types of Christ; they were shadows of good things to come. Christ bore tlie sins of many, and was sacrificed once, and there is now no more offering for sin, because by Christ there is pardon for all that will believe on him. Faith in this Saviour is now my support ; — my sins will he remember no more ; — the knowledge of him has given me peace ; — it is because I have found him, that I am now so happy." Her mother replied, "Yes, my dear, we are all sure you are going to happiness." " But I could not attain heaven without Christ. It is only through him that our souls can be saved ; "tiien endeavouring to raise her head, she said with great emphasis, "Mother! we must go to the Father through the Son, — he ever sitteth at the right hand of God, making intercession for us." — " Jesus gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity. "... This avowal of her views and feelings, though spoken only at intervals, had nearly exhausted Maria's little remaining strength ; her sister therefore proposed to read Revelations the vtli, but her ardent spirit did not pei-mit her to listen in silence ; at the 5th verse she again raised her head, saying, " Mother, the ' Lion of the tribe of Judah ' is Christ Jesus. lie was of the tribe of Judah, of the family of David, then in low estate, and Isaiah prophesied that he should be as ' a root out of dry ground.' " At the 6th, " Yes, Jesus was the Lamb slain for us." After taking some refreshment and appearing revived, she said, " Pray read St. John xx. 29." — •" Mother, it was from this passage 1 found such comfort : Tliomas was faithless, and would not believe till he had seen Christ; but Jesus said unto him, ' Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.' I tliought much about these words, 1 wanted to be blessed, and often prayed very earnestly, that 1 might believe according to the will of God, and then, mother, I was blessed also, for 1 found Jesus was my Saviour." Though her weakness was rapidly increasing, yet so perfect was 192 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUET. her possession of her faculties, that soon after one o'clock she said, " Open the window, I think jMiss P. is at the door." Being told the hour, and reminded that her friend was not expected till three, Maria then entreated her mother to lie down and endeavour to rest, saying, " Pray do so, and when you are all quiet, I think I can sleep too." Miss P. arrived at the time appointed, and finding her in a most peaceful and apparently refreshing sleep, sat down and watched beside her, till nearly six, when on looking anxiously, to ascertain whether she had been disturbed by an unusual noise in the street, her forehead was observed to have become as white as marble, not the slightest movement was perceptible, she quickly, though softly, breathed, drew one faint sigh, and the redeemed spirit passed into the presence of God her Saviour. We cannot part with this memoir without expressing our most earnest hope that it will be extensively circulated, Our Jewish brethren may learn from this simple narrative, that there is a hope in Christianity which all their learning and works of piety cannot give ; and the experienced Christian may derive instruction from one who was enabled thus to grow in grace, and glorify God, although " chosen in the furnace of affliction." It may be well to add that, although the name of the family to which Maria belonged is not mentioned, 0T\ang to a proper respect for the feelings of those relatives who are still ardently attached to the Jewish religion, and, unhappily, unable fully to appreciate the motives which led Maria to wish to join the Church of Christ : the memoir is in no degree a fiction; but, on the contrary, states yacf* which may be relied on, as having occurred a very short time since in a considerable town in England. Ci)e Jtinerarj) of iCafifii iaenjamtn of CuMa. Translated and edited hy A. Asker. In two vols. London and Berlin. 1840 and 1841. Vert different opinions have prevailed concerning the im- portance and credibility of this work. Some have main- THE ITINERARY OF RABBI BENJA^nN OF TCDELA. 193 tained that Rabbi Benjarain never left his home, but merely heaped together the various tales and descriptions which he heard of foreign parts. The learned Dr. Jost, in his " AUgem. Geschichte des Israelitischen Volkes," speaks of it as a mere compilation. The truth seems to be, that R. Benjamin did travel very extensively, and observed very carefully ; although, like other writers of his time, who were not accustomed to examine into the accounts they heard and received, with that care which would now justly be expected from every traveller and historian, he has mixed up his statements with several things which were only hearsay, and which therefore seriously detract from the value of his work. The Hebrew preface tells us, " that he travelled through many and distant countries," and " wrote down in every place whatever he saw or what was told him by men oi integrity." We may well suppose that he was sometimes mistaken as to the real character of his authorities — his " tnen of integrity" " nZ2S ^ti73S ," as he calls them, doubtless in unsuspecting confidence. Thus of Rome he says — You there find eighty halls of the eighty eminent kings, who are called Imperator, from King Tarquin to King Pipin, the father of Charles, who first conquered Spain, and wrested it from the Maho- metans. In the outskirts of Rome is the palace of Titus, who was rejected by the three hundred senators, in consequence of his having wasted three years in the conquest of Jerushalaim, which task, according to their will, he ought to have accomplished in two years. {Vol. i., p. 39.) But although these and some other obvious mistakes may easily be pointed out, there are a great many instances, as has been well observed, of "minute peculiarities and incidental notices, geographical, historical, and biographical, reported by him and confirmed by tlie testimony of other ancient and modern authors and travellers, which he could neither have invented nor borrowed from others, and certainly it is the evidence of these coincidences, rather than K 194 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. any force of argument, that is likely to produce conviction in the minds of those who are unwilling to be thought credulous." That eminent critic, Dr. Zunz, says, " He has visited, beyond doubt, all those towns, whose Jewish principals he mentions by name ; and the history of Jewish names, as well as that of Jewish literature, agree exactly with Benjamin's account. As we find, also, the historical and geographical data to be fully authenticated, and as the fables must be charged, not to his own account, but to that of his time, a sound critic has rejected with justice all those suspicions and attempts at derogation which have been directed against this our fii'st traveller." Whatever may be thought of his judgment concerning remote places which he was only acquainted with by hearsay, as the " synagogue of the prophet Ezekiel," near the Eu- phrates, where he tells us that " on the day of atonement the proper lesson of the day is read from a very large manu- script Pentateuch of Ezekiel's own hand-writing," and that " a lamp burns night and day on the sepulchre of the prophet, and has always been kept burning since the day he lighted it himself," — it is very important to know what a Jew, who lived nearly 700 years ago, said and thought, con- cerning the state and condition of his bretliren. Whether the account he gives of the "Prince of the Captivity" at Bagdad be correct or not (and it can hardly be altogether true), we may gather much from his statement of the habits and concerns of his brethren nearer home. R.Benjamin relates, in a beautifully simple and interesting way, a variety of circumstances concerning the Jews scattered, among those who hated and despised them. He commenced his travels about the year 1159 or 1160. From his narra- tive we see incontrovertibly, that the Jews of the tw^elfth century were an industrious and an ill-treated people. He speaks of them in very many places as " dyers" at others as " manufacturers of cloth," and as following other useful THE ITINERARY OF RABBI BENJAMIN OF TUDELA, 195 occupations, in a way which shows that the Jews did not select for themselves those roving and irregular pursuits, to which the refined and wicked policy of after ages so cruelly confined them. Here could be no temptation to represent things in a false light. R. Benjamin writes as a Jew for Jews, and would cei'tainly never have spoken of these callings and occupations as honourable among his nation, if they had not been really prevalent and customary. How sad that they should have been forbidden to follow such good exam- ples of honest and reputable industry ! Hoav much is it to be deplored that Christian kings and rulers should have thought it necessary and right, to exclude their JcAvish sub- jects from those trades, which R. Benjamin, an unexception- able witness, tells us they formerly followed, and that they should thus be forced to endeavour to earn a scanty and \vretched subsistence as wandering pedlars, acquiring habits most unfavourable to that ornament of a meek and quiet mind, which is, in the sight of God, of great price. The following is the account he gives of several places in the Holy Land : — To Sebaste one day's journey. This is the ancient Shomrom,* where you may still trace the site of the palace of Achab, King of Israel. It was formerly a very strong city, and is situated on the mount, in a fine country, richly watered and surrounded by gardens, orchards, vineyards, and olive groves. No Jews live there. To Nablous, the ancient Sirklieni, on Mount Ephraim,t two parasangs. Tliis place contains no Jewish inhabitants, and is situated in the valley between Mount Gerizini and Mount 'Ebal. It is the abode of about one hundred Cuthacans, who observe the Mosaic law only, and are called Samaritans. They have priests, descendants of Aharon tlie priest, of blessed memory, whom they call Ahai-onim. These do not intermarry with any other than priestly families ; but they are priests only of their own law, who offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings in their synagogue on Mount Gerizim. They do this in accordance with the words of Scripture, t " Tbou shaft put the blessing on Mount Geri/im;" and they pretend that this is the Holy Temple. § On Passover and holidays they offer burnt-offerings * 1 Kings xvi. 24. t Josh. xx. 7, % Deut. xi. 29. § To wliicfi place, according to the tenets of the Talmudic Jews, the offerings are confined, and since the destruction of which, have been discontinued. 196 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. on the altar, which they have erected on Mount Gerizim* from the stones put up by the children of Israel after they had crossed the Jordan, f They pretend to be of the tribe of Ephraim, and are in possession of the tomb of Joseph, the righteous, the son of our father Ja'acob, upon whom be peace, as is proved by the following passage of Scripture,! " The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up with them from Egypt, they buried in Sh'khem." The Samaritans do not possess the three letters n He, n Cheth, and J? 'Jjin ; the He of the name of our father Abraham, and they have no glory : the Clielh of the name of our father Jitschak, in con- sequence of which they are devoid of piety : the 'Ajin of the name of Ja'acob, for they want humility. Instead of these letters, they always put an Aleph, by which you may know that they are not of Jewish origin, for they know the law of Moshe, except these three letters. This sect carefully avoids being defiled by touching corpses, bones, those killed by accident, or graves, and they change their daily garments whenever they visit their synagogue, upon which occasion they wash their body and put on other clothes. These are their daily habits. Mount Gerizim is rich in wells and orchards, whereas Mount 'Ebal is dry like stone and rock; the city of Nablous lies in the valley between these two hills. Four parasangs from thence is situated Mount Gilboa',§ which Christians call Monto Jelbon. The country is very barren here- about. Five parasangs further is the valley of Ajalon, || called by the Christians Val de Lima. One parasang to Gran David, formerly the large city of Gib 'on. ^ It contains no Jewish inhabitants. From thence, three parasangs to Jerushalaim, which city is small and strongly fortified by three walls. It contains a numerous popu- lation composed of Jacobites, Armenians, Greeks, Georgians, Franks, and, in fact, of people of all tongues. The dyeing-house is rented by the year, and the exclusive privi- lege of carrying on this trade is purchased from the King by the Jews of Jerushalaim, two himdred of which dwell in one corner of the city, under the tower of David. About ten yards of the base of this building are very ancient, having been constructed by our ancestors ; the remaining part was added by the Mahometans, and the city contains no building stronger than the tower of David. There are at Jerushalaim two hospitals, which support four hundred knights, and afford shelter to the sick ; these are provided with every jthing they may want, both during life and in death. The second * Deut. xxvii. 4. f Ibid. J Joshua xxiv. 32. § 1 Sam. xxviii, 4 ; xxxl. 1 — 8 ; 2 Sam. i. 6, 21. II Joshua X, 12; at present Yalo. — Smith. ^ Joshua X. 2. THE ITmERAKY OF RABBI BENJAMIN OF TUDELA. 197 house is called Hospital of Sal'moii, being the palace originally built by King Sh'lomo. This hospital also harbours and furnishes four hundred knights, who are ever ready to wage war, over and above those knights who arrive from the country of the Franks and other parts of Christen- dom. These generally have taken a vow upon themselves to stay a year or two, and they remain until the period of their vow is ex- pired. The large place of worship called Sepulchre, and containing the sepulchre of that man,* is visited by all pilgrims. Jerushalaim is furnished with four gates, called gate of Abraham, of David, of Tsion, and of Jehoshaphat. The latter stands opposite the place of the Holy Temple, which is occupied by a building called Templo Domino. Omar Ben Al-khataab erected a large and hand- some cupola over it, and nobody is allowed to introduce any image or painting into this place, which is set aside for prayers only. In front of it you see the western wall, one of the walls which formed the Holy of Holies of the ancient Temple ; it is called the Gate of Mercy, and all Jews resort thither to say their prayers, near the wall of the court-yard. At Jerushalaim you also see the stables which were erected by Sh'lomo, f and which formed part of his house. Immense stones have been employed in this fabric, the like of which is nowhere else to be met with. You further see to this day vestiges of the canal, near which the sacrifices were slaughtered in ancient times, and all Jews inscribe their name upon an adjacent wall. If you leave the city by the gate of Jehoshaphat, you may see the pillar erected on Abshalom's place, :|: and the sepulchre of King 'Usia, § and the great spring of the Shiloach, which runs into the brook Kidron. Upon this spring you see a large building, erected in the times of our forefathers. Very little water is found at Jerushalaim, the inhabitants generally drink rain water, which they collect in their houses. From the valley of Jehoshaphat the traveller immediately ascends the Mount of Olives, as this valley only intervenes between the city and the mount, from which the Dead Sea is clearly seen. Two parasangs from the sea stands the salt pillar into which Lot's wife was metamor])hosed,|| and although the sheoj) continually lick it, the pillar grows again and regains its original state. You also have a prospect upon the whole valley of the Dead Sea, and of the brook of Shittim,^ even as far as Mount N'bo.* * Mount Tsion is also near Jerushalaim, and upon this acclivity stands no building except a place of worshij) of the Nazarenes. The traveller further sees there three Jewish cemeteries, where formerly the dead were buried ; some of the sepulchres had stones with * Jesus is thus called bj' the Talmud. f 1 Kings iv. 26. J 2 Sam. xviii. 18. § 2 Kings xv. 1—7. I) Gen. xix. 26. ^ Joel iii. 18. ** Deut. xxxii. 49. 198 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. inscriptions upon them, bnt tlie Christians destroy these monuments and use these stones in building their houses. Jerushalaini is surrounded by high mountains, and on Mount Tsion are the sepulchres of the house of David and those of the kings who reigned after him. {Vol. i., pp. Go — 72.) Rabbi B. then relates a circumstance which he says was communicated to him by R. Abraham, which is a curious specimen of those tales which were in circulation in his time : — In consequence of the following circumstance, however, this place is hardly to be recognised at present. Fifteen years ago, one of the walls of the place of worship on Mount Tsion fell down, which the patriarch ordered the priest to repair. He commanded to take stones from the original wall of Tsion, and to employ them for that purpose, which command was obeyed. About twenty journeymen were hired at stated wages, who broke stones from the very founda- tions of the walls of Tsion. Two of these labourers, who were intimate friends, upon a certain day treated one another, and repaired to their work after their friendly meal. The overseer ques- tioned them about their tardiness, but they answered that they would still perform their day's work, and would employ thereupon the time during which their fellow-labourers were at meals. They then continued to break out stones, and happened to meet with one, which formed the mouth of a cavern. They agreed with one another to enter the cave and to search for treasure, in pursuit of which they proceeded onward until they reached a large hall, supported by pillars of marble, incrusted with gold and silver, and before which stood a table with a golden sceptre and crown. This was the sepulchre of David, king of Israel, to the left of which they saw that of Sh'lomo in a similar state, and so on the sepulchres of all the kings of Jehuda, who were buried there : they further saw locked trunks, the contents of which nobody knew, and desired to enter the hall ; but a blast of wind like a storm issued from the mouth of the cavern, strong enough to throw them down almost lifeless on the ground. There they lay until evening, when another wind rushed forth, from which they heard a voice, like that of a human being, calling aloud, " Get up and go forth from this place." The men came out in great haste, and, full of fear, proceeded to the patriarch and reported what had happened to them. This ecclesiastic sum- moned into his presence R. Abraham el Constantini, a pious ascetic, one of the mourners of the downfall of Jerushalaim, and caused the two labourers to repeat what they had previously reported. R. Abraham thereupon informed the patriarch that they had discovered the sepulchres of the house of David and of the kings of Jehuda. The following morning the labourers were sent for again, but they were found stretched on their beds and still full of fear ; they declared that they would not attempt to go again to TUE ITINEKARr OF RABBI BENJAMIN OF TUDELA. 199 the cave, as it was not God's will to discover it to any one. The patriarch ordered the place to be walled up, so as to hide it effectually from every one unto the present day. The above-mentioned R. Abraham told me all this. (Pp. 72—75.) Tlie account which he gives of Bethlehem and Hebron, or, as Mr. Asher prefers spelling the names according to the literal pronunciation of the original Hebrew, Bethlechem and Chebron, is very interesting : — Two parasangs from Jerushalaim is Beth-Lechem of Jehuda, called Ik'th-Lechem ; within half a mile of it, where sevei"al roads meet,* stands the mommient which points out the grave of Rachel. This monument has been constructed of eleven stones, equal to the number of the children of Ja'acob. It is covered by a cupola, which rests upon four pillars, and every Jew who passes there inscribes his name on the stones of the monument. Twelve Jews, dyers by profession, live at Beth-Lcchem ; the country abounds with rivulets, wells, and springs of water. Six parasangs to Chebron. The ancient city of that name was situated on the hill, and lies in ruins at present; whereas, the modern town stands in the valley, even in the field of Makhphela.f Here is the large place of worship called St. Abraham, which, during the time of the Mahometans, was a synagogue. The Gentiles have erected six sepulchres in this place, which they pretended to be those of Abraham and Sarah, of Jitschak and Ribekah and of Ja'acob and Leah : the pilgrims are told that they are the sepulchres of the fathers, and money is extorted from them. But if any Jew come, who gives an additional fee to the keeper of the cave, an iron door is opened, which dates from the time of om* fathers, who rest in peace, and with a burning candle in his hands, the visitor descends into a first cave, which is empty, traverses a second in the same state, and at last reaches a third, which contains six sepulchres : that of Abraham, Jitschak, and Ja'acob, and of Sarah, Ribekah, and Leah, one o])posite the other. All these sepulchres bear inscriptions, the letters being engraved thus upon tliat of Abraham, "This is the sepulchre of <»n- father Abraham, upon whom be peace," even so upon that of Jitschak, and upon all other sepulchres. A lamp burns in the cave and upon the sepulchres continually, both night and day, and you there see tubs filled with the bones of Israelites, for it is a custom of the house of Israel to bring thither the bones of their relics and of their forefathers, and to leave them there unto this day. On the confines of the field of Makhphela stands the house of our father Abraham, who rests in j)eace, before which house there is a spring; and in honour of Abraham, nobody is allowed to construct any building on that site. (Pp. 75 — 77.) This work will be found very useful for those wlio wisli * Genesis xxxv. 19, 20. f Genesis xxiii. 19. 200 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. to study Rabbinical Hebrew. It is written in a very pure and elegant style ; and as the original text is accompanied with points, it may be read -with very great ease, and will thus form an excellent introduction to the study of other im- portant Rabbinical writings. (Ktttstian (tt|)urcl)cs in Jerusalem antj SBtia. The sad divisions and disputes which have exerted so baneful an influence in many parts of Christendom, seem to have raged with peculiar violence in the Holy City. We know, indeed, that many humble and sincere, though perhaps mistaken, disciples of Jesus have resided there, or have visited the holy sepulchre from time to time. Amidst abounding superstitions and errors, much deep reverence for the man of sorrows, and much unfeigned love for him, has doubtless prevailed in the hearts of many who worshipped God, and were accepted of him, although the angry and fierce disputants, who were anxious to establish some favourite though foolish system of doctrine or discipline, engrossed the attention of the world, ever more ready to blame that which is amiss than to acknowledge that wliich is right. But while we trust that much genuine humility and sincere love to Christ has prevailed among many of the numerous pilgrims who, from age to age, have resorted to Jerusalem, and among those who have been privileged to make that sacred spot their permanent abode, we cannot but be appalled at the overwhelming proofs of depravity, and the fierceness of the contentions which have abounded, and do still abound, among those who are called by the name of Christian. We will not now refer to the great cruelties exercised by the crusaders, and the miseries occasioned by their progress through the different countries they visited. We will not CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN JERUSALEM AND SYRIA. 201 dwell upon the fierce contentions which have prevailed in ages past. There is so much that is sad and sorrowful in the present state of the Oriental Churches, that we are reminded by everything we see, and everything we hear concerning the prevailing forms of Christian worship, as existing at this time in the Holy City, that Jerusalem is still in bondage with her children, and that this is the season of punishment and suffering. We sorrow not as those who have no hope ; for we know that help is laid on One that is mighty : and we hail with joy the tokens of returning purity of doctrine and worship, in the establisliment, on a proper footing, of the Anglican Church in that city ; but we ought seriously to reflect upon her present condition ; we ought to remember how little of real spiritual life remains there. But while we humbly hope that the Almighty will graciously crown our humble efforts to promote pure primitive Christianity, with the full measure of that blessing promised and reserved for Jerusalem, and those that wish her peace and prosperity, we must consider how great the work is, in which we are engaged. We must also remember how great the change is, that must take place, before those who have a name to live as the followers of Jesus shall become indeed living members of his spiritual body, and unite in his holy service ; before the house of Jacob can take knowledge of the great mass of those around tlieni, that they have been with Jesus, and have learned of him, and be efficiently taught, not by the solitary efforts of single individuals, but by the clear light of a visible Church prevailing and increasing, seen, and known, and understood of all, being a city set on a hill, that cannot be hid. A very interesting, though in many respects a very painful account of the present state of the " Christian Churches in Syria and Jerusalem," is to be found in the very elaborate work of Dr. Robinson, entitled, " Biblical Researches in Palestine," in whicli Dr. R. communicates the K 3 202 THE JEWS OF TnE NINETEENTH CENTURY. result of Lis own personal observation, made on a tour in that and the neighbouring countries in 1838. The different sects in Jerusalem itself are thus described : — The Christians of the Latin rite Hve around the Latin convent, on which they ai-e whohy dependent. They are native Arabs, know no other language than the Arabic, and are said to be descended from the Catholic converts in the time of the Crusades. Tliey are in number about 1,100 souls, according to the preceding estimate ; and live partly by carving crosses and beads for rosaries, and partly on the alms of the convent. The Latin convent in Jerusalem, like all those in the Holy Land, is in the hands of the Franciscans, or Minorites, of the class termed Fratres Minores ah Observantia. I have already mentioned their former residence on Mount Zion, and their removal to the present building in A.D. 1561. This convent contains at present between forty and fifty monks, half Italians and half Spaniards, and takes rank of all the other Catholic monasteries in the East. In it resides the Intendant, or Principal, [of all the convents, with the rank of an abbot, and title of " Guardian of Mount Zion, and Custos of the Holy Land." He is always an Italian, and is appointed, or at least confirmed, at Rome every three years. The same individual is sometimes re- appointed. There is also a Vicar, called likewise President, who takes the place of the Guardian in case of his absence or death. He is chosen in like manner for three years, and may be an Italian or a Spaniard. The Procurator, who manages the temporal concerns, is always a Spaniard, and is elected for life. The executive council, called " Discretorium," is composed of these three officials, and of three other monks, " Patres discreti." The cost of maintaining the twenty convents belonging to the establishment of the " Terra Santa," is rated at 40,000 Spanish dollars per annum. They are said to be very deeply in debt, contracted in former years, when the wars in Europe cut off for a time their usual eleemosynary supplies. Under the Egyptian Government, they are freed from the numerous exactions to which they were formerly subjected from the caprice and greediness of pashas and governors ; and pay a regular tax for the property which they possess. For their buildings and lands in and around Jerusalem, including the holy places, the annual tax is said to he 7,000 piastres, or about 350 Spanish dollars. The Christians of the Greek rite (not monks) are all native Arabs, have their own native priests, and enjoy the privilege of having the service in their churches performed in their own mother tongue, the Arabic. They amount in Jerusalem to nearly 2,000 souls. The Greek convents are tenanted by foreigners, all Greeks by birth, mostly from the Archipelago, speaking only the Greek language. There are eight convents for men, containing in «11 about sixty monks ; viz., the great convent of Constantine, near CHRISTIAN CHUKCHES IN JERUSALEM AND SYRIA. 203 the Clmrcli of the Sepulclire, in which most of tlic monks and officials reside ; and those of Demetrins, Theodorus, George, Michael, Nicolas, Johannes, and George (in the Jewish quarter). All these minor estahlishments are chiefly used for the accommoda- tion of pilgrims, and are kept hy only one or two monks and lay brethren. There are also five convents of Greek nuns, containing in all about thirty-five, who are foreigners like the monks ; viz., those of the Holy Virgin, Basil, Catherine, Euthymius, and another of the Virgin Mary. In the vicinity of Jerusalem the Greeks have also the convents of the Holy Cross, about three quarters of an hour W.S.W. of the city; that of Mar Elyas towards Bethlehem ; one at the grotto of the nativity at Bethlehem ; and the renowned monas- tery of Mar Saba, founded about the beginning of the si.xth century, and situated on the continuation of the Valley of Kidron, as it runs off to the Dead Sea. All these Greek convents in and around the city are under the government of three vicars of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who himself resides at Constantinople. The present vicars were the Greek Bishops of Lydda, Nazareth, and Kerak. They were assisted by the Bishops of Gaza, Nabulus, Es Salt (/. c, Phila- delphia), and Sebaste ; who, with the Archimandrites, form a council. The vicars, with the concurrence of the council, appoint the Superiors of the several convents ; and all the priests within these dioceses are ordained at Jerusalem. Indeed, all the bishops above named live there permanently, in the great convent near the Church of the Sepulchre. The Greek Bishop of 'Akka alone was said to reside in his own diocese. The Armenians have their large monastery on Mount Zion, said to be the wealthiest in the city, with the splendid Church of St. James. Not far off" is a convent of Armenian nuns, called Es Zeitiing. Outside of the city, on Mount Zion, the pretended house of Caiaphas serves as a smaller convent, and is occupied by monks. The Armenians are for the most part not natives, and those not attached to the convents are usually merchants. The Coptic Christians consist only of monks in their convent of Es Sultan, situated on the north side of the Pool of Hezekiah. At the time of our visit it had just been rebuilt. There is also a convent of the Abyssinians ; and we were likewise told of one belonging to the Jacobite Syrians. Of these Christian sects, the Greeks, Latins, Armenians, and Copts, have their own chapels in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre ; and the three former have also convents or dwellings within the walls of the church, for the monks who are shut up here to perform the regular ofiices day and night. Along the walls of the circular church, around the Sepulchre itself, are niches with altars for several of the minor sects; as the Abyssinians, Jacobites. Nestorians, Maronites, and others ; but their service is performed in these chapels only occasionally. It is well known that a deep hatred exists among all these possessors of the Holy Sepulchre towards each other. Especially is this the case between the Greeks and 204 THE JEWS OF TUE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Latins ; in wliom it seems to bo irreconcileable, and gives occasion for constant intrigues and bitter complaints on either side. The Greeks have, indeed, the advantage in their greater cunning, in the far greater number of their pilgrims, and in their proximity to the regions whence their resources are derived. They are consequently enabled to prosecute their purposes more systematically, and with greater effect. During the wars in Europe, the Latins were com- paratively forgotten, their pilgrims dwindled away to nftthing, and their resources were in a measure cut off. The Greeks took occasion of these circumstances to get possession, by degrees, of many of the holy places in and around the churches of tlie Sepulchre and at Bethlehem, which had formerly been in the liands of the Latins ; and notwithstanding all the efforts of the latter, these have not yet been recovered. Near the close of the year 1836, the Prince de Joinville, son of the King of France, visited the Holy City ; and one of the first requests of the Latin fathers was, that the influence of the French monarch might be employed to recover for them all the sacred places which the Greeks had so unjustly wrested from them, ever since the Crusades. The Prince promised his support, and a representation is said actually to have been made by the French Cabinet to the Turkish Court, through their Ambassador at Constantinople. A firman was granted, commanding the Greek Patriarch to deliver up to the Latins the possession of the sacred places in question ; but still tlie Greek spirit of intrigue was able to evade the execution. A timely present of some 500 purses to the Governor of Syria, is said to have stayed all proceedings. Further negotiations were set on foot at Constantinople ; but they appear to have led to no result. The Kings of France have ever been the protectors of the Catholics in the East ; and the French Ambassador at Constan- tinople has always acted, and still acts, as their patron and advocate with the Porte. When we were in Jerusalem, a splendid salver of gold, for the presentation of the host, had just arrived, a present from the Queen of the French to the convent. They possess also a portrait of King Louis-Philip, a gift from himself. Formerly all the Christians of Jerusalem paid their taxes to the Government through their respective convents ; that is to say, the monasteries became the collectors of the taxes ; a system which gave opportunity for great extortion on the part of the convents. The Egyptian Government has done away with this system, and apportions and collects its own taxes from all the Christian sects, except the Latins. For these the Latin convent pays the Kharaj, or extra tax, for Christians, they being very poor. No Firdeh, or ordinary capitation tax, is paid by any of the inhabitants of Jeru- salem, whether Moslems, Chi-istians, or Jews, because it is regarded as a sacred place, and because of the poverty of the people. The inhabitants of the villages pay the Firdeh, as well as the Kharaj, and other taxes. At the same time, the Pasha of Egypt has abolished all the tolls and tribute which, under the name of El-Ghufr were formerly so oppressive to the pilgrims and travellers. CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN JERUSALEM AND SYRIA. 205 Even the entrance-money, which for so many centuries was paid for admission to tlie Church of the Sepulchre, is in like manner done away. The statement which Dr. Robinson gives of the religious sects in Syria at large, is so important, that we are induced to quote the whole. Christian Sects. — The Christian population of Syria and Pales- tine embraces, according to the best and most careful estimates, between four and five hundred thousand souls. It is divided into the following eight sects : viz., Greeks, Greek Catholics, Maronites, Syrians or Jacobites, Syrian Catholics, Armenians, Armenian Catholics, and Latins. Grelks. — The most numerous of all the Christian sects are the Greeks. Tliey are so called in Syria, merely because of their pro- fessing the (ireek faith, and belonging to the Greek Church. There are now no traces, either in their spoken language, nor in the language of their public services, of any national affinity with the Greek people. They are Arabs like the other Arabs of the country. Nor, on the other hand, are there any indications of a Syriac origin in any part, with the single exception of Malula and its vicinity, or Anti- Lebanon, North of Damascus. In this region the dialect now spoken, as well as the old church books, long since indeed disused, show that the inhabitants are originally of the Syriac race. With this exception, the language of the Greek Christians of Syria, both as spoken, and as used in their chuixhes, is Arabic. The s])oken Ai-abic differs so little from the language of books, that all books written in a plain style are intelligible to the common people. Hence it will be seen that these Christians enjoy the great privilege of having their religious worship conducted in a language which they understand, a privilege denied to those of the same Church who speak the Greek tongue, and to every other Christian sect indeed in western Asia, except their countrymen and relatives, the Greek Catholics. Perhajis, however, it should be added, that their Church books contain many untranslated technical terms from the Greek, and that, on particular occasions, or for the sake of variety, certain portions of the service, or even the whole service, is sometimes said in Greek. This is most frequently the case when the high clergy officiate ; it is an important fact, that nearly, if not quite all, the bishops of this sect are Greeks by birth, and foreigners in the country, a circumstance which shows how great an influence the see of Con- stantinople exerts in the ecclesiastical affairs of Syria. It is a fact to be lamented : these bishops rarely leani to speak the Arabic language well ; of course they cannot preach ; and their medium of intercourse with the people in conversation is very imperfect. There naturally fails to take place that unity of national feeling between the bishop and his flock which might lead to national improvement, especially in education. A Greek bishop from 206 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. abroad, able only to stammer Arabic, and perhaps not reading jt at all, and regardinj^ it only as a barbarous dialect (a feeling which is inherent in almost every Greek by birth), cannot be expected to take nuich interest in promoting a system of national education among his flock. It is a natural result, though not arising exclu- sively from the cause here brought to view, that nothing of the kind is done. If a bishop thinks of establishing a school as the object of his own particidar patronage, it will be a school for teaching Greek, ancient or modern ; and generally the apparent ruling motive even for such a step will be, that he may have around him a sufficient number of persons acquainted with the Greek to assist him when he performs the services of the Church in that tongue. There exists in the whole country no school for the education of the Greek clergy. The parish priests are taken from the ranks of the common people, with no other preparation for their sacred office than the ceremony of ordination. They are generally selected each by the parish which he is to serve from among themselves ; and the usual ordination fee to the bishop rarely fails to secure the adminis- tration of that rite according to their wishes. These priests are univei'sally married, and differ not in character from the rest of the people, frequently occupying themselves with the same handiwork, from which they obtained their livelihood before assuming the ecclesiastical character. They are often the schoolmasters of their villages, if that can be called a school, which consists of some half- dozen boys coming together at irregular hours, and bawling over their lessons, right or wrong, while their master is engaged in Avork- ing at his trade. The doctrines and ceremonies of the Greek Church in Syria are the same as in other countries, and therefore need not be described here. In its ecclesiastical organization the Greek Church in Syria is divided into the two patriarchal dioceses of Antioch and Jeru- salem, an arrangement which has existed ever since the fifth century. These are nominally both independent of the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople, but are really, to a great extent, under his control. The head of the diocese of Antioch is ordinarily styled, " Patri- arch of Antioch and of all the East," and on certain occasions more fully, " Patriarch of Antioch, Syria, Cilicia, and all the East." The Syrian bishoprics under his jurisdiction are the following: — 1. Beyrout, which is the largest; and its occupant is styled also "Bishop of Phoenicia on the coast;" 2. Tripolis ; 3. Akkar ; 4. Laodicea ; 5. Hamah ; 6. Hums; 7. Sandanaya and Malula; 8. Tyre, including Hasbeiya and Rasheiya. Aleppo formerly belonged also to the patriarchate of Antioch, but it was severed from it not many years ago, on occasion of a dissension between the Greeks and the Greek Catholics of that city, and has ever since remained under the immediate ecclesiastical government of Con- stantinople. The Pati-iarch of Antioch usually resides at Damascus; and from this circumstance is ordinarily spoken of by the people as the Patriarch of Damascus. He is also a Greek by birth. CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN JERUSALEM AND SYRIA. 207 The jurisdiction of the patriarchate of Jerusalem begins at Akka, and extends over the whole of Palestine, both west and east of the Jordan. The following are the bishoprics sul)ject to it: — 1. Naza- reth ; 2. Akka ; JJ. Lydda ; 4. Gaza ; .5. Sebaste ; 6. Nabulus ; 7. Piiihidelpliia ; 8. Petra. Of these bishops only tliu Bishop of Akka resides within his own see ; all the rest remain shut up in the convents at Jerusalem. The Patriarch himself is also a non- resident, living at Constantinople, and never, so far as we could learn, visiting his diocese. His place is represented, and tlie busi- ness of the patriarchate transacted by a board of l)ishops (Nakils) at Jerusalem. GiiELK Catholics. — The sect of Greek Catholics had its origin in a secession from the Greek CInu-ch in Syria, which was brought about by the Roman Catholic influence, not far from a century ago. Until recently this sect existed only in Syria, but has now extended itself into Egypt. The Greeks who have elsewhere submitted themselves to the Pope liave generally become amalgamated with the Latin Church. The Greek Catholics of Syria, on the contrary, are a sect by them- selves, constituting an Oriental Papal Church. They take, indeed, the Occidental view of the procession of tlie Holy Spirit, believe in purgatory and the Pope, eat fish in Lent, and keep a smaller number of fasting days than the Greeks ; but otherwise they sub- jected themselves to few changes in passing from one jurisdiction to tiie other. They still enjoy the same privilege as their countrymen of the Greek Church in having their religious services performed in tlieir native Arabic tongue. They observe the Oriental calendar ; receive tlie sacrament of the Lord's Supper in both kinds as formerly ; and their priests are still allowed to marry. This, how- ever, is not done so universally as amongst the Arab Greek clergy. They have long had their own Patriarch ; but until the country came under the more tolerant Government of Egypt, he uniformly resided in Mount Lebanon; where the local autliorities have for many years been under Papal influence. He has now removed to Damascus ; was fully acknowledged by the Egyptian Govern- ment ; and has extended his diocese into Egypt. The high clergy of this sect are mostly Arabs by birth, and at the same time educated at Rome. They thus unite a natural attachment to tlieir countrymen with some degree of European cultivation ; and the result is a certain elevation of their sect. The Patriarch has also established a college for teaching different languages and branches of science ; which, however, seems as yet to have accomplished very- little. The sect embraces a large proportion of the most enterprising and wealthy Christians in Syi'ia, and possesses great influence. Espe- cially do its members occupy more than their due proportion of oftices under the Government. Some of them were now in high favour ; and this secured for the sect at the present time great consideration. A convent belonging to the Greek Catholics at Es Shuweir, in 208 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Mount Lebanon, has for many years possessed an Arabic printing press, wliich supplies their own Church, and also the Greeks, with most of their Churcli books. Maronitks. — The sect of the Maronites furnishes decisive evidence of a Syriac origin. Its ecclesiastical language is wholly Syriac ; though none now understand it except as a learned lan- guage. The Maronites also not unfrequently write Arabic in the Syriac character. They acknowledge no affinity with any other sect in the ccunti-y, except through a common relationship to the Pope. They are disposed to be exclusive, and also conceited in the idea of their unparalleled orthodoxy ; and are not much liked by their neighbours even of the Papal Church, being generally accused of narrow-mindedness. The Maronites are characterized by an almost unequalled devoted- ness to the See of Rome, and the most implicit obedience to their priests. It may be doubted whether there is to be found anywhere a people who have so sincere and deep a reverence for the Pope, as the Maronites of Syria, Yet they have their own distinct Church establishment ; and also some usages which are not tolerated in the Papal Church in Europe. They follow indeed the Occidental calendar ; observe the same rules of fasting as the European Papists ; and celebi-ate in the same manner the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But they have some saints of their own, and especially their patron saint Mar Maran, not elsewhere acknow- ledged in the Papal Church ; and every candidate for the priest- hood, who is not already under the vow of celibacy, is allowed to marry before ordination, so that most of their parish clergy are actually married men. They have many bishops, and at their head a patriarch who styles himself " Patriarch of Antioch." His usual residence is the convent of Kanobon, on Mount Lebanon, back of Tripolis. They are found in cities and large towns, as far north as Aleppo, and as far south as Nazareth. But they are at home, as cultivators of the soil, only in Mount Lebanon, unless with very few exceptions. This mountain they inhabit, more or less, throughout its whole range, from its northern end, above Tripolis, to the region of Safed; but their strong-hold is Kesrawan, a district separated from that of Metu, on the south, by Nahr el-Kelb, and bounded on the north by the district of Jebeil. Of this tract they are the only inhabitants. Throughout the whole of the country govei'ned by the Emir Behsir, they are more numerous than any other sect. The balance of power, which was formerly kept up between them and the Druses, is now entirely destroyed — the latter having become far inferior in numbers and strength. This is the result of the conversion of the ruling family of Emirs, the house of Sehab, who were formerly Moslems, to the Maronite faith. Their example had great influence, and was followed by the two largest branches of another family of Emirs of Druse origin ; so that now almost all the highest nobility of the mountain are Maronites. Tn the elementary instruction of the common people, the Maronites CHRISTIAN CHDRCHES IN JERUSALEM AND SYRIA. 209 are quite as deficient as the other Cliristian sects in tlie country. But for a select number, and especially for clerical candidates, the Patriarch has established a college at Ain Warkah, in Kesrawan, which takes a higher stand than any other similar establishment in Syria. It deserves great praise for the thorough manner in which it initiates at least some of its pupils into the knowledge of their native Arabic tongue : they also study Syriac, Latin, and Italian. Syrians and Jacobites. — The same evidence of a Syriac origin which exists in tlie case of the Maronites, is found also among the Jacobites. Though they now speak in Syria only Arabic, yet their Church service is in Syriac. Indeed, the common name by which they are known in the country is simply Suriiln — that is : Syrians. The epithet Jacobite, it is not customary to add, as there are in the country no Syrians of the orthodox Greek rite from whom it is necessary to distinguish them (though at Miilula and in its vicinity there probably existed such a community not many generations ago) ; and the seceders to the Papal Church are sufficiently desig- nated by the term Catholics. The number of Jacobites in Syria is very small. A few families in Damascus and in Nebk, the village of Sudiid, and a part of the village of Kuryetcin, a small community in Hams, and a few scattered individuals in two or three neighbouring villages, a similar community in llaniah, and probably a smaller one in Aleppo, constitute nearly or quite the whole of the sect. They are subject to the Jacobite Patriarch, who resides in Mesopotamia, and from him they receive their bishops. One of these latter has his residence near the convent of Mar MCisa, near Nebk. The Jacob- ites are looked upon by all other sects in the country as heretics' and as such, and because they are few and poor, they are generally despised. Syrian Catholics. — The Syrian Catholics bear the same relation to the Jacobites as the Greek Catholics do to the Greek Church. They are Romish converts, who still retain the Oriental rite and the use of Syriac in their churches. The community in Alejjpo has long existed in its present relation to the Pope. But the Syrian Catholics of Damascus and of Rasheiya in Jebel es Slieikh, are recent converts. Except in these places, there are not known to be any other communities of this sect among the people of Syria. In Mount Lebanon, however, there are two or three small convents inhabited by Syrian Catholic monks. Armenians. — The Armenians in Syria are properly to be re- garded as foreigners; yet they have been there so long, that the country has become their home, and they must not be overlooked in speaking of the native Christian sects. They are found only as merchants and mechanics in cities and large towns, and nowhere as cultivators of the soil. Their character, religious, intellectual, and national, is the same as elsewhere, and need not be described. Their number is very small. Their ecclesiastical establishment is distinct from that of Constan- 210 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. tinople ; at their head is a patriarch who is styled " Patriarch of Jerusalem," and whose diocese embraces also Egypt. Armenian Catholics. — These are seceders from the Armenians to the Papal Church, as the Greek Catholics are from the Greek Church. Like them, too, tlie Armenian Catholics still adhere to the Oriental rite, and have changed few of their original ceremonies or dogmas. They are few in number, but have their Patriarch, who resides in a convent at Buzummar, on Mount Lebanon. It is wor- thy of remark that this patriarchate existed here under the protec- tion of the Government of this mountain, long before the sect was acknowledged and had its Patriarch at Constantinople. Latins. — Native Roman Catholics, of the Occidental rite, are very few in Syria. They exist only in connexion with the convents of the Terra Santa at Jerusalem, Bethlehem, St. John in the Desert, Nazareth, and perhaps a few other places. They are ecclesiastically dependent on the convents, and form parishes under the immediate charge of the monks. Their language is Arabic, like that of all other native inhabitants of the country. There are also Latins at Aleppo, but whether of native or foreign descent, was not known. Convents. — Convents of native monks are very rare in Syria, except in the district of Mount Lebanon. Besides the Jacobite convent at Mar Miisa, near Nebk, and the Greek convents of Saidanaya, and of Mar Jirjis, north of Tripolis, there is hardly another known to be inhabited by natives. All the convents in and around Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramleh, Yiifa, and in other cities, whether Greek, Armenian, or Latin, belong entirely to foreigners, and are occupied by them. But while such is the case with the other parts of Syria, one of the most remarkable features of Mount Lebanon is its multitude of convents. They are seen perched upon its rocks and scattered over its sides in eveiy direction ; even a glance at the map is sufficient to excite astonishment : while monasticism has declined, and almost gone out of date in so many other countries, it continues here to flourish in its pristine vigour if not in its pristine spirit. The numerous convents are, many of them, small establishments, but tliey are well filled with monks, and abundantly endowed. There are also convents of nuns : the greatest number belong to the Maronites ; but all the other sects above-mentioned, excepting the Jacobite, have each at least one convent, and most of them several. We cannot approve of Protestants being spoken of as " a sect ; " but it is impossible to read what lie says of the condition of those who protest against the errors of the other Chui'clies, without earnest prayer that the adoption of those means, which Dr. R.'s remarks show to be so essen- tially necessary, may be crowned with abundant success. CHRISTIAN CHimCHES IN JERUSALEM AND SYEIA. 211 Protestants. — Protestants do not exist in Syria as a native sect, nor in any otiier part of the Turkish emj)irc, nor are tliey as such tolerated. The Government recognises and tolerates certain known sects of Christians, and the members of these are allowed to transfer their relations from one sect to another whenever they may choose. But Protestants are not among these sects; and therefore no one is legally allowed to profess Protestantism. It is by the operation of this princijjle of the Turkish Government, and by this alone, that the rise of Protestantism in Syria is checked. Very many persons, from time to time, show a strong disposition to throw off the domination of their priests and claim their right to the liberty of the Gospel. Probably at one time (A.D. 1839) nearly the whole of the Druses would have declared themselves Protestants, and put themselves under Protestant instruction, could they have had secured to them in that profession the same rights as are enjoyed by the other Christian sects. That England, while she has so deep a political interest in all that concerns the Turkish empire, should remain indifferent to this state of things in Syria is a matter of surprise. France has long been the acknowledged protector of the Roman Catholic religion in the same empire, and the followers of that faith find in her a watchful and efficient patron, quite as efficient since the revolution of July as before. The consequence is, that wherever there are Roman Catholics, France has interested partisans ; and were she to land troops in Syria to-morrow, every Roman Catholic would receive them with open arms, including the whole Maronite nation, now armed and powerful. In the members of the Greek Church, still more numerous, but not now armed, the Russians have even warmer partisans. In Syria the famed power of Russia is their boast ; and though this feeling is carefully concealed from the Moslems, and would not be expressed to an Englishman, it often amounts almost to enthusiasm. Hence, wherever Russia sends her agents, they find confidential friends and informants ; and were she to invade the country, thousands would give her troops a hearty welcome. But where are England's partisans in any part of Turkey ? Not a single sect, be it ever so small, looks to her as its natural guardian. Her wealth and her power are indeed admired ; her citizens, wherever they travel, are respected ; and the native Christians of every sect, when groaning luider op])ression, would welcome a Government established by her as a relief. Yet in this they would not be drawn by any positive attachment, but forced by a desire to escape suffering. England has no party in Syria bound to her by any direct tie. Far different would be the case, did there exist in Syria a sect of Protestant Christians, There is no other Protestant power to whom such a sect could look for ])rotcction, nor would they wish to look elsewhere, for England's protection, whenever granted, is known to be more efficient than any other. To secure the existence of such a sect, the English Government needs to take but a single step, and 212 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUET. tliat unattended by difficulty or danger. It needs simply to obtain for native Protestants the same acknowledgement and rights that are granted to other Christian sects. Such a request, earnestly made, the Turkish Government could not refuse. And were it done, but few years would probably elapse before many in Syria would bear the Protestant name, and, it is hoped, would also be sincere and cordial adherents of the Protestant faith. TMilW^ Crabds in Palestine. The following animated description of the Jews at Jeru- salem deserves notice, as tlie author * states many important particulars concerning the present state of a great number of that wonderful nation, who are now living as strangers in the home of their forefathers : — The Jews inhabit a particular portion of the southern part of the city, the Harat-el-Youd, between the foot of Zion and the enclo- sure of the mosque of Omar, and are not the least interesting of the objects presented to the traveller in the Holy City. This extraordinary people, the favoured of the Lord, the de- scendants of the patriarchs and prophets, and the aristocracy of the earth, are to be seen in Jerusalem to greater advantage, and under an aspect, and in a character totally different from that which they present in any other place on the face of the globe. In other coun- tries the very name of Jew has associated with it cunning, deceit, usury, traffic, and often wealth. But here, in addition to the usual degradation and purchased suffering of a despised, stricken, outcast race, they bend under extreme poverty, and wear the aspect of a weeping and a mourning people ; lamenting over their fallen great- ness as a nation, and over the prostrate grandeur of their once proud city. Here the usurer is turned into the pilgrim, the merchant into the priest, and the inexorable creditor into the weeping suppliant. Without wealth, without traffic, they are supported solely by the voluntary contributions of their brethren throughout the world. I think I am warranted in stating, that the number of Jews now in Jerusalem is greater than at any other period in modern times. The entire resident population of the city is about 35,000 ; of " W. R. Wilde, M.R.I.A., &c., in his work published under the following title :— " Narrative of a Voyage to Madeira, Teneriffe, and along the Shores of the Mediterranean," &c. In two volumes. — Dublin: WiUiam Curry and Co.; and Longman, Orme, Brown, and Co., London. 1840. WILDe's travels in PALESTINE. 213 which 10,000 are Jews, 10,000 Christians, ; 10,000 Mahomniedans, and about 5,000 foreigners, or partial residents, inchiding the garrison. With all this accumulated misery, with all this insult and scorn heaped upon the Israelite here, more even than in any other country, why, it will be asked, does he not fly to other and happier lands ? Wliy does he seek to rest under tlie sliadow of Jerusalem's wall ? Independently of that natural love of country which exists among this people, two objects bring the Jew to Jerusalem, — to study the Scriptures and the Talmud, — and then to die, and have liis bones laid with his forefatliers in the valley of Jehoshaphat, even as the bones of the Patriarchs were carried up out of Egypt. No matter what the station or the rank,— no matter wliat, or how far distant the comitry were the Jew resides, he still lives upon the hope that he will one day journey Zionward. No clime can change, no season quench, that patriotic ardour witli which tlie Jew beholds Jerusalem, even tlirough the vista of a long futurity. On his first approach to the city, while yet within a day's journey, he puts on his best apparel ; and when the first view of it bursts upon his sight, he rends his garments, falls down to weep and pray over the long- sought object of his pilgrimage, and with dust sprinkled on his head, he enters the city of his forefathers. No child ever returned home after long absence with more yearnings of affection ; no proud baron ever beheld his ancestral towers and lordly halls, when they had become another's, with greater sorrow than the poor Jew when he first beholds Jerusalem. This, at least, is patriotism. " It is curious," says the learned author from whom I have already quoted, " after surveying this almost total desertion of Palestine, to read the indications of fond attachment to its very air and soil, scattered about in the Jewish writings ; still it is said, that man is esteemed most blessed, who, even after his death, shall reach the land of Palestine, and be buried there, or even shall have his ashes sprinkled by a handful of its sacred dust. ' The air of the land of Israel,' says one, 'makes a man wise;' another writes, 'he who walks four cubits in the land of Israel is sure of being a son of the life to come.' ' The great wise men are wont to kiss the borders of the Holy Land, to embrace its rnins, and roll themselves in its dust.' 'The sins of all those are forgiven who inhabit the land of Israel.' He who is buried there is reconciled with (iod, as though he were buried under the altar. The dead buried in the land of Canaan first come to life in the days of the Messiah." It is worthy of remark, as stated by Sandys, that so strong is the desire this singular people have always manifested for being buried within these sacred limits, that in the seventeenth century large quantities of their bones were yearly sent thither from all parts of the world, for the purpose of being interred in the valley of Jeho- shaphat ; for the Turkish rulers at that time permitted but a very small number of Jews to enter Palestine. Sandys saw shiploads of this melancholy freight at Joppa, and the valley of Jehoshaphat is literally paved with Jewish tombstones. (Pages 362 — 364.) 214 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. In Jerusalem alone, of any place upon the earth, is the Hebrew spoken as a conversational language ; for, although the Scriptures are read, and the religious rites performed in Hebrew, in the various countries in which the Jews arc scattered; yet they speak the language of the nations among whom they are located. And, as the last link of that chain which binds them to home and to happi- ness, they, like other oppressed nations, cling to it witli rapturous delight. And it is the only door by which the Missionary there has access to the Jew ; for they have themselves said to me, " We cannot resist the holy language." One day dui-ing my stay, the whole congregation met, upon the anniversary of the great earthquake at Saphet, where "so many of their brethren were destroyed. It was a touching sight, and one that years will not efface, to witness this moui-ning group, and hear them singing the Songs of David, in the full expressive language in which they were written, beneath Mount Zion, on which they were composed, and before those very walls, that in other times rang with the same swelling chorus. But not now are heard the joyous tones of old ; for here every note was swollen with a sigh, or broken with a sob, the sighs of Judah's mourning maidens, the sobs and smothered groans of the patriarchs of Israel. And that heart must indeed be sadly out of tune, whose chords would not vibrate to the thrilling strains of Hebrew song, when chanted by the sons and daughters of Abraham, in their native city. Much as they venerate the very stones that now form the walls of this enclosure, they dare not set foot within its precincts ; for the crescent of the Moslem is glittering from the minaret, and the blood red banner of Mahomet is waving over their heads. Were I asked, what was the object of the greatest interest that I had seen, and the scene that made the deepest impression upon me, during my sojourn in other lands, I would say, that it was a Jew mourning over the stones of Jerusalem. And what principle, what feeling is it, it may be asked, that can thus keep the Hebrew, through so many centuries, still yearning towards his native city, still looking forward to his restoration, and the coming of the Messiah ? Hope, hope is the principle that supports the Israelite through all his sufferings, with oppression for his inheritance, sorrow and sadness for his certain lot, the constant fear of trials, bodily pain, and mental anguish, years of disgrace, and a life of misery ; without a country and without a home, scorned, robbed, insulted, and reviled; the power of man, and even death itself cannot obliterate that feeling. Independent of the death-like stillness that prevails without the city, as we remarked upon first approaching it, there is a stillness and solitude within its walls, that could hardly be imagined in a place containing so many thousand souls. This may arise from the inhabitants not being engaged in manufacturing or commercial pursuits ; for except those things absolutely requisite for supplying the common necessities of the population, there is little bought or sold in Jerusalem; and consequently the bustle of traffic and the Wilde's traa'els in Palestine. 215 busy hum of men are never heard within its streets. As religious worship in some form or anotlier is the object for which the greater number of tlie inhal)itants have come to Jerusalem, they make it the daily business of their lives ; and so mucli respect do the INIoslcms pay to their Sabbath, that the city gates are always closed during the hours of prayer, and no inducement could prevail upon the officer of the guard to open them for us one day that we wished to go out, until their services were concluded. We cannot refer to these interesting volumes without (quot- ing at some length from the animated description given by Mr. W. of the country between Jaffa and Jerusalem. In giving an account of his journey from the sea-coast to the city of David, he says — Our party, which consisted of ten ])ersons, all armed and ac- coutred, made a very formidable cavalcade as we left the town about twelve o'clock at noon. For neai-ly two miles after leaving the town our road lay through the richest and most beautiful gardens of orange and lemon trees, then covered with fruit and flowers, and tall waving cypresses, corals, and fragrant mimosas, intersected with enormous nopals, or prickly pears, with the scammony in flower, twining through their invulnerable armour. These produc- tions, as well as their exceeding beauty, have obtained for this verdant spot the appellation of the gardens of the Eastern Hes- perides. The inhabitants of .laffa, who, though mostly Christians, are dressed in the eastern costume, have bowers and summer-houses in these gardens, and as we passed, we observed them enjoying their sherbet, seated in the cool shades of those lovely retreats. On the broad sandy track that winds through this fertile spot we passed numbers of pilgrims hastening towards Jerusalem, with the wild Arab of the desert seated on his camel, and wrapped in the folds of his vohnninous burnoose, looking down with disdain upon the richly caparisoned horse and glittering accoutrements of the Egyptian officer. From hence to Ilamlah our way lay through one of tlie most fertile and extensive plains we had yet beheld in the East. Although not a sixth ])art of this j)lain is cultivated, yet where it was tilled, tiie crops of corn, which were about a foot high, looked most luxuriant. I do not think we passed a dozen head of cattle of any kind, but the monotony of the ])lain is occasionally relieved bv groves and clumps of aged magnificent olives, which give it quite the appearance of a well-laid out l^iglish park or demesne. Most of these olives nnist be centuries old from their great size and proverbial slowness of growth, and are, probfibly, the lineal descendants of those we read of in David's time, which were so plentiful in the low plains that Baal-llanan the Gadite was placed as overseer over them. 216 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Numbers of tall white storks paced about through the groves like so many spectres enjoying their solitary grandeur amid the scenes of other days. The day was delightful ; a light breeze refreshing the traveller and the weary pilgrim as they journeyed to the Holy City ; the fields were decked with thousands of gay flowers; the scarlet anemone, and a beautiful specimen of red tulip,* intermingled with the white cistus, the pink flox, and the blue iris, and with crimson and white asters, asphodels, and lilies, forming an enamelled carpet that perfumed the air, and offered a scene replete with everything that could gratify the eye or charm the imagination. This plain of Sharon is about fifteen miles broad, and nearly twice as many long, bordered on one side by the blue waters of the Levant, and the rugged hill country of Judea on the other. How writers could have described this " goodly land " as so unfertile as to warrant the assertion of Voltaire, that he would not receive a present of it from the Sultan, I know not, as the appearance of this plain would alone refute so great a misrepresentation. (Pages 170 —173.) We rode over the lovely vale of Sharon, still producing those roses f whose beauty and fragrance have been described by Solomon J in the sweet strains of Hebrew poetry. Around us was an atmo- sphere such as can only be perceived and breathed in the East — no palpable sky, no cloud traversing a canopy definite in extent, but an ethereal expanse about and above us, terminating only where the powers of vision fail, and creating the thought that we looked into the regions of boundless space. No detached houses and but two villages are within view on this part of the plain. One of these, Gazoor, and another called Betafafa, are but a few cottages standing upon low hills, as the few rising grounds on this immense plain would be always made use of in a country so long the seat of war. The former was originally fortified, and some of the works still remain standing. It has a pretty mosque, and by the road side a handsomely constructed fountain containing the clearest water. Beside the fountain is a chained cup for the traveller's use. After two hours' ride we got a view of Ramlah, marked by its high tower ; and a few miles to the left lay Lyda — the scriptural Lidda, — the minaret of whose mosque may be seen at a great distance. Ramlah, the ancient Arimathea, is about twelve or fourteen miles from Joppa, or about three hours' ride, distance being measured in this country by hours. It is pleasantly situated, sur- rounded by thick groves of olives and some palms ; fine crops of * The tulip is a flower of Eastern growth and highly esteemed; thus, in the Ode of Messhe, " The edge of the bower is filled with the light of the ahmed, among the plants the fortunate tulip represents its com- panions." f Much has been written and many opinions expressed regarding the rose of Sharon. I agree in opinion with those authors who state, that it is not a rose, but a cistus, white or red, with which this vale in par- ticular, and other parts of Judea abound. t Solomon's Song ii. 1. ■\V1LDe's travels in PALESTINE. 217 corn, beans, and most luxuriant tobacco, border tbe suburbs — the enclosures are divided by the impenetrable nopals. It was the Christian Sabbath, and numbers of the inhabitants were lying in groups among the plantations, basking in tlie sun. The men in their long silk gowns, fur-trimmed cloaks, and dark wide-spreading turbans ; the children, some of whom were exceedingly beautiful, frisking about in the warm sunshine; and the women, clothed in long white robes with a red border, and black silk face covers, sitting by themselves in little coteries under tiie shady olives, and the different groups of pilgrims, in the costume of their several nations, resting after their morning's toil — these, with the sur- rounding country and its associations, formed a highly picturesque and imposing scene as we entered the town. (Pages 174, 175.) We again set forward on our journey towards Jerusalem. The plain on which llamlah stands extends further eastward for about five or six miles, and then the land rises in gentle slopes towards the mountains, still, however, retaining its verdure, its beauty, and its fertility. This part of the country was well cultivated, but the crops of wheat, oats, millet, and barley, were all suttcring from extreme drought, for no rain had fallen for a long time. On this account the barley was in ear, thougli it was not more than eighteen inches high. The hill country is entered by a narrow pass at a place called Ladron, where are the remains of an old fort and the gothic arches of a large church. The former was probably erected as a resting- place, and also a defence for the pilgrims, as this spot has ever been the haunt of the Arab robbers. Several flocks of gazelles bounded across our path, and numerous herds of small black goats, with long silken hair and beautiful pendant ears almost reaching the ground, followed the steps of the goatherd as he led them along the different mountain-passes. The tinkling of their little copper-bells, when heard among those solitary liills through which our road lay, had a pleasing effect, and helped to beguile the tedium of the way. We had reached the hill country of Judea, and a complete change came over the scene. The eye was no longer refreshed with the vei-dant sward and the beauty of the plain which we had traversed after leaving Joppa. The hum of bees, the low of cattle, and even the music of the goat's-bell, was no longer heard. A solemn wildness reigns in those elevated regions, the hills of •which rise in amphitheatres, or rather in concentric circles, one above another. The strata of grey limestone protrudes its naked head through these hills at regular intervals, like so many seats in a stadium. There is no vestige of human beings, and the road be- comes a mere horse-track, with scarcely room for two to pass abreast ; yet the dreariness and monotony of the view is occasionally re- lieved by vallevs and ravines clotlied with low woods of dwarf oak, which was then putting forth its young leaves and long green catkins ; and here, for the first time in our travels, we met the thorn 218 THE J^WS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. becoming white with blossom, and reminding us of the lawns and hedge-rows of our own far distant homes. A few fields of corn showed by their fertility, caused by the moisture which is more abundant on these elevated regions than on the plains, what could still be effected by cultivation on the lime- stone soil of Judea, and on the terraces between each band of rock, which act as so many retaining walls. Much was originally, and much could still be effected in the growth of the vine and the olive on the sides of these hills. Those who exclaim against the unfer- tility and barrenness of this country should recollect, that want of cultivation gives it much of the sterile and barren appearance which it now presents to the traveller. The plough in use in that country is one of the rudest instruments of any implement of the kind that I have ever seen. It resembles the ancient Egyptian plough, and it does little more than scratch the soil, making a furrow scarcely three inches in depth. (Pages 180 — 182.) An hour and a-half s ride brought us to the Terebinthine Vale, memorable as the battle-field on which the stripling son of Jesse prostrated the vaunting champion of the Philistines. A narrow bridge here crosses a small stream, in which it is said the youthful wanior filled his scrip with the smooth pebbles, one of which laid Goliath in the dust, and achieved a glorious victory for the army of Israel. The scene instantly calls to mind the position of the two armies placed upon opposite hills, with a valley running between. The hill to the left is now occupied by a considerable village of low square Arab huts. Along the banks of the rivulet are some lovely gardens, adorned with apple-trees, apricots, almond-trees, orange and acacia-groves, together with rose laurels, figs, and syca- mores. (Pages 185, 186.) Hippolite, oiur guide, now informed us that we were approaching near the Holy City, when all became excitement; enthusiasm appeared in every face, anxious hope beamed in every eye, each pressed forward beyond his neighbour. We quickened our horses' paces, and every turn and rising ground upon the road was gained with accelerated speed in order to catch a distant view of the city. At length we arrived at an old marabut, where the coimtry became more level, but still presenting the same stony character, and here we caught the first glimpse of Jerusalem, at about a mile's distance. The first object that attracted our attention, was a line of dead wall, flanked by two or three square towers, above which could be dis- tinguished a few domes and minarets. Such is the appearance which the city presents when seen from this point. Beyond the city, on the eastern side, rose a three-capped hill, whose highest point was surmounted by a white dome and one or two straggling buildings ; its sides, which were studded with low shrubby plants, exhibited a brown and rugged aspect. This is the memorable Mount of Olives. Our party reined their horses and stood in motionless silence for some minutes, gazing on the scene. The expectations we had formed respecting the appearance of THE CHURCH OF ST. JAMES. 219 Jerusalem were disappointed, l)ut our enthusiasm had not in the least degree abated. For myself, I confess that as I gazed upon the north-western angle of that soHtary wall, sorrow came over my heart ; no living thing could be seen on tlie intervening ground ; nothing stirred ; and solitude seemed to reign within its walls. It was then approaching towards the close of day, and everything we saw appeared lone and desolate ; so quiet and solitary did the city ap])ear, that it looked as if its inhabitants had been asleep for years, and that Me liad come to awaken them from their slmnbers. As we approached the city, the line of wall which we had first seen opened out and extended to the right. We passed the upper pool of (Jihon, and met a few Arab crones going with their pitchers on their heads to draw water from a neigli- bouring well. They appeared like so many of those witches de- scribed in works of fiction, coming forth to meet us from the silent city. Turning a sharp angle of tlie wall, we reached a large massive square-building commonly called the Castle of David, and now the citadel of tlie modern city. To the left of it is the Jaffa gate, which was guarded by a few ligyptian soldiers, who oflered no obstruction to our entrance. (Pages 187 — 189.) Cf)e orijurcfj of ^t fames.* It is a remarkable feature of the times in which we are privileged to live, that God has graciously i)ut it into the hearts of many of his servants " to take pleasure in the stones of Zion and to favour the dust thereof." Many of those who pray for the coming of tlie kingdom of Christ, remember the promise that tells us that when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and all nations shall flow unto it, the "law shall go i\)rth out of Zion, and the word of tlie Lord from Jerusalem," and thus they begin to " ask concerning the Jews that have escaped, that are left of the captivity and concerning Jerusalem," and " they are grieved for the afflic- tion of Josepli." * " The Church of St. .Tames. The Primitive Hebrew Christian Church of Jerusalem ; its History, Character, and Constitution. By the Rev. J. B. Cartwright, A.M., Minister of the Episcopal Jews' Chapel. London : Wertheim, Paternoster-row. 1842." L 2 220 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. After centuries of wilful and shameful neglect, some begin to feel that it is a sin to pass by on the other side, and to treat Zion as an outcast whom no man seeketh after. They read the promise that "the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof" and they inquire concerning her desolations, and they ask what is " the manner " of the place concerning which the Lord hath given so many promises of good ? Such inquirers will read this book with the greatest interest. The present state and condition of the dispersed of Judah is indeed but imperfectly understood, and scarcely anything is known by most persons of the Church of Christ among the circumcision, as existing after the closing of the sacred canon. There are, doubtless, many who feel a wish to become acquainted with the history of this most interesting portion of the Universal Church, who have looked in vain for information from most of the popular writers on eccle- siastical history. A few very imperfect notices are all that they can collect from the books usually found in our hbraries. But in this moderate-sized volume they will find much in a short compass. The work, which is very appropriately dedicated to the Right Reverend the Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland at Jerusalem, is divided into eleven chapters, which treat on the following subjects : — Chapter I. Foundation of the Church of Jerusalem. Chapter II. Purity and Devotedness of the Church of Jerusalem, Chapter III. Constitution of the Church of Jerusalem. Chapter IV. National Character of the Church of Jerusalem. Chapter V. Precedence and Authority of the Church of Jerusalem. ■ Chapter VI. The Episcopate of St. James. Chapter VII. The Episcopate of Symeon. Chapter VIII. Closing History and Dispersion of the Church of Jerusalem. Chapter IX. Remnant of the Hebrew Church. Chapter X. The Hebrew-Christians of the Fourth Century. Chapter XI. Concluding Observations. It is ({uite impossible tc convey an accurate idea of the THE CHURCH OP ST. JAMES. 221 manner in which these subjects are treated by merely giving sliort extracts. It is a work of much reseai'ch, and gives a condensed view of tlie testimony of history, on many ques- tions which require the serious attention of every member of that Church whicli has been founded by Clirist and his apostles. Want of room compels us to omit all notice of the first four chapters, where we find many important historical remarks, tending to elucidate the account of the original constitution of the Church at Jerusalem as contained in the New Testament. Chapter V. contains many statements concerning the respect which was paid in those primitive times to the Church at Jerusalem, which well deserve the serious atten • tion of every one, as showing, indisputably, how utterly groundless the claims of Rome are, to anything like su- premacy among the Churches of Christ. The statement of Eusebius, of the election of the successor of St. James, written at a period when there was no temptation to exalt the primitive CInu-ch of Jerusalem, and no tendency unduly to honour the memory of a Hebrew episcopate, shows tliat nearly 200 years after its extinction there was a strong traditional sense of its pre-eminence and distinction. He mentions tliat it was reported " that the apostles and disciples of oiu- Lord who were yet alive, met together from all parts in tlie same place, together also with the kinsmen of our Lord according to the flesh," in order to appoint a worthy successor in this see. But the (luthorUii actuulhj exercised by the Cburch of Jerusalem is perhaps one of the most remarkable circumstances connected with its history. No general council ever gave the law so decidedly to the great body of the catholic Church, as did the Synod of Jerusalem ; no decision was ever considered so universally binding as its decrees. Tiie Church of Jerusalem by its sole decision settled the greatest question of doctrine and practice that ever agitated the Christian world. (Pp. 115 — 117.) The memory of this ancient Church ivas held in high veneration long after it had ceased to exist in its original character. Hitherto we have had the testimony of the Word of God to the great respect and affection with which the ('hurch of Jerusalem was regarded by the various Churches which the apostles had gathered, and which looked up to it as their common parent. We find that not only immediately after the close of the sacred history, but many years after the dissolution of the original Hebrew Church, its memory was 222 THE JEWS OF the NINETEENTn CENTURY. lield in honour by the Church ; and more especially that the Gentile Church of Jerusalem, which was founded upon its ruins, claimed a portion of the respect due to so distinguished an origin. The Gentile bishops of JEVia, and of Jei"usalem when the ancient appel- lation was restored under a Christian emperor, delighted to trace their descent from St. James and his Hebrew successors, and eagerly claimed the honour of filling the chair which he had occupied. The celebrated Cyril of Jerusalem, who was bishop there in the fourth century, and who preached his catechetical lectures, which are still extant, in churches erected near the spot where the Redeemer suffered and died, evidently takes every opportunity of identifying the Church over which he presided, with the primitive Church of St. James. On one occasion, when laying down the Scripture rule respecting things offered to idols, he says, " Concern- ing these meats, not I only, but the apostles also before now, and James the Bishop of this Church, have taken thought." And again, discoursing upon the resurrection, and the abundant evidences of it, he says, '• Ihen he was seen of James, his own brother, and first bishop of this diocese. Seeing then that such a bishop originally saw Jesus Christ when risen, do not thou his disciple disbelieve him." (Pages 127—129.) Whilst we have scriptural evidence that the Hebrew Church of Jerusalem, luider the episcopate of St. James, and during the con- tinuance of the Jewish commonwealth, enjoyed pre-eminence and authority over the other Christian Churches, of which she was the acknowledged mother and mistress, we have no authority whatever, either scriptural or ecclesiastical, for believing that the same position was ever occupied, or the same honour ever paid to any other Church. The supremacy of the Church of Jerusalem was suspended and not transferred. The Church of Rome has indeed set up a counterfeit claim to be a second Jerusalem, if not her superior, and that claim has been gradually enforced, by artifice and power, over a large section of the Church ; but at the same time it has been met b}' a firm and undeviating protest and resistance from the Eastern Churches under all their privations and sufferings. The Word of God leads us to expect that the Church of Jerusalem shall yet again flourish, and resume her proper and destined pre-eminence in a Christianized world ; when her purity and her light shall shine with more than original splendour. "The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills ; and all nations shall flow imto it." At that time, " Many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord." Our blessed Lord himself appealed to the language of prophecy, as declaring that the house of the Lord at Jerusalein shall yet "be called a house of prayer for all people." (Pages 132 — 134.) The episcopal labours of St. James terminated in the same way as those of many others of the faithful and devoted THE CHURCH OP ST. JAMES. 223 followers of a suifering Saviour. He was called to glorify God by martyrdom : — The martyrdom of St. James is ascribed to the eflfect of his preaching and living, upon the distinguished men of that day, many of whom received the Gospel; in consequence of which, " there was a disturbance among the Jews, and among the Scribes and Pharisees, who said there was danger, lest all the people should think Jesus to be the Christ. Coming therefore to James, they said, We beseech thee to restrain the error of the people. We entreat thee to persuade all tliat come hither at the time of passover to think rightly conceniing Jesus ; for all the people and all of us put confidence in thee. Stand, therefore, upon the battlement of the temple, that being placed on high thou mayest be conspicuous, and thy words may be easily heard by all the people. For because of the passover all the tribes are come hither, and many Gentiles. Therefore the Scribes and Pharisees before named placed James upon the battlement of the temple, and cried out to him and said, O Justus, whom we ought all to believe, since the people are in an error, following Jesus who was crucified, tell us 'What is the gate of Jesus ? ' And be answered with a loud voice, ' Why do ye ask me concerning the Son of Man; he ever sitteth in the heaven, at the right hand of the great power, and will come in the clouds of heaven.' And many were fully satisfied, and well pleased with the testimony of James, saying, ' Hosanna to the Son of David.' But the same Scribes and Pharisees said one to another, We have done v/rong in procuring such a testimony to Jesus. Let us go up and throw him down, that the people may be terrified from giving credit to him. And they inmiediately went up and cast him down, and said, Let us stone James the just. And they began to stone him, because he was not killed with the fall. But he turning himself, kneeled, saying, ' I entreat thee, O Lord God the Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' As thej* were stoning him, some one said, 'Give over; what do ye ? The just man prays for you.' And one of them, a fuller, took a pole which was used to beat cloth with, and struck him on the head. Thus his martyrdom was completed Tliis James was a true witness to Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ. And soon after, Judea was invaded by Vespasian, and the people were carried captive." (Pp. 166—170.) The following is the account which Mr. Cartwright gives of the Christians during that most awful period, when the Holy City was permitted to feel the wrath of the Almighty in the fullest measure : — The Jewish nation were now rapidly filling up the measure of their iniquities. The oppression of Florus, the Roman Governor, 242 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. and the factious spirit of party amongst tlie Jews, led to a violent and bloody insurrection. This nuist have been a tryini^ period to the Christian Israelites. Cestius Gallus, the Roman President of Syria, after taking a few cities of comparatively little importance, laid siege to Jerusalem ; and it is the opinion of Josephus, the Jewish historian, that if he had made a resolute assault upon the city he would easily have taken it, and put an end to the war. In- stead, however, of taking this decided step, he retired from before the city, and sustained a defeat in an attack of the exasperated Jews. This closed the door of reconciliation with their Roman masters, and accordingly both sides prepared for a fierce conflict. In this interval, so remarkably ordered l)y Divine Providence, Josephus states that many of the most distinguished of the inhabi- tants forsook the city, and though he does not mention the Christians, they were undoubtedly of the number. It is related by Christian wi-iters that they retired to a city called Pella, on the eastern side of the Jordan. Eusebius states that the whole congregation of the Church in Jerusalem, according to a Divine warning given to certain eminent persons before the war, were commanded to depart out of the city, and inhabit Pella, beyond Jordan. And Epiphanius, in allusion to this event, says in one place that they were warned by an angel, but in another that they were forewarned by Christ. It was clearly the opinion of the ancient Church that the Church of Jerusalem was under the special care of Providence, and that its members were directed to avail themselves of the favourable oppor- tunity which occurred of saving themselves from the overthrow of the city, in conformity with the words of our Saviour, " Let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains." The presence of the Church had been hitherto the defence of Jerusalem ; and the removal of the faithful band of Hebrew-Chris- tians was like the removal of Lot from the devoted cities of the plain. The forbearance of God was manifested towards the nation of the Jews by the preservation of the Church in their metropolitan city. Thus Eusebius speaks of " the endearing goodness of the most excellent providence of God, deferring the destruction of the unbelieving Jews full forty years after their most audacious wicked- ness committed against Christ. During which space many of the apostles and disciples (and James himself, the first bishop there, who was called the brother of our Lord) being yet alive, and making their abode in the city of Jerusalem, continued to be a most impreg- nable fortification to that place." It is said that many of the Jews were so struck with the evident interposition of God in the preservation of the Christians, that they were induced in consequence to embrace the Gospel at this time. (Pages 178—182.) After tliis sad event, the Christians, who had been thus wonderfully preserved bj the good hand of God directing their steps in the time of danger, returned "under the THE CHURCH OF ST. JAMES. 225 guardiansliip of their bishop, the holy Symeon, to tlie beloved spot now a heap of ruins." Symeon was, after many years of peace, called to tread in the steps of his predecessor St. James, by glorifying God in martyrdom ; for an account of wlaich see pages 188 — 190. The following is the list of bishops who presided over the see of Jerusalem : — Eusehius informs us that lie could fnul no authentic record of the leilgth of time durinmn iDi2)2i«Tp'n'jnin \n«n baa n«T n^Tia rwov hinj '3 'n — "Ascribe ye glory to the Eternal, call upon His name, make known among the people His great deeds ; proclaim ye it, for His name shall be exalted. O sing praises unto the Eternal, for He hath wrought great things, this shall be evident throughout the earth." (Verses 1 — 6.) Also in the eleventh chapter of Ezekiel, at the 15th verse, where the inhabitants of Jerusalem are represented as treating the Israel- ites as perpetual exiles: "Son of man. Thy brethren, yea, thy kindred, and the whole house of Israel, are thus addressed by the inhabitantsof Jerusalem n^jiio"? yisn mnz N'n i:"? '" b?o ipm; Remove yourselves far from the Lord, for the land is ours, it is given to us for an inheritance. Therefore speak. Thus saith the Eternal, Although I have driven them forth amongst the nations, and have scattered them in all lands, yet ^vill I be unto them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Therefore say. The Eternal God saith thus : Lo, I will assemble you from all people, and I will gather you from all countries where you are dispersed, and I will give unto you the land of Isi-ael." Attend also, my hearers, to the words of the Prophet Zechariah, who, be it recollected, prophesied after the return from Babylon, and therefore the great restoration of which he speaks cannot bear the slightest reference to that event. In the 8th chapter of his book, at the 7th verse, the Prophet thus speaks, n« y'lrin '::n m«32 '' no« no SERMON, BY THE REV. D, W. MARKS. 253 •jin3 1331C1 cm« 'nH2m : irocn ku'd p^oi mio yiNO 'oy " Tims saith the Kternal, Behold, I will save my people from the east countries, and from the hmd wliere the sun sets. And I will conduct them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem ; and they shall be unto me for a people, and I will be unto them a God in tnith and in righteousness." Again, at the 13th verse, ifflNS rrm □ DDK y'ffii« p "7^^^lrl■' rr'n mm' n'l cui nb^p Dn^'n :D3'T HDpinn inth b^ riDia nn'Ml "And it shall come to pass that as ye were execrated amongst the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall become a blessing; fear not, but confide." " For thus saith the Eternal, As I purposed to afflict you when your fathers provoked me, and I repented not, so fully have I purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. (), fear ye not." There is another passage in Jeremiah xxiii. 7, which I shall produce in sup- port of the doctrine of our text ; it is a continuation of the prophecy wherein 13PTS ", "The Lord our righteousness," is mentioned, to which I referred on the last Sabbath. The prophecy foretelling the advent of Messiah proceeds thus: xbi " c«: d'ni D'Q' nan p"? ON '3 tc'iSD YMi'o "jNic '33 HN nbrn T^"N " 'n Tir nos' n3D2 ^n^n ■?«■(©' n'3 v^\^ riN «'3n ttcni nbyn iuj^ " m !Dnm« "jy I3i2'i Qxo D'nmpf ttd« msTsn b^2•o^ "There- fore the days come, saith the Eternal, when it shall no more be said, The Eternal liveth that brought Israel forth from the land of Egypt ; but. The Eternal liveth who hath called up and who hath conducted the seed of the house of Israel from the north countries, and from all the lands whither they have been driven, and they shall dwell on their own soil." A most remarkable and impressive prophecy this; in the days of Messiah Israel is to be saved in a manner so miraculous, that even the wonders at the exit from Egyptian bondage are to be eclipsed by the astounding events that God will then bring about. Ever since the emancipation of Israel from the thraldom of the Pharaohs, the great deeds of the Jloly One □ n \n«a have been duly commemorated. Of the Exodus from Egypt, every writer of the Bible constantly speaks, and of this event all the prayers uttered, and the several j)salms chanted by the conununities of Israel, as every one acquainted with our Liturgies must be aware, bear strong and direct evidence. Yet such are to be the signal miracles displayed at the final ingathering of Israel, that it is no longer to be said, "The Lord liveth that brought Israel out of Egypt ; but, The Lord liveth that hath conducted his dispersed people from all countries." Surely this prophecy ought to teach alesson of forbearance to men who would persecute Israel for affirming that the Messiah of the Bible is still to a])pear. Has the day arrived when the wonders of Egypt are no longer recorded .' Has the day arrived when all the dispersions of Israel are gathered back to Judea? He who is so bold as to affirm these things, the infallible tests of Messiah's advent, may then, and then only, accuse Israel of rejecting the Lord's Anointed. This remarkable prophecy is repeated iu the IGth 254 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. chapter of the book of Jeremiah, when the Prophet adds, that the sons of Israel shall behold their redemption, and shall praise the Lord, saying, m:i avn 'DIJqi n:?ai ^>^v "n "The Eternal has been my strength, my fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble." And at that time, continues the Prophet, all the nations which have been persecuting Israel for their creed shall come to them, and shall make acknowledgment that the creed which they have derided and scorned is the true one. "[N TiDNn yiN 'DD«o 1^2' cm yba vriD 02 {'HI '?2a 13'nilN I'^n: ip© " Unto thee the nations shall come from the extremities of the earth, and they shall say. Surely our fathers have inherited falsehood, yea vanity, in which there is no profit." Brethren, from what has been advanced, it must be evident to you that the restoration of Israel is not an event about which mankind can proceed systematically, as if they were engaged in the political settlement of an ordinary state; but that it is to be accompanied by such wondrous occurrences as must totally change the physical and political relations of all the countries of the earth. This is the reply which we, as Israelites, return to all those narrow- minded men who assume that we do not regard England as our home or our country, but that we seek both in our future restoration to Judea. We hesitate not to tell such men that they grossly calum- niate the disciples of Moses, in charging them with entertaining such sentiments. It is true, that we look to our i-estoration to Judea, but only at that time when the whole tone of society will be changed, and when all nations will be subjected to a system of government totally different from that which now obtains. But until that period arrives — and mark well, it is to be attended by such wonders as are to eclipse the miracles of Egypt — we unequivocally declare, that we neither seek nor acknowledge subjection to any land, except the land of our birth. To this land we attach ourselves with a patriotism as glowing, with a devotion as fervent, and with a love as ardent and sincere, as any class of our British non-Jewish fellow-citizens. For the honour of this land, for its gloi-y and independence, we all manfully stand up, and for its liberties, its constitutional rights, and its ancient bulwarks, we are prepared to contribute our means, to devote our energies, and, if necessary, to shed our blood, as cheer- fully and as readily as the rest of our compatriots. When God shall be pleased, by means of a mighty moral revolution, to bring back the seed of Abraham to Judea, we shall then rejoice in our title of " a kingdom of priests and a holy nation; " and in that title we shall give glory to God, in being permitted to become his instruments in bringing all mankind to acknowledge the unity of his name, and in making blessed all the families of the earth. But since this time is in the hands of God, and since we take no account of it in our relations to counti-ies and to mankind; and further, since we act as men amongst men, and as citizens amongst citizens, we boldly claim every right of humanity and every privilege of citizenship, because we are prepared, both as Jews and as Englishmen, to discharge all the duties which these rights confer, with honour and fidelity. And now, I would address a word or two to you, my hearers, ere SERMON, BY THE REV. D. W. MARKS. 255 I conclude, concerning the influence which the subject of our text ought to exert over IsracHtcs in their religious belief. You clearly perceive that the doctrine of the restoration of Israel is not calcu- lated to aflect you in the remotest degree, in your relations to those countries of wliich you are subjects and citizens. How tlien does it occur that so many in Israel turn away with indifference from the prophecies which foretel our future aggrandizement, and how is it that so little interest is manifested by the descendants of Jacob, for anything that bears upon the accomplishment of their glorious destinies in the latter days ? If our religious opinions are guided by the Bible — and God forbid that they sliould be regulated by anything else — we must perceive that the history of Israel, con- sidered apart from a future restoration, is one of the greatest incongruities that the world offers to view. Without a future restoration, the great problem of the continued identity of the people of Israel is totally incapable of a satisfactory solution ; without a restoration, we have no association with the past, and no connexion with the future : but we stand out differently from every people that ever existed, as a mere effect of chance, hard, most hard to reconcile with the workings of Providence, which have all a fixed design. Now, if the question were seriously put to Israelites, upon what grounds they are sceptical of the accomplishment of the doctrine of our text, there is very little doubt that the readiest answer in their minds would be, the apparent impossibility of a final restoration. And yet, brethren, such a reply would be totally unwarranted, not only from what the Bible teaches, but from what history and experience have brought within the compass of every reflecting mind. No one will dispute that the Israelites were enslaved by the Pharaohs, and that they were ultimately delivered from the yoke without a sword being unsheathed, or a bow being strung. No one will question — to say nothing of the intermediate period of Jewish history — that Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah and Benjamin into captivity, and that, at the expiration of seventy years, Cyrus manumitted the two tribes, and gave them permission to return to Judea. These are facts so evident, that no man, possessing the reputation for the most moderate share of historical knowledge, would presume to question them. Say, then, brethren, whether the exit from Egypt or the return from Babylon could have seemed less impossible to our fathers, than the future restoration of Israel appears to us? Yet were both these events accomplished by the working of God's infallible agencies, precisely in the way foretold by the Scriptures. What, brelhi-en, is the whole history of Israel but a series of miracles? So truly wonderful indeed is the preservation of our ])eople, that if we were to imagine a period — say, for example, the close of the present centurj' — when Israelites should lose their identity and be no longer distinguished as at other times, it is almost certain, that the men of the next century would have great misgivings as to whether the Israelites, as a religious body, really survived the fall of Jerusalem for the space of 1900 years, because 256 THE JEWS OP THE NTNETEENTH CENTURY. the circumstance would be so contrary to probability and to general experience. Let us then weigh well our words before we presume to pronounce what it is possible for God to accomplish, through us and for us, especially after what we have heard and seen of those remarkable events in the history of our people. Besides which, brethren, there are many direct evidences before us, which tend to establish our hopes in the accomplishment of the prophecies concerning o' 31TD '3 mNas ■<■> n« "The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice that saith, O give thanks imto the Eternal Zabaoth, for the Lord is good, and His mercy endureth for ever." (Jer. xxxiii. 11.) 2oi **Cf)e dFfStibals of tfjc ILoitr/' The work now before us, bearing the title, " Tlie Festivals of the Lord," contains a series of essays which were originally published in the "Hebrew Review," and have since been separately reprinted in a small volume, as more convenient for general circulation. The author, who has not affixed his name to the work, is well-known among the Jews as a talented preacher in one of our large towns. He tells us that the republication in the present shape was owing to the wish expressed by many pious and well- meaning Israelites, that papers so useful and instructive might be more generally ditifused. The work, which is written with considerable ability, treats on the following nine subjects : — the Sabbath, the Passover, the Pentecost, the ninth day of Ab, the New Year, the Day of Atonement, the Tabernacles, the Inaugura- tion, and Purim. The following may serve as a specimen of the manner in which the author endeavours to impress upon the minds of his nation the solemn duties they have to perform. Speaking of the Sabbath he says, page 17 — 20: — The toils of the week are ended. With his ahhitions, the last remains of jjvofane care are washed away. Dressed in his best attire, he sits down and prepares his mind for the sanctity of the coming Sabbath, by reading that portion of Holy Writ which the custom of his fathers has apportioned to each succeeding week. Nightfall approaches as he closes the sacred volume; and he hastens to the synagogue, there to join a congregation whose hearts and minds are like his own, filled with gratitude and love. His voice resoiuids amidst the clieerful choir, who, with tlic sacred songs of the Prophet-King, and solemn hymns of departed saints, hail the coming of the Sabbath, the plighted troth between the Lord and his people. When the heartfelt service is concluded, the joyous greeting, and the wish of a happy Sabbath, have been exchanged between him and his brethren, he returns cheerfully to his (no longer gloomy) home. There the faithful partner of his griefs 258 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURr. and joys has plied lier domestic care. Clean and cheerful is his room. The tahle, decked with its cover of spotless white, is ready ; the berchoth, "blessed bread," beneath its double envelope, recalls the miraculous manna, with which the Deity fed Israel during forty years of Avandering in the desert. A blaze of lights, consecrated by the fervent invocation of the pious matron,* sheds its genial influence round the apartment. Everything is ready to greet the happy master of this happy dwelling. He conies, his doors open to receive him. His children crowd around him, clean and wholesome, to receive that blessing, which for countless generations no child ever failed to implore and to receive from its parents on the Sabbath-eve. The cheerful smile of the mother greets him ; and when he, as he is commanded, inquires if her Sabbath duties are observed, the conscious glance of her sparkling eye answers him more fully than her words, that her heart too rejoices in these duties, and hails the Sabbath, the festival of domestic tranquillity and love. He sits down to his board ; the goblet sparkles with the wine over which the consecrated blessing of the Sabbath is pronounced ; its institution, and the repose of the Creator are celebrated. The blessed bread is divided, and a joyous meal awaits his appetite. Haply some wandering stranger is seated at his board, and makes him thankful to that God whose bounty he is sharing with his fellow-creatures.f How happy is he ! The very contrast between the ordinary appearance of his abode, and that which, on this occasion, it presents, enhances his happiness. Poverty seems banished. Smiling and cheerful is all around him. Lights triumph over the usual gloom. Plenty has succeeded to penury ; enjoyment takes the place of abstinence ; the hearth steams with savoury food, fragrant with the perfume of that precious spice, the Sabbath, whose sympathetic virtues are unknown to all, save to its observers. He ends his meal, and prepares, amidst joyous songs of praise, to thank the Giver of all good, and his heart responds to his voice, as lie says, "Thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and shalt bless the Lord thy God ! " Approach, ye rich ! who think that happiness can only be companion to wealth, that ostentation alone confers enjoyment; ye, who, tutored in the school of presumption, make your faith subordinate to your reason ; who break the Sabbath, because your boasted wealth, your wide-spread commerce, your loans and securities, demand your care : — approach the humble board of this, by you, disregarded man ; and learn there, that the happiness of wealth and of power is far eclipsed by that of religion. For what those impart is adventitious, what this bestows is real ; those depend on circumstances and fluctuations, whilst this * It is the duty of the Israelite to illumine his dwelling on the Sabbath as much as his means permit, and at least, to burn two lights. These it is the special observance of every housewife to consecrate. f Hospitality, at all times a sacred and pleasing duty to the Israelite, is doubly so, on the Sabbath and Feast-days. JEWISH TESTIMONY, ETC. 259 depends but on itself; those are accompanied by care, embittered by anxiety, wliilst this spreads tranquillity around, and cheers the mind with i)eace. O that ye would approach and let your boasted reason profit by the lesson you licre behold ! then it would be impressed on your minds that, whilst wealth and power forsake you at the tomb, Rkligion there receives you, and with its consoling radiance illumines the road to another and better world. §t\oi^i) Cestimonj) to tfjr and consimied their vigorous mind, in plunging it in an unfathomed abyss of delusive shadows, which have neither foundation nor reality ; if you could estimate, I say, this great damage of intellect, then you would con- fess, as I do, that neither the Romans nor the Greeks, neither Spanish Inquisition nor Damascus fiends, have ever caused to the Jews such a lasting loss as that which the Talmud has caused to them, and can, therefore, as a most injurious book, not be the receptacle of true religion. — (p. 20.) Interest tafeen in ^Jerusalem anti Palestine. Although there is great reason to mourn over the apathy and indifference which are manifested by thousands, when reference is made either to the doctrines or the history of the Bible, there are many tokens for good, which prove that the interest which is felt in sacred things is on the increase. One of the encouraging signs of the times in this respect, is the great number of persons who are led to visit the Holy Land. Visitors in considerable numbers hasten to Judea. A journey to Palestine is often undertaken as a means of restoring that health which has suffered from INTEREST TAKEN IN JERUSALEM AND PALESTINE. 293 the continued pressure of important duties. Others, again, actuated by motives of laudable curiosity, feel it to be their greatest pleasure to say, " Our feet shall stand within thy walls, Jerusalem." They go, not as the votaries of a debased and degrading superstition, but with their Bible in their hand ; and although they know and experience the solemn importance of that great doctrine, " God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth ; " although they deplore the sad attempts which have been made to set forward the service of God by those ceremonies and outward forms which can never fail to injure and perplex all those who rest in them, or look for help from them, instead of leading them to the only fountain of truth and peace, still they are instructed and profited by Avhat they see and hear on the very spot where eternal truth was revealed and redemption completed. As a recent traveller * has well observed. Past ages came rolling back upon me while I stood in the midst of scenes which had supplied matters of record for all time and all memory, things which can never really grow old, intermingled as they are, and will be, with the various streams which make up the broad current of man's moral history from beginning to the end. It is difficult to make other minds exactly sensible of the process which my own underwent while taking the first general survey of Jerusalem and its surrounding objects of eternally-enduring interest. I think it can be understood only at Jerusalem. My Bible has ever since been almost like a new book to me. It is true, I do not believe any of its records the more for having been at Jerusalem ; but I find an indescribable freshness and reality about every narrative as I peruse it, and as I suffer my recollection to bring the scene of it before me, whether it refer to the triumphs and the glory of David and of Solomon, the vengeance of Jehovah upon a favoured, but faithless people, or the wonders of redemption effected for a fallen world. And so viewed externally, and especially from the east, the deso- lation of Jerusalem is uot £o apparent, except when the eye glances upon the great Mosque of Omar, occupying the site where once stood the temple in its majesty and its glory, and then it is that the tide of wondrous history rolls through the awakened mind, and the image of her former self rises in marbled mnjesty amidst the * The Eev. G. Fisk. 294 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. imagined songs of priests and Levites, and the attendant trains of Solomon and David, her kings. The sense of contrast then at once takes possession of the mind, and is confirmed, to the exact letter of Scripture, by an hour's walk in her lonely and silent streets, amidst her dim and darkened habitations, where the sound of one's solitary footsteps keeps time to the cadence of saddening thoughts which crowd upon the soul. I never felt, though I have firmly believed, the dread realities in which prophecy has developed itself, till I stood within the walls of Jerusalem, and till I gazed on the mountains and valleys of Palestine. I think if I had gone forth a sceptic, I should have returned a believer. Either the Bible must be true, or Judea an unreal thing, an inexplicable phenomenon. In its reality, and in its present condition, lies the proof which even the pride of human reason cannot reject, that the page of inspiration is the depository of immutable truth, the text of unerring appeal, of which Judea is a living commentary and interpreter. And among those who cannot enjoy the privilege of actually visiting the scene of such unexampled mercy and unequalled suffering, there are many who think of the land of Israel with kindling emotion. They are in some good measure alive to the claim which it has upon their affections and sympathy ; and while they thankfully acknowledge the blessings which we enjoy, in the spiritual advantages which have been bestowed upon ourselves, they remember those who dwell in the literal Zion. Thus the Bishop of Glasgow, in a sermon preached at All Souls', Langham-place, on the Second Sunday after Trinity, observes : — But a far loftier object must present itself to your imaginations, when you think of the thousands and tens of thousands who, year after year, are attaining the privilege of joining in your prayers and praises in all parts of the world, on the vast continents which occupy the remoter portions of the globe, in the islands of the great ocean, and even on the sacred spot where the stupendous work of our redemption was accomplished. There is nothing on earth that I can imagine more solemn or affecting, than the forms of our worship solemnized at Jerusalem, within the walls of that ancient city where the Jewish priest in the old times pei-formed his emble- matical sacrifices ; where the Psalmist timed his harp to prophetic songs concerning the Messiah who was to appear in the latter days ; and where the holy of many successive generations waited, with an imperishable faith and hope, for the salvation of God. When praying to the Redeemer to deliver his people from their iniquities, from Divine wrath, and from everlasting damnation, and abjuring him, by the mystery of his incarnation, by his agony and bloody INTEREST TAKEN IN JERUSALEM AND PALESTINE. 295 sweat, by his cross and passion, by his precious death and buiial, by his glorious resurrection and ascension, and by the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Christian, kneeling at the footstool of the heavenly grace, cannot fail to perceive that he is surrounded by visible tokens of all thos« miracles of mercy. The Garden of Gethsemane is at hand, where the bitter agony was endured ; the hill of Calvary, with its shattered rocks, still remains a witness to the awful consumma- tion which took place on it, when the sun was darkened and the great Immamiel bowed his head unto death ; the spot can still be traced where the new tomb received the body of our crucified Lord ; and the Mount of Olives, connected in holy remembrance with the ascension, still rises before Jerusalem as in the ancient days. In such a scene our Liturgy must needs acquire an incalculable power of expression ; the eye, the ear, the imagination, will contribute to swell its import, and draw forth its fuller and more recondite meaning ; the Old Testament and the New will guide the faith of the worshipper as he reverts to tlie history of our salvation, and follows the footsteps of him who wrought it out through tribulation, sorrow, and death. " The abomination of desolation," it is true, still encompasses the land of the ancient faith to such a degree, that the believer in Zion may even now repeat the words of the ancient prophet and say, " Woe is me ; for I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips ; " nevertheless, he may behold in vision the seraph approaching the Christian altar, to light upon it that purifying flame of faith and love, by which iniquity is purged and the sin of the penitent is removed. The world, indeed, may yet appear in his eyes to languish and fade ; the earth may seem defiled under the inhabiters thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant. But notwith- standing, a voice might be heard in Jerusalem, uttering these cheering words by the most eloquent of her prophets, " O Lord, thou art my God. I will exalt thee ; 1 will praise thy name, for thou hast done wonderful things. Thy counsels of old are faithful- ness and truth. In this mountain hath the Lord destroyed the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that was spread over all nations. He hath swallowed up death in victory. Lo ! this is our God ; we waited for him, and he hath saved us ; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Open ye, then, the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." * * No apology can be necessary for this slight accommodation of the prophetical language to Christian times, — the change of the future into the past. — Note by the liight Rev. Author. 296 jFunrral Smnons on (Dcrasion of tfjc Beatt of t^C iJtsfjop of :?Jerusalem.* On Sunday, Dec. 28, two sermons were preached by the Rev. James B. Cartwright, at the Episcopal Jews' Chapel, on occasion of the death of the Right Rev. Michael Solomon Alexander, D.D., late Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland at Jerusalem, wliich have since been printed. A very crowded congregation were assembled, who listened with a deep attention, which showed how greatly they regretted the loss of one who had been called of God to so important a service in his Church. The late Bishop having for several years been a member of the congregation, and often exercised his ministry among them, his death has excited a deep and painful interest, among those who remember with the most affectionate respect, the zeal with which he preached Christ and him crucified. Both sermons are on the text, Jer. iii. 15, " 1 will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding ;" and the preacher took occasion to urge on his hearers many considerations, which should encourage the friends of Israel to expect that the promise contained in the text AviU be abundantly fulfilled in the times in which we are privileged to live. What we have already seen is, indeed, sufficient to encou- rage our hope and strengthen our faith in the revealed purpose of God. Mr. Cartwright embodies in one of liis sermons an * Two Sermons preached at the Episcopal Jews' Chapel, Palestine- place, Bethnal-green, on Sunday, December 28. 1845, on occasion of the death of the Right Rev. Michael Solomon Alexander, D.D., late Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland at Jerusalem, with an Appendix. By the Rev. James B. Cartwright, M.A., Minister of the Chapel. London: Hatchard and Son, 187, Piccadilly; Seeley, Burnside, and Seeley, Fleet-street; B. Wertheim, Aldine Chambers, Paternoster-row. 1846. FUNERAL SERMONS* 29 T interesting narrative of the late Bishop's early life and conversion, founded partly upon a document written by himself at the period of his baptism, in 1825, and partly upon the recollection of statements made by him in conversa- tion, during many years of friendly and official intercourse : — The late revered prelate, Michael Solomon Alexander, was born in the year 1799, in a small town of Prussian Poland, and was brought up from his infancy in the strictest principles of Talmudical Judaism. At the age of sixteen he became a Jewish teacher amongst his brethren in Germany, in which employment he con- tinued until a favourable opening presented itself in England, which he determined to embrace, little knowing the gracious designs of God respecting him. He arrived in this country at the age of twenty- one, ignorant of our language, mir Scriptures, and our religion. Of Christianity he had no other idea than that which he had derived from the slanderous traditions of the Talmud, occa- sionally illustrated by a passing view of a Romish procession in honour of some saint in his native town ; and he regarded it accordingly as idolatry, to be abhorred by every faithful Israelite. As to the Christian Scriptures of the New Testament, Ire was not even aware of their -existence. He was soon settled as private tutor to the children of a respectable Israelite in a country town. It was in this situation that Clu-istianitj^ was first presented to his mind, and that his prejudices were first shaken in a very remarkable manner. Walking with his friend, his attention was attracted by a large handbill, notifying the Annual Meeting of the local Association in aid of the Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews. His curiosity was excited, and, in answer to his eager inquiries, he was informed that the Society hoped to convert the Jews by means of the New Testament. He had now to learn what the Nev/ Testament was, and was told that it was an absurd book, which he would do well to read, and which indeed every Jew ought to read, with a view to the confirmation of his own mind in Ins own religion, and in opposition to Christianity. He (UdvefA the New Testament, and the very first perusal of its sacred pages awakened an inquiry and an interest, which four years of severe mental conflict brought to a happy determination. With a mind dissatisfied and ill at ease, struggling with convictions on the one hand, and the prospect of worldly disgrace and ruin on the other, after one or two changes he settled at Plymouth as reader in the Jewish synagogue. He subsequently married ; and now, as he thought, stedfastly resolved to abandon every thought of Christ and his religion. Through God's mercy, he was not long able to persevere in this resolution. There were Christian hearts that yearned over him. Christian love, tempered by Cliristian forbear- ance and discretion, stole an unsuspected march upon his honest and earnestly inquiring mind. Yet the struggle within was almost heart-rending. He was afraid, I have heard him say in reference to o 3 298 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURr. that period, to come near the church, and yet on Sunday evenings would steal silently under its walls, and almost rivetted to the spot, listen to the pealing organ as it accompanied the songs of Christian praise. At length, after having for some time communicated his difhculties to a Jewish friend, it became necessary to make a formal announcement of his views to the congregation in which he ministered. Still pressed by the entreaties of dearest friends, harassed by temptations, and appalled by the dark prospect apparently before him, he trembled on the verge of the step he was about to take ; and again, for a very short interval, hesitated whether he should proceed. But the Lord had mercy upon him, strengthened his faith, and enabled him to decide fully and finally for Christ. He was received into the Church of Christ by baptism at St. Andrew's, Plymouth, on Wednesday, June 22, 1825. Owing to his known position in a Jewish congregation, and the character which he had previously borne, the circumstance of his baptism excited considerable interest throughout the country : the friends of the Jewish cause were much encouraged, a greater spirit of inquiry was promoted amongst the Jews themselves, and, as was to be expected, the opponents of this blessed work manifested the bitterness of their feelings in various ways. (Sermons, pp. 33 — 36.) After referring to the trials which the departed prelate, and his now widowed partner, had to encounter on their public profession of Christianity, the preacher proceeds : — Our friend was thrown upon his principles ; and his principles, through God's grace, supported him in the trying hour. He met with ovei"flowing kindness from many who were truly in advance of their age, in their scriptural estimate of the claims of the Jews, and, after some hesitation as to his course, he settled at Dublin, in the hope of gaining a livelihood as a teacher of Hebrew. Here, by his mild, consistent. Christian demeanour, he gained many kind friends; and, at length, he became known to the late Arch- bishop of that diocese, by whom he was highly esteemed, and by whom he was eventually ordained to a small charge in Dublin, on Trinity Sunday, 1827. His ordination as Deacon at that period was scarcely less unexpected by himself or his friends, than his consecration as Bishop was fourteen years afterwards. Missionary ordinations were an ecclesiastical novelty. Thanks be to the great Lord of the harvest that our Church presents a very different aspect now ! The ordination of a Jewish missionary to the Jews would then almost have startled the most ardent friend of Israel. A solitary instance in which it had been ventured upon by an early Episcopal friend of the Jewish cause, could not, imhappily, be referred to as an encouragement. These circumstances are mentioned as illustrating the peculiar providence of God, in opening a way for our departed friend. His history marks the progress of that work which God has FUNERAi SERMONS. 299 since so greatly blessed. It was not long before he was liiniselt enabled to offer his services in the missionary work among his brethren, and, before he left Dublin for that purpose, he received Priest's orders from the Bishop of Kildare, with the concurrence of the Archbishop. He preached his first sermon in Sandford Church, near Dublin, on the evening of the day on which he was ordained, from Psalm li. 15, " O Lord, open thou my \\\)s ; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise." It was in the congregation of that church that he had already found many very kind and dear friends. On the 8th July, 1827, he preached his first sermon in this place,* from Rom i. 16, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." The subject was characteristic. It was one on which he continually delighted to dwell. He was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, when, as an outcast from Jewish societj', he cast his burden upon the Lord and was received into the Christian Church. He was not ashamed of it when taunted with apostasy by his unbelieving brethren, acutely sensitive as he was to their occasionally bitter rej)roaches. He was not ashamed of it when he became a Cln-istian minister in this land. Nor was he ashamed of it when exalted to the high position of a Prelate of our Church in the Holy City. It was still the power of God unto salvation. And now, it is his glory and his happiness — that Christ is not ashamed of him. At the end of the year he entered into engagements with the London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews, and proceeded to the Continent, where he laboured diligently and earnestly amongst his brethren for nearly three years : having his fixed station at Dantzic, which affords some advantages for the residence of an English clergyman, and is likewise an important centre for missionary journeys. One of his first thougiits was to visit the place of his birth. His feelings will be best described in his own words: — " I cannot describe my feelings on finding myself now in Posen, my native country, when I reflect on the wonderful dealings of the Lord with me, since I left this place nine years ago. I was then a wandering sheep from my Saviour's fold, walking in darkness and in the shades of death, ignorant of the Lord that bought me. How did he lead me? Tiiongh blind, by a way that I knew not. My soul doth magnify the Lord, because my spirit rejoiceth in my God as my Saviour, especially when I consider I am now engaged as an humble, but unworthy instrument to preach the glad tidings of salvation, and to declare to my brethren what he hath done for my soul. When my prospects of usefulness are dark, I look to mv Lord and say, Thy grace is sufficient for me ; thy strength is made perfect in my weakness." (Pp. 38 — 41.) * The Episcopal Jews' ChapeL 300 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. We add Mr. Cartwright's remarks on the character of the late Bishop as a minister of Christ : — In considering the departed prelate in the character of a Christian minister, we must bear in mind that until the age of twenty-six he had had no means of systematic study of Christian doctrine, that he had reached manhood before he knew anything of its Divine source, the New Testament. During the four years in which, at various intervals, his mind was under powerful conviction, his opportunities of coming to the knowledge of Christian truth were comparatively few and uncertain. His education, his learning, his habits, his prejudices, were all Rabbinical and not Christian. Let all these things be considered, and those who remember his preaching, and especially his earlier sermons, will feel astonished at the progress which he had then made in Christian divinity. His views of the great fundamental truths of Christianity were remarkably deep and clear, and often touchingly experimental. He had evidently learned much during his first years of sharp mental conflict. I believe that at that time he was eminently taught of God ; and that if he was clear on the important subject of a sinner's acceptance with God, of justification by the blood of Christ through faith alone, and of sanctification by the renewing influences of the Holy Ghost; it was because he had fought out, as it were, these great questions in secret conflict and prayer; under deep conviction of sin, he had learned his need of the free mercy of the Gospel ; and in the experience and consciousness of the weakness of his own resolves, and the treachery of his own heart, he had discovered the need and the power of that grace which enabled him in the trying moment to say, " I can do all things through Christ Vhich strengtheneth me." Thus experience, temptation, and prayer, had been his first commentaries on the doctrines of the Gospel ; and, therefore, when in little more than two years from his baptism, Ordination was offered to him, entirely unsolicited and unexpected, by a prelate who was esteemed strict in his requirements from candidates for Holy Orders, he was found to possess suitable qualifications for the Christian ministry. At no time did his ministrations or expositions of the Bible manifest the spirit and character of a novice. A deep-read student of Gentile literature, or of Christian theology, he could not be, but the absence of this was compensated by his knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, and of that literature which best illustrates them. His comparative ignorance of Christian controversies betrayed him into no mistakes, as he carefullj' avoided committing himself upon subjects which he did not understand, and was always ready to seek information from others. Firm and decisive on points which he had once clearly received, immoveable as a rock on the great fundamentals of the Christian creed, he was fearful and timid at the very approach of what seemed to him new views of truth ; he was alarmed and suspicious of all religious novelties ; and in the prosecution of THE JEWS IN GREAT BRITAIN. 301 his further studies in God's Word, he proceeded with that caution whicli was so necessary in his circumstances, and which proved a valuable qualification for a higher office in the Church. He never ventured where he had not studied and prayed. There was a ripeness of Christian experience which supplied the lack of some other professional attainments. In doctrine there was " uncorrupt- ness, gravity, sincerity ; " * and if there was not brilliancy of conception, there was unaffected earnestness of soul ; if there was not elocjuence of language, there was " sound speech that cannot be condemned."* He had a firm belief in the promises of God to his own nation, and looked ardently for their fulfilment. The minute accomplish- ment of the threatenings of God upon the Jews was to his mind one of the most powerful arguments for the equally exact fulfilment of the promises. (Pp. 44 — 47.) In publishing these sermons, the author has greatly added to the interest and value of the pamphlet, by subjoining, in the form of an appendix, not only a summary of the steps which led to the building of a Hebrew church, and the establishment of a Protestant bishopric, in the Holy City, but also the account of Bishop Alexander's conversion to Christianity, written by himself, together with his four Episcopal " Addresses to the Friends of Israel," and other interesting documents. Ci)^ iUetos in Srcat 13rttnin.t This is a work of very considerable ability, labour, and research. Tovey, in his " Anglia-Judaica, or History and Antiquities of the Jews in England," had, indeed, supplied us with much valuable information, but Mr. MargoUouth has added a great number of important particulars, and in • Titus ii. 7, 8. t " The Jews in Great Britain ; being a Series of Six Lectures, delivered in the Liverpool Collegiate Institution, on the Antiquities of the Jews in England. Ey the Hev. Moses Margoliouth, Incumbent of Glasnevin, Dublin." London : James Nisbet and Co., Berners-street. Wm. Curry, jun., & Co., Dublin. 1846. 302 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. some cases has been able to correct mistakes into which former writers have fallen. The plan on which the work is Avritten, is also a great improvement on Tovey. Mr. Marguliouth does not usually introduce the documents, which he quotes in the original Latin, in the lecture itself, but prints them separately in the form of an appendix. The history of the Jews in England, too much resembles the account wliich we have of the sufferings and sorrows, endured by that wonderful people in most of the countries whither they have been driven. We have before us a sad record of exactions and violence, of loans extorted with the most unfeeling rigour, of oppression and cruelties, of im- prisonments, banishments, and murders. But it is not merely a tragic tale of sufferings and Avretchedness ; we have many traits of character which remind us that Israel has been wonderfully preserved amidst all the wrongs inflicted on the nation, and that from time to time God has raised up witnesses for himself from among that people. Thus, the celebrated Nicolaus Lyra, who is often spoken of as a forerunner of the Reformation, was an English Jew. Mr. Margoliouth says : — It must not be omitted to be mentioned, that in banishing the Jews from this country, the English have expelled one of the most brilliant stars of the Reformation, who was a Christian Jew, an Englishman by birth, and educated in the University of Oxford, the well-known Nicolaus de byra, who wrote a commentary on the Old and New Testament ; and being deeply versed in the ancient tongues, and well read in all the works of the learned rabbies, he selected their best opinions, and expounded the holy Scriptures in a manner far above the taste of that age, in which he showed a greater acquaintance with the principles of interpretation, than any of his predecessors. He was, indeed, a most useful forerunner to Luther, who made ample use of his commentaries, in which he frequently reprehended the reigning abuses of the Church, — a fact, which led Pflug, Bishop of Naumburg, to say — "Si Lyra non lyrasset, Lutherus non saltasset." THE JEWS IN GREAT BRITAIN. 303 Others have it thus : — " Nisi Lyra lyrasset, " Totus mundus delirasset." Wickliffe has also profited much by De Lyra's writings : he used them frequently when translating the Bible. Indeed his writings were formerly very famous. Pope, in giving a catalogue of Bay's library in his Dunciad, finds — " De Lyra there a dreadful front extends." It appears, that soon after the banishment of the Jews from this country, De Lyra embraced Christianity in Paris. The French biographers have a particular talent of Frenchifying any learned man who passes through the towns and streets of France. Accord- ingly, L'Advocat, in his biographical dictionary, made a Frenchman of him. But that is disproved by the title-page of one of De Lyra's own works, in which he gives England as his native country. — (Pp. 400—402.) The following brief account of De Lyra is given by Bishop Bale, in his " Illustrium Majoris Britannia Catalogus : " — " Nicolaus Lyranus ex Judreorum genere Anglus; atque He- bra?orum Ilabbinos in Uteris Hebraicis ab ipsa pueritia nutritus, illud idioma sanctum ad unguem, ut loquuntur, novit. Qui mox ut frequentassct scholas publicas, ac minoritarum quorundam sincerioris judicii audisset conciones ; abhorrere coepit a Talmudicis doctrinis, atque ita a tota sute gentis insania stultissima. Conversus ergo ad Christi fidem, ac regenerationis lavacro lotus, Franciscanorum familije, se statim adjunxit. Inter quos scripturis Sanctis studiosissimus ac longa exercitatione peritus, Oxonii et Parisiis, cum insulsissimis Rabbinis, qui plebem Judaicum vana Messire adventuri pollicita- tione lactavcrant, disputationibus et scriptis, mirifice confiictavit. Denique contra eorum apertissimas blasphcmias, utrumque Dei testamentum diligentiori examine et elucidatione explanavit. Si in plerisque, ut ei a multis imponitur, deliravit, tempori est im- putandum, in quo fere omnia erant hypocritarum nebulis obscurata. Mcliorcm ccrte creteris omnibus per cam retatcm navavit in scrip- turis operam. De verborum simplicitate non est quod conqueritentur homines, cum a vocabulis lestimanda non sit a'tcrni patris Veritas. Praeclara scripsit opuscula, ut prsedictus Tritemius habet, quibus nomen suum celebriter devenit ad postcritatis notitiam. — Doctor Martinus Lutherus, in secundo et nono capitibus in Genesim, se idco dicit amavisse Lyranum atque inter optimos posuissc, quod prae ceteris interpretibus diligcnter fuerit historiam pi-osecutus. Claruit, A.c. 1337, quo Daniclem ex])osuit, ac Parisiis demimi obiisse fertur." (Appendix K to Lecture vi.) The case of N. Lyra is by no means a solitary one in tlit- history of English Jews. Strange however to say. while many of the family of 304 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Abraham were convinced of the truth, and led to embrace Christianity, they met with so little encouragement from those who ought to have rejoiced at their conversion, that on the contrary they were at one time deprived of all they possessed of this world's goods, on their joining the Chris- tian Church. During the reign of Henry III., it is stated, — The English subjects began to murmur that too much favour had been shown to the Jews, and, consequently, charged the King with indifference towards the Christian religion. The King, therefore, wishing to convince tliem that he was zealous for Christianity, and thereby quiet the turbulent minds of his subjects, determined to seize upon the whole effects of any Jewish convert to Christianity. It is a pleasing consideration, liowever, that in spite of such cruel and Antichristian conduct, there were some Jews of some celebrity in this country, who hazarded everything for the sake of truth. We have an instance in a Jew of Canterbury, Augustin by name, who about that time embraced Christianity. And the monkish histori^ms, relate as an act of great kindness on the part of Henry, that he was actually gi-aciously pleased to give him his house again to live in, notwithstanding that he was converted. — (Page 205.) And again — This year, a Jew's wife proving a convert Christian, her husband was attached for her goods by the King, as belonging to him upon her conversion ; who thereupon paid a fine to have this new casejudicially determined in the Jews' Exchequer. — (Page 345.) A short time before, Stephen Langton issued an edict respecting the Jews, in which, among other regulations, we find the proliibition, " Let them not presume to enter into any church:'— (Page 202.) There was, howevei', a remarkable exception to those per- secutions which fell upon Jewish converts to Christianity, as well as those who adhered to the precepts of the rabbles, when King Henry III. founded a house for converts : — However, the King was seized with a charitable fit this year, and erected an institution for Jewish converts. The reason of that fit was to deliver his father's soul from the flames of purgatory. Con- scious, as it were, that his father, by his cruel conduct towards the Jews, deserved a larger share of punishment than any king before bim ; Henry thought, perhaps, doing something for Jews would quench the purgatorial fire a little. Most important was, and is, the existence of such an institution or institutions, since the Jew who THE JEWS IN GREAT BRITAIN. 305 Was convinced of the truth of Christianity, experienced at tlie same time the loss of all things besides. The following is the King's Charter : — *' The King, to the Archbishops, &c., greeting. Be it known, that ■wc, by the institution of God, and for the safety of our soul, and of the souls of our predecessors, and of our heirs, have granted, and by this our Charter confirmed, for us and for our heirs, to the house which we caused to be built in the street which is called New-street, between the old and new Temple of London, for the maintenance of the converted brethren, and those to be converted from Judaism to the Catholic faith, and for the aid of the maintenance of these brethi-en that dwell in the said house, the houses and lands, which belong to John Herberton, in London, and are in our possession as forfeited, except the garden, which belonged to the said John, in the aforesaid New-street, and which we granted formerly by our Charter to the Venerable Father Rudolph, of Chichester, our Chan- cellor, and all other forfeitures which in our time, by felony, or from any other cause, will fall to us in our city, or in the suburbs of our city, London. Wherefore, we wish, and formally enjoin, for us and for our heirs, that the aforesaid house have and hold freely and quietly, and in peace, for the maintenance of the converted brethren, and those to be converted from Judaism to the Catholic faith, in aid for the maintenance of these brethren that dwell in the same house, the houses and lands which belonged to John Herberton, in London, and are in our possession, as if our forfeiture, except the garden, which belonged to the same John, in the aforesaid street, New-street, and which formerly, by our charter, we granted to the Venerable Father Rudolph, Bishop of Chichester, our Chancellor, and all other forfeitures which in our name by felony, or from whatever other cause, will fall to us in our city or in the suburbs within the liberty of our city, London, as we have aforesaid." This is the first Royal interest taken in the conversion of the Jews. Individual cases were known earlier than Henry's time, even in King John's time, as I have already stated in a former part of this lecture. Henry was no loser by this establishment ; the house itself belonged to a Jew ; and he took, moreover, care to indemnify himself more than enough by the exorbitant imposts he put upon the Jewish community from time to time. I humbly venture to suggest that it would be quite a legitimate thing to restore those revenues to the purposes for which they were originally granted. — (Pp. 210—213.) But the Jews in England were not long permitted to enjoy any alleviation of their sufferings. Towards the close of the thirteenth century Edward I., after having treated them most unjustly, banished them altogether : — It appears, however, that the clergy and gentry joined with the nation in general in desiring the expulsion of the Jews ; and it is to 306 THE JEWS OF TUE NINETEENTH CENTUllY. be inferred that they were induced to entertain this wish, in a great measure, from the heavy debts they owed to the Jews, and expecting to be relieved of tlie payment by the banishment of the creditors; which gave birth to all the monstrous accusations brought against them, which were still loudly repeated against the Jews, not only of their continually clipping and depreciating the coin of the country, but also of being the cause of much hardship through their ruinous dealings. But though this may have been in truth the principal, as in fact, the only avowed reason for desiring that the Jews should be driven out of England, yet there can be little doubt that the evils which have been in a former lecture pointed out, as resulting to the nation in general, from the power continually exercised, over the property, persons, and rights of the Jews, had some effect in increasing the wish to be relieved from the presence of that people. Edwai'd's conduct towards the Jews in his Continental dominions, has already been noticed : he first fleeced them for the benefit of the State, and then banished them to render Heaven propitious to his government. This measure served greatly to raise his popu- larity ; and upon his entry into London, he was received with every mark of joy and good-will by the clergy and people. Before this feeling could subside, he was induced to consent to the decree for the final banishment of the Jews from England, which his great grandfather, Henry II., was instigated to do, but was not prevailed upon. In return for this favour, he received from the Commons a grant of a fifteenth part of their goods ; and the clergy, at the same time, made a gift to him of the tenth part of their moveables. A very inadequate sum, when compared with the debts they owed to the Jews. The above-mentioned decree commanded that the Jews, together with their wives and children, should depart from the realm Avithin a certain time — namely, the feast of All Saints. As a matter of grace on the part of the King, they were permitted to take with them a part of their moveables, and sufficient money to defray the expenses of their journey. Their houses and other possessions were seized by the King, and appropi-iated to his own use.— (Pp. 381—384.) Notwithstanding the harshness and severity of this decree, it seems not to have been sufficient to excite any commiseration on the part of the people. Many were still unwilling to allow the Jews to depart in quiet, but sought to take the last opportunity remaining to them, to give vent to their unchristian hatred and enmity against these unfortunate people, and to despoil them of the small portion of their wealth which remained to them. The principal Jews were forced to provide themselves with letters of safe conduct from the King ; and it became necessary, for their protection, to issue orders to the officers and magistrates of the towns through which they passed, to guard them against the violence of the populace. —(P. 389.) I3y the time appointed, all the Jews had left England ; the numbers have been estimated by some at 15,060, by others at 16,511. — (P. 389.) THE JEWS IN GREAT BRITAIN. 307 But we must refer to the work itself for tlie details of this and many other circumstances connected with the history of the Jews in England previous to their expulsion by Edward I. We trust that many of our countrymen will be reminded, by the perusal of this book, of the debt we owe to the descendants of those whom our forefathers treated so cruelly. HISTOIIICAL NOTICES. HISTORICAL NOTICES. ^tfoxm among tf)e :?jcbjs in Eonton. The desire after reform, which has heen extensively felt among the Jews in London, and the steps which many of them have taken for the attainment of that object, form a very important part in the histor}' of the Jews of the nineteenth century. Some of the documents which have appeared from time to time will soon lose much of that interest which attended their first pub- lication, but there are others which will always deserve notice, as showing the sentiments which prevailed in the minds of those who originated and those who opposed the movement. One of the earliest and most important, is that entitled — Forms of Prayer used in the West London Synagogue of British Jews, ivith an English Translation. Edited by D. W. Marks, Minister of the Congregation. Many of the best-informed Jews had long complained of many burdensome and trifling ceremonies which have been introduced in the services of the synagogue; and a variety of reforms have been introduced in dillercnt parts of Germany. At length several very respectable members of the Jewish congregations in London determined upon attempting to get rid of some of those encum- brances which many complain of, although some would fear to attempt any alteration, lest they should find it impossible to stop when once the ancient practices have been interfered with. As the "prayers and observances which make up the service of the synagogue have been introduced at very different times, and under very difterent circumstances, a great discrepancy is found to prevail between them. 312 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Those who have compiled this reformed Liturgy observe very justly,— It being thus evident that time has exerted its influence on these prayers, it is but meet that the exigencies of the time should again be consulted, when we have arrived at the conviction that the house of prayer does not exercise that salutary influence over the minds and hearts of the congregants which it is intended and capable to exert. History bears us out in the assumption, that it becomes a congregation of Israelites to adapt the ritual to the wants of its members ; and it must be universally admitted that the present mode of worship fails to call forth the devotions so essential to the religious improvement of the people. Their object has therefore been, to " remove those parts of the service which are deficient in devotional tendency, and to expunge the few expressions which are known to be the offspring of feelings produced by oppression, and are universally admitted to be foreign to the heart of every true Israelite of our day." They have also "translated the Chaldaic expressions into the sacred Hebrew (the language of the law), a knowledge of which," they observe, "we trust, it will be the pride, as it is the bounden duty, of every Israel- ite to attain." They have certainly succeeded in removing much that is unfit to be made part of the solemn service of the Almighty, and have thus rendered their form of prayer much more scriptural than that in general use. But we cannot wonder that many should complain of the innovations thus made. And, indeed, while we most heartily rejoice at the thought of so much Talmudical rubbish being removed, while so much that is scriptural is retained, we must confess that there is an air of chilly coldness in the whole arrange- ment which makes an unfavourable impression on the mind. We believe that the day is not far distant when "Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation;" when "all the seed of Israel shall be saved in the Lord, and shall glory " (Isa. xlv. 17, 25) ; when they shall " return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king ; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days." (Hos. iii. 5.) But until this time comes, and Israel draws nigh in the name of the Messiah their Lord, we cannot blame the pious Jew if he prefers repeating his Chaldee blessing in the very words he has been accustomed to use so frequently, — and among those parts which have been rejected, are certainly some of the most interesting remnants of antiquity ; as the solemn and beautiful hymn sung in every synagogue at the approach of every Sabbath, in which the sacred day of rest is greeted as a bride, and holy aspira- tions are offered up expressing the hope of Israel in him who comes "of Jesse the Bethlehemite," and in that "redemption which approaches the soul." But while we readily admit that something is lost by the change, we doubt not that great good must be the result of the investigation and inquiry which it gives rise to. Although some beautiful and touching passages have been omitted and thrown aside, together with a great heap of rubbish, yet the services thus arranged HISTORICAL NOTICES. 313 present a very different aspect to those established in many of the so-called reformed temples or synagogues on the Continent. We have here many precious promises, m:iny glowing anticipations of redemption and salvation ; and though something has been lost, yet far, incom])arably far, more has been gained by adopting a liturgy which, though it is awfidUj defective, as everything must be which is not done in tlie name of Christ, to the glory of God, still pos- sesses many advantages, as it does not contain those human traditions which have formed so vast a stumbling-block in the way of our Jewish brethren. It is this silent but decided rejection of Talmudical authority which has excited a most violent opposition to the use of this Prayer-book. The following remarkable document shows, on the other hand, the decided adherence of the leading authorities of the Jews in London to the " oral law," and their determination to abide by its decisions: — «»» n:'Tnm ^ii^ib j:'"j:i d'^t \-q cr '': lax^n inn n«n • n3i3' 7Nnir cca iitn ^d? n"v noN'5 DD':iM ^^nn • ■"" 'dpan pis 'dtti Vniw '23 li^ns :cd«e: 'nni lyno icv i3n:NC nisiam ni'^onniD • "jntcj' msTon "jDa nxi nyno •□novni cmiDQ non • irDW[ian' nbir niu'j DO-iaoi o'bbcno Q':Tin« D'N'aDna vn DSinai • n'jnjn nD33 '©:n lynm 'on .njTD d'e'jno inv in thm in bmyr' n'a ba idqd dh'^pi NTp:n n'jDD tid ddtjtd i:»ni int mipo mcTn nnr nom Diri mbsnn -no " Form of Prayers used in the West London Synagogue of British Jews, edited by D. W. Marks, printed by J, Wertheimer, &c., A.M. 5601." 13© riDiam mbcnn nmo 'd TDCcn '>*n '?3 ^'yb hnid "icn mm nonpn i3»min 'd "jy nbo riTniDni niimnoi ni:i«j'3 71-31D mm nybao itun nsna"? d-i31 d'odh 13'' mn© . nc bvi-a j'OND ^vtiV3 'o b3i • ansa© n-nna no 13? vw i^hn ]'n no »T ^v 'roD ^z') n:in3n ncnpn umina tdid win 'in onnan nmn n'jnjn ny-\n id'n-i ~m7SD1 " ""32? Di'jcn vbr tD'ai ncn i3'nN iror i-nn 71^30 Dnn'?i i^cn"? • >' miy'? TTiyn:-) ijcp abiE M2b2 " nuTT n:'iD' bsTC D©a i©n bo'? ■rmn'ji • 'jniit' '33 Tmn'? -\nvi • nnun imn fjcn' n")! lann nbonn itd np' TnN03 • nuEnb n'nn •\n'?Dn i3inT3 'j'jcnon '531 13 b'jcnn'j n'jc -\m\n • n3rin inbcn d: mm vioxdd 13in tdd n":: -|bnn no'?© m©' "]nT3 n3)b • imw c'pn:? mm^*1 i'?nNn n'jij? p»m' iidd3 'n7N •" '30'? b'?Dn3 i3n3Ni • cwnpn i3'n"i3!>» na 13m itun mnm 017© a'cn • thn C3tt3 n3y'7 i3'33'7 hn in'"? i:mi3N :pN i3'0'3 mnos ?ni3 ]v:j'? n3i • i3n'3 n:w piumo"? 'c ovn n"?' jnsib nc ijnnn pisi nQ«i3T 'jn :p"D'? ann p 314 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUET. D'^siSN P'i? ns n:^T^ V'si xD^^r^ ns //m"n p«jn3 nnbuj pprr nvTom y',> DmoD p"p2 m©"? D'Tmyn The following translation is printed on the opposite page to accompany the original Hebrew, as published by the Jews: — A CAUTION TO ALL WHO BEAR THE NAME OF ISRAEL. FROM THE CHIEF RABBI, AND THE BETH DIN OF THE SEVERAL CONGREGATIONS OF GREAT BRITAIN. Our Brethren, the Children of Israel, who pursue justice, and seek the Lord! Incline your ears to the words of righteousness ; hearken that your souls may live ! It is known throughout the dispersions of Israel, that the prayers and blessings which we address to the Creator of the world (blessed be his Holy name), have been arranged and appointed, by our sages of the great convocation, among whom were some of our prophets; and that these forms have been adhered to by the whole house of Israel, from generation to generation, for more than 2,000 years. But now behold, we have seen innovations newly springing up, and a new Book of Prayer called, "m'JDnn ttd Forms of Prayer used in the West London Synagogue of British Jews, edited by D. W. Marks, printed by J. Wertheimer and Co., A.M., 5601," in which it is evident to the eyes of all, that the manner and order of our prayers and blessings have been curtailed and altered, and otherwise arranged not in accordance with the oral law by which we have so long been guided in the performance of the precepts of the Lord, and of which it is acknowledged, "that whoso rejecteth the authority of the oral law, opposeth thereby the holy law handed down to us on Mount Sinai by Moses the servant of the Lord ; " and without which it is also admitted, that we should have no true knowledge of the written law. Seeing this evil, we have risen and strengthened ourselves for the service of God, in order to remove and set aside this stumbling-block from the path of our brethren the sons of Israel, and hereby we admonish every person professing the faith of Israel, and having the fear of God in his heart, that he do not use, or in any manner recognise the said book of prayer, because it is not in accordance with our holy law : and whosoever shall use it for the purpose of prayer will be accounted sinful ; for the wisest of men hath said, " That he who turneth away his car from hearing the law, even his prayers shall be an abomination ; " but he who regardeth his soul will avoid the iniquitous course thereby attempted, and pursue the righteous path so long trodden by our ancestors. And we supplicate the Lord God of our fathers, to incline and unite our hearts that we may all serve him with one accord, and that he may bring peace and brotherly love among us, and that the Redeemer may speedily come to Zion. These are the words of truth and justice ! S. HiRSCHEL, Chief Rabbi. London, 9 Chesvan, 5602. [Oct.2A, 1841.) HISTORICAL NOTICES. 31.5 David Meldola. A. Haliva. I. Levy. A. Levy. A. L. Barnett. On Thursday, Jan. 27, 1812, the new synagogue in Burton-street, Burton-crescent, was opened for Divine service, when a very eloquent and powerful sermon was preached by the Rev. D. W. Marks, minister of the congregation, and editor of the Prayer Book, which had been previously prepared for their use. Much opposition was excited by the publication of the Prayer- book, as it omitted the Chaldee parts of the prayers in common use among the Jews, and also those Hebrew pra3'ers which relate chiefly to customs and opinions founded on the traditions of the rabbles rather than the Word of God. This is manifestly a most serious improvement, although it cannot be denied that many interesting remnants of antiquity have thus been excluded, and that the Prayer- book has suffered by the omission. Although the arrangements made for this new synagogue had been so strongly objected to, by the highest authorities among the Jews in London, its members did not think it right in any way to de])art from the principles originally adopted. In the sermon at the opening of the synagogue, Mr. M. states his sentiments concerning the authority of " tradition " as a guide in religion, more fully and clearly than in the preface to the Prayer- book. He introduces the text by saying : — The first solemn act, constituting us a "congregation of Jacob," has this day been performed. We have consecrated our synagogue to the worship of the Lord God of our fathers, to be henceforward, we trust, a beacon of light, and a secure haven to the sons of Israel ; and we have invoked a blessing on our house of prayer, and upon all those who, with devout and grateful hearts, approach these precincts to seek the Divine protection. With these sacred sounds still in our ears, it might be well to retire to our homes, there to meditate on the goodness of Him, who has been with us in all our labours, suffered us to triumph over many difficulties, and has permitted us to witness this day, the realization of our fondest hopes. But a most important duty yet remains to be fulfilled ; it is to dcvelope to you, and through you to the whole Jewish community, the reasons why, and the princii)les on which, this temple of prayer has been instituted. This full exposition I now gladly make ; for whilst I feel that we are discharging our conscientious obligations to Him, niODi mab ^ma "Who tneth the heart and the rems;"* I never- theless hold it right to place the principles by which we shall be guided, * Psalm vii. 10. P 2 316 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. SO clearly before our brethren, that no doubts may linger as to the purity of the motives by which we are influenced, or the sacred objects we have in view. The text is taken from Joshua xxii. 22. After dwelling on the solenm considerations which the text suggests, he says : — It may be well to offer here a word of explanation to those who, misguided by the insinuations of enemies to all improvement, will not take into account the value of changes by the benefits they confer, but who see treason in every attempt to reform the ritual, and to found our religious practices on the basis of a sound and all-sufficient Exegesis of the Mosaic Code. Treason against the Tradition I is the watchword under whose influence the efforts of the best Israelitish hearts have for years been combated by men, whose exclusive fault has not always been that of the strictest adherence to existing institutions ; and since we can scarcely hope that our efforts for the good of Israel, which we consider to be bound up with an improved mode of worship, will escape the enmity of those who are opposed to all change; and since there is a well-grounded fear that we shall be represented as entertaining opinions which are far from our minds; I will, in concise terms, state our impression on the Tradition, known liy the name of Oral Law, and professedly contained in the Mishna and the Talmud. The enemies of the Jews have never yet, since accusations against our people have appeared, omitted to preface their charges with the assertion, that the Jews consider the whole tenour of the Talmud as a work of Divine inspiration : an assertion which has just as zealously been negatived by every defender of the Jewish system, as a condition, without which the defence of Judaism were impossible. Now, let it not be sujjposed, that it is the intention of myself, or of any member of this congregation, whose humble organ I am, to vilify, in any way, the character ot the traditional records. On the contrary, we recognise in them a valuable aid for the elucidation of many pas- sages in Scripture ; we feel proud of them as a monument of the zeal and mental activity of our ancestors : we hold it our duty to reverence the sayings of men, who, we are convinced, would bave sacrificed their lives for the m.aintenance of that Law which God has vouchsafed to deliver unto us; but we must fas oiu- conviction urges us) solemnly deny, that a belief in the divinity of tho^e traditions written in the Mishna, and the Jerusalem and' Babylonian Talmnds, is of equal obligation to the Israelite with the faith in the divinity of the Law of Moses. We know that these books are human compositions ; and though we are content to accept with reverence from our post-biblical ancestors, advice and instruction, we cannot unconditionally accept their laws. For Israelites, there is but One immutable Law— the sacred volume of the Scriptures, commanded by God to be written down for the unerring guidance of his people imtil the end of time. I have already stated, that in repelling attacks from without, the defenders of Judaism have invariably given up the point of considering the whole tenour of the Talmud as a work of Divine character. But if this be a truth in controversy, how can the Divine authority of the Talmud be upheld for the purpose of justifying ritual observances, at variance with the commands of God, and the spirit of our own age and feelings, which are clung to with a tenacity worthy of a better cause, merely because they can be traced to the Talmud .' How glorious must the results be if the "British Jews " stead- fastly adhere to these principles. mSTOKICAL NOTICES. 317 Tlie following remarks will also be read with interest: — We are, hai)])ily, emerging from the darkness into which persecu- tions of imparaJleled intensity and duration h^d banished us ; our domestic, social, and political life, is assuming a brightness, which we feel assured will continue to become even more cheering. Shall then, mv brethren, the life of the Synagogue alone, remain darkened by the shadows of a sad, sad time ? is tliat most cherished part of our edifice to contiime hung with the drapery of the deepest mourning and despair, whilst every other part on which our eyes dwell is decked with colours of the brightest hue ? Too long has this evil endured; too long have we lamented the alarming progress of withering indifferentism, sapping the very foundations of our faith. We could no longer remain inactive ; but resolved to merge every consideration of labour, time, difficulties, and even opprobrium, in the absolute necessity of establishing this temple of prayer, the consecration of which our gracious God has permitted us to witness this day. Let it be our earnest endeavour to raise this synagogue, our common house, high above every other establishment in which our efforts are visible; to make a way for the light of heaven to shine upon it, and to enkindle the flame of fervent devotion in every bosom that throbs within its sacred precincts. Who can reflect on the nD3Dn rra of olden days, and not arrive at the painful conviction of the degeneracy of our modern houses of prayer — when we find the men's synagogue but partially attended, the women's gallery almost solitary, the pulpit mute, and religious instruc- tion totally exiled ? In endeavouring to trace the causes which have produced this painful contrast, we shall not discover them in the insufficiency of our holy religion, for that is eternal and immutay)le as its Almightj' Founder ; but in the abuses engendered by ages of darkness, superstition, and intolerance. Eastern customs, totally at variance with the habits and dispositions of an enlightened people, have been associated with our religious practices. Woman, created by God as a " help meet for man," and in everyway his equal; woman, endowed by the same parental care as man, with wondrous perceptions, that she might ])articipate (as it may he interred from holy Writ, that she was intended to participate) in the full discharge ot every moral and religious obligation, has been degraded below her proper station. The power of exercising those exalted virtues that appertain to her sex, has been withheld from her; and since equality has been denied to her in other things, as a natural consequence, it has not been permitted to her in the duties and delights of religion. It is true that education has done much to remedy this injustice in other respects, yet does its memory live in the indifference manifested for the religious instruction of females. Another serious evil may be discovered in the extreme length of the prayeis, and in the blending with them heterogeneous opinions and metai)h}'sical dis TTOTl "□31337 ni^J'HK D"«D3?Q pi □'131 mo bs '3np D'yij? nn «b •n3DDn ©ni br '3T2n 'jmn 3"? n? ;D"nn y:? -jn dn na^ubi -nnnn pp ri'ian"? □« »3 d'siv n3n«i •D'33'i ncDT3 ]'3 mi ics -pi:? •'bv^D^ iisv 'ffi3N DS'b:? 'OD3 riN c'Cf« DS'"?!' -DSninDn nn •□3n'?n'D rrbsn C17© mian Dmn3n'7 ns'si '5n3'? .mm inx mn :'t isonn nnN '2 HISTORICAL NOTICES. 343 rtiiDn Tio« D^'n D'q nsio aj^c"? nmiBan ■ai\} nan "iitm >"2 nr: nT2?3 vnn cdn '3 -[ddx ! m:>n 'itnt v^-'bv ;Dm:yoQa cn-a •TDT? "n2N rr'??' dtsi vmn-i« yiT cyn ion to33 ''7113 hv Fimb '?yi m2Nn n'- ]:' avjin 'm— vaaa vi^^^ '^^^ "r^bib i'?3-i nw 7301 i7'tt3i' 'abTJa ID" -DnipiV is"?' D»:oy: 'ytDJ nn*"?!? I'lro' -nnan □ no pn' '3 TJ7 -Dnv^T "jsa pi'?n:"i nono pt2b •Dm'?3TUN :"ni2D i«D3 pfflNia nDD3: •C3''j« i3:t n^'3i uV inos naioa to« 'DDTt nai moG' □Dmipo'ji DD'CDo T-pion ;D3'misn^ 'tddd nnba □:•» :n"rT V'ai psn ibiN otio irt?3"an mn icn^x"? p ]n3 pprr (Translation.) Hanover, Sunday, lltk Shevat, 5605. To those girt with glory, clothed with excellence, the princes and nobles, who love truth, and delight in righteousness, men of honour, the heads of the community, charged with the govern- ment of the congregations of London, the Metropolis, praise- worthy each and all ; — may the Lord vouchsafe blessings, life, and peace, unto eternity ! Ye have imparted strength to my soul, and invigorated my mind, by your elaborate words ; ye have animated me by your cjiistle, which breathes favour and cordiality; ye have thereby crowned me with honour and with glory, ye have made me to hear your voice, saying that the Lord has marvellously shown his mercy to me, he has cast my lot to be a i)lcasing inheritance to me, he has restored the thrones of the house of DAVID, and has raised the priestly seat of SOLOMON .- ye called me from the sheepcote, to be a father and a priest in Israel ; ye have laid the government on my shoulder, to tend the holy flock, God's chosen people, with the sceptre of loving-kindness and the staff of glory, V erily ! my soul tremblcth between hope and fear, when I reflect how I should bear aloft and raise on high the respected communities of foreign lands; or how my heart should venture to remove every exuberance, and to kindle the spark of faith in the hearts of the myriads b}^ whom I shall be surrounded ; how I should support the mmd, how I should satisfy and gladden the spirit of all, where child- hood and hoary old age, wealth and indigence, the needy and the wanderer, the rich and the poor together meet. But in the Eternal, the God of the spirits of all flesh, do 1 confide, even as the son rests on the love of his father. His call I heard in the recesses of my heart : — ' Gird thy loins, strengthen them as a man ! Be not cast down, for I am with thee ! ' His light, his truth shall direct me, to level the path, to pluck out the thorn from the fields of my people, to bring back those whose soul is declining, from death's shadow, to the shadow of the Almighty. He shall strengthen and fortify me ; for, not words but deeds wdl I place before you ; theij shall answer for my righteousness at a future day, that no heart of vanity enticed me to climb the giddy height, not ambitiousness led me to the field of seers, but solely the desire to exalt the glory of the Law, to guard the way to the tree of life. Upon your [sympathy] ye men of righteousness, ye followers of rectitude, whom a spirit of understanding pervades, who make the love of peace the aim of your efforts (and this redounds to your glory), upon you I cast myself, that ye will support my hand on every side, so as to 344 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. guide your children, to initiate them in the principles of morality, in the knowledge of the good, to enlighten for them the paths of the world ; that the youths of Israel, inspired with a holy desire, may thirst to drink from that well of living waters, which princes have digged with their staves. On you, the heads of the community, do I rely, that ye will be my support, that I may hover over my young like the eagle, who intuitively now swiftly flies, and now retards his course, that the arrow may not wound his young. May a benign Providence shield the fathers and the children ; and raise these tender plants, that their branches may spread, and in beauty as in greatness grow, and ripen luxuriantly, until He, who from the beginning hath dwelt on high, re-establish the throne of His glory. Such are the words of your friend, who gladly anticipates meeting you, whose soul longeth and desireth to dwell amongst you, who honours you, and who will stedfastly watch over you. Nathan, son of the Rev. Marcus Cohen Adler of blessed memoky. INSTALLATION OF DR. ADLER. The installation of Dr. Nathan Marcus Adler, as Chief Rabbi of the united congregations of Jews of Great Britain, took place at the Great Synagogue, Duke's-place, on Wednesday, the 9th July, 1845. We extract the following particulars of the ceremony from the "Jewish Chronicle." On the arrival of Dr. Adler at the synagogue, soon after four o'clock, p.m., he was shown into the vestry, when the following gentlemen had the honour of being presented to him, viz. : — The Barons de Rothschild ; Sir Moses Montefiore, F.R.S. ; S. H. Ellis, Esq. ; Isaac Cohen, Esq. ; Louis Jacobs, Esq. ; Aaron Joseph, Esq. ; Samuel Moses, Esq. ; Dennis Samuel, Esq. ; D. Salomons, Esq.; D. W. Wire, Esq.; H. D.Castro, Esq.; Dr. Raphall; Dr. Lowe ; Jonas Levy, Esq. ; Jacob Lyon, Esq, ; Aaron Solomon, Esq. ; and the rest of the gentlemen composing the deputations from the several metropolitan and provincial synagogues. The various deputations were headed bj' S. H. Ellis, Esq., one of the wardens of the Great Synagogue, who delivered the following address in a most impressive manner : — Address. — " Reverend and honoured Sir, — Permit us, the delegates of several of the united congregations of the Jews of this empire, on the ]jart of all those who have invited you to preside over them, and to become their spiritual director and guide, to offer to you our cordial congratulation on your safe arrival amongst us, and on the commence- ment of your important duties. " Your high reputation for learning and piety, your constant and successful exertions for the advancement of sound and religious education; the discretion and kindliness which you have hitherto manifested in the exercise of your sacred functions, induce us to felicitate ourselves in having selected so worthy a successor to the late lamented Rev. Solomon Hirschel, who for so many years presided over our community. HISTORICAL NOTICES. 345 "We fervently pray to the Almighty, that the spiritual welfare of ourselves and of our children may be greatly promoted by your pious ministration ; and we ho])e and trust that you will never have occasion to regret the happy home and affectionate congregation you have quitted, but will find in an enlarged sphere of usefulness, a greater scope for exertion for the honour of our religion, and the service of our God. "With sincerity of heart, we wish you every happiness, to secure which, will ever be to us an indispensable duty, and a source of the highest gratification." The Chief Rabbi's Reply. — " My honoured Presidents and Gentle- men, — Being a very short time in this country, I hope you will excuse me if I take the liberty to read my answer. With great attention I have listened to the kind expressions which you have been pleased to address to me ; and I beg to offer you my heartfelt thanks for your congratulations and good wishes on my appointment. Although I have left a congregation who have known me fi'om my youth — who have ever been sincerely attached to me, who have evinced their affection towards me— and have undertaken an oflSce to which so much resp()nsil)ility appertains, and on which the spiritual welfare of so many thousands depends, and as the successor of a man who will ever he mentioned in Israel with unceasing respect and reverence — a matter of no trifling importance to me — yet I hope that you will meet me with indulgent support, and with your power and influence — that your expectations are not too great — and that you prefer an improvement proyressiny by deyrees to a sudden o7ie. May the Almighty bless with success my endeavours for the everlasting good of yourselves and your children! " The cliief rabbi was then introduced into the synagogue, and conducted to his seat at the side of the Hechal (Ark), carrying the Book of the Law in his arms, and having a splendid canopy of blue damask satin, embroidered with gold, borne over him, supported by four young gentlemen — Masters Edm. Ellis, L. Jacobs, J.. Joseph, and L. Cohen, — and preceded by Sir Moses Montefiore, and the various honorary officers, with their wands of office. Divine service was then performed by the Rev. S. Asher, the principal reader of the Great Synagogue, in a most solemn and impressive manner. The following is the form of service. The ark having been opened, on tlie entrance of the chief rabbi, the reader cluinted : — Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord ! We bless you out of the house of the Lord. During the time that the chief rabbi was being conducted to iiis seat, the following verses were chanted : Who shall ascend the mount of the Lord .' and who can stand in the place of his sanctuary ? He that hath clean liands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor hath sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek Him, that seek Thy face, O Jacob. Selah. The ark was then closed, and the afternoon service followed. After which the scrolls of the Law were taken to the desk, and the reader chanted the verses : — Q3 346 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURT. Thine, O Lord, is greatness, power, glory, triumph, and majesty ; yea, all that is in heaven and in earth is Thine : Thine the sovereignty, O Lord ! who art exalted supreme above all. Exalt ye the Lord, our God, and how down at his footstool, for He is holy. Exalt ye the Lord, our God, and worship towards His holy mount, for the Lord our God is holy. The reader took the scroll of the Law, and said the following benediction. May He who blessed our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, bless the Rev. Rabbi Nathan Marcus, the son of the Rabbi Marcus Adler (pDn) Chief Rabbi of the united holy congregations of Jews of Great Britain. May the Lord God be with him, and grant to him prosperity, and that he may be to us a source of honour and praise ; may he behold the coming of the Redeemer speedily in our days. Amen. The Reader then said the following prayer : — Creator of all ! To whom all praise appertaineth. How profound are thy thoughts ! They are more than can be numbered ! How precious is thy kindness ! Thou lovest them that love Thee, Thou honourest them that honour Thee. Thou bestowest favour and good understanding upon the humble, so that they may lead Jacob thy people, and Israel thine inheritance; and shew the people of the Lord the way wherein they should walk, and the work that they should do ; and that their precepts may guide them both in their going out and in their coming in. And now we are assembled to praise and glorify thy holy name, for the great goodness and mercy which thou hast vouchsafed to us, who dwell in this kingdom, in providing for us a faithful pastor after thine own heart, to tend thy holy flock. How honoured is this day ! for our eyes behold him whom thou hast chosen, in whom are centered the hopes and desires of Israel, our venerated Chief Rabbi, and to whom the Lord hath imparted His spirit, and in whose heart He hath implanted wisdom and imderstand- ing to know that which Israel ought to do. O Lord God ! strengthen and encourage him to lead thy people with righteousness and equity, that he may exhort them in the integrity of his heart, and guide them by the skilfulness of his hands. May his rule be established in kindness ; may he reap a good reward for his labour; may he see the days of his oflFspring prolonged; may honour and happiness attend them, so that all who behold them may perceive that they are the descendants of the blessed of the Lord. We beseech Thee, O Lord, hearken unto our prayer and supplication which we oSer up unto Thee this day. Unite our hearts and the hearts of our children in love and reverence of Thy name. Implant peace, affection, and brotherhood amongst us, that we may with one accord serve Thee in truth and with a perfect heart, as we shall be taught by tfie priest who now ministers before Thee in thy sanctuary. In his days and in ours, may Judah be saved and Israel dwell in safety. Amen. The reverend doctor then read an appropriate prayer in the Hebrew language, imploring the assistance of the Omnipotent, "who giveth strength to the weary," in the performance of the duties of the office which he had the honour now to fiU ; that " the God of the spirits of all flesh "may inspire liis heart with that tmflinching integrity, and that soundness of judgment, which alone HISTORICAL NOTICES. 347 can secure the love and confidence of his flock. He then fervently supplicated the assistance of the Almighty in preparing the hearts of the people, that they might listen to those exhortations, and follow that advice, which sprang from the pure sources of loving- kindness and the never-failing fountain of genuine piety and true religion. Then followed the Discotirse, which he delivered in the German language. The text was taken from Zech. iii. 7." "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts : and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by." * After apologizing for delivei'ing his discourse in German, he touchingly expressed his consciousness of the difficulties surround- ing the elevated position he now occupied, as he was removed from his native country to a foreign land, and apprehended that the language in which he now addressed his brethren was not under- stood by many present, and might fail in its effect. He trusted, however, that He who had guided him from his youth, and who had bestowed on him innumerable mercies, would also, in this instance, not forsake him. The Chief Rabbi then stated the similarity of the offices which a Jewish minister had to perform with those of the priest, alluded to in the text. 1. "To walk in the ways of the Lord." — However presumptuous it is in a mortal to imagine that he could follow the unlimited and boundless steps of the Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent, yet there is one Divine attribute which we may aspire to imitate ; viz., His loving-kindness, His merciful and indulgent forgiveness, and His long-suffering to His creatures. When ]\Ioses prayed to God that He would make known His ways to him, the reply was, I'SD 73? '2110 "ja t33?« »:n, "I shall cause all my goodness to pass before thee." It was the office of the priest, according to the text, to walk in the ways of that goodness ; and such also is the duty of the minister towards those who have intrusted themselves to his spiritual guidance. 2. " To keep his charge." — To watch over the sanctuary, and continually to observe it, lest it should be molested by an intruding hand, was the office of the priest in the temple, so also the duty of a minister is, to be closely on his guard in watching over our sacred laws, and to oppose with all his might any efforts tending to imder- mine the constitution of our sacred faith. It is difficult to watch, when one party is eager to be "["jno (always progressing), and incessantly irnproinng, whilst another is tqij? (ever standing still), and fearing to correct such abuses as have no other claim upon us than their being sanctioned by long usage, though not by reason. It is difficult to hold the balance between the D'Dbno and cnmy, to distinguish impious innovation, introduced merely for the sake of * It will be seen that Dr. Adler adopts a translation which differs from that in the , English version, — Editor. 348 THE JEWS OF THE NUSTETEENTH CENTURY. change, from the movement of true reform and amelioration. But he trusted to Him who promised, in the words of the text, □ 'TDT3?n ]'a D'D'jnn ■j'? 'nn:i, "I will give thee such men as are progressing even among those who stand still," that he would also enahle him to surmount that difficulty. 3. " To judge his house." — It was the office of the priest to instruct the people, and to take care that the "light " was never extinguished, so is it the duty of the minister to have a watchful eye on the schools and educational establishments of the people, that the light of the law of God never may be excluded from them. It is well to study art, sciences, and different languages, but not to the prejudice of the law of God and his sacred language. 4, " And shalt also keep my courts." — As the priest had to keep the court of the temple, so has a Jewish minister to attend to the proper devotion of the synagogues and places of worship, that they may be worthy of being called courts of the Lord. All these duties of the priest (said the Rev. Lecturer) I shall have to perform, I promise to perform, and I will perform. Do not imagine this a mere boast ; believe me, brethren, it comes from the bottom of my heart ; but I require your support and confidence to carry out my sincere wishes; and from the kindness already received, my heart tells me that I shall not be disappointed. The Rev. Lecturer then concluded, with a prayer in the English language, this feeling address, which made a deep impression even on those of the audience who did not entirely understand the German. Psalms XV., cxi., cxii., were then chanted, and the prayer for the Queen and the Royal Family followed: — May He who dispenseth salvation unto kings, and dominion unto princes, whose kingdom is the kingdom of the whole universe, who delivered his servant David from the sword of destruction, whomaketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters, may He bless, preserve, guard, assist, aggrandize, and elevate to the highest degree our Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria ; Adelaide, the Queen Dowager; the Prince Albert; Albert Edward, Prince of Wales; and all the Royal Family ! May the supreme King of kings, through His mercies, grant her life, preserve her from all sorrow and grief, and save her from all danger, subdue nations under her feet, cast her enemies down before her, and cause her to he successful whereunto soever she may turn I May the supreme King of kings, in his mercy, inspire her heart, and those of her counsellors and nobles with benevolence towards us and all Israel ! In her days and ours, may Judah be saved, Israel dwell in comfort, and the Redeemer come unto Zion ! O may such be the Divine will ! And let us say, Amen. The scrolls were then returned to the ark, and Psalm xxix. was chanted. The Evening Service followed, at the close of which Psalm cl. was chanted. 349 Zfit annual assemfilj) of i^al)l)ifs. ASSEMBLY OF RABBIES AT BRUNSWICK. Although the Jews have been " driven out unto tlie outmost parts of heaven," they have ever preserved a most wonderful unity as a nation. Their language and their customs have remained unaltered amidst all the varied suflerings which they have undergone. Individuals among them may indeed have forgotten the value of their sacred tongue, and neglected to cultivate that precious gift which tlicy have inherited. But as a nation they are at this day as generally and as extensively acquainted with the language, in which their forefathers spake, as they have been at any period of their history since it ceased to be their vernacular dialect. It is a cheering proof, among many others, that notwithstanding the overflowings of ungodliness, and the prevalence of unbelief, they have not lost their hold on the covenant made with them, or their expectation of the fulfilment of the promises with v/hich it abounds, that at this very time the study of Hebrew is on the increase among the sons of Judah, and thus the consciousness that they belong to one people is daily awakened among them. As their language, so their ceremonies, forms, customs, and habits have presented a most astonishing similarity. Jews, who see each other for the first time, having come together literally from the uttermost parts of the earth, require but little introduction and explanation, before they are prepared to join cordially in the services of their common religion, which are so much alike all over the globe, that it is most astonishing how they can have preserved so large a portion of their national usages, in circumstances so widely differing from each other. This harmony of feeling and action has not been maintained by actual intercourse so much as by their constant an d' affectionate adherence to the customs of their forefathers. They have preserved inviolate the sacred code of their holy law, and the writings of their ancient prophets, and unhappily their superstitions had taken such deep root among them before they finally left Canaan and its vicinity, as we see from many parts of the New Testament itself, as well as other ancient records, that in their earnest endeavour to hold fast that which they have been taught, they have with the most wonderful uniformity, walked in the same path as their ancestors. Assemblies of rabbles, or others, convened for the special purpose of deliberating on subjects connected with their religious interests have been comparatively of rare occurrence. The Jews have in this respect also dwelt very much alone, and while wonderfully 350 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. united in feeling, and frequent in casual intercourse as individuals, we do not often hear of any considerable number of their teachers meeting together to consult concerning their common hopes and duties. It is on this account that we are inclined to attach more import- ance than we should otherwise do, to the assembly of rabbles, which met at Brunswick, in June, 1844. We should indeed peruse the account of their proceedings with far deeper interest, if the assembly had consisted of men full of faith and hope in the pronjises of (iod made imto their fathers. Those who composed the voluntary synod which met at Brunswick were men of learning and influence, but they were most awfully in the dark both as to the precise object which they ought to endeavour to attain, and the means which they ought to adopt, for the benefit of their nation. Nevertheless the Meeting was an important one. A considerable number of those who now act as teachers and guides in Israel were assembled for the most solemn of purposes, and we cannot but watch their proceedings with the liveliest interest. The following Jewish rabbles and preachers aj^pear to have attended the Meetings: — Dr. Maier, of Stuttgardt, who was chosen President. Dr. HoLDHEiM, of Schwerin, Vice-President. Dr. Franfurther, of Hamburgh, Dr. HiRscH, of Luxemburg, Joint-Secretaries. Dr. Klein, of Stolp. Dr. Salomon, of Hamburgh. Dr. Hess, of Weimar. Dr. SoBERNHEiM, of Bingen. Dr. JoLowicz, of Marien- werder. Mr. GoLDMANN, of Esch- wege. Mr. Ben Israel, ofCoblenz. Dr. Formstecher, of Offen- bach. Dr. Phiuppson, of Magde- burg. Dr. Herxheimer, of Bern- burg. Dr. S. Adler, of Alzey. Dr. A. Adler, of Worms. Mr. ScHOTT, of Randegg. Dr, Hoffmann, of Meinin- gen. Mr. Heidenueim, of Sonder- shausen. Dr. Herzfeld, of Brunswick. Dr. BoDENHEiMER, of Hildcs- heim. Mr. Edler, of Pr, Minden. Dr. Geiger, of Breslau. Mr. Kahn. Mr. Wechsler. Several others had expressed their intention of attending, but were prevented by their official duties. Most of the speeches delivered during the course of the proceed- ings seem to have left a very favourable impression on the hearers, as we are told that of the above twenty-five " at least nine distinguished themselves by their eloquence ; eight spoke with considerable effect ; three expressed their sentiments with fluency ; and there were only three who did not give ample proof that they possessed the gift of ready speaking." Considerable interest was accordingly evinced by the public in the debates, and the HISTORICAL NOTICES. 351 deliberations being carried on witli open doors, the concourse of strangers was very great. The meetings commenced on June 12, and were continued for eight days. Tiie primary object to which the assembly directed its attention appears to have been the necessary arrangements for the ensuring annual general assemblies of rabbies, deputy rabbles, and Jewish preachers, for the purpose of " deliberating on the means for securing the preservation and progress of Judaism, and the pro- motion of religion among its professors ; " and various Resolutions were adopted for their regulation. Dr. Philippson called the attention of the assembly to the proceedings on the last occasion on which Jewish deputies met together with the professed object of deciding questions connected with their religion. This was the Sanhedrin at Paris, in the year 1807, which was convoked by the Emperor Napoleon. The questions submitted to that body all refer to the relation in which the Jews, as individuals, stand towards the State, and in how far the Mosaic law harmonizes with the laws of the country in which they live. The decisions of the Sanhedrin were to the efiect : that polygamy is not allowed among the Jews in Europe ; Jewish divorces are valid, if approved of by the law of the land; marriages with Gentiles are not forbidden ; the French Jews consider France their fatherland, and the French people their brethren ; rabbinical authority consists only in moral influence ; no trade is forbidden by the Jewish law ; usury is considered abominable, and is prohibited. Dr. Philippson's Motion, that the assembly should express their con- currence in the spirit of the above decisions, (with the restriction, as regards the sanction of mixed marriages, that tlicy be permitted, where the law of the land would, in such a case, allow the children to be educated in Judaism,) after having been referred to a Com- mittee, was adopted, with the necessary alterations for making them applicable to the Jews in every country. The principal other decisions come to were as follow : — That the Jewish oath consists merely in calling on the name of the Lord. That every one present engaged to use his eiForts towards obtaining the immediate abolition of the prayer " Col Nidre " in his own congregation. An approval of the synagogue service introduced in Mecklen- burg by Dr. Holdheim. No decision could be come to on the following questions, which were deferred for future consideration : — A revision of the Jewish marriage law. The compilation of a new liturgy ; comprising also the questions of retaining the use of the Hebrew language and the Messianic doctrine in the prayers, and the introduction of organ playing at the services. On reconciling doctrine and practice in the observance of the Sabbath. 352 TUE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, The expediency of registers of circumcision being kept by the rabbies. The proceedings of this assembly excited the liveliest interest among the Jews. It was an event of no ordinary importance when twenty- five rabbies, men distinguished in Israel for learning, talent, and eloquence, assembled together in order to deliberate concerning the fundamental doctrines and solemn observances of religion. The choice of the place where they assembled, seems to have something ominous in it, as Dr. Frankel, author of the "Confessions of a Proselyte," (see page 177,) remarks in his recent publication entitled, "Die Rabbiner-Versammlung und der Reform-Verein. Letzte Auflosung der Judenfrage: " — " That the largest and larger Jewish communities should have been passed over, in preference of Brunswick, is the more remarkable, as it IS a well-known fact that the Jews of the Duchy of Brunswick have gublicly declared Mosaism to be an obsolete element, dangerous to the tate, and that they hold the Talmud to be merely a modified propaga- tion of the Mosaic doctrines, and a transition to the present form of Judaism, which is still in a state of progressive improvement." — Frankel, p. 3. The greatest indecision seems evidently to have prevailed as to the degree of authority which the Talmud possesses. Dr. Bodenheimer, of Hildesheim, said, " he was much grieved to find some parties disputing the authority of the Talmud," and frequent reference was made to its decisions ; but although every one seemed to feel most fully convinced that it is impossible to maintain the authority of the Talmud in all its force, still the great question upon which every- thing depends, as it regards the truth of modern Judaism, as now taught and professed. Is the Talmud to be our guide or not ? was kept very much out of sight. The following is a list of the statutes which were adopted by the Meeting: — § 1. Meetings of rabbies are held for the purpose of consulting together about the means by which the preservation and progressive improvement of Judaism, and a general promotion of religion among its professors can be effected. § 2. Rabbies, administrators of the rabbinical office, and all regularly appointed preachers, are entitled to attend these Meetings. § 3. They are to be held annually in such places, and at such times as may have been agreed upon at the preceding Meetings. It appears, however, desirable that between the General Meetings, Special Meetings should also be held, of such divines as do not reside at too great a distance from each other, for the purpose of preparing subjects, to be deliberated on at the General Meetings. § 4. Each Meeting shall appoint a Committee of three of its members, who, with the rabbi of the place where the next Meeting is to be held, are to make the necessary preparations for the next General Meeting. HISTORICAL NOTICES. 353 § ."). A Committee of the members of the community at the place of rneetinC) shall make the necessary local arrangements. § 6. The Committee shall at the commencement of each Annual Meeting, propose a President and Secretary, and their deputies. The choice to be determined by a majority of votes. § 7. Subjects for the deliberation of the Meeting are to be — pro- positions tiearing upon the object of the Meeting (as stated in § 1), the preservation and progressive improvement of Judaism, and a general promotion of religion among its professors. § 8. The Committee (referred to in §4), shall receive any propositions that may be sent in, examine them, and report in writing to the President, who shall then lay the Report before the Meeting for con- sideration. § i). All propositions which come into the hands of the Commission, more than two months previous to the Meeting, shall be published in the public organs of Judaism. The President shall lay them before the Meeting, according to the order in which they have been received. § 10. The consultations are to be subject to the following regula- tions : — a. The President shall call upon the author of any proposition, to bring the same forward, to explain his views, and put the matter in a proper form. If the question docs not originate with a member of the Meeting, it is to 1)e brought forward by a member of the Committee, unless some other member undertakes that duty. b. During this address, the speaker shall not be interrupted, except for the purpose of having a sentence repeated, that was not fully understood. c. After this address has been delivered, the discussion shall commence ; and all who wish to speak shall inform the President, by whom they are to be called on, in proper order. d. The mover of every proposition is to address the Meeting from the platform; the other speakers may do so from their several places. e. The mover may reply at once, after any of the speakers, as may also the other members, having, however, first applied for liberty to do so. y. Any speaker may propose an amendment, which shall be recorded by the Secretary. ff. If no one speaks to the question, or all have spoken, who had notified their intention of doing so, the President shall first put the amendments to the vote, in their proper order, and at last the Motion itself in its original form. If, however, by the adoption of an amendment the question is set at rest, further voting becomes unnecessary. h. The mode of voting shall consist in each member being called upon by name; or, if three members require it, by ballot; in which case the Secretary collects the votes, which are counted by himself and the President ; the Secretary himself having a vote. The result shall be made known by the President. i. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all proceedings, which are to be read at the opening of each Meeting. Any person affected thereby may raise objections, which having l)ccn disposed of, the minutes shall be signed ])y the President and Secretary. Any one Ijclonging to the minority may, if he desires it, have his name entered ou the minutes. k. These minutes of proceedings shall be published. I. The President and Secretary may take part in the discussions, subject to the above regulations. If either of them has a Motion to bring forward, his deputy is to take his place. m. If a speaker uses too strong, or personal language, he shall be called to order by the President ; also if the speaker wanders too far from the subject under consideration. 354 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUHr. § 11. The adoption of Resolutions by the Meeting imposes upon those who voted for them, the moral obligation of seeing them carried into effect in their respective spheres, to the best of their power, and as far as their position and circumstances renders it possible. § 12. The President shall determine when the Meetings shall commence, and how long they shall last. § 1.'5. The President may cause the exclusion of females when certain subjects are under consideration. § 11. The session shall be generally considered to last eight days; its duration may, however, be longer or shorter, as it may agree on. § 15. These statutes shall be binding upon the present as well as future sessions. Alterations, may, however, be proposed and adopted at the second, for the regulation of future sessions. (Signed) Dr. Maier, President of the First Meeting of Rabbles. Dr. N. Frankfurter, Secretary. By far the most important part of the proceedings of the assembly consisted in the address of the President, Dr. Maier, of Stuttgai-d, and the debate to which it gave rise. The following are the questions which he proposed for delibera- tion : — 1. Whether it be necessary to pray in the Hebrew language; and, if not, in how far it be advisable to continue its use for the present in a part of public worship .' 2. Whether, and to what degree, it be necessary to make mention in the prayers of the doctrine of a Messiah .' 3. Whether the D'SDiQ shall be retained, as their contents refer solely to the sacrifices of ancient times? 4. Whether the repetition of the Vir and the yaiD n3T3 be necessary. 5. How the present ceremony of calling up individuals to hear the law read, as well as the 1 c va ni^'pn and I'ji'? h'j'tq:, can be arranged, so as not to prove an interruption to order and devotion ? 6. Whether an organ be admissible into the synagogue .' His address is printed at length in the Appendix II. to the " Proceedings." We have not room to insert the address itself in which he proposed these questions, and if we had room, there is a something so chilling in the tone of his argumentation, and unsatisfactory in the views which he holds as to the future prospects of his nation, that notwithstanding all his ingenuity and eloquence, we should still hesitate, as it can only serve most painfully to remind us of the description given by the Prophet Ezekiel of the state of apathy, despair, and death, to which unbelief has reduced, and still reduces, too many among his nation. (Ezek. xxxvii. 1-3, 11.) PROTEST OF SEVENTY-SEVEN RABBIES AGAINST THE ASSEMBLY OF RABBIES AT BRUNSWICK. The " Ober Post Amt Zeitung " states in an article dated Frank- fort, March 20, 1845, that a decided movement has taken place on the part of Talmudical conservative Judaism against the tendencies HISTORICAL NOTICES. 3o5 that have recently manifested themselves within the pale of its community. A formal protest against the competency and the decisions of the late assembly of rabbles at Brunswick, and the one proposed to be held next summer at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, has been signed by seventy-seven rabbles of different congregations in Germany, Hungary, and Poland, and they purpose making it generally known among their nation, in the form of a circular. The document is dated A.M. 5605 (1S45). Among the most dis- tinguished of the signatures are the following : — Dr. N. M. Adlek, Rabbi of Hanover (Chief Rabbi elect of Great Britain) ; Dr. B. Auerbach, Rabbi of Darmstadt; Mr. J. Etlinger, Chief Rabbi of Altona ; Mr. S. R. HiRscii, Rabbi of Emden; Mr. J. LowEiNSTEiN, Rabbi of Gailingen, in Baden ; Mr. Abraham Sutro, Chief Rabbi of Mlinster; Mr. Abraham Wechsler, Rabbi of Schwabach, &c., &c. THE ASSEMBLY OF RABBIES AT FRANKFORT-ON-THE- MAINE. The second of the recently projected Annual Assemblies of Rabbles, the first of which took place at Brunswick, was held at Frankfort-on-the-Maine. The Meetings commenced on the 15th of July, 1S45, and concluded with the 2Sth. The number of rabbies who attended was larger than the year before, and the two opposing parties in Judaism, the orthodox and the reformed, had both their representatives; the latter, however, formed from the commence- ment the majority. The following were present : — Stein, of Frankfort-on-the-Maine, President ; Geiger, of Breslau, Vice-President ; JosT, of Frankfort-on-the-Maine, and Hirsch, of Luxem- burg, Secretaries ; A. Adler, of Worms, and Auerbach, of Frankfort-on-the- Maine, Vice-Secretaries ; Einhorn, of Birkenfeld ; Treuenfels, of Weilburg ; Herxheimer, of Bernburg; GosEX, of Marburg; Glldenstein, of Buchau; SoBERNHEiM, of Bingen; S. Adler, of Alzey; Frankel, of Dresden ; JoLowicz, of Thorn ; Ben Israel, of Coblence ; Wechsler, of Oldenburg; Kahn, of Treves ; 856 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Maier, of Stuttgart; Wagner, of Mannheim; FoKMSTECHER, of OHfenbach ; HoLDiiEiM, of Schvverin ; Solomon, of Hamburg ; Herzfeld, of Brunswick; Hess, of Weimar; SussKiND, of Wiesbaden ; Hoffmann, of Meiningen ; ScuoTT, of Randegg; PiiiLippsoN, of Magdeburg; Re IS, of Breisacb ; LowENGARD, of LehrcD ; And apologies for non-attendance were sent by Hochstatter, of Schwalbach ; Lindemann, of Mannheim; and Levi, of Gisseen. Addresses were received by the Assembly from the Reformers at Berlin, (which was presented by a deputation, consisting of Messrs. Stern, A. Rebenstein, and Simion, and met with particular favour on the part of the Assembly,) from Breslau, Neustadt, Bingen, Darmstadt, Alsfeld, Mayence, Frankenthal, Edenkoben, Griinstadt, Musbach, Schwetzingen, Alzey, Obeinnuschel, Miinster, Worms, Giessen, Frankfurt, and other places; most of these were referred to a Committee, by whom replies were drawn up in behalf of the Assembly. The tenour of the various addresses was very much the same ; condemning, in strong language, the late protest of seventy-seven rabbles, against the competency and the decisions of last year's Assembly, expressing their confidence in the present one, and their desire of a thorough reform in Judaism, &c., &:c. In one of them the following passage occurred : — " We look upon you, Reverend Gentlemen, as a second Sinai, whence we are to receive a new Law." The addresses from the congregations of Darmstadt and Mayence are remarkable from the fact of the rabbies at those places being among the seventy-seven just referred to. The one from Breslau, which had 168 signatures, rejects the authority of rabbinical writings, but shews at the same time no great regard for the Word of God, seeing that it also treats the peculiar privileges of the Jewish nation with indifference and neglect. Thus, while the Assembly is warned " against taking obsolete books too much for their guides ; " (an expression which called forth some censure in the Assembly's reply) — the above address contains also the following passage : — "We cannot any longer join with fervent sympathy in repeating passages which refer to the ' election of Israel,' as if we did enjoy the peculiar love and favour of the Father of all mankind, — nor in the prayer for a return to Palestine; and we should be compelled, either to abstain altogether from public worship, or suffer our lips merely to join therein." Another HISTORICAL NOTICES. 3o7 address declared beforehand the readiness of tlie undersigned to conform to every decision tlie Assembly might come to. At the opening of the proceedings, Dr. Z. Frankel, the leader of the orthodox party, demanded a formal declaration of the principles which were to be understood as guiding their deliberations : for himself, he identified himself with Judaism, as historically, positively revealed. On the question being put by the President, the Meeting unanimously declared its principles to be those laid down by Dr. F. (des historiscli-positiven geoftenbarten Judenthums.) The latter, however, on the 18th, thought it his duty to secede from the Assembly, as did also llabbi Schott, who had been one of the most zealous attendants at the Meetings, both last )'ear at Brunswick, and now at Frankfort. Both, in the protests addressed by them respectively to the Assembly, stated as their reason, that a partial omission of the Hebrew language having been sanctioned, and alterations directed to be made in the prayers, tlic Assembly had departed from the principles laid down for their guidance as above referred to. The result of the debates respecting the use of the Hebrew language in public worship, was as follows: — 1. The question, whether its maintenance be imperatively necessai'y ? was negatived by fifteen votes to thirteen, three declining to vote ; 2. Whether its continuance for the present be expedient ? answered in the affirmative by a large majority, without a debate; 3. In how far is it advisable to use Hebrew in the Jewish Liturgy? the appointment of a Com- mission to determine upon the proportion of Hebrew and German prayers, was carried by a majority of eighteen to twelve. During the debates on these questions, Dr. Herzfeld, of Bruns- wick, made a direct attack on the Word of God. He said, " The Bible is the Word of God, it is true, but yet not wliolhj the Word of God." And Dr. Jolowicz declared, "What 'the people' do not recognise as the Word of God, so much of the Bible is not the. Word of God! " Rabbi Khan, of Treves, said, "According to the Bible, we are not bound to believe on a personal Messiah ; only a few prophets have annoimced a personal Messiah, but most of them an ideal one (einen idealen)." We caimot give our readers a better idea of the result of the deliberations, than by (juoting the summary given by the President himself in closing the Assembly : — Gentlemen 1 Allow me in concluding our Meetings to cast one more retrospective look upon our proceedings, and to l)ring them in rapid review before your minds. The time allowed us for consultation was but short, and it was impossible to come to a decision upon all that came under our notice ; still we have the satisfaction of being able to say, great things have been effected, or at least, put in train for future settlement. The Report of the Commission, respecting alterations in public worship was laid before us, and its consideration claimed the greatest share of our delil)erations this year. Our steps were slow and sure, and we did not decide lightly on so important subjects. The con- sequence has been, that our discussions have been marked by that 358 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. seriousness which becomes so necessary, when religion is the subject under consideration, and which claims for it that general interest which is indispensable for carryinj^ out the good work. We have not excluded the Hebrew language from public worship ; we were immumous in coming to that resolution. But we were also all ar/reed in allowing a broad footing for the German element in our Divine service. We all vindicated the great importance of the Messianic doctrine in our prayers ; but we were also all of opinion that the prayer for removal nut of our native country should be expunged from our Prayer-books; as that prayer originated at a time when that country was to the Israelite nothing but a dreary prison. We all urged the simplification of orir public worship, and the omission of fatiguing repetitions ; and were equally agreed that the prayer for a restoration of sacrifices ought no longer to be repeated by us, but that our public worship would lose its fundamental character by the omission of portions that are of importance and antiquity : this we oppose; and we all voted for strengthening the bond of union between the present and our glorious past history, by embodj'ing its exalting recollections in our prayers, whether ancient Hebrew or modern German. That important part of Divine service, the reading of the Torah, was simplified ; it was proposed to restore the ancient office of the Meturge- man (expounder) ; it was unanimously resolved to have the prophets, as well as the other instructive Scriptures of the Bible 7'ead in German ; while, as regards the call to the Torah, the blowing of trumpets at the new year, and the palm-branch at the feast of tabernacles, existing customs were not interfered with. We stood unanimously up for the good cause on the subject of the admissibility of the organ into our houses of prayer; and the question of the propriety and duty of its being played on the Sabbaths and festivals by an Israelite, was answered in the affirmative by almost all of us. By following out these principles, we trust to God that we shall obtain a ritual, which, deeply rooted in existing forms, will do honour to Judaism, and fill the house of God with worshippers ; that no longer shall be heard in vain on our festivals the call of God to us; " Gather the people together, men, and women, and children." (Deut. xxxi. 12.) Woman's religious position in Judaism was well considered, and propositions relating to that subject were referred to a special Com- mission. The subject of family worship was not neglected, and a Commission was appointed for compiling books of prayer for schools and families ; whose special attention was directed to the revival of ritual observ- ances, as, e. g., ceremonies to be observed at and after the death of Israelites. In this manner, my dear friends, — by the publicity of our pro- ceedings, by the publication of our debates, and by the further discussion and examination of liturgical subjects by the press, — will the attention of our brethren be again directed to our greatly neglected forms of worship. Even before the new Prayer-book, which in our hands will become a mighty weapon for the interests of religion and our times, can appear in the house of God, it will have taken root in the hearts of our brethren and sisters; and those who now call ue destroyers, will yet, we confidently hope, call us builders. Thus also shall it be as regards the Sabbath ,- that day from which now thousands among us have become estranged, will, by working on and ti-ansforming the minds in the spirit of the times, unconsciously HISTORICAL NOTICES. 359 become of importance to them ; and we look forward with pleasure to the coming year, when the admirable Report of the Commission on this important subject shall be fully considered. And thus shall gradually — may Go(l strengthen us for this holy work — religious life be again awakened in the minds, and in purified forms shall religion enter victoriously into the hearts of her sons and daughters. Thus have we also yesterday considered an ancient custom in Israel,* in its moral importance, and by such alteration as the times require, recommended its continuance. God is our witness that in all this our sole object is to strengthen the influence of religion. On this day we have, in con- clusion, acknowledged the imi)ortance of founding a CoUoi/r; for the traiu'nifj of Jewish teachers, and have resolved to labour, each of us in his sphere, for attaining that object. Matters which have not been disposed of have been referred back to the respective Commissions; and the publication of the Report on the Revision of Marriage Laws has been authorized. Thus have also our Meetings this year been of great, immediate, and prospective importance. May God preserve in us courage for the next I We were this year greatly cheered and encouraged; con- gregations in town and country declared by addresses their confidence in us ; the deputation from a body which actively and vigorously labours for the improvement of our religious affairs, raised our courage and our zeal; but it was especially the Jewish congregation in this town which furnished an important centre for the sympathy expressed on every side, doing all in its power to facilitate our assem- bling here, and in conclusion manifesting its confidence in our pro- ceedings by a very flattering address, which strengthened and encouraged us. Let us therefore rejoice in what has been done, and gather new strength for the labours that await us next year. In consequence of the alterations in the lessons, as referred to in the President's Address, it was decided that^the portions to be read in the sj'nagogue should be so arranged as to extend over a period of three years, instead of one, as heretofore. The Commission to whom the subject of the religious education of Jewish females was referred, consists of S. Adler, A. Adler, and Einhorn. Two Commissions were appointed for the compilation of prayer- books; one consisting of five members, viz.. Stein, Salomon, Geiger, Maier, and Herzfeld, to prepare a Prayer-book for public worship ; and another, consisting of Philippson, Stein, and Formstecher, to prepare manuals of devotion for family worship. Although the report of the debates which is to be published will contain very full details, we cannot but add hei-e the following observations of a friend who, as the public were admitted without restriction, attended most of the Meetings : — I attended them regularly, with the exception of two afternoons, and the two Sundays. There were very excellent, most eloquent, speakers amongst the members of the Assembly; and the manner in which business was carried on was most admirable. But as regards the subjects under discussion, and the question, How have they been handled.' — what shall I answer? I can only join in the language of the Prophet Isaiah : " Hear, O heavens, and give car, O earth; for the Lord hath spoken : I have nourished and brought up children, and they * The bathing of women. 360 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. have rebelled against me ;" and again, in the language of the Prophet Jeremiah : " They are not valiant for the truth upon the earth ; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not the Lord." (ch. ix. 1, 3.) And thus I would join in the language of the Prophet Ezekiel, and entreat every Jew (as I have done many every time I attended these Meetings), "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel ? " What can we, humanly speaking, expect from these Assemblies? from such erring shepherds, who do not, or will not, know what the patriarchs knew and rejoiced in, and what comforted Job under all his severe afflictions, — that their Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ! These blind leaders, who deny the personality of the Messiah, deny his personal reign, deny the restora- tion of his people ! Some discussion arose respecting the inscription to be put on the Assembly's official seal, as no rabbies have attended from several of the German states; thus Austria, Bavaria, Hanover, &c., have been unrepresented. In Bavaria collections for the expenses of the Assembly had been prohibited by the Government, and the rabbies of that country were forbidden attending, by special command of the King. It was, however, decided that the seal should bear the inscription, " Versammlung deutscher E.abbinen " (Assembly of German Rabbies). It was resolved that next year the Assembly should be held at Breslau, according to the invitation of the Jewish community at that place. Apprehensions were expressed that the Assembly, if not confined exclusively to German rabbies, would, on that occasion, be swamped by an influx of Polish rabbies, on account of the contiguity of the place of meeting to Poland. Dr. Geiger, however, assured the Meeting he knew the Polish rabbies too well to expect that any one of them would take the step of signifying to him his wish to attend, which is a necessary preliminary for attending the Assembly. DR. FRANKEL'S PROTEST AGAINST THE PROCEED- INGS OF THE LATE ASSEMBLY OF RABBIES. " No man can serve two masters." Whatever may be thought of the correctness of the principles adopted by the rabbies who recently assembled at Frankfort- on-the-Maine, it is quite evident that they must lead to an open and entire separation from Rab- binical Judaism, as hitherto maintained and defended. There are many among them who wish to retain some portion of those customs which have become venerable from their antiquity, although originally introduced, almost or altogether without sanction from the Word of God ; but still they have begun to inquire, to discuss, to reason. If they do not lay the right founda- UISTORICAL NOTICES. 361 tion, and turn " to the law and to the testimony," we shall soon see them plunging into the awful depths of Infidelity, and bad as the Talmudical system is, the last state of such must be worse than the first. In the meantime, there are still some who seem altogether undecided as to what course they really mean to take. They wisli to get rid of the Talmud, and yet they cling to it. They have taken part in the reform movement, and have done much to unsettle things, but tliey wish to maintain Judaism, they wisli to remain Jews. They know, they feel that there are promises made to their fathers, that the God of heaven and earth is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, and that he lias made a covenant with their fathers, and that there are unspeakable blessings still in store for their nation ; but they know not him in whom the promises are fulfilled, and while they look to the promise, they lean also on their own understanding, they walk in the light of the fire which they themselves have kindled. We watch their progress with deep though often with painful interest. We may well exclaim, How long halt ye between two opinions? But we hail with thankfulness every token of remaining consciousness, that Israel has been chosen of God, and cannot be numbered among the nations, ^^'hile we mourn over spiritual pride and unbelief, we mark with attention every circumstance, that shows that tliose who take a prominent part in the discussion of the momentous questions, which are now agitated in Israel, have just views and sound principles on some points at least. We rejoice to hear a learned Rabbi like Dr. Friinkel, shewing something like a consistent regard to his duty as a teacher in Israel on some points of no small import. The protest of Dr. F., to which we have already alluded, forms an important feature in the history of the late movements among the Jews. His remarks have made a deep impression on great numbers of his countrymen, and they well deserve the notice of those who feel an interest in the struggle now carried on. To the President of the Second Assembly of Robbies at Franfcfurt-on-the Maine. The preservation of Judaism is the very element of my life, and the aim of all my efforts. For this, I am ready, on my part, to sacrifice everything; while, at the same time, I am irreconcilably opposed to all endeavours which have a contrary tendency. At our second meeting, (the 17th inst.,) I started the question of princi])le, in order that there might be no doubt or misunderstanding as to the spirit which pervaded the Asseml)ly ; that point was, however, not at that time, further entered into. Yesterday's meeting led to a result which I cannot think of without grief; it is "with deep sorrow that I think of a meeting of rabbics having entertained, and even rejected, a question touching a subject most intimately connected with the religious interests of Judaism, and which should have been most especially taken under the ])rotection of the religious leaders of the nation. The ijucstion, " Whether there existed, though not a legal, yet an objective, necessity (i. e., on account of its religious importance) for preserving the K o62 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUKT. Hebrew element in the prayers," — was explained practically to mean :■ — Whether the rabbies ought to endeavour to retain so much Hebrew in the prayers, as might be agreed upon by the present assembly (for all felt that German prayers ought to be admitted, and form part of public worship), whether, in short, Hebrew is to be retained as a matter of duty, or merely from motives of expediency; i. e., as a concession required by the times, so that our endeavours should tend towards making it unnecessary, and thus removing it entirely from the prayers. It was in vain argued that the Hebrew language, hallowed by an antiquity of many centuries, exalts and consecrates our prayers. It was in vain to insist on the duty of preserving the Hebrew language, the precious jewel in which our sacred records are preserved, if we wish to be spared the pain of seeing the latter become unintelligible to US, as they were of old to»the Hellenic Jews. It was urged, but in vain, that if the Hebrew disappears from our prayers, it will ultimately be also banished from the schools, and thus another religious element be lost, where but too many are missing already. In vain our religious feelings were appealed to (which are essential to prayer), as being exalted and stirred up by these sacred tones. It was in vain to maintain that Hebrew prayer constitutes a distinctive mark of that religious community to which the Jews belong; by which the Jew, in whatever region he meets with a Jew, recognises in him a brother in faith, joins him in his house of worship, and in his prayers, as his own. The objection, that the young dislike learning Hebrew, was in vain refuted by the simple remark, that this difficulty will cease of itself, if the parents do not foster this antipathy, and if the teachers promote the study of that language, as has been illustrated by practice. It was in vain represented that the learning to understand the Hebrew prayers might even be facilitated for young females, especially as the number of those to be retained is not very large. In vain the fervour, the power- ful devotion peculiar to Hebrew prayer was appealed to ; the majority of the Assembly of Robbies decided that the use of Hebrew in prayer is only a matter of expediency, and that it is the duty of the rabbies to endeavour by degrees to effect its entire removal. I object to this decision, not merely on account of differing from that view of the subject, but from its tendency. The spirit which disregards so many important elements, and supplants that which in every confession is of so much weight and power, the historical basis, is, in m)' eyes, not the spirit of conservatism, but is destructive of that positive historical Judaism, which I had openly declared before the Assembly to be my guiding principle. This spirit must now also deprive the future decisions of the Assembly of all validity in the eyes of those who take this positive historical view; for, as I also observed to .the Assembly, it is not the vote alone, but the motive for the vote, which is of importance ; and only Ms mind can be apparently put at rest by a general decision, who has previously decided in his own mind, and merely seeks a formal confirmation. By these reasons I am induced, not only loudly to protest against the above decision, but also to declare that my principles are totally at variance with those of the Assemblj^, and that I can have neither seat nor vote within it. I also regret that the Assembly, instead of keeping in eve the aim of " acquiring general confidence, and thereby becoming mediators," has again departed from it, and repelled many thousands, whom such a decision wounds deeply. My having come to the Assembly, proved how sincerely I looked forward to the attainment of that object; and my wish to contribute, as far as in me lay, towards such a mediation, and to labour conjointly with others, that this young Institution might ripen so as to become a propitiator and representative of our general religious interests. This caused me to disregard much HISTORICAL NOTICES. 363 misunderstanding, wliich was likely to be produced by such a step, and its jarring in some respects with my personal interests. This liigher sacred consideration induces me to separate from the Assembly : we nmst follow the Divine call, and our inward conviction, without reference to misinterpretation aiid the imputation of motives. For an honest man conscience is the first consideration ; he consults in the first place his inward judge, and if he justifies him, and confirms his judgment, then he firmly pursues his path, and throws into the back- ground all other considerations but those of religion and truth. I request you to lay this communication as soon as possible before the Assembly, and have it recorded on the minutes. I have the honour to subscribe myself, with great respect, (Signed) Dr. Z. Frankel, Chief Rabbi. Frankfurt-on-the-Maine, July 18, 184."!. Addresses have been presented to Dr. Frankel from the Jewish congregations at Hanover, Breslau, Stettin, Pleschen, and Woll- stein, expressing their concurrence in the views of the learned Doctor, and their tlianks for the stand which he has made in defence of those principles which are embodied in the above protest. THE " THIRD ASSEMBLY OF RABBIES." The third Rabbinical Assembly was held in Breslau, from the 13th to the 24th of July, and was attended by twenty-six German rabbies. No com])lete list of those present has been published, but we find the following mentioned in the Report of the pro- ceedings : — GosEN, Marburg. Stein, Frankfurt-on-the- Maine. S. Abler, Alzey. A. Adler, Worms. Wechsler, Oldenburg. EiNHORN, Birkenfeld. Geigcr, Breslau. Auerbach, Frankfurt-on- the-Maine. Levi, Breslau. Herzfeld, Brunswick. Philippson, Magdeburg. Kaiin, Treves. Hoi-dheim, Mecklenburg- Schwerin. Herxheimer, Bernburg. Hess, Weimar. JoLowicz, Koslin. Pick, Tciplitz. Salomon, Hamburgh. Wagner, Mannheim. Ben Israel, Coblentz. GuLDENSTEiN, Buchau. Goldstein. Levi, Miinsterberg. FoRjisTEciiER, Offenbach. SoBERNiiEiM, Bingen. The Assembly having been formally opened, in the usual wav, Dr. Geiger was elected President, Dr. Stein, Vice-President, Rabbi A. Adler and Dr. Auerbach were appointed Secretaries, Drs. Levi and Herzfeld, Vice-Secretaries. r2 364 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTUET. The first important question which was brought under discussion, was that of tlie proper observance of the Sabbath. In introducing it, the President expressed a desire that extreme opinions should be avoided, in order that, as far as possible, unanimity might be obtained in the decisions of the Assembly. After a discussion of • five days, the following decisions were come to on the Sabbath question, viz., the Assembly declared : — 1. (Unanimously.) It is one of the most sacred duties of the Jewish teachers, as well as of each individual Israelite, to promote the restoration of a worthy observance of the Sabbath, as a day of sacred rest : it is therefore necessary to insist upon the sacredness of the Sabbath, and to shew the importance of increased attention to public worship, and the domestic observance of that day. 2. The celebration of Divine worship in a manner worthy of the Sabbath, is of such pre-eminent importance, that no labour under- taken for its promotion, although otherwise unlawful, can be pro- hibited ; every action, therefore, is permitted, which is connected with the performance of public worship in a proper manner, or which renders it possible for an individual to take part in public worship for his edification. 3. If a cessation of labour should endanger • existence, it is permitted to continue the same on the Sabbath by means of Gentiles. 4. (Unanimous.) No religious duty is violated by procuring or rendering assistance, in especial cases, where temporal welfare, property, or the means of existence is in imminent danger. 5. (Unanimous.) Wherever life is in danger, whether one's own or that of others, that of an Israelite or of a Gentile, it is not only permitted but commanded to use, even on the Sabbath, every possible means for prevention or rescue. 6. The excessive severity of the existing laws relative to the observance of the Sabbath is injurious, and ought to be mitigated as much as possible. The Assembly therefore declares that those very strict prohibitions, which require a state of complete inactivity on the Sabbath, are carried too far, and are not binding. 7. Those definitions which have been adopted by former teachers, with a view to modification, but in a form which gives them the appearance of evasions, such as nnsn mij? and ]'mnn 'mr, are in- admissible, and moreover superfluous, as regards short journeys, which are not for purposes of business. 8. Mental exertion does not violate the Sabbath. 9. (Unanimous.) To pi-omote the welfare of the State is such an imperative duty, that if a collision of duties takes place, the observance of the Sabbath must give way. The soldier is, there- foi'e, exempted from the observance of the Sabbath, if discipline requires it. The public functionary must likewise perform his official duties, if it becomes necessary, on the Sabbath, provided that he endeavour to maintain the observance of the day of rest in his domestic circle. HISTORICAL NOTICES. 365 Dr. Philippson declined to vote on the above questions, except the two first, the fifth, and the ciglith, unless the Assembly adopted a declaration to the etl'ect that " the rest of the Sabbath consists in abstaining from every professional and laborious occupation ; " and that " in individual cases it must be left to every man's conscience to consider whether any given action be such or no." He contended that, unless the Assembly adopted this as a fundamental rule, they were not entitled to lay down the above regulations. His proposi- tion was, however, rejected by a majority of seventeen to nine. The sixth day of meeting was a private sitting, during which questions relating to circumcision were discussed, and regulations adopted with a view to preventing the possibility of danger to life from this rite. The eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh sittings were chietiy occupied with discussions on questions relative to the importance and the proper observance of the second festival-days, and the ancient customs of mourning, which latter were partly repudiated, partly modified. The Assembly then terminated, and it was agreed, that the Meeting next year take place at Mamiheim. The Berlin lleform Association sent this year another address to the Assembly, but at the same time declared itself independent of the latter, and recommended that each of the two bodies should pursue its own course without interfering with the other. The Assembly decided upon sending no reply to this address. The following remarks are taken from the " Breslauer Zeitung: " — The diflferent tendencies of the Assembly, with reference to the question of the celebration of the Sabbath, may be defined as follows : — "There were, in the first place, the orthodox reformers, adherents of the Talmud, who would not conform the Sabbath to man, but man to the Sabbath ; but who still wished to mitigate the contrast between both, as they daily come more and more into collision. The old Rabbi Gosen and Dr. Hcrxheimer were the principal representatives of this party. The only remedy, however, which they proposed was, that Jews should employ Gentiles to pei-form those offices which the Jewish law prohil)its on the .Sabbath-day. Dr. Geiger remarked on this that only the ojjulent would be served thereby, but that the poor, who must viork with their own hands, would be placed in the same difficulty as before : and it was his wish to see the Jews more and more employed in agricultural and manual occupations. Another party took the Bible for the basis of their arguments, believing the Pentateuch to be a Divine book given by God unto Moses, before which reason must retire with reverence, as Stein expresses himself. Those who joined him in this view were S. Adler, Philippson, and Pick. They contended that the laws relating to the Sabbath have been clearly laid down in the Bible, all labour being repeatedly prohibited ; and how, they asked, can the Word of God be shaken ? They declared themselves decidedly against transferring the Sabbath from the Saturday to the Sunday, — which was boldly pro- posed by Holdheim. The latter, together with Hess and A. Adler, professed to hold fast only the spirit oi the Bible; to attach importance to the injunctions rel ative to the Sabbath, only in so far as they can have any significa- 366 THE JEWS OP THE KINETEENTH CENTURY. tion when applied to our times. They were indifferent to the day of the Sabhath, whether Saturday or Sunday, as they considered it only the centre of the ideas connected with the day of rest. Herzfeld, Wechsler, Einhorn, and Salomon, took a line between the two last-named parties. ©pprcssion at ti)c 3ilftos» MODERN INSTANCE OF OPPRESSION OF THE JEWS. In a large town the colonel of a regiment thought it a very unnecessary thing that some Jewish soldiers under his authority objected to the food eaten by their comrades as being ceremonially unclean. It had been customary to dispense with their swallowing that which they objected to, but the colonel was determined to put an end to such a distinction. One Jewish soldier, who had served his proper time and asked for his discharge in the usual manner, could not obtain it without promising to eat clean things and unclean things in future, as other people do ; this was a great strain upon the poor man's conscience, as he had before that carefully abstained, and it was very hard and unjust to exact such a promise when his period of service was expired, and he therefore ceased to be a legitimate object for the worthy colonel's attempts to convert Jews by military punishments. He committed another to prison because he could not be persuaded to depart from the custom of his fathers. This poor man lay in prison five days, and then got released by promising compliance. He had before repeatedly and earnestly entreated the colonel to be satisfied with his paying for what he as a Gentile would have eaten, and then procuring a second dinner more suitable to his feelings at his own private expense ; but tliis would not satisfy the inexorable enemy of all such notions about clean and unclean. He commanded two men to lay hands on a third Jewish soldier, and binding him fast and opening his mouth by force, they gave the worthy colonel an opportunity to do his best to infuse conviction into the poor man, for he literally condescended with his own hands to pour some soup made of ordinary — i. e., according to Jewish ideas unclean — things, down the throat of the unwilling objector. A pious Jew remonstrated with the colonel in vain. A formal complaint is now to be lodged against him. The public at large, and most of the German authorities, are sufficiently inclined to reprobate such manual operations in the work of conversion. — ("Jewish Intelligence," Jan., 1839.) 367 EDICT OF THE INQUISITION OF ANCONA AGAINST THE JEWS. We have a painful duty to perform in recording anotlier inst.ance, in which the laws of Christianity and the dictates of humanity have been most grossly violated by those who boast in the title of the successors of the apostles and the true Church of God. The Israelites in the Papal States have long groaned under the weight of those cruel enactments which confined them to the miserable and narrow space afforded by their " Ghetto." These wretched streets served as a prison rather than a home, and no Christian servant dared pass the night under the roof of an Israelite, however greatly he might need such assistance. If a servant or a Cliristian nurse should declare that she had baptized an Israelitish infant with her own hand, the Inquisition removed it without mercy from its parents, and gave it to the Church, no reclamation being in any case allowed. An inventory of the fortune of the parents was made, we are told, in order to secure to the infant its patrimony. So strict were the authorities of the Inquisition, in the laws which they enacted, that " it was declared to be a crime if any one should put on a white shirt on a Saturday, or clean domestic utensils on a Friday, inasmuch as Saturday is considered sacred by the Jews; and if the accused should be found to have abstained also from eating pork and rabbits, the proof was considered to be most complete and entire." — See Jiidisclie Merkwurdiglceiten, by Schudt, vol. i. page 151. But many have hoped and believed that these things were past and gone. Many tell us that we ought not to search amid the lumber and the rubbish of past ages for proofs of a spirit of persecution and iniquity which does not now exist. The following edict is, however, too plain and distinct, it does not content itself with insinuations and surmises, it is dark, barbarous, and cruel, and must lead every one who loves his Saviour to pray that grace may be given to these foolish and mistaken zealots, that they may learn to sit at the feet of that Master whom they profess to serve, and may follow his example of holiness and love. We, Fra Vicenzo Salina, of the Order of Predicatori, Master iu Theology, General Inquisitor in Ancona, Sinigaglia, Jesi, Osinio, Cingoli, Macerata, Tolentino, Loreto, Recanati, and other towns and districts, &c. It being deemed necessary to revive the full observance of the disciplinary laws relative to the Israelites residing within our juris- diction, and having hitherto without effect cin])loyed prayers and exhortations to obtain obedience to those laws in the Ghctti (Jewries) of Ancona and Sinigaglia, authorized by the despatch of the Sacred and Supreme Inquisition of Rome, dated Jime 10, 184,'}, expressly enjoining and commanding the observance of the decrees and pontifi- cal constitutions, especially in respect to Christian nurses and domestic servants, or to the sale of property either in towns or 368 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. country districts, purchased and possessed previously to 1827, as well as subsequently to that period, we decree as follows : — "1. From the interval of two months after the date of this day, all gipsy and Christian domestics, male and female, whether employed by day or by night, must be disnussed from service, in the said two Ghetti ; and all Jews residing within our jurisdiction are expressly proliibitcd from employing any Christian nurse, or availing themselves of the service of any Christian in any domestic occupation whatever, under pain of being iumiediately punished according to the Pontifical decrees and constitutions. " 2. That all Jews who may i)ossess property, either in town or country, permanent or moveable, or rents or interest, or any right involving shares in funded property, or leased landed property, must within the term of three months from this day dispose of it by a positive and real, and not by any pretended and factitious, contract. Should this not be done within tiie time specified, the Holy Office is to sell the same by public auction, on proof of the annual harvest being got in. " 3 That no Hebrew nurses, and still less any Hebrew family, shall inhabit tlie city, or reside in, or remove their property into, any town or district where there is no Ghetto (place of residence for Jews) ; and that such as may actually be there in contumacy to the laws must return to their respective Ghetto within the peremptory period of six months, otherwise they will be pi'oceeded against according to the tenour of the law. " 4. That, especially in any city where there is a Ghetto, no Hebrew must presume to associate at table with Chi-istians, either in public- houses or ordinaries, out of the Ghetto. " 5. That, in a city which has a Ghetto, no Hebrew shall sleep out of the Israelite quarter, nor malie free to enter into familiar conversation in a Christian house. " 6. That no Hebrew shall take the liberty, under any pretext what- ever, to induce male Christians, and still less female Christians, to slee]) within the boundaries of the Ghetto. " 7. That no Hebrew sViall hire Christians, even only by the day, to work in their houses in the Ghetto. "8. That no Hebrew, either male or female, shall frequent the houses of Christians, or maintain friendly relations with Christian men or women. " 9. That the laws shall remain in force respecting the decorum to be observed by the Hebrews who may absent themselves from their Ghetto, to travel in other parts of the state. " 10. That all Hebrews are expressly prohibited from trafficking in sacred ornaments, or books of any kind, and from purchasing, reading, or keeping possession of prohibited books of any sort, under the penalty of 100 scudi and seven years' imprisonment ; and they who may have such articles in their possession must surrender them to the tribunal of the Holy Inquisition ; and in case of failing to do so, they will be subject to the above-mentioned penalty. " 11. That the Hebrews, in conveying their dead to the place of burial, shall not observe any pomp or ceremony, and must especially abstain from singing psalms, or carrying torches or lighted tapers through the streets without the boundaries of the Ghetto, under pain of forfeiting the torches and tapers, and suftering other punishments, to which the nearest relative of the deceased will be condemned." They who violate the above articles will incur some or all of the penalties prescribed in the edicts of the Holy Inquisition. And in order that no one may be ignoi'ant of the dispositions above decreed, they tHSTORlCAL NOTICES. 369 shall be formally communicated to the deputies and representatives of the Israelite community of this Ghetto of Ancona, with the injuriLtion that the same shall be published in the synagogue, the present edict being affixed thereto ; and these dispositions areto be enforced in the same manner as if they were made known to all and every one, and notice must he given forthwith to the Hebrews residing out of Ancona, but belonging to this Ghetto. Given at Ancona, in the Chancellory of the Holy Inquisition, on the 24th of June, 1843. Fra V'icenzo Salina, General In(iuisitor. Don ViTALiANO BuRATTiNi (for the Chancellor). The "Morning Herald "of August 29, 1843, had the following remarks on this subject : — This fierce outburst of Popish intolerance seems to originate from the smouldering and unextinguished fires kindled by the Inquisition in the days of Torquemada, and of the spirit of that horrible head of the Holy Office it is eminently worthy. It was in 1492 that an edict ap])eared, ordering all unbaptized Jews to leave the realms of Ferdinand and Isabella, within four months. Every monstrous and exploded accusation of the middle ages was resuscitated against them, and when Abarbanel, a learned and accomplished Jew, approached the King and Queen, to implore mercy towards his race, and to tender a vast sum in order to recruit the national finances, in the hope of buying off the fury of the Arch-Inquisitor, Torquemada rushed into the Royal presence, and, holding up a crucifix, exclaimed, "Behold the man whom Judas sold for thirty pieces of silver. Sell ye him now for a higher price, and render an account of your bargain before God I " The stern Dominican awed the Royal couple. Nearly a million Jews, who had imparted to the country the sinews of its strength and the materials of its grandeur, left the land of their adoption, in which, for three hundred years, they and their fathers had lived in loyalty and peace. They thereby presented the glorious spectacle (glorious even when based on error) of a vast jiopulation choosing expatriation and exile, rather than renounce the faith and hope of Israel. One might have thought that such scenes were not likely soon to be re-enacted, but the Tor(|ueniada of the fifteenth century has found a meet inheritor of his mantle in the Fra Vicenzo Salina of the nineteenth ; and the Church of Rome, as far, at least, as her treatment of the children of Abraham is concerned, has recently made out her claim, by indisput- able fact, to the attribute Semper eadem. « OPPRESSION OF THE JEWS IN MORAVIA. The " Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums," for June 12, 1S43, publishes a Petition which has been addressed by the rabbi at Prossnitz to the Emperor of Austria, and contains a distressing representation of the demoralization which has been occasioned amongst the Jews in Moravia, by a most unchristian and in- human law. In many parts of Germany the Jews are distinguished by their conjugal fidelity, by the exemplary manner in which thev r3 .'570 THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. discharge the duties of domestic life, and by tlicir temperate habits. On referring to the statistical tables, published in the "Jewish Intelligence," for 1842, page 242, we find that the average number of illegitimate births among the Jews in Prussia is less than among Christians in the same country, in the very large proportion of 67 to 280. And in some other places, where in former times iniquitous laws existed, like those complained of in Moravia, we have had oui'selves occasion to observe, that the effect produced by them has been far less detrimental than might have been expected, to the morals of the Jewish community. But the following extracts from Rabbi Hirsch Fassel's Petition, show that the consequences arising from the unnatural restrictions, under which the Jews have laboured in Moravia, have been most awful : — For many years the increase of the Jewish population in Moravia has been restricted. No Jew is permitted to marry until a vacancy occurs by the removal, through death or otherwise, of another individual of the Jewish community, who has enjoyed that privilege. But the most ancient and powerful laws are those implanted by God in human nature, which defy the will of man. Thus the Jewish population of Moravia has increased, alas, illegally ! either through vice or through transgression of the law. I certainly do not exaggerate, if I estimate the illegitimate population in Moravia at 5,000, and we continue to be threatened with an increase of this evil, because those unfortunate individuals are compelled, like their parents, to satisfy the laws of nature either by secret and illegal marriages, or without any form of marriage at all. The authorities in Moravia have therefore lately been directed to act with unbending severity in all cases of concubinage, and secret marriages ; in consequence of which, the magistrate at Plume- nau refused trading licenses to all single men, and condemned all females who had had illegitimate children, to imprisonment for a longer or shorter period, with hard labour, in proportion to the number of births; and no doubt a similar punishment has been inflicted in other places. However distressing it must be to see men punished, because they are men, and not angels without natural desires and impulses, or brutes who can live according to the dictates of nature, still it must be acknowledged by every one, that while the constitution of Moravia exists in its present form, this severity is wise and necessary, as, under the circumstances, an excessive increase of population must be prevented ; and the undersigned, as in duty bound, offers his assistance towards inflicting these punishments, by giving information not only of all illegitimate births, but even of suspected individuals. But is it to be wondered at, that his heart bleeds while doing this .' that the sufferings of his co-religionists penetrate into the deepest depths of his soul ? that he also looks upon this as the curse of sin, whose fruit can only be evil .' For it is not oidy the guilty who feel the severity of these measures, but also the innocent ; because the consequence of a refusal of a trading licence to the parents is, that they cannot support either themselves or their natural children, and thus become a burden to the community. Yea, many a one may even be impelled to earn a subsistence by the commission of crime. And as, moreover, severe and public punishment can hardly be expected to remedy this evil, but may rather lead only to a criminal prevention of births, or even to infanticide ; the undersigned considers it his duty most humbly to implore your glorious Majesty, as you daily HISTORICA.L NOTICES. 371 give new proofs of lenity and justice towards all subjects, whatever their creed, to remedy the condition of the Moravian Jews. If it were permitted to them to marry on obtaining the freedom of a trade, or as agriculturists, manufacturers, &c., and to settle in places suitable for such pursuits, it would not be long ere trade and agriculture would flourish among the Jews in Moravia, and the pernicious system of barter be discouraged. But the restrictions under which the Moravian Jews labour cannot but check the pursuit of arts and professions. And although the undersigned has succeeded, with the permission of the authorities, in establishing among his community an Association for encouraging the pursuit of trades among the Israelites at Prossnitz, yet the number of apprentices at present amounts scarcely to twelve, although the Association has been in existence three years ; and the reason of this is not that the ])lan has met with a want of support, but the knowledge that the profession, when acquired, cannot support him, deters young men from availing themselves of its advantages. Not only are the narrow and confined quarters to which many Jewish con- gregations are limited totally unsuitable for professions requiring extensive premises, such as smiths, furriers, undertakers, bakers, &c., but it would also be impossible for several tradesmen to follow the same profession within the narrow limits of the Jewish streets; and out of these not even a master tradesman is allowed to establish himself. Under these circumstances, no other resource is left to the Jews in Moravia but traffic and barter. RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON THE JEWS IN MOLDAVIA. It appears from the following statements, extracted from German periodical publications, that the numerous Jews who inhabit the fertile province of Moldavia, liave been subjected to additional restrictions. The first is taken from the "Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung," a communication in which, dated Jassy, Dec. 4, 1843, states that — The Government of Moldavia, wishing to reduce the number of Jews residing in the country, has just adopted severe measures against persons of that persuasion. For the future no Israelite is to be admitted into the country without a regular passport, and in case of contravention the offender is to be sent in the salt-mines of Okna. The names of all Jews arriving each day in a town are to be sent to the authorities. A permission will be required to enable a Jew to reside, and any person of that body, not sending in regularly the address of his place of residence, will be published a vagabond. This order has been communicated to the various Consuls to be by them forwarded to their Governments. The " Orient," for Jan. 9, contains a communication dated Botschany, Dec, 1843, in which we are told that Prince Stourdza has enjoined that — 372 THE JEWS OP THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. No Jew shall in future be allowed to keep a Christian servant. Leases are not to continue valid longer than, at the most, three years ; and Jews who do not possess a fixed income shall be considered and treated as vagabonds. PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS IN XL IlKEY. We regret to find, in the " Archives Israelites," for December, 1844, an account of recent occurrences in the Turkish dominions, which show that the Jews are still exposed to imminent danger, from the bigotry and violence of their infatuated neighbours. The unjust and cruel suspicions which led to the barbarous scenes at Damascus, are entertained by many, who are too ignorant and superstitious to perceive the injustice and folly of which they are guilty. This seems to be particularly the case as regards the population of the Island Marmora, which is situated about eight leagues from Constantinople, in the sea of the same name. The majority of the inhabitants are Greeks. Twenty-five Israelites have settled there, who are engaged in the wine-trade. Four or five of them have acquired a considerable fortune, and this is probably the reason why they have become an object of envy to their Greek neighbours, who seek their revenge by calumniating incessantly their religion, in the most absurd and superstitious manner. It appears that one day a Greek laundress, on her return home from bleaching, missed her son aged two years and a-half, whom she had taken out ^vith her. Every search was made in vain, until, after seven days, the body was found in the forest, amidst thorns and rubbish, mutilated by beasts of prey. The Greeks immedi- ately spread the report that the child had been murdered by the Jew's, for the purpose of using the blood for their religious observ- ances. A surgeon certified the fact of the child having been murdered ; and the corpse, when brought before the judge, was found to be circumcised, apparently with the view to fixing the charv y' ,^WEUNIVER5■/A vvlOSANCElfjv ,^OF-CA[IFO% ^^OFCAIIFO/?^. ^\^% iVrti IA/P>i i\e)' University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. ^>l. LI LP I iwv ■^1 c^cOFCAllFOff^. ^OFCAIIFO% Mm\im/A irBOJl IVSOl^ ^^/Ja3AINn-3ttv IIVERS/A o %a3AiNa3U^^ <»»l 6: 000 049 675 iaiav> < ^ 5- 55 # ^ I IKI r»5 ■?i r^ oe IIVERiy/i ^ IIVEfiV// ~ o e = VAtiJA A^ p." ivj-jo-^- < .CJ^ lllFO/?^ >;,0.\,., S"! IMh' ^W[.UNIVER5•/ %, so 5*