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'saved:' for our ancient rabbies, in the Talmud 'treatise Sanhedrin, expressly say, 'That the pious

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' and virtuous of all nations will be rewarded in a

future state for their good deeds.'* In a subsequent number of the same work, it was stated in reply to this gentleman, that that part of the 'Talmud to which he had referred, makes no such 'declaration; and he was challenged to produce

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a single testimony from any respectable author of 'the Jewish Church, that the Christian shall be 'saved by virtue of his moral life.' No such testimony having been produced by him, we have no reason to believe the sentiment he professes, to be generally entertained by his brethren. On this subject, it is impossible, perhaps, to cite a higher authority than Maimonides; and the following passages are too plain to be misunderstood. The 'pious among the Gentiles will enjoy a place in the future world. Those whom we are about to ' enumerate have no portion in the future world, 'but on account of iniquity and the greatness of . their sins are doomed to eternal excision, perdition, and excommunication: heretics, epicuthose who deny the law,'-after specifying several other kinds of offenders, he proceeds to explain who are included under the respective designations. They who deny the law are of 'three classes. He who asserts that the law did 'not come from God, that he never revealed a ' verse or a word, but that Moses spake for himself, denies the law; as he does also, who denies its

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* Jewish Repository, vol. ii. p. 297.

+ Ibid. p 409.

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'interpretation, that is, the oral law. He who 'denies the historical narrations it contains, as 'Sadoc and Baithos did; and he who affirms that God has changed this law for another, and that 'this law, though it came from God, has now ceased, which is affirmed by (17) 'Christians and Mahometans; all these three deny 'the law.'*-Language so explicit from such a writer, the known deference paid to his authority by the members of the synagogue, the want of a contrary declaration from any of the other doctors, and the numerous passages in many of their writings, which imply the same sentiment as is expressed by Maimonides, leave no doubt respecting the opinion of modern Jews on the future destiny of all Christians.

* Maimon. de Pœnit. a Clavering, p. 58, 59, 60.

140

CHAPTER VIII.

Rabbinical Traditions concerning God.

Remarks on their Profaneness.-Some Traditions filthy, and some

obscene.

OUR attention is next called to the rabbinical traditions, and in the first place to their traditions concerning God. Some passages already cited from the Talmudical and rabbinical writers* may serve as specimens of the manner in which they have treated the majesty of Him whom they profess to worship. Most readers, it is presumed, will readily excuse the omission of other extracts so replete with irreverence, impiety and blasphemy. It will be necessary, however, to mention some of these traditions, with references to authorities sufficient for the satisfaction of those who possess opportunity and inclination for further inquiries.

They represent the Deity-as existing in a human form, of a certain number of millions of miles in height, which they have undertaken to specify, together with the particular dimensions of his respective members :-as circumscribed, since the destruction of the temple, within a space of four cubits-as dressed in a snow-white coat, and studying, in the Scriptures by day, and in the

* Page 57-59. 112.

+ Sepher Rasiel, c. lxvi. 1. Sepher Othioth, f. 16. c. 3. cited in the Jewish Repository, vol. i. p. 13.

Berachoth, c. i. p. 8. apud Bartoloc. Bib. Rab. tom. i. p. 595.

Mishna by night :*-as employed during the last three hours of every day, before the destruction of the temple, in playing with Leviathan; and since that event, in sitting to give instruction in the law to young Israelites who have died in infancy—as reading the Talmud, and rehearsing the decisions of all the rabbies except one:I-as putting on the tephillin and taleth, and appearing like a public prayer-reader in a synagogue:§as actually praying:||—as groaning, howling, and roaring:¶—as weeping daily:**-as shedding two tears into the ocean, whenever he remembers the dispersion and distress of his children; which tears produce an earthquake, and a noise that is heard to the extremities of the world:t-as inflamed with a momentary paroxysm of rage every day IIas creating and implanting in man a propensity to sin:§§-as swearing, and afterwards lamenting

* R. Menachem Recanatens. in Midrash, f. 97. c. 3. cited in Jewish Repository, vol. i. p. 49.

+ Avoda Zara, c. i. p. 3, 4. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 548. tom. iii. p. 615. Yalkut Shimoni, f. 50. c. 4. cit. in Jewish Repository, vol. i. P. 49.

Chagiga, p. 15. apud Bartoloc. tom. iii. p. 410.

Berachoth, c. i. p. 6, 7. Zohar in Exod. p. 62. Rosh Hashana, c. i. p. 17. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 564. 566. 592.

Berachoth, p. 7. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 575. Yalkut Shimoni, f. 54. c. 4. cit. in Jewish Repository, vol. i. p. 518.

¶ Berachoth, c. i. p. 3. Cholin, c. iii. p. 59. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 553-556. 597, 598.

** Chagiga, p. 5. c. 2. apud Bartoloc. tom. iii. p. 408.

++ Berachoth, c. ix. p. 59. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 596.

Berachoth, c. i. p. 7. Avoda Zara, c. i. p. 4.

c. ix. p. 105. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 593–595.

Sanhedrin Chelek,

Bereshith Rabba in Gen. p. 17. c. 2. apud Bartoloc. tom. ii.

p. 48, 49. Sepher Amude Haggola, n. 53. cit. in Jewish Repository, vol. i. p. 404.

the obligation and desiring to be released from his oath; and at length being released by an angel:*as being deterred from revealing to Jacob the fate of his son Joseph, by the curse which his other sons had denounced upon any who should make that discovery, expressly including God himself-as exercising little or no providence over the Gentiles:I-as engaging in arguments and disputations with angels and even with devils who are supposed to study in the colleges of heaven; on one of which occasions it is said a rabbi was called in to terminate the controversy, which he decided in God's favour; and at another time God is said to have acknowledged himself overpowered.§

The apology for these representations, that they were not intended to be literally understood, but are altogether figurative and parabolical, which is the only apology ever offered for them, has already been noticed. A similar mode of exposition might be employed, and indeed has been employed, in defence of the descriptions and exploits of the fictitious deities of heathen poets; and, it may

* Bava Mezia, f. 74. c. 1. Ain Israel, f. 96. c. 2. Megilla Emuchoth, f. 1. c. 4. f. 57. c. 1. cit. in Jewish Repository, vol. i. p. 326. + Jarchi in Gen. xxxvii. 34. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 599. Zedah Laderach, f. 23. c. 3, 4. f. 4. c. 1. Tanchuma, f. 15. c. 4. Bechai in Leg. f. 47. c. 4. cit. in Jewish Repository, vol. i. p. 478.

R. David Kimchi, in Amos. et in Isai. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 620, 621.

Bava Mezia, c. iv. p. 86. 59. apud Bartoloc. tom. i. p. 636, 637. Yalkut Reubeni, f. 159. c. 8. Gittin, f. 68. c. 1. Cad Hakkemach, f. 78. c. 4. Bava Mezia, f. 59. cit. in Jewish Repository, vol. i. p. 50. 88, 89.

Pag. 57-60.

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