The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-05

~ IN mlnllm& m fxlm1A
d. AaPAslL laAs Il BirninghAm, EngIaad,
nov nhdt psraekes ID New York. recently
clessaa very iastssstivs annrse Of lssturss on
the Post Hlbneaa History Of the Jews. which be
has been delivering in the Crosby street College
Of PhysiciGns and Surgeons in that city. The
Newark Advertiser quotes the following inter
esting FACTS from one Of his lectures:
We DO not mean TO enter upon the particu-
lar details any of the lectures; but stiIl must
lus& ueatton two matters treated Of In the very
last; we refer to the Mishna and Talmud The
former work was composed under the following
citrpmstancss The Jews were now within two
cehenrtes after the common era. dispersed over
the whole world. The high priests Office was
abollth During his existence he was the
oraeIe OF the law, and its interpreter to the ns
ton. After the destruction Of the temple, and
the extinction Of the line Of the high priests,
the rabbins, regularly ordained, became the de-
positoies and expounders OF the law. This
consisted of two parts, the written, and un-
written or oral The former was Of course the
books OF Moses; the oral were the commenta-
ries and traditions. These latter. for various
reasons, had never been reduced to writing, but
were orally transmitted through the learned
Rabhians from age to age The times had, how
ever, changed. Another sect, that Of the Chris
tians. hsd arisen, and adhering to the old Testa-
ment II its morals and some of its ceremoiials,
a. well ~ the Jews observing the Sabbath, re-
jecting certain meats, In some instances prac-
Using cifcumnision. and protesting the unity Of
God. There was danger Of confusion from this
cause, q Il became difficult often to distinguish
= Gentle from Jew. This was one reason
Why the Mishna was composed. The other,
still more strong, was this II by any accident
the order of the Rabbins should become extinct
a. that Of the high priest had done, the Jewish
religion, a. distinct faith, would necessarily
cease to be, because the commentaries and tra-
ditiona would come to an end, Of course, when
the Rabbins no longer lived.
In the dispersed and precarious condition of
the Jews at that time, such a catastrophe was
not at all improbable 1t was consequently at
length determined to reduce the oral law to
writing. Accordingly the work was set on foot
in the famous schools of Tiberias, and by the
immense labors Of the Rabbins, continued
through several years, the vast undertaking was
accomplished, and all the commentaries upon
the law, and all the traditions, which had been
collected and transmitted for five hundred years
before. were incorporated, committed to writing,
and the religion Of the Hebrews thus perpetu
ated till the present time. This is book which
all should resort to as the treasury OF their faith
This work having been compiled eighteen hun
dred years ago. and containing the traditions of
the 500 Immediately preceding, consequently
lays claim to the age Of 1900 years The Mishna
is . complete code of law on all subjects which
concern the Jew, his religion, property, personal
rights, and duties.
The other work referred to, the Talmud- the
most extraordinary production of any age or
land, perhaps originated at the schools of the
Jews upon the Euphrates. That nation, as has
been said, was widely dispersed, and the Dlishna
was not universally acknowledged as law among
powerful communities and learned Rabbins in
every section of the globe The Jews were
very numerous in the neighborhood of the Eu
pirates, and had established powerful seminaries
there, which, in consequence Of the acquisition
of the two most eminent doctors of Liberals,
came at length to be the rivals of those cele-
brated schools. 1t was then that they under
took the task of comprising in single work all
the laws, commentaries, traditions, and knowl-
edge in the keeping Of the Rabbins. The task
was therefore parceed out among them, each
taking certain chapters or portions of the COM
pi'ation. After the lapse of several months,
which had been agreed on, all these individuals,
having by exclusive application to their respec-
tive departments become perfect masters of
everything relating to their themes, assembled
in a general council to PROFOUND and defend
them.
This was not accomplished without the con-
sumption oimuch tme--twenty years were oc-
cupied in putting upon record these multifarious
propositions, the objections to them, and their de-
fences, together with the decisions of the majority
of the great council, which was final. Every thing
was recorded, however trling. however objection
able or absurd, with the decisions thereupon, so
that posterity, in case any theory or proposition
should be broached thereafter, nightly recurring
to the voluminous pages of the 1'almud, ascertain
that was no novelty, and learn what the opinion
of their fathers was upon it. There is no order
in the work; questions and determinations Of
them being found in the most unexpected places.
On account of this want of the least arrange
ment, and more particularly, in consequence of
its being written in several languages promis-
cuously, some words occurring in Syriac, others
in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and the like, it is at
this day sealed book to most Of the descend
ants Of Abraham. Ponderous dictionaries have
been indeed composed expressly for its elucida-
tion and yet II 10 ratner venerated rs mohu-
ment of the zeal, industry and knowledge of
the schools on the Euphrates, than used as a
vehicle of light and instruction at this distant
period"
HORSE STEALING AND KTLLIxG.-An article
in the New York Courier and Enquirer makes
the following statement:
There still exist and thrive in this city the
remnant of body of men who figured largely,
till within some few months since, as horse
stealers and killers, and who-nothing having
lately been heard Of them-are commonly sup
posed to be extinct. Their business is to drive
strayor unmatched cattle to vacant lots of ground
in the Northern and Eastern parts of the city,
and there watch an opportunity, when the police
men on duty Is out of sight or hearing, to fell
the animals dead, strip off their hides-which
are disposed Of by contract to some tanner-and
cart of the flesh to the vicinity of some butchers
shamble.
-~~tks eUo The 1orro1cf:<,v. cf tb~.o