Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-12-18
Of LEWIS and GontlIss Not Inter-
dlcied by the Mosaic Law 3
So Says Rev. Or. Isaac
N. Wise.
Explanation of the Enlargement of
the Two seCts in this Particu-
lAr-ls it the Fault Of the
Gentilesl
Jews and Jewesses Advised 20
Deter Marrying Out OF the
Pale Till the Morals OF Sn-
ciety be Improved.
Interesting Lecture In the Plum
street Temple.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette. Is


very fair sized audience last night at
the Plum street Temple. The theme
discussed, being the third Of series OF
lectures upon Judaism aud Chris,
tiauity; Their Agreements and Dis.
agreements" was "IutermarFiages. :"
OF course the subject had special
reference to unions Of Jews and Gen.
tiles, and was listened to with marked
attention by the auditors Of both
denominations, for the hearers CONS
prised about an equal number of each.
Dr. Wise said that foremost among
the institutions at the basis Of civil.
lied society is the family the little
State within the State, consisting Of
the father, the mother and their Of.
spring. 1t is the sense of duty in
general which is cultivated in the ian
lily that is the postulate Of all law.
Therefore the law Of the covenant
begins the duties Of man 20 his fellow
man with Honor thy father and thy
mother" in order to instruct US thst
the family has the divine sanction. In
the family begins the practice Of duty
on the principle Of love and affection
shat thy days may be long upon the
land which God thy Lord giveth
thee 1t is no mistake to maintain
that the citizens Of any country are as
patriotic aud law abiding as the mem
bers OF its families are. afectionate
and dutiiul among themselves.
This institution being Of such para
mount importance, the law OF the Gov
enant naturally throws its mantle Of
protection around it, and it does 50 10
the words, Thou shalt not commit
adultery" This law presupposed the
existence Of legitimate omatrimony,
which is known to have been the case
among the pltriarchs, although the
form Of legalizing marriages has not
been handed down to US. The silence
of Moses on this point proves that the
form was universally known. Moses
only prohibits certain matrimonial
connections, but established no legal
form, and no religious observance in
sOlemniziDg marriages. Marriage is
law Of God, except as it relates to
form, contracts and formulas concomi.
can't TO it. W r
The laws Of Moses prohibit the in.
termarFiage Of near kin, and the in-
termarriage Of Israelites with certain
heather who we're among and about
the Hebrew people. He gives no
reason for the first: class Of interdic-
tons. Moses Maimonides thinks il
was to preserve the chastity OF the
members of the family who live in
close proximity. 10 modern times
physiological reasons have been as.
cribed to those laws. Surely Moses
never thought Of the latter, for be and
his brother Aaron, the FIRST priest in
Israel, aud his prophetical sister Nj
rism were the children OF Jochobed.
who was the aunt OF their father Am
ram; Jacob married his two cousins,
Rachel and Leah, and Abraham mar
ried his half sister, Sarah.
For the second class of laws, how.
ever, interdicting intermarriage with
certain heathens, Moses states the
reason: For they will turn away thy
sons from following me, that they may
serve other gods" The reason for
this prohibition is none Of race, color,
or any other corporal accident; ii is
purely spiritual. The law simply
commands to keep aloOf Of paganism,
and 70 educate and govern the chosen
people 10 the law Of God. HA
The Hebrew expounders Of the law
maintained, aud perhaps correctly so
that the reason which Moses gives for
the prohibition Of intermarrisge holds
good against all heathens, and espe.
eially where the Hebrews are dispersed
among them and are 10 the minority.
But the Hebrews did not always obey
it, In the time of Ezra and Nehe,
miah intermarriage5 with heather
Gentiles alarmed those two inspired
men to such an extent that they de.
handed Of spouses and fathers to aban
don their foreign wives; and yet the
son Of the high priest who had married
the daughter Of Tambelat, together
With many other priests and laymep.
did not abandon their foreign wives,
So that this attempt gave rise to the
Samaritan schisn. When in the last
decade oil the Hebrews second com
mQuWealthi the zsalots succeeded In
the usurpstion of the supreme power
in jerusalem, they established those
popularly known eighteen interdic-
tons to separate the Hebrews en-.
tirely from the Gentiles, and one Of
the interdictions was that Of intermar-
rage with Gentiles. Again, it appears,
the effect was only temporary.
Nor does il appear that the dis
persed Hebrews were generally guided
BY those laws. The very fact that
Abba Areka in Babylon found il riec-
essary to declare that the offspring Of
a heather or a slave and q Hebrew
woman is legitimately Jewish, goes
far 10 prove that such intermarriaqes
must have been Of frequent occur,
renee. Besides. number of such
facts are recorded in the Talmud. as
for instance, in the case Of Samuel
Ben Yartha; and also in later days, as.
for instance, the case Of the Prince OF
the Exile. Dostsnis, who narrated the
daughter Of the last King Of Persia
When the Catholic church became
supreme in Italy, Spain, France and
part Of Germany, her prelates in vari-
Gus councils legislated 10 behalf Of the
church, chiefly against the dissenters
and Jews, whom they sought TO de
prive Of their rights as men and citi-
zens. They succeeded we'll. Kings
and potentates enforced the revolutions
as the laws Of the land. ser
One Of these ecclesiastical resolu-
!lous Always was the prohibition Of
intermarriago between Jews and Zen
tiles, which must have been Of con.
mon occurroDce. and this was made 4
law all over Christendom and the
countries Of the Islam, was the law
until q recent day in, al those coun
tries, Is the law 10 day an over the
East up TO the boundries Of Austria
and Germany, and the Hungarian
Parliament only last week refused 10
repeal 1t. Hence it will appear that
the fact Of not intermarrying with
Gentiles was not established BY the
Hebrews; ii was established ard rig
orously enforced by the Roman Catb.
Ollie councils and kings FIRST and by
the Mohammedans next, and is upheld
% day among the majority Of Chris
tlans, The law Of the Rabbis which
makes intermarriages illegal was not
generally observed until the laws Of
the land forced il upon them.
10 this respect another question
arises. Moses prohibited intermar
rage with the Oanaanites, as he saws
to prevent such children Of Israel from
serving other gods" The Hebrew
now live among Christians or Moham.
medans almost exclusively. Are they
heatheDs in the estimation Of law.
Mosaic or Rabbinical? No less an
authority than Moses Maimonides
declared the Mnhammed ans sfe NOT Ia
be considered heathens. In regard 10
Christians, although they consider ono