The Indianapolis journal., 1891-01-12
THE PROGRESS OF JUDAISM
Rabbi Wise Talks Entertainingly on the
Rapid Strides Made by the Hebrews.
His Scholarly Address at Plymouth Church
Last Night on "The Historical Evidence
of Old Testament Inspiration"

city for q day or two, himself and wife
being guests of Mr.. and Mrs. Herman Bam-
berger. A Journal reporter called upon
him yesterday afternoon, and in course OF
conversation asked him what advance had
been made by modern or progressive Juda-
ism. The Doctor is well-preserved man
of seveDty-three years. with q bright and
kindly gleam behind bis spectacles.
$50 you want to interview mel" said he.
Cali right The boys in Cincinnati some
times do so Among the salient points that
mark the progress of Judaism is the one
that the public service has been changed
and modernized. We now have a choir,
the organ and other instrumental music
In former times there were no such things
The ritual has been greatly shortened. In
rewriting the ritual three points have been
Omitted-the prayers for the coming of the
Messiah, for the restoration of the sacrificial
polity and for the bodily resurrection.
when were these changes brought
about" asked the reporter.
Since 1845 In few congregations serv-
ices are held on Sunday. This Is the case
at DR.. Hirsch's temple In Chicago, and Dr.
Krauskopfs temple in Philadelphia: and
perhaps few others. But the overwhelm-
ing majority have the religious services on
tho Sabbath. Sunday lectures are q mat
ter of accommodation given for the reason
that many cannot attend services on Satnr-
The conversation next turned to the con-
dition of the Israelite In Europe. I'm Eng
land and France said the Doctor, there
is no distinction between those of my faith
and others in the matter of citizenship or
in his social relations with others. In Ger
many there is q class now called anti-Sem-
tics, but it is q small class and not COM
posed, to any extent of those VINO are edu-
Gated or in the higher walks of life. St9cker.
Ah< .hw~ ~l..~ DE - rNf
these, but his influence Is small. Austria
is exceedingly liberal, but there are some
anti-Semitics there"
What is the cause of this prejudice and
oppositi0Df
Il think the chief cause grows ont of
proselytlng mania. Some of these would
like TO make the 1sraelites Christians.
They would save these Jews in spite of
themselves. / think there is more of this
proselyting spirit among the Protestant
than among Catholic churches. Strange to
say, those who say anything against
Judaism find the strongest opposition IN the
infdel Jew. Another cause of anti
Semitism is envy. Take the reports from
you will find that half the professors are
jews Our people are going forward. not
only as teachers, but In literature, mnslcs
all the arts, the sciences. and, especially
In financial and commercial affairs. This
of course, begets friction. The German
Israelite claims stoutly to be a German, but
many Germans will say. No, you are aJew
you came from the Orient"
But there are few aRriculturists." suR+
gested the reporter.
"The number is increasing in that pur-'
suit. In Hungary and now in Germany
there are many Jews who are agriculturists
also in this country. In Russia they are
chiefly in the trading class, but thereare
great many agriculturists. But the Jew
is inclined to the city and for a very good
reason. The persecution of centuries pre-
vented him from being land holder. There
Jews on lands but the enterprise goes ON
slowly. Settlements have been made In
Palestine; among these are settlements Of
Russian Jews. II
II came to this country" resumed the
Doctor, after pause, in 1916 and think
l am thoroughly imbued with Americana
ism. i was one of the prime movers in
taking out the Messianic prayers. One OBJ
has has been % wonderfully successful lin in sS it's pup
pose. The Jew in this country is more of
an American than any sect that
comes from any country to this. He
at once identifies himself with our inst1tuI
tiOns. think the chief objection to the
Jew in this country is that he is a money!
maker. In regard to liberalizing the Jew-'
ish creed We have laid aside the authority
OF the TalmuG. In former days that was
But it is no longer so. The Bible
alone is the authority, and that
is received according to modern sci-
entlfic Interpretation and not traditionary
interpretation. Under the influence of the
Talmud the Jew was surrounded by q
number of laws and traditions about 1880
years old, and to follow its traditions
would make man appear like mummy
in this nineteenth century. 1t was a
Kaiserschnitt. a masterstroke to dispose of
the Talmud and has had its influence in
Americanizing the jew"
Lecture at Plymouth Church.
DE-. Wise spoke at Plymouth Church,
last evening, on "The Historical Evil
dence of Old Testament Inspiration !"
II mean to speak of the historical
evidence of what we find in the
history of man." said the Doctor, "con-
firming what the disciples claim. namely,
to be inspired writings. We define inspi-
ration as receiving knowledge of general
truth or productions of facts received
from an inspirational sources or, in other
and more psychological sense of the term,
that the mind of man is heightened and
elevated to such height that the lndi-
universal spirit and thus receives inspira-
tion and instruction. In this sense inspi-
ration seems not to be merely OF exclu-
sively supernatural 1t seems to be nat
ural
while we eat and drink and breathe we
are always in connection with the universe.
We take and we give. There are thousands
of channels by which we receive that vi
tality which keeps us alive. If that is true
In physical nature and we believe there is
spiritual nature that is cosmic that is
universal, We must consider that we stand
In the same connection with the universal
spirit as our body with the physical world.
If we stand in that connection with the
universal spirit, then thoughts, ideas, i'm
pressions, or whatever we may call
that which comes upon us unawares,
originally come from the universal
spirit to the eindividuals spirit. Consequent
ly inspiration. In this sense of the word,
must not be construed as supernatural. 1t
must be construed as natural We
speak of the inspiration of the Old Testa-
ment. There Is no such thing as testa-
ment which God made. Testam ent means
last will God made no testament nor is
it a last will-the last will of GOd-fOr God
is infinite.
There are q great many who do not be-
lieve in miracles. 1t is difficult to discuss
that question, for the evidence is difficult
to produce. Miracles are not beyond
possibility. But there are some mira
cles in history which re asoning man
can deny-particular words of God, partic-
ular interferences of divinity In the affairs
of man. One of these lies in the fact that
there are now fourteen hundred millions
of human beings on this globe. While all
the varlous species of ANIMALS have been
reduced In number. some have been ex-
tinguished and others are rapidly disap-
pearlng. while man, weakest of all organic
beings in his infancy, has swept over all
the earth This has happened in spite of