The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-31

| pieces mad Dccn placed.
"
According to Or. Edcrsheim, the position as
signed by the Hebrews TO tho female sex has
been often misunderstood. From tho liberation
| Of polygnmy. from Its supposed general prac-
tcc and from Isolated utterancos by certain
Rabbins, II has been hastily assumed to have
been low. The author OF this book insists that
to arrive al correct views upon the subject, We
ought to compare tho position OF the Hebrew
woman not only with tho elevated place which
Christianity has awarded to hor but also, and
especially, with that which she thon occupied.
and still holds, among other Eastern peoples
| Tho readers OF the New Testament cannot but
recognize that tho relations between the sexes
there indicated proceed upon the assumption
that monosam was the rule and polygamy
the exception The permission Of polygamy,
and the comparative facility Of obtaining divorce
may seem to initiate az ainst the alleged acknowl
cdgment tho sanctity OF the marriage tic. Against
| these drawbacks. DIR. Edcrsheim would set tho
indubitablc facts that generally In the first con-
| fury OF our era, jewish men were united in wcd.
! loci, but 10 one wife, and the Jewish female &c
| cupiod a position not only comparatively but
absolutely. high The law protected the rights
OF women and discouraged tho practice Of poly
gamy This Is proved by tho sections Of the
Mishna bearing upon the subject. Legally
| speaking marriage was concluded by the handing
| 10 the bride OF the bctrothal money. by written
contract or by cohabitation; II was dissolved by
| divorce. or, OF course, by tho death OF either
| party. While tho law afforded. no doubt. con-
| siderable opportunities for obtaining divorce.
! IL also safeg tho rights Of women and gen
| orally gave n preference TO their testimony In
cases OF dispute. On tho legitimate grounds OF
divorce. the two. theological schools differed ma
| .G.n.
commission Of iniquitous act by the wife,
probably adultery: the Hillelies went to an OPP
posito oxtrcmc and playing upon tho original
Of a text in Deuteronomy (Hxiv., y, inferred
| that divorce Was warranted even when the
vile had spoiled her husbands dinner. Rabbi
Akaba cndeavOred to prove that a man might
lawfully dismiss his wife II he found another
moro attractive. Passing over such exceptional
| extravagnuocs, II was held lawful to dismiss
n wife without paying her tho legally secured
portion II she transgressed the law OF Moses and
Of the Jews. which was applied not only to sin.
but TO acts Of improperly such as going about
with loose hair singing in the street. talking
Familiarity with men, il-treating her husbands
parents in his presence and brawling. OF speak
ing with her husband so loudly that her neigh.
bors could hear her voice in the adjoining houses"
a generally bad reputation in the place, or the
discovery OF damaging circumstances which had
been concealed before marriage, On the other
hand, the vito could insist on being divorced from
her husband II he was a lcper. |! he was affected
with polypus or II his trade obliged him TO per
form dirty and disagroeablo manipulntions as
IN the case Of tanners an copper shelters To
discourage plurality Of wives II was enioined
that In respect OF hor claims, the firsl married
wife should take precedence Of the second. the
second II the third. &c The ordinances with
"a 49,. 49,. 10.
very rigorous
Ordinarily. every male child was circimcsed
on the eighth day. even though Il fell on the Sab
hath. the duties relative 10 circumcision super
Scding even the sanciity u the day II rest On
certain defined occasions IL was delayed two
or three days II the child was weakly. or II
two three of its brothers had Gcd in conscq cncr
81 the operation this Was deferred until the rrso!a
toa Of health, or until q more mature age prom
iscd immunity from danger. Il was performed
In manner somewhat different from that
tOmary among oth,r Eastern nations. After
the excl! had hem made in the prescribed
way. plaster, consisting in par, Of bruised anse
srcd oil and wine, WAS applied to the wound.
and the Child hathcd vs. the ceremony
WAS deemed VI the utmost importance strict at
trnuOn 10 the rulcs was necdiul IL the ordinance
was tn bc valid. The only difference in the mode
~ performing the rite which obtains a, present
lies In The substitution ~ better instruments for
thpsc formerly uscd. At circumcision, the child
obtained Its name. Every parent had person.
ally to instruct his sons up 10 the sixth year 81
their age, After that. they might be- sent TO the
public elementary schools The study Of the
blllc was begun when the child was five years
I'D, II no progress was made during a tr-
rnEial OF qunqucTnial period, little hope was
entertained 81 future cmincncc Rich Jews
probably employed private tutors, who were often
slaves The institution ot elementary schools
was aseribed 10 the high priest, Joshua ben Gam
Ia, who fell by the hands II the Zelots during
tho Siege of Jerusalem by Titus lie is said
e. have established a school in every town of
Judea and Galilcc, A Jewish legend states
that, at the date Of its destruction Jerusalem
possessed uu fewer than $50 schools each con
sls;inE Of three classes The schuulmastcr was
generally regular officer II the synagoGuc
paid from the treasury Of the particular syna-
Eoguc 20 which he was attached lie was al.
lowed IN certain cases TO take les from lis pals
but not, on that account, e. Show undue favor
To the children Oi the rich, Beating II necessary,
with strap. but never with rod, To he tho
principal means OF correction The alphabet
was taught by drawing the letters on a h ard
until thr children remembered them, In teaching
The Book Of Lcviticus. and, after reading the
pcn,atcuch. e take up the Prophets and then
pupils Tho day was divided into TIRE a Portions aora
one Of which was set apar! TO the study Of tho
hiec whlc n" other was devoted To IN" Mishnn
ten years OF age. the Talmud a, fifteen. Al thir
teen. young jew rcacacd his majority. Al
eighteen, II was deemed his duty TO enter into
woil"ck, The study Of foreign languages was
not regular branch Of education; indeed after
the so called war II quctus in the reign of Hndrinn
H. was declared unlawful. GymnaStc exercises
also, so habitunlly ptactiscd bv the Greeks aud
Romans were then algn prohibited as leading
70 dangerous contact and assimilation with the
heather. We should here note that the higher
schools or colleges gained their peculiar impnr-
tance when, after A. ID. 20 the Jewish Sanhedrin
was shorn 81 its executive power, and its dis
cusSionS turned purely religious matters
BESIDES the colleges Il Palestine and Of babylon
there were similar institutions in some foreign
cities az, for example, in Rome.
VI.
Or, Edershcim would trace the religious cast
Of Jewish social life In tho general milancSs O.,
the laws and In nm urhnnity equally distant from
the vcrhosity Of modern Oricntals and the cool
stiffness Of Englahmen With the various modea
OF salutntion between supcriors and interiors,
or between equals every reader Of the nible Is
familiar, The common form Of snlutation wns