The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-07

literature and philosophy In the University
Of Chicago. He directs attention to the
T! fact that crucihxon was not included
among the modes Of capital punishment
known 10 the Jewish penal law. A Jewish
court could not have passed a sentence Of
death by crlcinxion without violating the
Jewish code The Roman penal code
on the other hand, had recognized this
penalty from remote times. Originally,
only slaves were crucifed by the Roman.
but later provincial freedmen ri Obscure
station were added to the class liable W thn
sentence. The following crimes entailed
this penalty: piracy, highway robbery.
assassination, forgery. false Testimony.
mutiny. high treason and rebellion.
There 10 no doubt that claim TO be king
OF the Jews" would constitute rebellion in
! the estimation Of Roman Governor. and
rebels we're crucihed. The inscription on
the cross OF Jesus reveals the crime for
which, according to Roman law. Jesus va.
put 10 death He was a rebel. Tacitus,
therefore, In the Annals, reports without
comment the fact that Jesus was crucihed.
For Romans, no application was nee
essary Examining the details of tho
| crucifxion OF Jesus given In the New Testa-
ment, Or. Hirsch shows that they agree
upon the whole with the procedure in vogue
under Roman law. Two notifications,
however. are noteworthy; first, In order to
make him insensible TO pain. drink was
given to him. This was in accordance
with humane Jewish provision. Secondly,
Jesus's legs we're broken to shorten his
agony, and his body was removed and
buried. The latter act was in keeping
with Jewish Law and custom. These de-
! tails exhaust the incidents in the cruci61ion
OF Jesus that might point to q participation
therein and . regulation thereof by Jews.
Otherwise the manner OF his death un-
doubtedly points to Roman laws and
usaxes. 1t 10. moreover, a matter OF record
| that penal jurisdiction had been taken
away from the Sanhedrim in capital cases
forty years before the fall Of the Temple.
4
In the article on Damascus" the curious
fact IL pointed out that this city now con-
tains about the same number of Jews that
| 1t had In the time OF st. Paul. In the middle
OF the frst century Of our era some ten
| thousand Jews lived In Damascus and were
governed by an Ethnarch; the present
Jewish community Is computed at about
eleven thousand. There are nine syna-
goeues, several OF which date from the
sixteenth century, while one, situated in
the suburban village of Jobar, is far more
ancient. When BENZ amin Of Tudela visited
Damascus in ITO, 1t was in the hands Of
the Seljukian Turks: he found there soon
Rabbinite Jews and 200 Karaites. Jewish
| studies hourished there at the time much
moro than In Palestine; indeed, there is
some reason TO believe that during the
| twelfth century the seat OF the Palestinian
Academy was transferred to Damascus.
During the nineteenth century the Jews
OF Damascus were several times made the
victims OF calumny. What is commonly
known a. the .Dsmascus affair was an
accusation Of ritual murder brought In
1910 AGAINST the Jews OF the city in connec-
| ton with the death Of Father Thomas,
| the 'superior OF q Franciscan convent.
| In 1880 tho Jews OF Damascus were &C
caised OF taking part In the massacre OF
! the Christian MAronites by the Druses and
tho Nohammedans. On this charge 200
Jews wore condemned to death, and were
saved only by the intervention Of Sir Moses
Montehore and other European Israslites.
| 1t was In part the DAMASCUS Affair." which
suggested to some French Jews the idea Of
founding the Alliance Israelite Universei}e.
The article on the Book Of Daniel IL by
DR.. Eduard KONG, professor OF Old Tesla
uent Exegesis In the University OF Bonn.
| As re CARDS the date OF the book. DR.. K0nig
| holds that II was written during the per-
sscutions OF the Jews by tho Syrian King,
Antioohus Epphanies. This assertions
based upon tho following grounds. The
Kingdom which u symboliDed BY the he
soat Is expressly named a. the Kingdom
| OF Yawan--that is the Grecian Kingdom.
the great horn being Its first King. Alex
| snder the Great, and the little horn An.
tiochuw Epiphanies This kingdom was
| TO persecute the host OF the saints unto
two thousand and three hundred evenings
and morning. that lie half days. or one
thousand one hundred and fifty days; and
| Epiphanies did in fact profans the sane
tuarv in Jerusalem for about that length
of time.
That the stories in the Book OF Daniel
could not nave been written by q contem-
porsry OF Northumberland and his imme-
diate SUCCESSORS in the form which they
poesess Is evident from the fact that they
contain many details not to be harmonized
with the data derived from other his
torical sources The first verse. for instance.
contradicts other passages of the Old Tests-
ment In saying that King Nebuchadnezzar
! came to Jerusalem in the third year OF the
reign Of Jehoiadm, and beAeged it, But
jeremiah announced the coming Of the
Chaldeans only In the fourth year OF Je-
hoiakim, year that Is expressly designated
by jeremiah as the first year OF King Ne
buchadnezzar. DR.. KONG has no doubt
that in the time OF Epphanies stories existed
among the Jews Of person by the name OF
Daniel. to whom tradition ascribed the
traits which Israel attributed to its heroes.
His name may have played in literature
much the same role as that OF Solomon or
that Of Enoch; and. as one author ascribed
his book, 'Koheleth" to Solomon. 80 AM
other author may have made Daniel re-
sponsible for his. Az to the origin OF tho
prophecies attributed to Daniel, they NAV
have been suggested by the authors en-
thusiasttc study OF the history OF the Is
ralite people. 1t is curious fact about
the Book OF Daniel that, while from the
fourth verse OF the second chapter to the
twenty -ei ghth verse Of the seventh chapter
it Is written in Aramaic. the preceding and