The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-01
NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD

y @"Leon''-Voume Another Evidence Of
the Need of such Work and Of the
Fact that the Need Has Been Met In
This Work.
New doors-not peepholes or windows,
but doors-are being opened from one
department of knowledge to another for
scholars and students with increasing
frequency. Such doors must become more
and more numerous as the tendency to
specialize is carried farther and farther
The more one sees of The Jewish En-
cycIopedIa, the seventh volume of which
has just been issued, the more he realizes
that such door, or a series Of such
doors, Is this splendid work. The seven
of the twelve volumes of which the work
| is to consist are already sufficient proof
of the statement of the publishers that
| 'by Dec. 81, 1905, when the last of the
! volumes will have been issued from the
press, the world will possess for the first
time the life story of Israel among the
nations, and, perhaps, one of the most in
| teresting contributions to the history of
| Civilizations
The range Of topics of the present vol
ume-nearly 1900 in number-extends
from Italy to Leon and includes sew
| eral2 dozen mastery essays on the fun
damental topics of Jewish literature, his
| tory and religion. Five maps of Jeru-
salem, forming the frontispiece are trans
parent and are intended to facilitate the
study of the history of the city by en-
abling the reader to see the locations OF
! the chief buildings at four different
periods of its history. By placing any one
of these maps over another, so that the
surrounding lines fall exactly one upon
! the other, a comparison can be made be-
| tween the distinctive features of any two
or more periods. The map forming the
background shows the typographical char
acteristics.
Biblical Subjects.
:. To present the material found in the
i volumes already issued the editors ant
collaborators have dug deep into rab
1 binical literature to enrich science, ant
especially to enrich English literature, by
making accessible to non Hebraic schol
4 ars a new branch of knowledge-the Bi
BILE in its native surroundings, the exc
4 gesis of the rabbis to every biblical book
the post-biblical legends of every hero o
the Old Testament, the elucidation o
thousands of biblical passages which hav,
hitherto puzzled the Christian critic AM
reader not acquainted with the mex
haustible treasures Of the Talmudim, ant
:; with the numberless Midrashin AM
exegetical commentaries on the Bib
written by Jewish scholars during tn
last 1,1O0 years. The present volum
abounds in subjects of this kind Their
are dissertations on eight of the books o
the Hebrew Bible, jeremiah "Job,
Joel" JONAH" Joshua, - Judges
'Kings" and Lamentations
Il A Post-TaImudcal Poet.
1 ,o&4o
ume to the literature Of the Jews par
ticularly to the post Talmudical' litera
ture, for example to Judah ha-Levi, con
s1dered not only as the sweetest singer il
Israel in post biblical times, but also a
the most popular philosopher produced b
/ the Jewish Diaspora-a Jude-Arabi
Emerson of the twelfth century.
It is not difficult to see why this poe
of centuries ago should still be dear t
; the Jewish heart. He sings love song.
5 songs Of patriotism and hymns with equs
! beauty, If the TRANSACTIONS in ."rhe: Jew
3 ish Encyclopedia" may be accepted a
D fair samples, and we can have no dout
! on that point Tn Egypt where til
: muse, of his youth found glorious India
! summer in the circle of his friends, h
: wrote his swan-song:'
Wondrous is this land to see
With perfume its meadows laden,
s But more fair than all to me
Is yon slender, gentle maiden.
eAh Times swift fight I fafn would stay
\ Forgetting that my locks are gray
Here is portion Of one Of the mos
beautiful of his Sabbath hymns, stanza
sweet with the spirit of Sabbath res
and quiet:
On Friday doth my cup o'erfow
What blissful rest the night shall know
When in thine arms. my toll and wo
II Are all forgot, Sabbath, my love.
81 IT'S dusk, with sudden light, distilled
~ From one sweet face, the world is filled;
The tumult of my heart is stilled-
& For thou art come, Sabbath, my love-
e Other Special Features.
;, Every impression that Jewish life h;
= left upon civilization belonging proper
!. III this volume seems to have been prope
), ly recorded. Nearly forty pages are give
: to the treatment of Jerusalem They ii
. clude many Illustrations and charts, b.
side the frontispiece already mentione
The life Of Jesus is given twelve page
This covers the main events of his Iif
the relation Of which to Christianity
covered under the head of Christianity
!, an earlier volume kishinef, including
n account of the rnassa cres, is given spa
- commensurate with its great important
= 6 an educational Influence uorly inoe II, n,