Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-24
.otelianism in modern philosophy. The

totelianism in modern philosophy. The
real fact for consideration is that Jew
ish authority like Maimonides freely abb
sorbed the views Of his age. and was
broad and open enough to attempt to
reconcile current thought with his tradi-
tionaI faith-AristotIe and Moses
is true, his work was regarded as heret-
ical by q few prominent rabbis. ana MS
adherents and opponents In later years
had sharp feuds Of their own But ne
ample to his people. even If. like other
thinkers of other chimes and creeds, ne
was a solitary peak above the plain. Yet
he was not entirely alone-there were
other minds that absorbed as keeniy.
Then came the ravages OF the Black
Death and shameless prosecutions. which
again robbed the philosopher OF his calm
idealism, and made the Jew once more
a helpless wanderer. 90
The Renaissance movement. with the
spread of Humanism. was welcomed by
the Jew as marking almost as Messianic
an era as the French revolution and the
century Of emancipation In It's train.
Here the point OF contact was peculiar.
and ideals. he met them half way ana
gladly opened his treasures Of learning to
advance their growth. That was none
the less a period Of cruel repression. and
the exiles from Spain found 1t hard 10
gain a safe foothold anywhere in Europe.
Yet the Jew could not have been more
responsive to the currents of his time,
when a Reuchlin copld become his pupil
in Hebrew, and the disciples of Elias
Levits could introduce he s5,e STUDIES nes
ayerse to be selected as umpire by war
ring factions In the University of Padua,
while other Jewish teachers at the uni
versities gave freely OF their wisdom as
their highest duty toward their age
In the Reformation.
The Jew was to be borne swiftly along
the stream of q movement which was
to be followed by the reformation. He
might have been excused had he held
aloof but his passion for knowledge must
have vent. He became poet-1mman-
uel of Rome was a friend Of Dante
philosopher, astronomer. mathematician.
in his enthusiasm. He gained fresh cour-
age in the new atmosphere, and accom-
panied Columbus on his voyage. Vasco
da Cana on his distant quest. He was
among the earliest to see the possibilities
also his literature. never designed to be
a sealed book, but whose study was his
highest duty. He could develop. to. into
an amba ssador from Turkey to the Vene-
tile states Of medieval Italy he could play
an active role, and his sphere was not
restricted to finance, but extended to the
handicrafts as well. He was quick to
utilize every 1nVentlOn ana 10 promote
every industry, whenever the political
laws allowed him freedom of choice and
somc certainty of tenure, and did not
limit his vision to old clothes and the
junk shop.
No religious scruple stood in the
way nor any traditional barrier to pre-
vent his imparting of knowledge to the
stranger without the gates, for he recalled
the treasured opinion of one of his early
fathers: "a non-Israelite who occupies
himself with the law of God stands in the
same rank al the high priest" No Won
der Reuchlin's heart could go out to his
teachers as he defended Hebrew litera-
ture from the malice of the obscurantists.
So close, then. was the connection be-
tween the era preparatory to the reforma-
ton and the teachers of the humanists,
without whose pioneer work. perhaps, Lu-
Their might have less signally triumphed.
These instances of Jewish participation
in the great movements Of history might
readily be extended, and 1t might easily
be shown how the activity spread to other
lines besides religious thought as can be
observed today in every civilized land. II
| the objection Is interposed that the Illus
trations are individual and cannot be re-
ga rded as characteristic Of the race, one
might as we'll deny to Isaiah to Micah, to
| the Psalmist, the claim OF being Jewish
| and representative of Jewish thought. To
| have produced such broad genius. such
| impr sssionable minds, there must have
| been always a central fire in the heart of
| the Jewish race which leaped upward ex-
ultantly when the moment Was propttious