The Denver Jewish news., 1923-09-06
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literature, particularly of the Middle
Ages, is rarely accessible to the general
reader. Many important works are
still buried in manuscript. Others are
accessible only in nntiquated and rnre
editions. Others. again. are current in
faulty and disfigured texts. We need.
in mOderniZed. intelligible. and at
tractive form. Mr.. Kahana has set him
self the task Of supplying this need. He
has begun the publication of a series
of books which will contain the best
and the most typical works of our liter
Azure of the past, classified according
to subjects. The texts will be the most
critical available. They will be pro
vided with brief explanatory notes,
where necessary, with useful bibliogra-
phies. and with general, as well as sec
tiOnal, intrOductiOns.
The series has opened with the vol
ume on Hasidic literature (Sefer Ha-
hasidut), which was reviewed by the
present writer In The Jewish Qua ardian.
22nd September 1922. That admirable
compilation has now been followed by
work devoted to historical literature
in three volumes. of which two have al
ready made their appearance. This
work, like its predecessor on Hasidism.
is edited by Mr., Kahana himself.
| A F,,t, n o,.a coI
collection of KarnIte Writings. by Mr.
Kahana Hebrew Philology, by DIR. Il.
Halper, OF Philadelphia Medieval
Poetry, by DIR. I. Davidson. Of New
York. and Geonic Literature, by DIR. j.
Mann. of Cincinnati.
We may venture here few observa-
tions on the two latest volumes Of this
valuable series.
The title "HistOrical Literature Is.
strictly speaking. misnOmer. The vol
umes contain but little of history. as
we understand the term today. They
really form collection of historical
documents rather than historical lit
erature. This is not the fault Of the
editor. In the seventeenth centuries
that elapsed between Josephus, the last
Of our ancient historians, anu !. m.
JOst. the first Of our modern historians.
very few Jews wrote history. We
! have chronicles. annals records Of his
torical or literary events. but little OF
historical writing. The reason is not
far to seek. In those centuries OF per-
secutiOn and Galuth. the Jews did not
write their history, because they were
no longer making 1t themselves. Their
history was made for them by others.
and that does not encourage history
writing. Moreover, their history was
of too and sad and poignant nature
to attract men of genius and of leisure.
The sad tale of the regular cycle of i'm
migration, oppression, persecution. and
expulsion was SO monotonOus, so very
painful. and so very much the same In
every age and in every country, that 1t
was felt unnecessary and Improbable
to record it, Better to dwell on the
comforting story of the glorious past,
or to let ones fancy roam freely in the
realm of miracle and wonder which
awaited Isrnel in the still more glorious
future. Thus it came about that the
Jews, though SO richly endowed with
the historical sense and such consum-
mate masters OF the historical style.
yet failed. it would seem of a set pur-
pose, to cultivate their later history.
When, however, they did turn their
mind to writing history, they could pro-
duce even in the Middle Ages historical
| works of great value and of literary ex-
cellence. witness Josippon in the tenth.
and Joseph Hacohen in the sixteenth
century. Such writer's, however, were
rare The majority of works repre-
| sented in Mr.. Kahana's collection con-
sist of short documents that are but
rarely distinguished for their literary
qualities. 1t is, however. for their great
historical and spiritual values that we
of this generation ought to study and
cherish these old-world documents.
They bring us in communion with our
past, and help us to realize something
of the picty. the faith, the heroism
which animated our great forefathers
in those dark ages Of suffering and mar
tyrdom.