The National Register. — 1817-06-02 (London, England)

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.  services will be gratefully felt by all fitture historians; as their numbers in Poland arose from the same religious zeal which banished the reihrmation, the .lews were allowed un entire liberty of cons,ience, and which aliinded more to their learned men there than in any other place in Europe. Ilumburgh has been styled the lesser Jerusalem from their numbers and commerce.  Passing thence into I lungary, we are treated with a short recapitulation of the grand Jewish Council in (i5O, On the plain of Ageda, about leagues from Buda, for a complete investigation whether, after 16 centuries, "the Messiah was already come"—and the majority held that his delay arose from their sins and impenitence. They next proceeded to enquire into the pretensions of Jesus of Nazareth. They admitted or some Roman Catholic priests to explain the grounds o_ their fitith ; who, not content to prove him to be the Messiah, began to extol the worship, ceremonies, and authority of their church, in which they were interrupted by the agitation of the offended Council, who cast dust upon their heads, crying out, Blasphemy tke. They were persuaded not to consult any Protestant Divines, and then the meeting was dissolved. The first conscientious convert recorded throughout these annals of ages, is one Mordecai Ben Moses, of Germany, who, utter having written against the New Testament, restudied it, renounced his errors, and in 1701 was baptised. If in these times other Jews could be induced to search as he did, they would most probably attain the same result. Three similiar instances are subjoined, alter their study of the 58d, of Isaiah. In the afiltirs of the Jews at Rome, we find their fate fir better than in other countries; although some of the Popes have been very rigid masters over them, yet, in general, they seem to have met with more lenity from that church than front any other potentate.—ln 1.595, Avignon was added to the cities of refuge, and they have ever since been settled there with entire liberty to exercise their religion. David Bomberg, in 1511, is mentioned with great respect as the first printer of Hebrew bibles—and cardinal Huge's division of the Scriptures into chapters, in 1240 ; their division into verses by Mordecai Nathan, in 1445. Towards the close of the sixteenth century, there were 800 of this nation at Padua, who had three synagogues. They had a very handsome ghetto or quarter assipted them, with three gates, which were shut every night ; the inscription over one of them begins with these words— " That the people, heirs to the kingdom of Heaven, may have no communication with those who are disinherited." _ _  1 he terrors of the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal, had the effect of converting, in appearance, many Jews —but when at length they could nut endure the mask, they tied to England and other countries: some, however, remained to avail themselves of the dissimulation said to be known by the Talmud, and actually in this disguise, attained some of the departments of the Catholic priesthood, and many Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits, went continually to the synagogue at Amsterdam, to confess and esoiate their dissimulation, and many inquisitors and bishops were of the Hebrew origin. Mod. Univer. Hist. 13, 357. Gisborne's Christian Religion, 210—So lately as 22d July, 1800, the King of Spain ordered his ministers not to deliver any passports to Jews to enter his dominions.—The Spanish and Portuguese Jews pretend to derive their origin from the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were sent into Spain at the Babylonish Captivity, and they are so proud of this origin, that they have separate synagogues, and deny any communion with the German Jews. A Jew in Berlin married the daughter of a Portuguese Jew physieian.--her parents went into mounting, us for her death. Gregoire. The author very judiciously notices the chief of the learned men who have flourished in each country through which she tracts the Jewish history, and which fills up a chasm otherwise very wide in their annals. Among those who acquired great influence in Holland, we are treated with an interesting memoir of Menasses Ben Israel, who, among his many other writings, published " The Hope of Israel," in which it is only said that he attempted to prove that the American natives are the descendants of the Ten Tribes—probably Dr. Boudinot was led to his elaborate research on the same subject by this work. Joseph Athites, a Spaniard by birth, published, in i 661, an elegant Hebrew bible, in which, fin the first time, the verses were numbered, and fiar which lie received front the States a mold chain and medallion. We are next furnished with an ample abstract of the life of the vacillating Acosta, whose doubts and indecision led him to infidelity, and in 161.7 finished in suicide !—Spinoza is shortly mentioned, who was a Jew by birth, a Christian through policy, and an Atheist by principle—which he reduced to a system. Notwithstanding these writers, the Jews in Holland arc stated to be the moat enlightened part of the community. We bear willing testimony to the author's accuracy in describing the conduct of Oliver Cromwell to the .Jews, anti to his rejection of their vain flattery its offering him the title of Messiah, as also to the subsequent bill for the repeal of the act of Queen Anne, authorisinm their re-establis7iment in England; but from that period, there is too rapid a step to their present condi, 1 ' :  thin, to the death of Messrs. Goldsoti.l, t t:i literary merit of J. Van Oven, Esq.-on ail of *lb..: the reader wishes for more ample detail. From this point the author takes a succinct view of the Jews in all the states of Elirope, and last of all their history in America—and concludes her very able compilation by their general character, moral and literary—their present numbers—and some very appropriate and pious retleetion.—adopting die fiireible simile of St. Paul, limn. 11, 2.5. The natural branches of the Olive Tree, though now broken off by unbelief; will be grafted in again, and participate with the Gentiles in the blessings resulting from faith in the Messiah."—We take leave of our author with regret, we have cherished her work as Cowis2r eheriihee llomerand we sincerely hope, that an English edition of it, will place it in the first libraries of our country.