Lecture 10. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Lecture 10. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

10 pages on 4 sheets

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?

Language(s)

English

Source

Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

Sabato Morais Collection, Box 12, Folder 3

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3k931r4q/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3k931r4q

Provenance

Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx12FF3_10.xml

content

Lecture on Post-biblical history
No. 10.

Brethren.
In my last lecture on post-Biblical history, I made you mentally witness the changes which took place after the division of the empire left by Alexander, as those changes affected our people. I did not say then that persons who believe in prophecy read in the book of Daniel the rise of the great Macedonian King, and the bloody wars among his lieutenants consequent upon his untimely death. I am well aware that a prevailing disposition exists to discredit whatever savors of the supernatural. Accordingly, with the usual assurance of modern critics, the visions of the righteous exile in Chaldea are put down as declared pious frauds perpe--trated in later times to encourage Jews to fight a foreign power enemy. I scarcely need tell that I do not belong to the school which denies inspiration; the capacity power to flig fling aside the veil which that hides the future, or which allows it, at best, the ability to conceive lofty ideals which that may or may not have a final realization. But though I reject as false the notion that scriptural predictions are writings posterior to the events, when they

claim to foreshow, I refrained from quoting Daniel, because my present object is not to explain prophecies, but to acquaint my brethren with some of the leading occurrences in the annals of their people. I may nevertheless, with all propriety, refer those who share my views, to the eleventh chapter of the book of Daniel. There they will see the inspired heaven-drawn delineation of what I have set forth in my former preceding lecture and of what I shall further narrate.
Ptolemy Soter, in during whose reign Jews had pe settled extensively in Egypt the country of the ancient Pharaohs, left as his successor Ptolemy Philadelphus. The latter ruler showed always mani--fested a friendly spirit towards those whom his father had entrusted with responsible positions. And Indeed if a legend which has enjoyed general crd cre--dence may be relied upon, it is from his time that the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible dates. At his instance, it was undertaken, completed and given a post of honor in the famous Alexandrias library. Be that so or not, Philadelphus found in our progenitors faithful and valuable subjects in Egypt, and wiling tributaries in Palestine.

He needed both, for he sustained a tremendous war with Antiochus Theos, who had possessed himself of Syria. After many a hard-fought battle, in which Hebrews doubtless participated, peace was concluded by a wretched compromise. Antiochus divorced his wife, to marry the daughter of Philadelphus. But, as it mostly happens, the vile expediency compromise resorted to proved of no advantage benefit to either party. For no sooner had the last named King died, than Antiochus chased away the woman he had taken for expedience-sake, and reins--stated the one he had dismissed. He fancied by that to have made amends for past injuries. Too late, for the rehabilitated wife fearing her husband's want of character firmness, poisoned him and set the crown on his oldest son. upon the throne Then with dire revengefulness, fiendish vindictiveness, she caused her rival, her infant child al and all the Egyptians in her retinue to be strangled.
Ptolemy Evergetes who mounted the throne after the decease of Philadelphus, was not long in avenging the cruel death of his sister. He rushed upon

Syria with a formidable army, killed the murderous queen, and, had not a sedition in Egypt compelled him to suspend his campaign, he would have become complete master of all the Syrian provinces. He carried away, however, an immense booty, among which there was two thousand and five hundred statues, com--prising idols, that belongeding originally to Egypt, but were stolen away by Cambyses when he conquered that country.
Passing through Palestine, the victor stopped halted at Jerusalem, and presented rich munificent gifts to the Temple. The high priest was then a man ill-calculated to command respect and to dignify his station. Onias II, being of a grasping disposition, thought that since Evergetes had appeared favorable to the Jews, he might take advantage of the circumstance to enrich himself. Accordingly: For many years he subtracted out of from the stipulated tribute, a annual sum of about twenty thousand Dollars. annually. At last the king of Egypt noticed a falling off in the amount due, and having learnt the cause, sent a message to Jerusalem that unless the deficit was made good, he would proceed to harsh measures. And as an evidence of his earnest--ness, he dispatched on of his trusty officers to enforce the rule.

All felt the seriousness of the position situation, except Onias. He had no wish to disgorge the ill-gotten treasures. His greediness would have exposed the country to a fearful danger, but for the promptness and sagacity of one of his sister's sons, called Joseph. This succeeded in well wonderfully in gaining the good-will of the king's officers. Having sumptuously entertained him for some a time, Joseph promised that he would himself come personally before Evergetes, and assure the Sovereign of the honest intentions of his countrymen. Having He then collected the necessary sums, he departed for Egypt, presented his credentials as the ambassador of the Jewish nation, and met with a most gratifying reception. Not only did he appease anger and ward off hostilities, but he was chosen, in preference to many competitors, as royal collector of tributes throughout a number of Eastern provinces, besides Palestine.
Our ancestors under the domination of the Ptolemies, might have always longer enjoyed a degree of independence, and the perfect entire religious freedom, of their if all the progeny of Lagus the founder of the dynasty had acted with uniform sentiments demeanour tolerance and kindly consideration. We have seen that Soter had atoned, by exceptional kindness, for the hard treatment displayed he had practised at the outset. His son Philadelphus

is said to represented described as having reverenced our books and honored our sages, and Evergetes allowed the Jews to follow un--molested their own laws, and develop their own resources. But a change greatly to our injury was the ascension of Ptolemy Philopater to the throne. Whether the name he bore was given him as a satire, I am unable to tell. Certain it is that Philopater, or "a lover of his father" was a title unmerited by a son whom historians charge with having seized the crown, by putting the parent who wore it to a sleep that knows no waking. That unnatural son who joined to his heinous crime the sin of drunkenness and debauchery, and drunkenness, shook off for once his usual unmanly indolence on hearing that Palestine, which had all along recognized his sovereign--ty was the covetted by a Antigonus, a rival king of Syria. To prevent the invasion, he mastered a courage of which he was not deemed capable, and repelled the aggressor. Our people, obedient to their oath, remained loyal to the unworthy scion of the Ptolemean stock. Philopater remembered noted that,

and when at Jerusalem, he visited the Temple evinced his admiration of its stateliness and grandeur and offered oblations and donations. But Philopater was irrepressibly as he was irrepressibly haughty as he was irremediably vicious. He would not suffer the keenest of men's religious feelings to interpose obstacles to his will. He insisted upon entering demanded to go into that the Holy of Holies be opened for his inspection. In vain was he told that even the high-priest was not allowed, but on the day of atonement, to tread that sacred ground. Entreaties availed nothing. He ordered his attendants to to open for him a way among the priests who prayfully tried to prevent an hinder a sacrilegious entrance. He had not set his foot on the threshhold, when he fell to the earth down prostrate as if str struck by a lightning. Very possibly, the cries of the people, and the laments which resounded through the awe-inspiring edifice, filled the parricide with an inde--finable terror, and he was carried away as like a corpse.
Philopater did not continue long make any stay in the city which had witnessed his humiliation, but neither did he forget what had happened there. He nurtured his resentment, and when once again in the capital of his kingdom, he vented the fulness of his anger on the Jews of Alexandria. It will be remembered that these were very numerous and esteemed highly for their varied industries and learning.

To cut them off and degrade them, the wicked ruler issued a decree that none who did not sacrifice to his gods deities should be permitted to enter the royal palace. The edict meant more than it would now appear to us. It implied the disfranchising of Hebrews, their disqualification to hold public offices; so that whereas they had been heretofore ranked in among the first class of subjects, like the Macedonians, now they were compelled to register their names as members of the lowest grade of society. To add injury to insult, it was ordered that those so enrolled, should have bear an ivy-leaf stamped on their flesh with a hot iron, as a sign of their having been consecrated to Bacchus, the god which the dissolute king so greatly fondly loved. A refusal to submit would be punished with slavery and or death. The only means of safety was to voluntarily repudiate the Mosaic code, and become Grecianized altogether. The Jews so sorely pressed, gave largely of their wealth to bribe the corrupt officials of the corrupt monarch, and evade the infamous law, The poorest had inevitably to suffered degradation and the humiliating brand on their bodies.

But to the honor of our ancestors the narrative records, that only three hundred out of three millions were found to accept embrace apostacy as the condition for in order to escapeing persecution. And those three hundred dared not come nigh their former coreligionists, for a contact with the renegades was shunned by the Jewish population like pestilence.
In my next lecture I will tell shall speak of the evils which the righteous threatened against our forefathers by indignation of our forefathers against their reason of their righteous indignation towards recreant bre- Jews -thren, threatened, and and I will tell also how by a divine interposition they escaped an appalling misfortune.

Identifier

p3k931r4q

identifier

SMBx12FF3_10