Lecture 30. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Lecture 30. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

11 pages on 5 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 4

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3k35mz63/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3k35mz63

Provenance

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

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx12FF4_10.xml

content

Post Biblical history
30

It was once said, that the history of the Jews waits for an historian. I venture the opinion that our people's misfortune is to have had only one historian, from whom all necessarily drew their knowledge. After the closing of the Scriptures, which Christians call the "old testament"--an event which that cannot have taken place later than in the days of Mattathias the Asmonean and his sons--we were left with but few scattered documents telling us what happened to our forefathers in Judea and various countries in which they had settled. The two books of the Maccabees and some other volumes of the Apocrypha, or non-canonical additions to our Scriptures, throw considerable light on the subject, but they are tinctured now and then with ideas foreign to the Jewish belief, and therefore their authority is accepted received with great caution. The "new testament," indirectly offers information which is of historical value to us, but how one sided, how prejudiced it is against those who could not conscientiously admit the divinity of a man born of our race, I need not explain.

The Talmud is a grand history in itself; priceless as a depository of our traditions, and therein are treasured up stored the truths and the errors, the learning wisdom and the ignorance superstitions of many ten centuries. There we meet incidentally accounts of events in which our people played an important part both at home and abroad, but those occasional records are too few and detached to serve as basis for our social and political his-tory. Greek writers could not be trusted, if they had spoken at length about us, for their ill-will is proverbially inveterate, and the Roman Tacitus, famous as he is, relates such absurdities that stamp him at once ,as either the the dupe of an inimical party, or a wilful perverter of facts. Just think of his stating that the Jews had the image of an ass in the Holy of Holies, and that their laws taught them to care nothing for parents, children and brothers.
We have then none other but Josephus to de-pend upon for a consecutive knowledge of whatever concerns the state of our ancestors, from the time subsequent to Nehemiah to the end of the national war with Rome.

He has been the main source from which all who, since his days, have written on our history were com--pelled to draw. I have called that a misfortune; but as Josephus deservedly enjoys a universal renown, I must define my meaning. To make it clear. I need briefly sketch the life & character of that celebrated writer. Joseph son of Matthias the priest, or Cohen born in the year 37 of the vulgar era, descend--ed on his mother's side from the illustrious Mac--cabees. Of that he makes special mention, and dwells on it with pardonable pride. His father is described as a priest of high standing, eminent for his piety not less than for other virtues. He gave Joseph a thorough education, under which the child's striking brilliant talents and extraordinary memory developped very fast. When only fourteen years old, he understood the Law and traditions so well, that his elders did not hesitate to consult him on difficult points. All of this, mark it down, Josephus himself tells us. At sixteen he felt a strong wish to know the differences between the three sects then existing in Judea, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes.

He studied them, but as the Essenes would not easily admit strangers in their somewhat secret order, he sub--mitted for a long time to severe privations, and associated with a certain Banus, who led a life of seclusion and did penance in a desert. At nine--teen he quitted that teacher, and went back to Jerusalem, convinced that the Pharisees were the most sensible in their doctrines, in their practices and man--ner of living. Now from what has been said hitherto, all can easily perceive that Josephus had a will of his own, which he would not scruple to gratify at all hazards; all must have also discovered that he was not modest, but vain by reason of his extraction and his natural abilities. These faults might be overlooked, owing to the incontestable fact that he was from good of excellent parentage and that he had become very learned.
Aside from his two extensive histories, one on "Jewish Antiquities"--which is said to have been originally written in Hebrew, and then translated into Greek--and the other on the "Wars of the Jews" which is reported to have been first written composed in Syro Chaldaic, and then rendered in Greek, aside also from his own auto-biography, one cannot read his defense of our ancient laws and people against from the aspersions of Apion the Alexandrian, without noticing admiring evidences of an erudition vast and varied, not simply

in the sacred literature, but also likewise in the literature of other various peoples, particularly of the Greeks. Yes, Josephus was a splendid scholar, still withal, Yet every one who reads will lament that the influence of that one man, deprived posterity of the opportunity of hearing seeing events described delineated by other pens beside that of as person boastful beyond measure, and bitterly prejudiced against all who stood in his way in letters or politics. For it must not be supposed that, as Josephus would make us believe, he alone possessed the qualifications to write histories. Others under--took that task, but Joseph Cohen--who in later years took the more euphonius appellation of "Flavius Josephus" to ingratiate himself with gratiously granted to him by Vespasian and Titus, whose family name was Flavian--, succeeded in having the writings of his rivals consigned to obli--vion. He cried down one Justus of Tiberias; he so abused the author and his work, that he crushed both under the displeasure of those in the imperial sun shine of whose favor he himself basked to the end of in imperial Rome his life
But Josephus inflicted a more lasting serious injury upon us;

an injury which has followed us everywhere.
I have already candidly confessed that the war party in Judea, or Zealots, the disciples of Judah the Galilean who had taught that to pay taxes to a foreign power rulers was a crime, did not show moderation, that many among them were blood thirsty cruel, dishonest, treacherous, but I shall never brand them all as assassins. There were thousands and tens of thousands of noble patriots, who gave their life blood to their unhappy land. The struggle was indeed unequal. Before coldly sober, calculating minds it was madness. Neither I will not Not so to those who preferred martyrdom to slavery. I will not however, assert that all who belonged to the peace party were designing traitors. Some of our Sages leaned in towards that side, and advised submission to an irresistible force, so as to save shield the Temple from ruin, and avert desolation and dispersion. But who that is a Jew; who that is a man will revile a people that braves death in the desperate effort to save honor and country? Who will deliver such to the contempt of future ages, because they inef--fectually, heroically yet--though daringly--stood their ground and inch by inch fought the advancing feo foe? Josephus did us that almost

irreparable wrong. He pictured in the darkest colours all his coreligionists and countrymen, who made despotic Rome pay the dearest for her conquest of for that small people nation and that small land in Western Asia. Josephus, doubtless to please his pa--trons, the conquerors, has furnished the world in sub--sequent ages with a weapon to strike us, as the children of those he represented as incorrigible to be have been rebels by nature, atrociously wicked. When we are stigmatised by christian writers, as stubborn and God-forsaken, our historian is quoted for the authority. Had a Judah Maccabee arisen then incorrigible, in that hour of our sore distress, and forced Roman legions back to the Tiber, Josephus and mankind at large would have sang the praises of heros who defied the insolent heathen, and stood shoulder to shoulder under the lead of their liberating Chief. But salvation kept far away, and Josephus who was believed true and therefore entrusted with military powers, surely did not contribute to bring salvation new. It will always remain a secret how and where he learned the art of weilding the sword as he handled the pen, but as not history remains to contradict his dispute the authority statements, of his records, we must give him the credit of for having added to his literary attainments, the genius of as a general

the skill of as a statesman, and a courage equal to all emergencies.
After Agrippa II, the last Jewish king of the Jews lost cast with his people by having manifested a cowardly disposition, to openly cringing before Rome, the war of independence began in dead earnestness. Near In the neighborhood of the city of Massada an arsenal supplied the arms. A man called Meah Menahem, grand son of Judah the Galilean attacked the Roman took the lead. A temporary success emboldened the zealots to proceed. The Romans were attacked again and again, and being unprepared for so tremendous a revolution, they sustained fearful losses. From all parts the population had arisen, and even many who, actuated by interested motives usually preferred to remain inactive, swelled up the ranks and files, and ranks, either voluntarily or by compulsion. It was at that time that Josephus appeared on the scene of military operations. Three years before, in the twenty sixth year of his age, he had gained some notoriety for having gone to Rome to intercede plead in behalf of a number of Jewish priests, transported and imprisoned

there by order of the pitiless tyrannic Felix, governor of Judea. Those priests were Josephus' personal friends, and he relates that the more inclined he felt to help them, because during their imprisonment they had lived only on fruits, so as not to defile them--selves with prohibited food. By means of a Jewish play actor, a favorite of the wife of Nero, Josephus succeeded in his mission. and The priests were released and he returned home with high great honors. Whether that circumstance won for him the good will and confidence of his countrymen, or whether he concealed his views sufficiently to inspire the hope that he would lead his soldiers to victory, it is impossible to ascertain, since we have no other version account of what took place than that which he chose to give. By him we are told that he was assign--ed the command of Galilee, that his labors always aimed to at the welfare of his people those under his guidance, that the administered justice, used moderation, and with mere raw recruits, he raised a well disciplined army ready to defend their friends. The sequel will show that the choice of that commander was unfortunate. Josephus looked the principal elements of a chief;

he was in wanting in enthusiasm, in a profound belief in the righteousness of the cause, for the sake of which to die is glory. Endowed with a broad understanding, he may have been able to plan a battle, but his heart was not wholly given to his country; it was divided between duty and the love of life, the ambition to shine as a literary star, and the fear of being forgotten among the victims of a disastrous war. Josephus was a stranger to that unselfish, pure, noble sublime lofty patriotism that sacrifices all to a principle. Josephus was great and was little. He was great in the extent of his learning, little in his vanity, and this egotism made him deaf to the dictates of Jewish brotherhood, and rendered him a time serving flatterer of despotic Rome, of that Rome which trod under its iron hell bleeding Judea, and carried the burning torch into the Holy of Holies, and dispersed Israel to the four courners of the earth.

Identifier

p3k35mz63

identifier

SMBx12FF4_10