Lecture 29. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Lecture 29. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

13 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/p3nv99w09/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3nv99w09

Provenance

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

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx12FF4_9.xml

content

Post Biblical history
29

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is the disgrace of peoples". So wrote a pen guided by inspiration, while Judah and Israel dwelt in safety, every one resting under his vine and his fig tree." Very Truthful is the maxim in very deed, and even as the first part of it the rest has had its literal fulfilment]sic!] in the history of our ancestors, so has its second part been too painfully illustrated in their annals. Shame, accom--panied by sorrows and sufferings came to stay in their midst, when virtue had been turned away. The Temple remained still open before the total Judah's dispersion, but the ministers at the altar were mostly corrupt; pliant tools they were in the hands of unprincipled men. High priests were made and unmade at pleasure, and not rarely the heavier by bag of gold won for its possessor the mitre which had adorned the brows of Aaron. The Tem--ple remained still opened before Israel's fatal fall, but the vital breath of religion had departed from it. A superstitious attachment to walls and floors and consecrated and vessels supplanted reveren--tial awe. The Temple remained still open,

but the rulers who were to bend the knee therein, like the humblest in Israel of their subjects, showed contempt for its worship. The book of the Law which they should have read to instruct and to exhort, had changed its living spirit into a dead letter.
I confess that in calling back to mind the events, which followed the sudden termination of the reign of Agrippa I, my heart misgave me. It is a tale of sin and of disgrace, which I would be compelled to narrate, and then, alas? so fearful are the disasters, so woful the distress and affliction, which our fathers endured, that at the thought of them, I resolved determined me to touch lightly on a period of post-bi--blical history, so replete with horrors.
The Governors sent by Rome to Judea after the demise of Agrippa, were greedy and inhuman and indifferent to the religious susceptibilities of those whom they governed. Under Camanus, one of his soldiers keeping sentinel round the Temple, indecently insulted our people, who flocked into it to celebrate the Passover. On another occa--sion, a Roman soldier laid hold of the a scroll of the

Law and spitefully tore it into fragments, uttering vulgar curses. Shortly after that, some pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem were cruelly set upon and killed. These unhappy untoward incidents caused encouraged outbreaks and bloodshed; for our ancestors finding no redress and seeing themselves exposed to murderous attacks, followed the lead of political chiefs who were bent upon slaughter slaughter and plunder. Then the Roman governors would make order a general slaughter massacre, and turn a deaf ear to the en--treaties of myriads who prayed that the innocent might be spared. The pitiless Cumanus was not at last recalled, and the emperor Claudius banished him from Rome, but his successor Felix made the Jews rue the moment they had asked for a change, for in refined barbarity and cove--tousness the new governor left his predecessor far behind. The more insufferable must the presence of that monster have been to our people, because to indulge in his profligacy he had lured the oldest daughter of Agrip--pa I into a desertion of her lawful husband.
With a blush I acknowledge it: None of the children of the last king of Judea shed credit upon the religion

in which they were born. His three daughters, Drussilla, Berenice and Marianne became a by word through their wanton behaviour; his son Agrippa II who might have proved a tower of strength, made no effort worthy of his maternal Maccabean descent the Maccabees to help his unhappy fellow believers. When of age, he was allowed by the emperor of Rome large territories in Palestine. to rule over For them he cared; to his reverences he mainly looked with eagerness. and Devoted to those who had placed him in power, he finally he estranged himself from the Hebrews, and left his countrymen to their sad fate. Had the people whom Moses and the prophets taught to trust in God, leaned then confidingly upon the arms everlasting Arms; had they taken put on righteousness for their shield as their armor, disgrace and ruin would have been averted, but many seized the dagger which [?] they remor- [?] lentingly they -selessly plunged into the hearts of their Jew--ish political opponents as well as the Romans, and many in their despair relied on false Messiahs, who arose in various sections of the country and led the credulous to destruction.
At one time, a certain Theudus persuaded multitudes to carry all they possessed to the banks of the Jordan.

Joshua like he would divide the water and open for Israel a way to conquest and freedom. The deceiver and the deceived were slain by a troop of Roman horsemen. At another time, an Egypptian Jew succeeded in gathering nearly, thirty thousand persons, to whom he gave the assu--rance that as he stood upon the mount of Olives, the walls of Jerusalem below would fall down [?] flat, down, and he and his partizans would enter the capital in triumph, while Roman and her legions would be crushed. Felix attacked the imposter self-deluded chieftain and his dupes, and killed un--sparringly relentingly. Josephus who justly deprecates the frequent rising of pseudo-Messiahs, as the forerunners of calami--ties, has nevertheless many a tale to relate about certain supernatural signs of the approaching overthrow of Judea, of the burning of the Temple and the wide spread capti--vity. Evidently our historian believed who prides himself on his clear understanding put implicit faith in evil omens and wild prognostics. He writes that a comet in the shape of a sword was seen in Palestine for a whole year, previous to the final war. Again: On a night of Passover all at once the sanctuary was lighted up by invisible hands. A brazen gate of the Temple, which it took twenty men to shut, suddenly flew

wide open, and it was with extreme difficulty that strong people could close it again. Shortly after Passover at towards sunset, chariots and a[?] cavalry appeared in the sky, and on Pentecost the priests heard a noise and a voice as of a great army exclaiming: "let us depart hence"? But in the opinion of Josephus nothing was more significant of the impending doom than the following circumstance, for which he seems to vouch. Du--ring seven years, an ordinary person, called Jesus son of Ananus walked the streets of the capital and cried thus: "a voice from the East, a voice from the West, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and against the Temple, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, a voice against the whole people." The man who gave forth those gloomy sounds, would be some--time be beaten and not wince; he would be arrested and not say a word. One day after the siege had begun, he passed by near where the engines were throw--ing out destructive missiles. He then cried aloud: "Woe to the people and to the holy house. Woe unto me" and a stone

struck him dead. As usual with Jose--hus, he ads his comments to his narrative, reflecting upon those who did not share his views and political proclivities. Admit: the anti-Roman party, named "zealots" and more disparagingly also sicarii and assassins did com--mit excesses unpardonable, revolting. To recall them is to make the blood run cold congeal in our veins, but it was not the comet nor other prodigies the reported noise in the Holy place that foreshadowed the def desperate resistance of those [?] sworn enemies of foreign masters. and It was not the lamentations of a person crazed by grief that predicted the soul-terrifying crisis. When Rome sent to govern Judea iniquitous men like Felix, Albinus and Florus, the most peacefully inclined must have predicted that a fore seen before hand the fire of popular indignation with would which was about to irrepressibly burst forth into [?] flames.
If Rome had wished to madden a people into a hatred which would stop short at nothing in order to reek wreak vengeance upon the heathen stranger, she could not have accomplished her end more effectually than by making Florus governor of the country, once independent un--der Simon and John Hyrcanus thought, to enrich himself, even if every Jew was reduced to beggary, and every home

in Judea became desolate. Shielded by the friendship existing between his wife and Poppea the wife of the infamous Nero, then Roman emperor, he defied the people into savageness, and laughed at to scorn their attempts to self-defence. But the conflict which could not long be put off, was hastened by the inveterate animosities of the Greeks of Cesarea. In this city there was a rich congregation of Hebrews. A Greek owned the ground round adjoining to the synagogue. To protect the sacred structurre, a large sum was offered him to dispose of it his lot, but he would not accept any the highest price. On the contrary, to annoy his neighbours, he built low shops on the vacant spot, lot, and made the entrance into the synagogue as narrow as it would possibly be. The Jews felt were incensed, and tried to stop the workmen. Then Not succeeding they sent Florus a present of eight talents, (about 8000 dollars) asking petitioning that he should would interfere and prevent their place of worship from being blocked up. Florus put the money to his never enough-filled purse the purse which was never filled enough, and dismissed the subject altogether from his mind. To The Greek to add insult to injury, on a Sabbath as our people was crowding the Synagogue,

a Greek openly mocked ridiculed the Jewish Jews and their worship. A fight ensued, in which the Jews our people--being few in number-- were worsted. A deputation that came before Florus with complaints were cast into prison. As soon as The news reached Judea Jerusalem, and anger and a longing for revenge seized the multitudes. Florus instead of calming allaying the just burning indignation, added fuel to the fire by asking that seventeen talents be paid to him from out of the public treasury, in behalf of Rome. The peace party, headed by many of the priests, submitted to the humiliating unrighteous exaction, but as some had gone about ironically with baskets asking lams for "a man in a miserable condi--tion," meaning Florus the latter demanded the surrender of those who had so mocked him, that he might crucify them. The request could and would not be complied with. At the refusal, Florus gave a signal, and his troops spread death terror everywhere, kiling pillaging and outraging men, wo--men and children. Berenice, daughter of the late king Agrippa--vicious as her character was--still melting with compassion for her coreligionists pren went before Florus barefooted, in token of humiliation, imploring him to let the carnage cease. She hardly escaped being

herself given over to the loos soldiery. Florus then to fill the measure of popular irritation, ordered that as a token mark of submission the inhabitants of Jerusalem should greet the entrance of two Roman cohorts who that were passing through to go to Caesa--rea. The prayers of the priests who supplicated the people to yield for the sake of averting complete ruin, succeeded. The Roman troops received a welcome, which they did not condescend to notice, but treated with silent contempt. Aggravated by such a despicable conduct, the population hurled curses load and heavy against Florus. It was precisely what he the governor wished,--a pretext to kill slay and plunder. The military [?] fell upon the crowd. In the pressure bodies were trampled on and mangled, and the Temple would have been attacked and pillaged emptied out of its precious valuables, if the war party--the uncompromising zealots-- had not quickly cut off every avenue, and forced the vile Florus and his Roman hirelings to beat a retreat.
Agrippa II who was returning from Egypt on learning of those disastrous events, tried the influence of his name to quiet the agitated

minds, by holding out the hope of a change for the better in a the possible appointment of a new governor. He delivered a long winded oration, descriptive of the colossal power of Rome, which had brought under mightier, more famous and more numerous peoples than the Jews. He dwelt at Cae with laid a great stress on the absurdity of attempting to cope with such a power, com--manding the wide world. He advised urged entire submission, the prompt payment of tributes, and urged the necessity of showing satisfaction at being allowed the possession of the Temple, and the free exercise of religious practices. That lengthy speech, which I always read with increasing dis--gust, because so servile to domineering Rome, was accompanied with tears, in which Berenice joined. The people believed in their sincerity of those tears, and promised to follow the counsel. But Agrippa presumed too much on the patience of an his out--raged countrymen. When he requested that they should pay obedience to Florus, as their present governor, good nature kindled into passion.

The men who had listened respectfully and agreed to conform to the advice, grew furious They threw stones at the speaker, and made him hastily flee from their presence. In an essay by a very eminent Christian scholar, Agrippa II is represented as a man deserving more than his father all the praise which the Talmudists have bestowed on his father Agrippa I. Perhaps, the writer's favorable opinion is based upon a passage in the New Testament in which, at the conclusion of a speech--in self-justification by Saul of Tarsus, called St. Paul who had been imprisoned by Felix, Agrip--pa is credited with having said "Almost thou persua--dest me to be a Christian," but whether the state--ment be correct or not, we that read the most the soul stirring events in of our post-biblical history with profound anguish, see in Agrippa II a bad Jew, a selfish flatterer, and a dastardly heartless traitor, while with the Talmudists we still proclaim call his father, Agrippa I [Hebrew] "Thou art our brother, thou art indeed our brother."

Identifier

p3nv99w09

identifier

SMBx12FF4_9