OF THE Opinions, Traditions, Rites, and Ceremoni OF THE JEWS IN MODERN TIMES. BY JOHN ALLEN. Qui Religionem Talmudicam, seu PRÆSENTEM JUDAISMUM, eam e London: PRINTED FOR T. HAMILTON, 33, PATERNOSTER-ROW; AND THE Jewish history has judiciously been divide into two grand periods; the former period reachin from Abraham to Christ, the latter including a the time that has passed since: and the Jews livin in these two periods have respectively been di tinguished as ancient and modern.* Judaism requires the same distinction. Ancie Judaism may be defined as the system of doctrin and rites taught and prescribed in the Old Testa ment; which were retained, though amidst mu general corruption, till the time of Christ. Moder Judaism comprehends the Opinions, Tradition Rites, and Ceremonies, which began to be receive and practised before the destruction of the secon temple, were afterwards enlarged and embodied the Cabbalistic and Talmudic writings, and hav been professed and followed by the great body the Jewish people, without any material alteration * modernos Judæos à veteribus ita discernimus, ut veteru ' ætatem inde ab Abrahamo usque ad adventum Christi deducamu modernorum inde à Christi adventu Introduct, in Theol. Jud. c. ii. s. 3. Jo. Ben. Carpzov his attempt has succeeded; others must determin In procuring materials from every source with his reach, in separating the correct from the err neous, and in selecting and arranging the mo interesting and important particulars, he has spar neither time nor labour. For most of his stat ments he has referred to written authorities: the few accounts communicated from oral info mation, he has been careful to satisfy himself their authenticity: and of some of the circumstanc which he has described, he has, in more instanc than he has thought necessary to mention, been eye and ear witness. Most of the works cited in the notes, are referr to as authorities for the statements contained the text some of them furnish details which t limits of the present volume would not allow be included and others give accounts and repr sentations which the Author thought he had reas to reject, or maintain opinions from which he f The Author is not uninformed that within last few years infidelity has gained some conve among the Jews, especially in Prussia; and t some members of the synagogue evince as lit veneration for Moses as for Christ. But these inconsiderable exceptions to the great body of th nation. He is also aware that the Israelites co vened at Paris in the year 1806, commonly call the Parisian Sanhedrim, in their answers to questions proposed by the French Governme professed principles at variance, in a few poin with the statements of Jewish opinions given the following pages. But he regards the tra actions connected with that assembly as the m effects of state policy on the one hand and témporizing servility on the other, and theref unworthy of being taken into the account. The plan of this work not being polemical, Author has refrained as far as possible, from d cussions of theological doctrines, or questions issue between Jews and Christians: but he h not been able to avoid some disquisitions whi may be considered as controversial. These ho |