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Article THE TALMUD. ← Page 3 of 4 Article THE TALMUD. Page 3 of 4 →
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The Talmud.
sacrifice . Long before the Temple fell , it had been virtually superseded by hundreds of synagogues , schools , and colleges , where laymen read and expounded the Law and the Prophets . The priest , as such , or the Levite , played but a very
insignificant part in the synagogue or school . The function of pronouncing the " Benediction" on certain occasions and a kind of vaQ-ue "
Precedence was all that the synagogue had preserved of the whilom high estate of these Aaronides . Yet , on the other hand , instances are not wanting of these men , having lost their former privileges , applying themselves all the more vigorously to
study and the great national work of Education . Nor was there any real personal antagonism between the " pharisaical" or " popular" party , and the descendants of the " sacred " tribe and family . On the contrary , one of the most cherished
legends—and here as usual the legend faithfully interprets the people's real feeling- —tells ns how , when the enemy entered the Holy of Holies , the Priests and Levites , led by the High Priest himself , bearing aloft the golden key of the sanctuary ,
were seen precipitating themselves , with all the tokens and emblems of their sacred trust , into the blazing ruins of the Temple—rather than deliver them up to the conquerors .
Regarding that education which the Pharisees advocated so strenuously and indefatigably , the speaker related how they had succeeded , after many unsuccessful attempts , to make it compulsory all over the land , save Galilee . Peculiar
geographical circumstances ( Samaria , Phoenicia , & c . ) had reduced that beautiful country to the Boaotia of Palestine . The faulty pronunciation of its inhabitants was the standing joke of the witty denizens of the metropolis . This state of
things , however , was altered after the fall of Jerusalem , when Galilee in her turn became the seat of some of the most exalted Academies .
The regulations and provisions for public instruction were extremely strict and minute . The number of children allotted to one teacher , the school buildings and their sites , the road even that led to them , everything was considered ; no
less the age of the pupils and the duties of the parents with regard to prelimiuary preparation and continuous domestic supervision of their tasks . The subjects , the method , the gradual weaning even of the pupil into a teacher or help-mate of his fellow-pupils—all these things are carefully
The Talmud.
exposed in the Talmud . Above all is the great principle lYon multa sed multum , the motto of all schooling in the Talmud . Good fundamental grounding , elementary maternal teaching , and constant repetition are some of the chief principles laid down . The teachers in most
cases taught gratuitously : considering theirs a holy and godly office , for which the reward would surely not fail them . The relation between master and . disciple was generally that of father aud child , or friend and friend . Next
to Law , Ethics , History , and Grammar—Languages were one of the principal subjects of study . We hear of Coptic , Aramaic , Persian , Median , Latin , but above all Greek . The terms in which this last
language is spoken of verges indeed on the transcendental . This also is the only language which it seems to have been incumbent to teach even to girls . Medicine was another necessary subject of instruction : the hygienic laws and the
anatomicalknowledge ( bound up with religion ) transmitted to us in the book show indeed no small proficiency for its time . Mathematics and astronomy formed another part of instruction , and were indeed considered indispensable . We hear of men to whom
the ways of the stars in the skies were as familiar as the streets of their native city ; and others who could compute the number of drops in the ocean , who foretold the appearance of comets , & c . Next came Natural History , chiefly Botany and Zoology .
The highest point , however , Was reached in Jurisprudence , which formed the most extensive and thoroughly national study .
The chief aim and end of all learning—the Talmud is never tired of repeating—is doing . All knowledge is but a step to " modesty and the fear of heaven ; " and innumerable are the parables whereby this lesson is inculcated . After briefly
adverting to Prayers and Sermons and the whole worship of Temple and Synagogue at the time of Christ , the speaker turned to the " political" portions of the " Law " under consideration , and pointed out how almost the modern theory of
constitutionalism was contained in it . He briefly touched upon the relationship between Royalty , State , and subjects , and the provisions for taxes , for war , the legislative and judicial powers , & c . Both this , the legal , and the other , the ethical
part of the book—so closely intertwined that they can hardly be separated—may be said to grow out chiefly of one fundamental axiom of the Talmud , vis . the utter and absolute equality of all men
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Talmud.
sacrifice . Long before the Temple fell , it had been virtually superseded by hundreds of synagogues , schools , and colleges , where laymen read and expounded the Law and the Prophets . The priest , as such , or the Levite , played but a very
insignificant part in the synagogue or school . The function of pronouncing the " Benediction" on certain occasions and a kind of vaQ-ue "
Precedence was all that the synagogue had preserved of the whilom high estate of these Aaronides . Yet , on the other hand , instances are not wanting of these men , having lost their former privileges , applying themselves all the more vigorously to
study and the great national work of Education . Nor was there any real personal antagonism between the " pharisaical" or " popular" party , and the descendants of the " sacred " tribe and family . On the contrary , one of the most cherished
legends—and here as usual the legend faithfully interprets the people's real feeling- —tells ns how , when the enemy entered the Holy of Holies , the Priests and Levites , led by the High Priest himself , bearing aloft the golden key of the sanctuary ,
were seen precipitating themselves , with all the tokens and emblems of their sacred trust , into the blazing ruins of the Temple—rather than deliver them up to the conquerors .
Regarding that education which the Pharisees advocated so strenuously and indefatigably , the speaker related how they had succeeded , after many unsuccessful attempts , to make it compulsory all over the land , save Galilee . Peculiar
geographical circumstances ( Samaria , Phoenicia , & c . ) had reduced that beautiful country to the Boaotia of Palestine . The faulty pronunciation of its inhabitants was the standing joke of the witty denizens of the metropolis . This state of
things , however , was altered after the fall of Jerusalem , when Galilee in her turn became the seat of some of the most exalted Academies .
The regulations and provisions for public instruction were extremely strict and minute . The number of children allotted to one teacher , the school buildings and their sites , the road even that led to them , everything was considered ; no
less the age of the pupils and the duties of the parents with regard to prelimiuary preparation and continuous domestic supervision of their tasks . The subjects , the method , the gradual weaning even of the pupil into a teacher or help-mate of his fellow-pupils—all these things are carefully
The Talmud.
exposed in the Talmud . Above all is the great principle lYon multa sed multum , the motto of all schooling in the Talmud . Good fundamental grounding , elementary maternal teaching , and constant repetition are some of the chief principles laid down . The teachers in most
cases taught gratuitously : considering theirs a holy and godly office , for which the reward would surely not fail them . The relation between master and . disciple was generally that of father aud child , or friend and friend . Next
to Law , Ethics , History , and Grammar—Languages were one of the principal subjects of study . We hear of Coptic , Aramaic , Persian , Median , Latin , but above all Greek . The terms in which this last
language is spoken of verges indeed on the transcendental . This also is the only language which it seems to have been incumbent to teach even to girls . Medicine was another necessary subject of instruction : the hygienic laws and the
anatomicalknowledge ( bound up with religion ) transmitted to us in the book show indeed no small proficiency for its time . Mathematics and astronomy formed another part of instruction , and were indeed considered indispensable . We hear of men to whom
the ways of the stars in the skies were as familiar as the streets of their native city ; and others who could compute the number of drops in the ocean , who foretold the appearance of comets , & c . Next came Natural History , chiefly Botany and Zoology .
The highest point , however , Was reached in Jurisprudence , which formed the most extensive and thoroughly national study .
The chief aim and end of all learning—the Talmud is never tired of repeating—is doing . All knowledge is but a step to " modesty and the fear of heaven ; " and innumerable are the parables whereby this lesson is inculcated . After briefly
adverting to Prayers and Sermons and the whole worship of Temple and Synagogue at the time of Christ , the speaker turned to the " political" portions of the " Law " under consideration , and pointed out how almost the modern theory of
constitutionalism was contained in it . He briefly touched upon the relationship between Royalty , State , and subjects , and the provisions for taxes , for war , the legislative and judicial powers , & c . Both this , the legal , and the other , the ethical
part of the book—so closely intertwined that they can hardly be separated—may be said to grow out chiefly of one fundamental axiom of the Talmud , vis . the utter and absolute equality of all men