Jewish pa triarchs churches, and there cruelly butchered. The untimely zeal and prefumption of the Alexandrian patriarch, which is fo visible in all thefe tranfactions, hath been juftly blamed by all impartial perfons; even Socrates himself obferves %, that the death of the amiable Hypatia reflected no fmall dishonour on him and his clergy. And it is plain, that the Alexandrians were highly offended at his proceedings, fince they all along fided with the prefect against him. Though it must be owned, that he betrayed fuch a fpirit of oppofition against him, and fuch a partiality for the Jews, as was as inconfiftent with the character of a Christian prefect, as his was with that of a Christian bishop. THE Jewish nation received a more univerfal blow in this century, in the total fuppreffion of their patriarchs. We fuppreffed. have formerly fhewn, that they lived upon certain levies, A.C. 429 which they made on thofe of their nation, and which used Weftern to be collected by their officers, or, as they affected to call them, apoftles. These became at length to grow fo exorbitant, that the people, weary of them, applied to the civil power, from which however they received no other redress than the mortification of feeing that tribute converted to the emperor's use, and their patriarch deprived of it. Theodofius and Valentinian were the two monarchs who appropriated that income to their own treasury, by which means the patriarchal dignity was more effectually fuppreffed, than any edict could have done it; and, for want of a proper income to fupport it, was forced to dwindle away. Photius pretends, that the primates which fucceeded the patriarchs, were charged with it, and anfwerable for it, and obliged to fee it conveyed into the emperor's coffers (G). LET us now pass over to those of the west, where we shall Jews, un- find them enjoying indeed the full exercife of their religion, der Hono under Honorius, who had enacted a law, much to his honour, importing, that the glory of a prince confifts in allowing all his fubjects the full and peaceable enjoyment of all their privi us, A.C.412. & SOCRATES, ub. fup. lib. vii. c. 13, & feq. (G) Some will have it indeed, that Theodofius did exprefly abolish it; and others think, that the people, weary of paying it, and maintaining fo high an office at fo vaft an expence, let it drop of their own acccord. The laft how ever is not quite fo credible, feeing that high dignity, expenfive as it was, did not a little contribute to the ease and credit of the Jewish nation, as it kept up, as it were, a center of unity among them through the whole Raman empire. leges, leges, even when their religion is not fuch as he can approve Pursuant to which, he exprefsly forbad the pulling down, or appropriation of their fynagogues, or even to oblige them to violate their Sabbath, on account of the public fervice, for which, he faid, the other fix days are fufficient. On the other hand, to prevent their abufing their liberty, he forbad them to build new fynagogues, and making profelytes, and stripped them of fome pofts and offices which they had enjoyed before (H); particularly that of furnishing the army with provifions. He caused also a fevere edict to be published against an upstart fect in Afric, called Calicola, or worshippers of Heaven; at the end of which is a claufe forbidding the Jews to make profelytes; upon which account the Calicola have been thought by many to have been a Jewish fect, tho' without Calicolæ any foundation, as the reader may fee by what we have fub- not Jews. joined in the margin (I). h Cod THEODOS. tom xvi. lib. xx. (H) These chiefly related to the militia and agency. Thefe agents had a threefold employment; viz. ft. Levying of impofts in the provinces; 2dly, the providing and tranfporting of corn and other provifions for the ufe of the army; and 3dly, the ferving as couriers and fpies in all the provinces of the empire, and to fend a faithful account of all that paffed. And on this laft account they had the care of the public carriages (50). (1) The famed lawyer Godfredius had long ago diftinguished between that part of the edict which related to the Calicola, and that which related to the Jerus, notwithstanding they have been abfurdly confounded, and the former fuppofed to have taken that fpecious name, to conceal that of Jews, which was more odi- (50) De bis vid. Salmaf in Spartian. p. 21, & feq. (1) Juvenal fatyr xiv.. verf. 97, Petron in Catalect. Arc. Hift. vol. ii. p. 434. vol. x. p. 478. & feq (2) Vid. int. al. Petit var, left. lib. i. c. 12. Cuneus Rep. Hebr. f. i. c. 6. Bufmas Helmftad. Hift. Calitol, Bufnag. lib. viii. cb. 7. §. 4, & feq. Minorcan IN this century happened likewife the much celebrated, tho' Jews con- no lefs queftioned, miraculous converfion of the Minorcan verted, Jews. That ifland had then two confiderable towns, the A.C.428. one the epifcopal refidence, and interdicted to the Jews, under the who were commonly punished with fome fudden and miraculous death, if they ventured to fet foot into it. The other, called Porto Mahone, was chiefly inhabited by Jews, who there enjoyed very confiderable titles and posts, tho' fubject to Honorius; infomuch that Theodofius, the chief of their fynagogue, and a doctor of the law, was the chief man in the whole ifland. Severus being become bishop of it, was eafily perfuaded by Orofius, (lately returned from Jerufalem, loaded with miraculous relics, which he was carrying into Spain) to undertake the converfion of the Jews. They began with pri vate conferences, and proceeded to public ones; the last of which was held in their fynagogue, where finding that fome Jewish women had armed themselves with ftones to pelt them, they provided for their own defence. The confequence was, that the fynagogue was pulled down, and nothing faved out of it but the books and plate: but the bishop plied them with fuch numbers of miracles, that their greateft men began to relent, and in about eight days time, the greatest part of them were converted, and the fynagogue turned into a church. Many, however, who remained obdurate, went and hid themfelves in caverns, till hunger forced them out; and others leaving all they had behind them, went and fought an asylum in foreign countries; all which fhews that there was fome violence used against them by the bishop and his clergy; and Baronius feems to own as much, and adds, that his example would have been followed in many other places, had not the crowned heads put a stop to it. UPON the irruption of the Vandals into the empire, one Vandals. would have thought that the Jews would have met with the worst of treatment from that fierce nation; but yet we do not read that they fared worse than the rest, or were deprived of any of their privileges under them. They only shared in the common misfortunes, which are the ufual concomitants of fuch great revolutions; but, in other refpects, were still allowed the free exercise both of religion and commerce, only they were obliged to pay a tribute for it, and were moreover denied the enjoyment of titular dignities, and high posts, either civil or militaryi; which is no more than what they were under the Roman emperors. Theodoric in particular protected Vid. Altercat. Ecclef. & Synagog. ap. AUGUST. in Appen. ad tom. viii. them them against the zealots among the Chriftians, and would not fuffer any violent means to be used for converting them; and fharply reproved the fenate, for having fuffered one of their fynagogues to be burnt at Rome; and the clergy of Milan, for going to feize upon another. The fame he did at Genoa, where the citizens were going to deprive them of their privileges, which they had a long time enjoyed among them. They had recourfe to that prince, who permitted them to rebuild their fynagogues, and restored them to the free use of their religion and rights, upon condition they should not build them larger than they had been, and avoided adorning of them. Thus ended the 5th century with them in the Roman empire * A.C.500. LET us now take a view of thofe in Perfia, during that interval, where we find their academies in a flourishing con- Perfia unJews in dition, under their famed chief R. Afce, the compiler of the Babylonifb thalmud, lately mentioned. Sora was the place of his birth, and the most celebrated academy of all the eaft, of which he was chosen chief in the 14th year of his age, and continued in that dignity fixty years, that is, till the year 427, in which he died (K). It was during that time that he pub* De hoc vid. TESOR del Regn. D'Ital. fub TEODORIC. (K) The Jews tell us, that it was on account of his extraor dinary merit and learning that he was raised fo early to that dignity; and add, that in him met the law, devotion, humility, and magnificence; four things which no man but he was ever mafter of. him, and he explained their difficulties and doubts, by the decifions of thofe doctors which had preceded him. Whilft these exercises were performing, twelve perfons fat over against him, feven of which were ftyled the princes of the crowns, whose chief business was to recapituHis method of teaching was late and explain what he had entirely new and peculiar: for faid to them, and to give proinftead of keeping his difciples, per encomiums, rewards, &c. which amounted to two thou- to thofe that had deferved them. fand four hundred, continually The prefident was obliged to with him, he only taught them collect all the matters that had two months in the year; viz. been debated and decided; and in February and August; during it was from this collection that which he gave them proper fub- the Babylonife thalmud was comjects to ftudy and exercife them- piled: and when the month felves in during the other five was near expired, he dictated to months, after which they were them the fubje&ts which they fent to their own homes. At were to ftudy during the next their return they were examined five months (3). by, and held difputations before (3) Sepber fucbafin, p. 124. vid. & Gantz Tzemach David, fub A. M. 4113. c. 353. R. Abr. Benddior in lib. Cabbal. p. 68. Baṛteloc, ub, fup. tom.i. p. 486. Wolf Bib. Hebr. fub W, in thalmudo. lished der R.Afe. lished a collection of his decifions, which he divided into four parts, the first of which contained the rules and maxims of the Mishnah, with the doubts and folutions relating to them. The fecond was chiefly about various queftions of their doctors, with the fentiments of the Thanaim and Gemarrists. The third contained the decifions and maxims published fince Judah the faint; and the laft contained the texts of scripture relating to law-fuits, together with the comments of their learned upon them. This was the first divifion of the Babylonish thalmud; but as Afce did not live to compleat it, his difciples, who put the finishing hand to it afterwards, altered his method, and made feveral additions, which have rendered the work rather more obfcurek. R. Tho He was fucceeded, according to fome, by R. Marimor, or biomi. Amimor; but foon after, according to others, by his own fon A.C.455. Huna, whofe feet hastened to the chair, and he by his fon Thobiomi, an. 455, who reigned, according to the pompous Jewish ftyle, thirteen years, and in whofe reign the Jewish nation enjoyed fuch profound tranquility, that they gave the title of The doctor of daily profperity. We have had occafion to take notice of the small extent of their power and income, notwithstanding their ufing the words reign, throne, A violent perfecu. tion. him c. as if they had been in full poffeffion of the regal authority. And fo obfcure were they, during this 5th century, that tho' we find a fucceffion of the presidents of Sora and Pundebita, or at least their names, and here and there a remarkable action of fome of them, yet we have hardly any thing faid of those chiefs or princes, except of R. Afce above-mentioned; tho' one would have imagined their dignity to have received fome additional fplendor by the fuppreffion of the patriar chate in the west. ASCE had left, befides his fon Huna above-mentioned, two famed difciples, viz. Amimor and Mor, who were to have put the finishing hand to the Babylonish thalmud; but they were diverted from it by a violent perfecution, which was raised against the Jewish nation, which, they tell us, lafted 73 years; during which the fynagogues were fhut up, the obfervation of the Sabbath fuppreffed, and their schools and chapels given to the Magi. Huna, the then chief, and his two difciples abovenamed, were imprifoned, and foon after fuffered death, with furprising conftancy: but the Jewish youth, more addicted to A.C.474. the pleafures of life, were foon determined to forfake their Vid. GANTZ TZEMACH DAVID, fub. A. M. 4113. SEPHER JUCHASIN, p. 124. A. BENDDIOR Cabbala, p. 68. BARTOLOC. tom. i. p. 486. WOLF Bibl. Hebr. p. 224. religion, |