King Jo. feph's ac

tached to the law; but Sangari, who was a thalmudist, brought him over to his fide. From that time the original Jews grew in great esteem; and a tabernacle was erected exactly like that of Mofes in the wildernefs; to which both they and all the Chozrean converts repaired to the Jewish worship. The king became rich, happy, and fuccessful, triumphed over his enemies, discovered new treasures hidden in the earth, and enlarged his dominions with new and confiderable conquefts 2. Thus far the book, the credit of which we have given a full account of in the last note.

BUT as its authority had not weight enough to procure a general reception of its legend, a fresh one hath been trumped count of up by the Jews about 250 years after, which is no lefs liathat king- ble to fufpicion; viz. a letter procured with no fmall difficulty dom, &c. by rabbi Chafdai, a man in high esteem at the court of Abdal-Rahman in Spain, from Jofeph, king of Chozar, in which that prince, at his request, gives him an account of his religion, government, country, &c.; and which, if genuine, would prove, at least, that the Jewish religion was not only eftablished in that kingdom under one of his predecessors, whom he names Bula; and in the manner related in the book. Haccorzi; and with the addition of several other particulars, which the reader may fee under the next note (M); but likewife prove that it ftill continued to flourish in his dominions; though

a Vid. lib. Cozri, part ii. p. 75, & feq.

(M) Chaldai was, we are told (28), treasurer-general of Abd-al-Rahman, and in high favour with him; and having often heard of this Jewish kingdom, particularly from fome ambaffadors fent fram Conftantinople to his mafter, who acquainted him, that they had often feen merchants from thence who chiefly trafficked in furs, and from whom they had been informed, that the then reigning monarch was called Jofeph, refolved at any price to fend a letter to him; and difpatched accordingly an exprefs with the embafladors, who conducted him to Conftantinople, whence

he was forced to come back, being there informed, that the roads to Chozar were then impaffable. He tried afterwards feveral other means not worth mentioning; the last of which brought him at length an answer from that prince, with a full account of all that he had defired him to inform him of.

This anfwer, among other trifling particulars we chufe to pafs by, confirmed the account of king Bula's converfion by Sangari, in the manner above related; and added, that his fon Obadiah had built fundry fynagogues, and maintained a number of learned rabbies to ex

(28) A. Ben. Dior, Shalfheleth, Hakkabalah, fub A. M. 4921.

pound

though there be nothing in the description he gives of them, of their fiquation, limits, climate, cities, rivers, product, &c. that can direct a reader where to find them; fo that it were in vain to dwell longer on that legend.

1

WE fhall therefore now turn our eyes to the Jewish tribes dispersed in the east, during this eighth and the following Jews uncentury; where, if we except the common calamities that der the must attend the civil wars that then reigned between the Kha- Khalifs, lifs, Abbaffides, Omniades, &c. of which a fuller account hath A.C.705, been given in their history +; and in which Jews and Chrif- & feq. tians must be fuppofed to have fhared; in other refpects, we do not find that any of those monarchs disturbed their quietness. The Jews in particular enjoyed full liberty of confcience, during the khalifat of Abdelmelech, about the beginning of the eighth century, and those of his fucceffors, Al-walid and Soliman his brother. Their academies flourished, and their doctors enjoyed all their ancient privileges (N); only the Christians

*

+ See before, vol. i. and ii. p. 166. * Ibid. p. 175, & feq.

pound the facred books and the thalmud, &c. The account he gave of his dominions was, that they were about thirty days journey in compafs, and were fituate near the Gargan Sea; and that several neighbouring nations were tributary to him. They had feveral cities and towns, one of the three principal of which was about fifty parafangs, or leagues, in circuit, and was the refidence of his queen, and other wives, fervants, and eunuchs, in which both Chriftians and Turks had liberty of their religion. The third in rank for bignefs, was that of his own refidence; and in which he only spent the winter with his council; after which they all removed into the country, where the inhabitants bufied themselves with the care of their grounds, whilst he and his court took a progress round the country to keep all things under due regulation; infomuch that they had néither quarrels,

law-fuits, nor tax-gatherers.
He added, that it feldom rain-
ed there, but that they abound-
ed with large rivers full of fish,
with excellent vines and all
kinds of fruit-trees. He con-
cluded with fome account of
the Meffiah's coming, which he
faid was very uncertain, be-
caufe God had delayed it on
account of their fins; and with
a kind invitation to rabbi Chaf
dai to come and vifit his domi-
nions, and the promise of an
honourable welcome. This is
the fubftance of the letter and
answer that paffed between king
Jofeph and him. But whether
the rabbi was impofed upon in
the laft, or was the forger of
both, was hard to fay; but,
upon the whole, the account
out of the Chozri, and this let-
ter, are looked upon as a mere
fiction.

(N) We are even told, that
one of them asked this last his
daughter in marriage; and be-
ing anfwered, that the differ-

Q4

ence

770.

Christians were obliged to fortify Ramah in Paleftine, to fupprefs the inroads which the wild Arabs made into that province; and obftructed the concourse of pilgrims, of Jews, and other nations, into the holy land. They are supposed to have fuffered fome oppreffions under the reign of his brother and fucceffor Zeyd, though more from the rapacioufness of his minifters, than the cruelty of that monarch. But their greatest change for the better was under the reigns of the Abbafsides, upon the diffolution of that of the Omniades under Mervan.

AB or Abbas Safa, whom Elmakin calls Abulkabas t having gained the khaiifat, removed the royal refidence from Damafcus to Cufah, fituate on the Euphrates, about four days journey from Baghdad, or Babylon; and became thereby nearer neighbours to the Jews, and better acquainted with A.C.740, their academies. Almanzor, who fucceeded his brother, and 750, 760, was a learned prince, and fond of all that were fo, without enquiring what nation or religion they were of, had invited a great variety of them to his court; and, among the rest, a good number of Jews, who took that opportunity to put their academies in a more flourishing condition than ever. R. R. Jofeph and Samuel furnamed the Gaon, or Excellent, prefided at that of Pundebita, and were fucceeded by Doraus, another Gaon, Ananias, and Malcha; that of Sora was governed by two learned profeffors, both named Judah; the one the fon of Nachman, and the other of Otrinaus (O). R. Acha

+ De hoc vid. fup. vol. ii. p. 255, & feq.

ence of their religion did not
permit it; replied, that though
the different fects of Mohamme-
dans did curfe one another in
their mofks, fince Mohammed had
given his daughter to Ali, who
was the chief of a different fect,
it fhewed, that the diverfity of
opinions ought not to hinder
fuch inter-marriages, much lefs
countenance thofe curfes which
each publicly vented against the
other.

was

abominable trade of curfing (29); both however fhow, that the Jewish nation must have been in high credit at that time with the Khalifs, to be permit ted to act fuch a part before a court, and the chief of the Mohammedan doctors.

(O) Some pretend, that the former of these two publifhed a fet of learned lectures; others, with more probability, attribute them to R. Simon Keiara, another famed doctor, who then flourished in these eastern parts, though not a Gaon. This book, which was ftiled Helcoth, Gedoloth, or Great Lectures, was fo highly admired, that R. ¡(29) Aluifurag. p. 131.

This conference, which appears to have been concerted between that prince and the Fer, to put a top, as it actually did, at least during his and tome following reigns, to that

Judak,

was no lefs famed for his high learning, and his large treatife on the precepts of the law under the title of Shealtoth, or Questions: but having unfortunately quarrelled with Samuel, the then chief or prince of the captivity, he had the double mortification to fee himself excluded from the title of Gaon; and foon after, upon the death of that chief, to see his own fervant Nithronius raised to that dignity. Acha, unable to brook the affront, went and died in Judea, and left Nithronius to enjoy his principality; which he did during the space of thirteen years b (P). About this time the Jews of Per- A.C.760,. fia and Arabia had also the mortification to fee an edict pub- Jaaffar's lished against them by the Imam Jaaffar, furnamed Zadic, edict aor the Juft; by which thofe, who turned Molems, be-gainst the came fole heirs of their whole family: and this induced great Jews. numbers of Jewish and other children to apoftatize, in order

to get poffeffion of such estates, as they could otherwise have no title to c.

ALMANZOR was fucceeded by Al Mohdi †, in whofe A.C.770, reign appeared the infamous Hakem, or, as the Arabian hifto- Mohdi rian calls him, Almakaneus, an impious impoftor, whom fome Khalif. have supposed to have been a few, but without any foundation; for which reafon we should hardly have mentioned him, but that he had, in spite of his impious tenets, fome of them which feemed to be of Jewish extract, and found means

↳ GANTZ TZEMACH, p. 124, & feq. CABULFARAG. ubi fup. d'Herbelot. Bib. Orient. † See vol. ii. p. 305. d Ibid. P. 146.

Judah, the Soran profeffor, epitomized it; and gave it the title of Helcoth Peffuchoth, or Decided Lectures (30). However, Keiara had the furname of Great Light, as well as R. Mari, his cotemporary, that of Meor Henaim, the Light of the Eyes, on account of their having loft their fight.

(P) About this time flourished the famed R. Ananus, who was likewife excluded the title of Gaon, though a man of great learning, on account of fome material error they fufpected in his doctrine, and not without

good grounds; fince he became the reviver and chief of the Sadducean fect, which was thought to have been long fince buried under the ruins of Jerufalem. But it took, it feems, not only new life, but new vigour under that chief, and became formidable to that of the Pharifees (31).

Those critics, who have ftiled Ananus the founder of the Caraitic fect, are certainly miftaken, fince, as we have seen in both parts of the Jewish history, they were of much older. date.

(30) De his vid Bartoloc, Bibliot, rabbin. & Wolf, Bibliot. Hebr. (31) Ed. ibid. Gantz Tzemach David, p. 125, & feq.

to

to draw a great number of disciples after him, by fome feeming prodigies with which he amufed them. But Mohdi fent fome forces against him, which fo closely befieged him in one of his fortreffes, that he first poifoned all his disciples, and then flung himself into the fire, according to the last mentioned author; or, according to others, into a veffel of Aqua fortis, Aaron which confumed all but his hair. Al Mohdi was fucceeded by Khalif, his brother Aaron, furnamed the Juft, and a great lover of A.C. 786. learned men; and fo confiderable a prince, that Charlemagne sent him an embaffy, confifting of the two counts, Sigifmond and Laufred, and Ifaac, a few, who was to be the chief manager of that commiffion. Authors vary about the purport and fuccefs of it; which being foreign to our prefent purpofe, we shall refer to the hiftory of thofe two monarchs; and only observe, that Ifaac was made choice of by that emperor, on account of the credit which the Jews were in at the Khalif's court. However, as he loved to encourage learned men, without any partial regard to their religion, and feldom travelled without having an hundred of them in his retinue, the Jews endeavoured to ingratiate themselves with him chiefly by that means, that is, by filling their academies with the most celebrated profeffors.

Amin HE was fucceeded by his fon Amin Al Mufa Al Hadi, or, Khalif, as Elmakin calls him, Abumufa, about the beginning of the 9th A.C. 808. century †; but this proved fo weak a prince, and fo addicted to his pleasures, that his brother Mamun foon found an opportunity to dethrone him; and being a great encourager of learning, caused all the best Jewish books to be tranflated into Arabic. This ftep was not at all relished by his fubjects, who were ready to revolt upon it; but that never hindered him from diftinguishing learned men of all nations; among whom was a celebrated Jewish aftronomer, who had been in high repute A.C.831. ever-fince the khalifat of Almanzor; but was now esteemed at this court as a phenix of learning; and as fuch, highly beloved by Mamun; during whofe reign the Jewish academies of Sora and Pundebita swarmed with men of letters (Q).

It

e De hac vid. DU HAILLAU, hift. de France, lib. iv. AVENTIN. Annal. Bojor. 1, iv. f, SANGALENS, de geft. Carol. Magn. lib. ii. EIGINARD, vit. Car. Magn. p. 7, & al. + See vol. ii.

P. 390.

(Q) Rabbi Gantz hath given us a long catalogue of the Gaons, and other learned Jews, that

then flourished at those two academies (32); but, as it confists chiefly of their names, it were

(32) Gantz Tzemach David, p. 123, & feq•

af