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The Jews of Curdistan, and throughout Persia, are frequently solicited by the Mussulmans to write talismans or kemmeea, as the Jews call them. The Jews then scratch something upon paper, and tell the Mussulmans that it is Hebrew; it being in fact no language whatever. The Jewesses of Curdistan are chaste; but those of Persia, especially those of Sheeras, Ispahan and Cashan, are very dissolute characters. The Jews in Persia and Curdistan, who have turned to the Mohammedan religion, say, that Mohammed is mentioned in Genesis xvii. 20. "I will multiply him exceedingly." This they prove by adding the numerical value of the Hebrew letters in the following manner. 'Exceedingly,' is in

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The Mohammedans in Sheeras, Ispahan and Teheran, will tell the opponent, that the name of Mohammed in the Bible is, Bimadmad ( ;) and even Jews, not turned to Mohammedanism, will from fear confirm it in their conversation with Mohammedans. I shall speak more hereafter of the Jews in Persia. I have in my former journal spoken of the Jews of Mesopotamia, at and around Merdeen and Bagdad.

Aug. 8.-I rode on to the tents of the Russian Embassy. Mons. Bisack, the Russian Chargé d'Affaires, was so kind as to give me a letter of recommendation to the Russian Authorities, in the event of my meeting them.

Mons. Chodzko, a Pole, and attached to the Russian Embassy, was much interested in the study of Prophecy: he was concerned to know what shall become of his country. I told him, that God had sent forth a spirit of revolution into the world, to punish the Kings and the people, in order to teach both to look up to Him; and those awful times of rebellion, radicalism and irreligion, shall last, until Kings and People shall look up to the Lord Jesus Christ. Mons. Chodzko informed me, that Mr. Oleszkiewicz, a painter in Petersburg, was deeply engaged in the study of Prophecy. Mons. Chodzko was much interested in the religious conversation he had with Mr. Pfander, the only Protestant who has in later times travelled in Persia and Mesopotamia, as a true missionary; he is not a mere compiler of observations, from books already printed. After breakfast I set out for Sydabad. Mons. Gwostoff accompanied me a few miles. Sydabad is 28 miles from Tabreez. I rode on the same day to Dekmetash, 28 miles from Sydabad.

Aug. 9.-I arrived at Turkomanja, which place I could not enter on account of the plague. I continued my journey to Myanah; here also the plague was raging.

Aug. 10.-I arrived at Guldapah, 24 miles from Myanah; as the plague was here also, I continued my journey to Sanjaan.

Aug. 11.-I arrived at Sultaneah, 28 miles from Sanjaan. This place was entirely deserted, on account of the plague. I went 28 miles further, and arrived at Syadehan.

Aug. 13.-I came to Safar Khoja, a distance of 48 miles.
Aug. 14.-Arrived at Solemanea, 32 miles further.

ARRIVAL AT TEHERAN, THE CAPITAL OF PERSIA.

Aug. 15.-I arrived at Teheran, 24 miles from Solemanea, and having a letter from Sir John, (at that time Mr.) Campbell to the housekeeper of the palace of the British Ambassador, a room was given me in the palace. Mullah Bahraam, a Parsee, the agent of Mr. Campbell, came immediately to visit me, and gave notice of my arrival to Khosroe Khan, one of the King's chief Eunuchs and Ministers, and to Mirza Mohammed Ali Khan, the Vizier to the Prince Governor of Teheran, who has the title of Sille Sultan, i. e. Shadow of the King. Khosroe Khan instantly came to me with his friends Mirza Mohammed Monshee Bashe, and another Persian. I entered into conversation about our Lord Jesus Christ.

Khosroe Khan. What ought one to do, after one has sinned, in order to be reconciled with God?

Myself. "The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin,—believe in him, and thou shalt be saved." I translated to him Isaiah liii. and after this I spoke to him of the judgments which were coming upon the Powers of Europe and Asia. I then spoke of the second coming of Jesus Christ upon earth, in glory and majesty, and of his millennial kingdom.

Khosroe Khan, was sitting opposite me, said, “I dreamt a few nights ago, that I was riding upon my horse, whose name is Firmaun; when I suddenly found myself upon a high wall: the sea was on my right hand below the wall, and there was a beautiful field on my left; when suddenly my horse leaped down with me into the beautiful meadow, and I found myself situated in a room like this in which we are now, sitting at the table, opposite to my friend Joseph Wolff.

Aug. 16.-His Excellency Mirza Mohammed Ali Khan, Vizier to the Prince Royal, Sille Sultan, called on me, and promised me all the assistance in his power, for my journey to Bokhara;, but he was not a man with whom I could enter into religious discussion.

I afterwards called on Khosroe Khan, where I met several Mullahs. Khosroe Khan shewed me a beautiful manuscript in Persian: a translation of the Pentateuch, made by order of Nadir Shah, evidently by a Jew converted to Mohammedanism, for b (Shiloh) in Genesis xlix. 10, is translated "Mohde," who is the deliverer the Mussulmans expect, who shall restore all things before the day of Judgment.

When I returned home, I found my room crowded with Jews of Teheran, who desired Bibles and Testaments; some of them were the same, who six years ago, when I was here, sent the Testaments back.

MULLAH MOHAMMED MIRZA RESA.

Mullah Mohammed Mirza Resa, a Jew who became a Mohammedan, called on me; he is the same person I conversed with six years ago. This man certainly is not a sincere believer in his new faith; for his arguments in favour of Mohammedanism, are the most sophistical I ever heard: for instance, he attempts to prove the divine message of Mohammed in the following manner.

In

.כמשה ולא קם כביא עוד בישראל Deuteronomy xxxiv. 10, is written

"He

"There arose not a Prophet since in Israel, like unto Moses." infers from this, that there shall not arise in future a Prophet in Israel like unto Moses; for the word y, (since) would be superfluous. Then he continues to say, "There must therefore arise among the nations a Prophet like unto Moses, and such a Prophet from another nation was predicted in Deut. xviii. 15, 18. “A Prophet from among their brethren." These, the Jewish renegado says, must be Ishmaelites, and the Prophet no other than Mohammed.

JEWS OF TEHERAN.

Aug. 12.-Some Jews called upon me, and invited me to their houses on the following Sabbath, to dispute with them. Amongst them were, Mullah Moosa Ibn Hajee Barhur Dar, and the Jew Elasar, who has been at Bokhara.

RABBI MEIR BEN ISAJAH FROM SAFED.

A Jewish Rabbi from Jerusalem called on me, who is one of the Sheloohim, i. e. Apostles of the Jewish Community of Safed,* sent for the purpose of preaching the Law to the people of Israel, who are scattered and spread abroad among the Gentiles in Persia; and to bring back their contributions for the Children of Israel, who reside in the Land of Israel, and in the city of Jerusalem. Oh! that it may be soon built up and established again.

JEWS OF DAGHESTAN.

Rabbi Meir Ben Isaiah had travelled among the Jews in Daghestan, who wear arms, like their neighbours, the Tartars. He informs me, that there are 100 Jewish families at Derbend; at Andoora 400, at Koba 500. According to Rabbi Meir Ben Isajah's opinion, the Messiah must come within nine years; for every temple, built successively after that of Solomon, was to stand 410 years, according to the number contained in the letters, which

Safed, is a little town in Palestine, situated upon a hill, the burial place of most of the compilers of the Talmud, and of Maimonides, Rabbi Simon Ben Yohay, author of the mystical book, called Sohar. Many Jews believe, that the Messiah shall make his appearance at Safed, for it is the Galilee of the Gentiles, mentioned in Isaiah ix. 1. This very opinion of the Jews proves, that in the New Testament, Matt. iv. 15, 16, this text is justly cited.

compose the word wp, i. e. Holy;* and three temples are to be erected according to the thrice repeated ; but the first temple stood 420 years, on account of the Prophets, with whom the first temple was honoured; so that the last temple is to stand only 400 years. The world is to exist 6000 years, and having stood already 5591 years, in nine years time the Messiah must absolutely make his appearance, in order that the temple may be erected before the 6000 years elapse, and that it may stand 400 years before they have elapsed; and then the Sabbathical year shall have its com

mencement.

The Jews of Teheran are much better treated than those of Sheeras and Ipsahan. They received me into their houses with great hospitality. The Jews of Teheran, as well as those of Ispahan and Sheeras, permit their boys to dance before the Mohammedans, at their banqueting feasts.

The Jews here are in possession of a considerable number of Hebrew Manuscripts of the Pentateuch; but not in such numbers as I saw six years before, in the synagogue at Ispahan. All those which I inspected, accord most minutely with the editions of Eu

rope.

Rabbi Meir read to me the following treatise of Maimonides, regarding the Messiah.

"The King Messiah shall rise to make the kingdom of David return to its former condition and power, and he shall build the temple, and gather in the scattered of Israel, and in his days he shall re-establish the Code of Laws, as it was in the days of old; they shall offer up sacrifices, and they shall celebrate the seven years of release, and the years of jubilee, according to all the commandments which are mentioned in the law; and whoever does not believe in him, and does not hope in his coming, not only denies the words of the Prophets, but also the law of Moses; for has not the Law testified of him? It is written, Deut. xxx. 3, 4, that "Then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all nations, whither the Lord thy God had scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost part of heaven, from thence the Lord thy God will gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee.' These are the words contained in the Law, and these comprise all that has been said by the Prophets. Balaam speaks of him, and prophesied of two Messiahs. The first Messiah is David, who shall save Israel from the hand of the Children of Esau.† He

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+ Maimonides is here in opposition to the Sohar, who maintains that the first Messiah shall be Messiah the son of Joseph, who shall be killed.

says, 'I shall see him, but not nigh.' This is the King Messiah. "There shall come a Star out of Jacob.' This is David. 'And a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel.' This is the King Messiah. 'And shall smite the corners of Moab.' This is David; for it is said of him, 'And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line.' 2 Sam. viii. 2. And destroy all the children of Seth.' This is the King Messiah; for it is written, 'His dominion shall be from sea to sea. Zach. ix. 10. And Edom shall be a possession.' This is David; for it is written, 'And Edom became servants to David.' 'Seir also shall be a possession of his enemies.' This is King Messiah; for it is written, 'And Saviours shall come upon Mount Zion, to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's! And likewise by the Cities of Refuge it is seen, that a Messiah must come; for it is written, 'And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he has sworn unto thy fathers, then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, besides these three.' Deut. xix. 7-9. As there never was an addition of three Cities of Refuge, it must be concluded, that Messiah will come, and three Cities of Refuge will be added; for God never commanded a thing in vain."

"There is no need to cite proofs out of the Prophets, for they are full of this subject: and it must not come into thy thoughts, that the Messiah must necessarily perform miracles, and do new things in the world, by raising the dead, and other such things. It is true that Rabbi Akiba, the great and wise man, one of the first Rabbies, carried the clothes of Ben Kosiba, the King, after him, and he proclaimed him as the King Messiah; but Kosiba was put to death on account of his sins; and as soon as he was killed, it was manifest that he was not the Messiah. The wise men did not demand of him either a sign or a miracle; for the principal credentials of true Messiahship, is this, that the Law and the Judgments must last for ever and ever, and he must neither add to, nor take from them; and whosoever adds to, or takes from them, or exposes the Law to alteration, and does not explain it according to the system generally adopted, is surely a liar, a wicked one, and an heretic! But if there should arise a King of the House of David, who meditates upon the Law, and observes it like David his father, as well the written Law, as the Tradition, and who should compel all Israel to walk in it, and should make them again firm in that in which they were relaxed, and if he fights the Lord's battles, then he is surely known to be the Messiah: as soon as he is successful, and conquers all nations round him, and builds the Temple in its place, and gathers together the scattered people of Israel; such a one shall surely be the Messiah. But if on the contrary, he is not successful, as has happened hitherto, or he should be killed; then it is certain, that he is not that personage predicted in the Law. This would prove only, that God had raised up a pretended Messiah, for the purpose of trying many by means of him; for it is written, 'And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of

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