THE Jews have at all times had their particular Studies, Schools, and Books. Their Studies were at first Divinity; the Scripture, Law, Ceremonies, and every thing relating to the Worship of God, were the principal, and almost only Objects of them. Their Schools were like Universities, where they were instructed, and disputed upon Points of the Law, and where Abuses were reformed. Their Studies for a long time have much degenerated. Their Books are those written by their Rabbins, either for the Explanation of the Law, or with a Design of substituting their false Traditions in the room of it. We shall begin with their Theology.
Joan. Henrici Maii, Synopsis Theologiæ Judaicæ veteris & novæ, Giessæ, 1698, in 4to. He shews the Truth and Falshood of it. Maius was a Lutheran, and Professor of Divinity at Giessen.
Joan. Benedict. Carpzovii, Introductio in Theologiam Judaicam. This is by Carpzovius the Son. His Introduction was printed in his new Edition of Pugio Fidei, published by him in 1687, in fol. at Lipsick. See our Lists upon Ruth, and his Title in the Index.
Josephi de Voisin, Theologia Judæorum. Paris. 1574. in 4to. Fabricius, in his Bibliotheca Antiquaria, will have it to be printed according to this Date; but that cannot be, because he did not die till 1685. The Impression therefore was, as M. Dupin observes, or he who prepared his Tables, in 1648. Which, in reality, we find in M. Voisin’s Observations on Pugio Fidei printed ibid. 1651, in fol. He was of Bourdeaux, Almoner to the Prince of Conti, and understood the Hebrew Tongue.
Antonii Hulsii, Theologia Judaica, Bredæ, 1653. in 4to. We have already said something of this Book, and the Author of it, in the third Article of this Part.
Joan. à Lent, Theologia Judaica, recentior, Herborn, 1694, in 8vo. This is distributed into Common-places.
Th. Hackspan, de usu Rabbinorum Theologia, at Nuremberg, 1644, in 4to. He has written several Pieces upon the Holy Scripture. He was of Saxony, a Lutheran, and died in 1659.
Claudii Capellani, Mare Rabbinicum infidum. Paris. 1667, in 12mo. We have already mentioned him above. See his Title in the Index.
Julii Bartolocci, Bibliotheca Rabbinica cum Supplemento Caroli Josephi Imbonati, five Vols. in fol. We have already spoken of him often, and shall again speak of him. See his Title in the Index.
Scipionis Sgambati Archiv. vet. Test. Neapoli, 1703. fol. These Archives are in three Books. The first treats of such things as relate to God; the second of the first Fathers, the third, of the illustrious Men of the Old Testament.
The Author of this Work, after several preliminary Dissertations concerning the Antiquity of the Hebrew Tongue, and the first Characters made use of in writing, undertakes to give an accurate and circumstantial Account of all the ancient Monuments, by the Help whereof the Jews assure us that divine and human Sciences were communicated to Mankind. According to them these Monuments are of two sorts: Some were made publick, and put into the Hands of all the People; and these are the Books which compose the Body of the Old Testament: The others have continued concealed, or have been communicated but to very few choice Persons, who have taken care from time to time to instruct a small number of their most faithful Disciples in the Secrets, which were, say they, contained in these wonderful Books. The first are well known; as for the others, the Titles of them will be seen in this Work, if any one is curious to know them. Sgambati was of Naples, a Jesuit, and died in 1652.
Gilberti Gaulmin, de Apocryphis Hebræorum Scriptis.
Joan. Alb. Fabricii Codex Pseudoepigraphus vet. Test. Hamburgi & Lipsiæ 1713, 4to. Ejusdem Codex Apocryphus novi Test. Hamburgi, 1703. in 8vo.
Besides Fabricius’s two Tomes concerning the Apocryphal Books, mentioned by us, there was a third printed at Hamburg, 1719, in 8vo. which makes the third Part of the New Testament. These two Works are of great use in discovering to us the Original of those Opinions which seem singular to us in the most ancient Fathers.
Joan. van Bashuysen Dissert. de Academiis, Academicorumque titulorum origine Hebraicâ. Hanov. 1703. in 4to. We have spoken of this Author in the Beginning of this Part.
Joan. Leonard. Heubner, Dissertationes de Academiis, & Societatibus literariis Hebræorum, Wittemberg, 1703. in 4to. He was a German, and a Lutheran.
Jacob. Alting. Historia Academiarum & promotionum Academicarum. Amst. 1652. in 12mo. They are likewise in the fifth Tome of his Works, printed at Amsterdam, 1687, in fol. where likewise is his Treatise of the Hebrew Student and Doctor. See his Title in the Index.
Jul. Bartolocci, Ritus Studendi in Academiis Judæorum, tom. 1. Bibl. Rabbinicæ, p. 486. Vide & tom. 3. p. 663, 667, &c. See above.
See likewise our Letter against M. Fourmont, in 12mo. Paris, 1710. and our Dissertation on the Schools of the Hebrews, before our Comment on Jeremiah.
Georg. Ursini, Antiquitates Hæbraicæ Scholastico-Academicæ. Hafn. 1698, in 4to. He treats here of the Statutes and Privileges of the Jewish Schools and Universities. The Matter is diversified with abundance of things which amuse and please. The Author was a Dane, and a Lutheran.
Gerard Veltwyk, of Ravenstein, his M. Basnage’s History of the Jews, t. 5. l. 7. c. 7. p. 115, of the Paris Edition, 1710.
Jacobi Alting. de concionibus Judæorum post reditum è Babylonia, in the Collection of his Works. See above. Joan. Christoph. Wagenseil, de concionibus Judæorum nostræ ætatis in lib. cui titulus est, Tela ignita Sathanæ, p. 245, & seq. See his Title in the Index.
Guil. Surenhusii, Theologia Hebræorum, Amstel. in 4to. See his Title, ibid.
Julii Bartolocci, de Angelis & Dæmonibus secundum Hebræos, in the first Tome of his Bibliotheca Rabbinica. The same, de Inferno & Purgatorio, tom. 2. p. 128. De peccato originali, seu figmento malo Rabbinorum, ibid. p. 43.