Talmud

TALMUD, or Thalmud.¹ The Talmud contains the Body of the Doctrine, of the Religion, and of the Morality of the Jews. They have two Works that bear this Name: The first is called the Talmud of Jerusalem, and the other the Talmud of Babylon. The first was compiled by the Rabbi Johanan, who presided in the Academy of Palestine for fourscore Years, and who finished it, as they say, in the 230th Year after the Ruin of the Temple; that is, about the Year 300 of the Vulgar Era, for the use of the Jews that dwelt in Judea. This Talmud is shorter and more obscure than that of Babylon, but is of an older Date.

It is composed of two Parts, the Mishna, and the Gemara. The Mishna is the Work of Rabbi Judah, surnamed the Holy, who compiled it about the Year 120 after the Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by the Romans, and the Year 190 of the Vulgar Era. The Mishna signifies the Second Law, and is a Collection of all the Traditions of the Jewish Doctors, which Judah gathered into one Body, for fear they should be lost, and come into Oblivion, because of the Dispersion of the Israelites, and the Interruption of their Schools. About an hundred Years afterwards Rabbi Johanan composed the Gemara, which is as much as to say, Completion or Perfection, to compleat and finish the Mishna of Rabbi Judah the Holy. And these two Works together make up the Body of the Talmud of Jerusalem, now described.

The Talmud of Babylon is composed of the Mishna of Judah the Holy, whom we have just now mentioned, and of the Gemara composed by Rabbi Asa,² who lived at Babylon about an hundred Years after Rabbi Johanan. This Collection is called the Talmud of Babylon, because it was compiled at Babylon, and was chiefly in request among the Jews beyond the Euphrates. The Jews rather make use of this than of that of Jerusalem, because it is clearer and more extensive. It abounds C with a multitude of Fables and ridiculous Stories, of which however they must entertain no doubt, except they would pass for Hereticks. They even prefer the Authority of the Talmud to that of the Scripture, and compare the Bible to Water, the Mishna to Wine, and the Gemara to Hypocras. They believe the Traditions and Explications contained in this Book are derived from God himself, that Moses revealed them to Aaron, to his Sons, and to the Elders of Israel; that these communicated them to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted them to the Members of the great Synagogue; who passed them from hand to hand, till they came to the Doctors that reduced them to the Form of the Mishna and the Gemara. The Mishna is written in Hebrew, in a very close and obscure Style; and the Gemara is written in a Style composed of Hebrew, Chaldee, and several Terms of other Languages.

The Rabbi Asa being prevented by Death from finishing his Work, his Children or Disciples, who went on with it, did not finish it till a good while after; that is, according³Serrarius,⁴Bartolocci,

to⁵Trigland, and several others, till the Year of Christ 500, or 505. Father Morinus proceeds so far as to maintain,⁶ that the Mishna could not be composed before the Year of Christ 500, and that the Talmud of Babylon was not finished till towards the Year 700, or thereabouts: And as to the Talmud of Jerusalem, he thinks it not earlier than the fifth Centry. And surely, if the Mishna itself was not before the Year 500, or thereabouts, the Talmud of Jerusalem must be still more modern. Concerning these Matters, the Reader may consult the Rabbinical Library of Bartolocci, the Exercitationes Biblicæ of Father Morinus, and the Continuation of Josephus’s History of the Jews, t. 6. l. 9. c. 3, 4. Edit. of Paris.

The Talmud of Jerusalem, and the Mishna, after the Chaldee Paraphrases of Onkelos and Jonathan, are the most ancient Books of Doctrine the Jews have, except the sacred Authors. Lightfoot has derived a great deal of Light from them, for the explaining many Passages of the New Testament, by comparing the Expressions of the Mishna with those of the Apostles and Evangelists. Maimonides has made an Extract or Abridgment of the Talmud of Babylon, which, in the judgment of the most knowing, is preferable to the Talmud itself: For he neglects what he finds there that is fabulous, childish, or useless, and applies himself to collect only the Decisions of Cases, with which that great Work abounds. To this Work he has given the Title of Jad-bachazacah, or The Strong Hand. ‘Tis a Digest of the Jewish Laws, and the most compleat that was ever made: Not in respect of the Matter, but as to the Perspicuity of the Style, the Method, and the regular Disposition of the Parts.

The TALMUDISTS; that is to say, those that teach the Traditions of the Jews contained in the Talmud, have been known by several Names, according to the Difference of the Times. From the time of the great Synagogue to the Mishna, they were called Tannaim, which is as much as to say, Traditioners, derived from the Word Tanach, which in Chaldee signifies To give by Tradition. After the Mishna to the Talmud, they were called Amoraim, pronouncing, speaking, dictating, because they explained and dictated to their Pupils the Explications of which the Gemara consists. After the Talmud, they were named Openers. Lastly, they obtained the Name of Geoniim, excellent, sublime. At present these pompous Names are disused among them. They are contented with the Appellation of Rabbi, or Chacham, of which the first signifies Master, the other Wiseman.

About the Year 1236, a Jew of Rochelle being converted to Christianity, and at his Baptism having received the Name of Thomas, he went to visit Pope Gregory IX. in the second Year of his Pontificate, that is, in the Year 1238, and made a Discovery to him of the Errors of the Talmud. The Pope sent them in thirty-five Articles to the Archbishops of France in 1239, with a Letter, in which he required them to seize all the Books of the Jews, and to burn all such in which any Errors should be found. He wrote in the same Terms to the Kings of France, England, Arragon, Castile, Leon, Navar, and Portugal. And, in consequence of this Order, there were burnt in France to the quantity of twenty Cart-loads of Hebrew Books.

Gregory’s Successor, Innocent IV. gave Commission to his Legate Ludes de Chateau -roux, to examine the Talmud, and other Books of the Jews; and after he had carefully recognized them, he tolerated them so far as they were not contrary to the Christian Religion, and restored them to them again. But the Legate wrote to the Pope, telling him, that to tolerate them was the same thing as to approve them; wherefore, on May 15. 1248. he juridically condemned them.

The two Talmuds are in Print: That of Jerusalem in one good Volume in folio, and that of Babylon in twelve Volumes in folio, at Amsterdam, and also at other Places.

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