Volume 1

Rabbinical literature: or, the traditions of the Jews, contained in their Talmud and other mystical writings. Likewise the opinions of that people concerning Messiah, and the time and manner of His appearing; with an appendix, comprizing Buxtorf's account of the religious customs and ceremonies of that nation. Also, A preliminary enquiry into the origin, progress, authority, and usefulness of these traditions; wherein the sense of the strange allegories in the Talmud and Jewish authors is explained / By the Revd. Mr. J.P. Stehelin.

Johann Andreas Eisenmenger

Date:: 1748

Credit: Rabbinical literature: or, the traditions of the Jews, contained in their Talmud and other mystical writings. Likewise the opinions of that people concerning Messiah, and the time and manner of His appearing; with an appendix, comprizing Buxtorf's account of the religious customs and ceremonies of that nation. Also, A preliminary enquiry into the origin, progress, authority, and usefulness of these traditions; wherein the sense of the strange allegories in the Talmud and Jewish authors is explained / By the Revd. Mr. J.P. Stehelin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

51/424 page 37

$\ « A [37] As for the Speaking of Mountains, Trees, Stones, hfc. we may apply to the Rabbins, what the Author of the Enquiry into the Life and Writings of Homer faith of the Eaftern Nations. Their moral Inftrudtions were Alle¬ gorical Tales, and it was common amongft them to give Life to inanimate Things, and to cloath them with a Perfon and proper Attributes: The Mountains and Stones quarrelling with one another, the former faying. Upon me Jhall the Law be given, and the latter deput¬ ing upon which of them the Righteous (Jacob) fhould lay his Head, are Allegorical Defcriptions of the Holi- nefs of the Law, and the Providence of God who pro- tedfed Jacob in his Journey, The Traditions of the Jews concerning the Mejfiah> the Time of his coming ; his gathering the Jews from all the Corners of the Earth $ his conducing them into the Land of Canaan, and his inviting them to a Royal Banquet, where they are to feaft upon the great O31 Schor Habber, or Behemoth; the monftrous Fifti Levia¬ than, and the roafted Fowl Bar-juchne, deferve a par¬ ticular Attention. The Rabbins reprefent the Schor or Behemoth as a horrid Monfter of a huge Bulk, which eatethup every Day, the Grafs upon a Thou fand Hills. Pf. 50. v. io. the Leviathan is a monffrous Fifh, created Male and Female, but the Female whereof has been flain immediately, and laid up in Salt, to prevent the DeflrudBon of the World j and Bar-juchne is a Bird, whofe Magnitude may be conjecfur’d from the Talmu- dical Account of an Egg of this Bird, which fell out of the Neff, and beat down Three Hundred tall Cedars, the White of it overflowing Threefcore Villages, This has given OcCafion to the Tranflator of this Treatifeto jrnake this farcaftical Exclamation ; It muß: be pleafant Work for the Imagination of the Reader to figure ** out the Cookery, the Fires, the Pots, and the Spits, 6C which are to be going upon this Occafion.” * No Man of Senfe will deny, that the Rabbinical Ac¬ count of the Royal Banquet, which the Mejfah is to cek-$

Licence and re-use

Contents

Volumes