Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/125

79 ,

Abolition of Slavery
 * Abodah, Music of

THE JEWISH EN'CYCLOPEDIA

79

the Oriental rhromatic scale (Hazantt, NioofN) at the tlimijrlit i)f the Divine Preseuce. lie attempts a return to the calmness of the oriirinal key, but the tlioiiirhts conjured uji by the words asrain overwhelm his intention, and drive him ou to an ecstatic climax. F. L. V.

'ABODAH ZARAH Wnrship



The

tml

muy.

"Molatrous

iianii'

jieriod preceding the Maccabees, and still more in The relij^ious tli(])eriod of the Human ci>ni|uest.

authorities, therefore,

found

it

neces.sary

to

renew

the Biblical injunctions against idolatry and against .social intercour.se with the worcodification of the rabbinical shipers of idols. laws on this subject is presented in the treatise of the .Mishnah and the Tosefta bearing the name of '.Miodah Zarah, while the Gemara (or Talmud) referring to that -Mishnah contains the conunenls and discussions of the Paleslinian and the Babylonian rabbis (.Vmoniim) on these laws. The numerous provisions of the rabbinical laws <inlpodieil in tin- Mishnah of 'Abodah Zarah maybe ilivided into hf two following clas.ses: (1) Provisions for guarding against the lea.st appeaniuce of favoring idolatry, directly or indirectly, and for preventing the danger of ccmiing in contact with it, Ci) I'rovisions for guarding against the immoral practises jirevailing among the heathen. The first of the two da.sses may be illustrated by the following examples: It is forbidden to have any busincssdealings with the heathendurRestricing three days before tluir principal public festivals, such as the calends tions in Intercourse of January, the Saturnalia, etc. If, with the however, a heathen celebrate a JiriHeathen. vate festival, it is forbidden to (leal with him on that day only (Mishnah, 'Ab, Zarah. i. l-Ii). In cities in which idolatrous fairs are held stores which are festooned with laurels must not be visited, as the sales in such stores are generally for the benefit of the idolatrous temples (i. 4), It is not allowed to .sell to a heathen any object for the use of idolatry or to rent to him a house in Objects that in any way which to place his idols. may }»• connected with idolatry are forbidden to Wine lielonging to a heathen, be sold (i. .I, H. !l). who naiy have poured out some of it as a libation, is not only forbidden to be used, but even any indi reel benefit derived from this wine is prohibited (ii. ;!) No one may sit in the shade of a tree that has iH'cn planti'd for idolatrous purposes, nor make any usi' of the wood taken from sich a tree: evi>n till' briad bakeil in an ovi ii that has l)een heated by such wood is not to be used (iii. 7-!l). The following (•xamples will illustrate the other class of prohibitions against corruption by imnionil practises: The barbanais gladiatorial shows, especially the public tights with wild beasts, wherein the heathen, particularly llu' liiMoans, delighted.

with increased

rifror

A

.

among

Jew

nuist not entrust his woman must not be in the company of a lieathen, as he is under sus|)icion of sexual immorality: neither must a Jew remain in a lonesome place with heathen, lest he be That such suspicions assjissinated by them (ii, 1). ity

the heathen, a

animal to theircare,

of one of the treatises of the Mishnah, of the Tosefta, and of the lialiylonian and the Palestinian TalnuKl. helonjring to the (_)rder NeAs indica/ikin. It is divicUd into tive chapters. ted by the name, it treats of the laws rej;idalinjr the conduct of the Jews toward idolatry and idolaters. These laws are based principally on the leijislation of the Pentateuch, which proscribed idolatry ill all its forms and manifestations, and even interdicted such close as.sociatii>n with the heathen nations in Palestine as miirlit mislead the Israelites to participate in thi'ir idolatrous worship. Altliou^rh, after their return from the Babylonian oxile, the Jews appeared to have been radically cured of idolatry, there was danjrer of a relapse in the "i

were regarded as so inhuman that no Jew was permitted to sell for such a purpose bears, lions, or even any instrument of cruelty, or to erect for such use buildings in which blood was to be shed or On account of the depravcruelty practised (i, 7),

A

Jewish

of the moral character of the heathen were not unfounded is evident from the contemporaneous classical literature describing the moral corruption prevailing in I{(ane and in the chief cities of Asia un<ler the emperors in the tirst centuries of the

conuuon

era.

Interspersed among the above-mentioned laws, contained in the ^lishnah treatise of 'Abodah Zarah, are also .some characteristic narratives in reference Of these the following is of to idols and idolatry. special interest: Tiic Jewish elders in the city of Rome were once asked by a heathen, Reasons for " If your God is displeased with idols. Existence why does lie not destroy them'/" The answer was, " Because among the worof Idols, shiiied objects are also the sun, the moon, and the stars, which are necessjiry for the world. Should God destroy the world on account of the fools that worship those celestial bodies'?" "But," rejoined the ((uestioner, "why then does your God not (iestrov those worshiped objects which are " not absolutely needed for the existence of the world':" And tile elders rejilied, "This would merely conlirm the heathen the more in their false belief that the sun, the moon, and the stars must be worshijjed as deiIn ties, since they can not be destroyed" (iv. 7). the Tosefta the answer of the elders closes with the remark, "The world goes its natural course, undisturbed by the foolish acts of man; but God will call the wii'ked to account for their folly " (vii, 7) The Gemara (Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi), elaborately commenting on the Mishnah treatise of 'Abodah Zarah, discusses the reasons and the applications of the various laws contained therein, and abounds in ethical sentencesand exegetical remarks. Moreover, it contains nvimerous historical and ethnographical records, and especially many statements and legends which throw much light on the customs of the heathen world. Both the Mishnah and the Genaira show a remarkable familiarilv with lu'athen, especially Homan and Greek, life, and are a storehouse of archeology yet to be explored. There is a history of some Jewish martyrs during the Iladrianic persecutions contaiueil in folio 18 of the Babylonian Talmud,

MMinah

anil the Babuloiilan Gemara nf The 'Alinilnli y.iiriih wen^ translated Intolii'niiBnbv K, C. Kwald unit the Vinuhalmi Giiimni l)y M. Scbwali In tils tran.slatlon of tilts Tiihnud Vfrunbatmi,

Buu.KKiUAi'iiv



M. M.

ABOLAFIO, JUAN FERNANDEZ: A

Ma-

who lived in the liileenlh centurv, was among those who endeavored most zealously

rano of Seville,

lie to prevent the iutroductiou of tlu' Iiniuisition into For his /eal he forfeited his life Seville in 14H0. at the stake. He was a very lenrneil man. being for a numlier of years nlralilf tie jimlicia ("criminal judge ") and farmer of the royal taxes. llini.iniiKAi-nv: Ivliw Kins, Ilixlitriiiilf III.

'its; Ih' ('u.sini. ;/i.it.iiiii

i(.

hi.'

Im Jtidltviilr

JuiU'w

Etjtaila.

rii Ki'jHiflii. p. 117,

51,

ABOLITION OF SLAVERY. SI..Vl:llV

.MoVK.MK.NT.

See

K, An'ti-