Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/399

351 — 351

TIIK

Ji:l-;il

that tlioush the estates of Saracens or

f(iiit<iiik'il

might properly bo seized liy the jfoveniiiient. tlie projierty of Jews ought liot to he conliseated at all. since if the Jews were i)ennitte(l to lieretics

live, Ihi'V should not be deprived of the lueuiis of living ii'hiit. book iii. 30. S; 3). In Jhe "Suninia Iniversje Theologiae " the first fundamental work inaugurating the golden era of Christian scholasticism are found traces of iln- two .[(wish jihilosophcrs who exerted great iiilii:euce u|)on the scholasticism of the thirteenth century namely, Solomon ibn Gabirol (.Vvicebrom and Moses ben Maimon. Alexander allirms that not only corporeal butalnompiritual substances parlicularly the liuman soul are composed of matteraud form (iljt'd. biMikii. ch. li,^ 1 ), adoctriiiethelogicalcons<'i|uences of which gave its original stamp to the system of Avf'ncebrol (the name under whieli (Jabirol is ipioted by the scholastics), and which became from the time of John Duns Scotus (1374?-i:i(KS) the distinctive doctrine of the Franciscans as contrasterl with that of the Dominicans. J[ore numerous still an' the in-

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stances of agreement with the " Moreh Nebukim " of .Alaimonicies. The deinonstration of Alexander that pi-r .se there is a knowledge of (Jod, and that in addition to this independent knowledge there is a cognition of God from His acts, is un(lul)ledly taken from >[aimoiiides. Keferring to Ex. xxxiii. 23, lie explains that to apprehend (Jod from Ilis acts is to see Him "from behind"; whereas to recognize God's essence as it is, is to know Hin " face to face " (i'W</.

3S.

book

i.

ch. 2,

6;

1,

art. 4;

compare

"

Moreh,"

i.

21.

W.

Alixander seems

have followed Maimonides exposition of the proofs adduced by phito

both in his losophers (i.e., the Peripatetic school) ngardiiig the eternity of the world, and in the refutation of the samcC'Summa I'niversie Theologia'," book i. ji. 12, §8; comjiare "Moreh Nebukim." ii. 14. 17, IH), The I)roi)osition that from the beginiung of Creation the force necessary to produce not only natund but also supernatund things was iidierent in the universe. and that consei|uently the law in natiire was not broken bv miracles, recalls other well-known pas.sjiges of the

"Moreh

"

(ii.

42, 5,

compare

.");

J?

"

Moreh,"

29).

ii.

Maimoiii<les' explanation of the Mosaic legislation which constitutes the chief contents of the third part of the "Moreh" seems to have produced as great an impression upon Alexander as it did upon the later .sihola.stics. Beneath the ceremonial laws, he .says, must lie a deeper spiritual meaniiiL', since the pa.s.sage (Dent. iv. H), "This is your wis<him anil your understanding in the eyes of the nations," can not be construed to mean that on account of the mere strict observance of the law this people shoidd be considered wise and intelligent (iii. 54, § 2; compari' " Moreh." iii. 31 His referenci- likewise lo the opinion of the Jewish teachers of the law, that all commandmenls, the reason for which is not known to us. were given to the Jews for the purpose of keeping them from idolatry, |.lainly indicates the inlluenee of Maimonides (iii. 2x, §2. art. 1: compare " Moreh." iii. 2it, !>'i). and the same is the cn.se with his as.serlion that the sacrilices were designeil aflir the spread of idolatry, lo serve as proticiion against this aberration

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1.

(iii.

.18;

eompnre "Mori4i."

inni.iniiii.vi'iiv Jiiiliit.'im,

III



J.

/,".

I-.

(iiitliiiaiin.

HI

iii.

4ti).

Ahrinnlrr

.liiin-, xi.J::i-Z».

.li

Ilnlm , .1.

ALEXANDER,

ISAAC:

cl

U

„ tf,

Gemian author;

Gi'rnuiny in the second half of the eighteenth century, and wrote on philiisophi<'al subjects from a rationalistic point of view. His works livril

in ^^ouili

— Alexander. Bernhard Alexander Jagellon

ENCYCLOPEDIA

"Von dem Dasein Gottes, die Selbstredende Vernunft," Ratisbon, ITT'c "Anmerkungen iiberdie P^rste Ge.schichte der Jlenschheit nach ihin ZeugnLsse Mosi.s," Nuremberg, 1782: "Vereiingung der Mosaischen Geseize mit dem Talmud," Patisbon, 1786; "Einheilsgidichte," a German translation of the "Shirha-S'ihnd," Patisbon, 1788; " Abhandlung von der Kreiheit des Menschen," and " Klcine Schriften," include:

Patisbon, 1789. BiBLiOGRAFiiT



FiSrs%

BlhUntheca Judalca,

1.

33, 34.

M. B,

ALEXANDER JAGELLON

Grand duke of Lithuania and king of Poland; bom 14(!(l: died at Wilna, 15f!. He was the son of King Casimir IV. He ascended the throne of Lithuania in 1492, and that of Poland upon the death of his brother, John Albert, in 1.501. More prodigal even than the other Jagellons noted lor their extravagance InstabiHty and weak in chanicter. he was much of His swaye<l by his siiccessive favorites, so

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Character,

toward the Jews exImmediately upon ascending the throne, Decendier 1, 1492, that" his attitude

hibits a

wavering

instability.

he not only confirmed the privileges granted to the his predecc.s.sors. but even added new ones, giving to the Jews of Troki the full rights of burghers: and the collection of taxes was farmed out to them as heietofore. He also repaid to the Jews the large indebtedness incurred by his father; and there was nothing that s<'emed to indicate the coming storm the first persecution of the Jews in Litlunmia. In 149.") Alexander, as grand duke of Lithuania, issued without warning an edict in the following terms: "The Jews nuist leave the coimtry." The Lithuaman Jewsat that time apparently were far more rcfiniil than their Polish coreligionists. They spoke and wrote the Russian language, did business in partnership with their Christian fillow citizens, and hail social intercourse with them. At the end of the fifteenth century many among them bore Pu.ssian names, as, for instance. Ziibetz, Kyabchik, Olsheika. (ilukhoi. Mamotlivy. Kravchik (seearticle N.v.MKs). They occupied themselves not onlv in commercial enterprises, btit were also engaged in agriculture and the handicrafts. Thi' majority of the Lithuanian Jews were not wealthy, but those leaseholders anil lax-colliMtors among them who had become rich purchased estates from the nobility and

Jews by

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Some of these or their heirs finally embraced Christianity.

deveh>ped into gentlemen farmers.

Jews

Noutinaer (" .us dor Peterstiureer

Bltillottieli," p. 121)

plves

an iirniunt ilH'r" it'.(anl In iiianus4-rli>l In tlie St. rctiTslnirKPiil>lli'I.i>inirri.iloiilliarvlllillii'e.x|>Ml!ii<>nnr "iliKl'8 IHNiiilc *^ rniiii Siuiln. Itiisslii. anil I.lOinania, anil ctvlni? tlio ilato ef ttii'tr expiilsliin rnun LItliiianhi as Mill. In^leail of itii' ai-uml year, Mlt'i. KI/Ji .MsiiiKiwlrz. tlif ciiiirt |iliVMt-lan nf lYInre Kadzlwlli iwliii lived iM'lwifn l.Wianil imnii.'iflv.-s In Die m.li-s lo Ills niinlli-al work tlit> i-oniTt date, UU'i. lull iiaiiii*s Klnif AllM-rt instead of .Alexander ils the one whobroUKlit ilie Jewstiuek fn>in Italno. I'olanil. lo l.lihuanla In l.'iiil. .Mnonir llif Jewlsli wrlurs wlio in-at of the siilijtvl of the eiimlslon of ihe Ji'Hs from l.lihnanlii, I'nif. A. Ilarkavv n'tem lo III!' folloHiinr illiT.liailskrs arilili- In " ViwklnHl." pp. .'ir( sit/., Jalltiarv. IMK-'i: In Ihe work "ShuslianSikIoI," wtIIIi'ii I>v Moses In'n Jai-oli of ltii.s.v|a Expulsion. In April, IIICi, and puMlsheil In Vonleo, liM) Cd I'd.. Koril/. ITsii. 11 i.s wild: "«)nr lima Is Ihi' till ralanillli-s for llio lost sliii'p (of llie lioiisi' of f Alinivuiii'l. In I4'.i7. s|M'aks of iho liani llmew In slore Isniill." for Ihf .lews of lo-nnanv. I^iinlianlv. and Hiis.sta. Silninon Ibn Venni. eniiiniTailnir In " sholw^ Yelindah" 11 [nn-hs iiilainItoiis to the .lews, put.s the iiliiili i>|iiM-h of Iheir nilsforiuni's In Ihe year UW. whi'n Ihe Jvws wt-n- driven from Snvov. I'liilinoiil, slrtlv. and Itnssla. In Ihe pn'fiiro to tin- pniyiT-Usik of Iherriini'ttn Jrws, tUlnirln KiilTa and Kant.s.sM-lla/jir. piililished 111 loCi, It Is Willi thai Mils pnivi-r-lMMik was amimrisl l»v Mosi-si lin-iiojeh itlio Kxlli'i. whoiami' ulihairreul iiuiiilKTof luiiiIslied Juwii fniiii Kiisslu tu luiulontiuople.

Works on