Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/594

546 Amsterdam Amulet

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

AMSTEKDAM,

N. Y. City of JIoiitRonuTy county. Ntw Vdik. on the .Mohawk rivpr, 3;i miles northwest of Alliiiny; ]iii|uiliitioii in 1!MH). L'(>.!l2il. The earliest Jewish residents were Harris Davis. Isiuic Marl;, ami a Mr. Hotlienlmrf;. in tlie order named. In lf<(i"> .luliiis Was.sernian eanie to Amsterdam, and in ISHU was appointed postmaster; a little later he ereeted a broom I'aetory. that of the Amsterdam Hrooni Company, willi which .Mr. Wassernian and his si>n aie now associated. Since then the .Jewish eommmiity has jxrown rapidly, and in l!t(HI numbered al"iut '2M. of whom alxiut I'i'y weri' attendants at the Ueform Temple of Israel, the remainder attending the orthodo.x synafrojfue. The eonjrref;ation of the Tortion of the city, was purchased in lilOtl, and plans for a temiile are in th(^ hands of the contractor, licautiful cemetery f;rounds. about three miles from the city, are amonij the jiossessions of the conirrciration. The president of the corii;rei;alion is Julius Wasserman. who has acted in that capacity for the last lifteen years; vice-president, Moses Helir; secretary, David Wasserman; treasurer. Samuel Levi. Among the Jewish societies are; The Temple Aid Society; the Deborah Society a benevolent association composed of married ladies anil a literary society. comi>osed of younir peo])!!'. The Jews of Amslerdam are engaged in the leading trades; and the largest dry-goods stores of the A. L. L. cit)- are conducted by them.

A

—

AAMXJ

—

AMtr or The ancient Egyptian designation forthe Semites, frequently (|Uote(i in (lopular literature. The correct form in Hebrew letters would be 'DXy for the singular, according to the Copt iecz/fc, nearly equivalent to 'iinii (|)lural. 'a' men?). The etymology seems to be Egyptian; the original word meaning "bearers of the throwingstick." from the common weapon of the Bedouin, rather than from the Semitic '(iiii(iii)= "nation." The word, met with in the inseri])tion of " I'na " (si.th dynasty), while usually employed to designate the Semiles. is also applied to other Asiatic and European nations (For the history of the of the Caucasian type. word, see

VH.

W. M.



jNIiiller,

"Asien imd Europa," pp.

W.

8r.l.)

AMULET



The word

"

Amulet " used

Jl.

.M.

to be eon-

from an imaginary Arabic word "hamalet " (something hung on); but it is in reality an ancient Latin word of unknown etymology. It is found .several times in Pliny, "XatundisIIistoria." x.wiii. 38. x... 2. and elsewhere (Pauly-Wissowa. siderecl as rlerived

"RealencykloiKidie der Classischen Altertumswissensebaft." i.liW). Amthe Word, ulets are referred to in the Bible, but without any technical designation. In Talmiidic literature the specific term kaid'n is found, from a root meaning " to bind." A kemi'a is therefore something bound on or around, so that the supOrig-in of

posititious

etymology

for the

word Amulet as "some-

thing hung on" would be correct as concerns the Jewish form, ftut this designation refers simply to the Amulet's external application, and indicates nothing of its purpose or contents. Biblical. Talmudical, and post-Talmudical passages supply infonnation on both of these points.

546

Amulets were employed to protect man, or his jiossessions. such as houses, cattle, etc.. from the evil inlluences of wit<hes, ilenaais, an<l other misihievous pow<rs likely to be encountereil, or to counteract misfortune, illness, and damage of various kinds already being endured. The Amulet is found both in the Orient ami in the West, among wild trilies and among civilized nations down to the present day. Assyrians and Egyjitians, Creeks and Homans, Jews and Christians, fostered this ancient superstition, and. in varying degrees, foster it to ilay. .Vinong the Israelites, therefore, the Amulet basa history extending over several thousand years, and it may ciaivcinenlly be considered under the heads of the Biblical, Talmudical, and post Tabuudical periods. All ornaments worn on the person seem to have been originally amulets. The majority of them derived their supjiosed ]iowir from the fact that they either bore the images of idols or were consecrated toidols. The patriarch .Jacob buried "all lliestrange gods which weri' in their [his household's| hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears" ((Jen. .x.xxv. 4). Seeing that the weak were more likely to suffer from the evil influence of wit<hcraft and demons than the strong, it was usually only the women and children who wore such means of

Aaron said to the men " Break oil' the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of jour daughters," wliercupon "all the people brake olf the golden earrings which were in their ears." The Midianile kings wore crescents and earrings; even their camels had chains about their necks, evidently as amul<'ls( Judges, viii. 2(i). Jewelry was worn by the women ami maidens not onl_v for ornament, but also for iiroii'diDU and as charms. Among the twenty-four ornamenls of the daughters of Zion, referred to in Jsa, iii. is, mention is Biblical

Age.

protection.

(Kx.

.x.xxii.

2),

maiie of Ichnshim. This word usually denoti's magic, but here evidently signifies an ornament intended to counteract magic and at the sjune time perhaps to exert magical inlluence itself. The lover says (.Song of Solomon, iv. !!),"Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spou.se; thoi hast ravished my heart with (me of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck." The adulterous wife jiuls on her earrings and jewels before she goes after her lovers (Hosea. ii. lli). In Prov. xvii. 8 a bribe is compared to a favor-giving precious stone, whose owner pros|)eretli wliilher.soever he tunu'th. That jn px here denotes a magical ston<> is eviilent



anil so, loo, in

Nahum,

iii.

4,

something of the same kind is alludeil to with regard to "the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts," The Book of Proverbs, which was written for the people, and mirrors iiopular views of life, also makes reference to jircvailing conceptions about amulets when it says of wisdom, it "shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck " (Prov. i. 9). Similarly, when it says (//<. vi, 21). concerning the admonitions of father and mother; "Bind them contiiuially upon thine heart, and lie them about thy neck, WIk'U thou gnest. It shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee." Parental iirccepts protect, like an Amulet worn upon the heart and neck. In many passjiges of Scripture which speak figuratively of a necklace, an ornamental crown, or of the protection alTorded by the Law. the po])ular conee])tion of the power f>f amulets is constantly referred to (Ps. Ixxiii. (i. ciii, 22, iv. 9, xiii. .'"i). Especially significant 22. where it is said "they fmy words] are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." But amulets were sometimes hid4,

I'rov.

iii.

is I^rov. iv.

den, carried

upon the body,

that they

might not be