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THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

posed in Aramaic.

Aramaic forms

of the legends Martini (1250), in his " Pugio Fidei " (at the end of the book), cites from a Midrash on Genesis a part of what is contained in the Greek text. His accuracy has been called in question, but Neubauer (in his " Tobit ") gives, from a manuscript in the Bodleian Library (the Midrash Rabba de Rabba) a Syriac text with which that of Martini is identical, and a parallel extract from the Bereshit Rabbati. From another manuscript in the same library, M. Gaster has published a text of the Dragon story that confirms the correctness of Martini's quotation. The Aramaic text of this manuscript is printed in the "Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archfeology " for November and December, 1894 and the English translation of a long paraphrase is given by Gaster in his " Chronicles of Jerahmeel," 1899. In the Introduction to the latter work, Gaster discusses the relations of "Jerahmeel" to " Yosippon," "Sefer ha-Yashar," and the "Antiquities" of Pseudo-Philo. The Jerahmeel Aramaic text is nearer to Theodotion than to the Septuagint though it sometimes accords with the latter or with the I atin against other forms, and sometimes differs from all others. But in the present state of knowledge it seems better to reserve opinion as to its antiquity. Gaster thinks it is the text after which Theodotion's version was revised, and Marshall regards it as ancient. The occurrence of the stories in the Midrash makes it probable that but it is not clear there was an Aramaic original The fact that this is preserved in the texts cited. that the Jerahmeel text agrees here and there with some one of the ancient versions does not prove its originality; for in the course of centuries various readings may have crept into it from sources unknown; thus it has, in common with "Yosippon," the statement that Daniel put iron combs into the cakes that he gave the Dragon a natural embellishment of the story. It is possible that some divergent readings in the two Greek recensions may be explained as the result of the misunderstanding or misreading of Aramaic terms. A few cases of this sort are suggested by Marshall, and they undoubtedly go to show originality in the Aramaic text; but they are neither clear enough nor numerous enough to be decisive. The booklet appears to have been regarded in Alexandria as belonging in the class of sacred writings but it was never so regarded by Canonicity. the Palestinian Jewish leaders. It is quoted as the work of the prophet Daniel by Tertullian and other early Christian writers, and its claim to canonicity is defended by Origen (" Epistola ad Africanum ") it was not, however, formally accepted as canonical by the early Church. In modern times it has been included among the canonical books by the Roman and the Greek churches, and excluded by Protestants.

Raymund

do, in fact, exist.







—





Bibliography: O. F. Frltzscbe, Kurzgefasstes Exegetischcs Handbuch zu den Apocryphen des Alt. Testaments, 1851 Bible, 1879; idem, Das Alte Testament, Einaeleitet und Erltlutert, Brunswick, 1894 ; E. 0. Bissell, Apocrypha of the Old Testament, 1880; C. J. Ball, in H. Wace's Apocrypha, 1873-88 E. Schurer, History of the Jewish People, etc., Ens. transl., 1891; idem, in Herzng-Hauck, Beal-EncyMopadie, i. 639 et sea. ; E Kautesch, DicApoltry-

E.Reuss,

La



1898, i. vhenund Pseudepigraphen des Alten Testaments, Delitzsch, De Habacuci Prophetw Vita Atque 178, 189-193

Bekorot Belais

JEtate, 1842; Zunz, Die Gottesdiensttichcn VortrUgcZdei., 1892; A. Neubauer, The Book of Tohit, 1878. The Greek text is given by Fritzsche (Libri Vet. Test. Pseudepigraphi Selecti) and Swete tbe Syriac by Walton, Lagarde, and Neubauer. See also Gaster's works mentioned above.

T.

BEL A

1 An early king of Edom, having his royal seat at Dinhabah; son of Beor (Gen. xxxvi. 32, 33 I Chron. i. 43, 44). The name " Dinhabah "

.



occurs in Palmyrene, Syria, and in Babylonia (Dillmann, "Genesis," ad loc); and, since it has not been encountered in Edom, the conclusion has been drawn by critics that Bela was a foreigner who conquered Edom while retaining his own capital as the seat of government. Targum Yerushalmi calls him " Balaam ben Beor " while the Septuagint reads " Balak. " But while the close resemblance of " Bela " to " Balaam " is rather curious, there is no real reason for regarding the two personages as identical. 2. son of Benjamin (Gen. xlvi. 21, A. V.,

A

where the name 38



Chron.

I

is

spelled "Belah";

vii. 6).

The names of

Num.

xxvi.

his children

vary

in the different accounts.

A

3. Reubenite, son of Azaz, living in Aroer and as far as " the entering in of the wilderness from the

Euphrates

" (I

Chron.

v. 8).

One of the five cities attacked by the invading army under Amraphel, Hammurabi (Gen. xiv. 2). In the two passages where "Bela" occurs 4.

a gloss adds "it tablishes

its

is

Zoar" (Gen.

xiv.

2, 8),

identity with that city.

which

es-

Its location

at the southern end of the Dead Sea. In Gen. R. xlii. 5 the name "Bela" is fancifully associated with the Hebrew stem " bala " (to swallow up), and explained as due to the circumstance that "her citizens were swallowed up," with reference, no doubt, to the convulsion which befell Sodom.

was probably

j.

G. B. L.

jr.

BELAIS

LOM

(E"JT?:i),

ABRAHAM BEN

SHA-

Rabbi and poet born in Tunis 18th of Ab, 1773 died in London 1853. An eccentric personality, he had a curious career. First rabbi in Tunis and





treasurer to the Bey, being pressed by his creditors, he left his home and went to Jerusalem. In 1817 he, who had hospitably received at his home in Tunis many messengers from Palestine, made a trip through Europe to collect alms for himself. "Wherever he

went he received valuable gifts. King Victor Emmanuel I.-, at an audience in Turin, presented him with 1,000 francs. According to the "Gazette of the Netherlands," Oct. 1, 1827, he was a candidate for the rabbinate of the Portuguese synagogue of Amsterdam; and had papers of recommendation from several Italian ministers, bishops, and archIn France, Belais was encouraged by the bishops. ministers of Charles X. and especially by the Vicomte de Larochefoucauld, director-general of fine arts: he even received a Hebrew letter from the duke of Sussex. He was rabbi of the congregation of Nice for some years; but from 1840 to 1853 was ,

attached to the yeshibah connected with the Spanish and Portuguese congregation at Bevis Marks,

London. The works of Belais are nearly all in Hebrew, and The principal ones treat of morals and exegesis. are: (1) a collection of notes on the Bible and Tal-