Page:The Song of Songs (1857).djvu/40

 Ruth and Esther allegorically, for he also places these books among the prophetical writings. The fact is, that this historian, as he tells us himself, reckons the historical books among the prophetical ones. But we demur to the assertion that Josephus put this Song among the prophetical writings; it is far more likely that he placed it among the four books which he describes as consisting of hymns to God and precepts for the life of men.

We come now to the Talmud, in which passages from this Song are quoted and interpreted. This elaborate work, consists of what is called the Mishna, constituting the text, and the Gemara, which is a commentary upon it, derived from two sources, viz.—Jerusalem and Babylon. The Jews, from time immemorial, had an unwritten law [HE:t.vOroh S/eb.a`al p.eh] [GR:do/gmata a)/grafa], in addition to the written one, [HE:t.vOroh S/eb.ak.^etob], [GR:e)/ggrafos], contained in the Pentateuch. Hillel of Babylon (born 75 B.C.), who, next to Ezra, was celebrated by posterity as the restorer of the law, first arranged and divided this oral law into six parts:—1, concerning sowing; 2, women; 3, festivals; 4, the rights of property; 5, holy things; 6, pure and impure things. This, which comprises everything that appertains to the Jewish law, was called [HE:miS/^enoh] Mishna, [GR:deute/rôsis], or the second recension of the law. In order to reconcile the Sadducees, who denied every law not founded on Holy Writ, Hillel laid down seven hermeneutic rules, whereby the Scriptures might be interpreted in such a manner that the oral law could be deduced from it. When fears were afterwards entertained lest the oral tradition should be lost, Rabbi Judah Hakkadosh (i. e. holy), in the year 220, collected everything that had been said upon the subject, preserving the division of Hillel, and probably making some additions of his