History of the Jews, Vol. 1 (of 6)Graetz, Heinrich
History
History of the Jews, Vol. 1 (of 6)
Graetz, Heinrich
Jews -- History
Ten days Jeremiah wrestled in prayer that his spirit might be illumined
by the true prophetic light. During this time the feelings of the
leaders had changed, and they had all determined on emigration. When
Jeremiah called together the chiefs and all the people, and informed
them that the prophetic spirit had revealed to him that they should
remain in the land without fear, he saw from their looks that they
rejected this decision. He therefore added the threat that, if they
insisted on emigration, the sword which they feared would the more
surely reach them; that none of them would ever again behold his
fatherland, and that they would all perish through manifold plagues, in
Egypt. Hardly had Jeremiah ended his address, when Jezaniah and Johanan
called to him, "Thou proclaimest lies in the name of God; not He has
inspired thee with these words, but thy disciple Baruch." Without
further consideration the leaders proceeded on the way towards Egypt,
and the entire multitude had perforce to follow them.
Jeremiah and Baruch also had to join the rest, for they could do
nothing in their deserted country. Thus they wandered as far as the
Egyptian town of Taphnai (Tachpanches). They were kindly received by
King Hophra, who was sufficiently grateful to show hospitality towards
those whom his persuasions had brought to their present misery. There
they met with older Judæan emigrants. Thus, more than a thousand years
after the Exodus, the sons of Jacob returned to Egypt, but under what
changed circumstances! At that time they had been powerful shepherd
tribes, narrow in their views it is true, but unsullied and strong,
with hearts swelling with hope. Their descendants, on the contrary,
with sore hearts and disturbed minds, were too much estranged from
their principles to find solace and tranquillity in their God and their
nationality, yet not sufficiently changed to merge themselves into the
other races and disappear amongst them. Like all unwilling emigrants,
they were buoyed up by false hopes, and watched every political
movement which might bring them an opportunity to return to their
country, there to live in their former independence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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