Studies in Life from Jewish ProverbsElmslie, W. A. L. (William Alexander Leslie)
Religion
Studies in Life from Jewish Proverbs
Elmslie, W. A. L. (William Alexander Leslie)
Proverbs, Hebrew
[97] Jew and Christian, too often ignorant of the virtues each
possesses, are painfully conscious of one another’s defects. Better
knowledge of history would do much to relieve or lessen mutual
prejudices. How seldom do Christians realise that some of the less
amiable qualities found in certain classes of modern Jews (Are there
no objectionable Gentiles?) are the logical result of regulations
decreed by our mediæval Christian forefathers. For example, the Jews
were once as catholic as any other nation in the arts and industries
they followed for a livelihood, until legal restrictions were
multiplied against them. “Even in Spain,” writes Mr. Abrahams, “Jews
were forbidden to act as physicians, as bakers or millers; they were
prohibited from selling brass, wine, flour, oil or butter in the
markets; no Jew might be a smith, carpenter, tailor, shoemaker, currier
or clothier for Christians ... he might neither employ nor be employed
by Christians in any profession or trade whatsoever.... In other parts
of England these restrictions were far more rigidly enforced than in
Spain. In England money-lending was absolutely the only profession
open to the Jews. On the Continent Jews were taxed when they entered
a market and taxed when they left it; they were only permitted to
enter the market place at inconvenient hours, _and the Church ended by
leaving the Jews nothing to trade in but money and second-hand goods,
allowing them as a choice of commodities in which to deal new gold or
old iron_.” (_Jewish Life in the Middle Ages_, p. 241).
[98] Abrahams, _Jewish Life in the Middle Ages_, p. 68.
[99] The argument is worked out at greater length by C. F. Kent, (_Wise
Men of Israel_, pp. 176ff), in an essay to which this brief review of
the theme is much indebted. See also p. 268.
[100] Cp. Marvin, _The Living Past_, pp. 2, 3.
[101] Deut. 30^{11-14}.
[102] _The Ultimate Belief_, p. 2.
[103] Professor D. K. Picken, in the _Australasian Intercollegian
Magazine_, _Dec._, 1916.
[104] “I know no teachers who lay more stress upon the cultivation of
the mental power of attention.” G. A. Smith, in _Modern Criticism and
the Preaching of the Old Testament_, ch. VIII.
[105] Pindar, _Olympian_ VI., 54^{ff}.
[106] St. John, 13^{26ff}.
[107] The _moon_ once (Pr. 7^{20}) but merely in indication of time.
[108] He was gratefully remembered for his work in strengthening the
defences of Jerusalem and executing repairs to the Temple about 190
B.C.
[109] For allusions to the heat and thirst of the reapers, cp. _Ruth_
2^{7-9}, ^{14}, and 2 Kings 4^{18, 19}.
[110] The Greek text is no less effective--_And when the frost is
congealed it is as points of thorns_, but it is only a misreading of
the Hebrew.
[111] “The Holy Land,” pp. 209ff.
[112] Pr. 27^{17}
[113] Pr. 27^{6}.
[114] Pr. 15^{1}; cp. 16^{32}.
[115] Pr. 25^{28}.
[116] Pr. 26^{12}.
[117] Pr. 16^{18}
[118] Pr. 28^{1}, cp. Shakespeare’s “Conscience does make cowards of us
all.”
[119] Pr. 24^{16}.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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