17, 1962 — 1 2

THE DETROIT JEWISH KERR — Friday, Augu

Edfearish Literntoore Enriched by Zeitlin es Advertisers Warned Against
The Rise tassel Fall of the Judtseesn Sinte' Irresponsible Solicitations

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Dr. Solomon Zeitlin, professor
of rabbinic literature at Dropsie
College. Philadelphia, one of the
world's foremost Talmudists and
the outstanding authority on the
history. of the
Second Com-
monwealth, is
the author of
the new es t
Jewish Publi-
cation Society
volume. "T h e
' Rise and Fall
of the Judaean
State."
The first
volume of this Di. Zeitlin
work, which is part of the
author's lifetime of research on
the subject. dealt; with the years
332-37 B. C. E. in covering the
political. social and religious his-
' tory of the Second Common-
! wealth.

In riew of the worldwide in-
terest that has been aroused
by the recent findings of the
Dead Sea Scrolls, Dr. Zeitlin's
history is of special .significance
because it deals extensively
with the origin of the Pharisees
and the Sadducees, and because
of the emphasis this history
places. on the decline. of the
Hasmonearis, the changes that
occurred in Sabbath and festi-
val observances. the position of
the priesthood. the roles played
by Judaea. Rome and Greece
in laying the foundations far
western culture.

This first volume of Prof.
Zeitlin's history traces the Ju-
daean State's existence until the
reign of Herod. The second vol-
ume will conclude the story,
through the end of the state in
135 C. E. and the resultant ef-
fects on world Jewish history.
Outlining Judaea's position as
part of the Hellenistic empire,
Dr. Zeitlin explains the insti-
tutions and sects of the Second
Commondwealth.
lie commences with the re-
Persia's King Cyrus, and in
turn to Zion in 538 B.C. as
a result of the liberal policy of
explaining the origin of poli-
tical parties he states that the
Perushi ► , Pharisee S. Separa-
ists believed that Yahweh was
a universal God; those who he-
lieved in the supremacy of the
priesthood were the Zadukiin,
Sadducees, followers of the
Zadok family who opposed the
Perushim. lie declares:

'"The word Perushim in the
Talmud has reference only to
Separatists: it is used to desig-
hflte individuals who sep a r-
ated themselves from Mose
with whom they had preciously
been United. No reference to
Perushim is to he found in the
books of Ezra and Nehemiah
. . The Pharisees are gener-
ally said to hare arisen during
the Hasmonean period and to
have been an offshoot of the
Hasidim. However, no explan-
ation has been offered why
they left the Hasidim. No
group which endured for so
long a period as the Pharisees
could have come into existence
thr ough the mere whim of a
person or a group of persons.
There must hare been same
profound cause, religious or
•octo-economic, which brought

years from the calamity. A new
While Better Business Bureaus are at work investi-
era, however, was introduced gating the continued irresponsible solicitations of
which
was
to
remair.
with
some
The evaluative c ha pt ersi
dealing with these sects, the consistence, the era of Anno advertising in our community, as well as in several other
conditions in the time of Ezra Mundi, the years since the Cre cities, by periodicals that have no circulations in these
and Nehemiah, the extent of ation. This was arrived at after communities, The Jewish News again warns those who
intermarriage which "had even calculating the years recorded
I penetrated the high pries t- in the Pentateuch and the pro are being solicited not to be . misled by billings for ads
hood," and the development of phetic books from the time of they have not authorized.
Judaism as "the product of the Adam to the time of Bar i
A Chicago paper that appears in that city' only on
• genius of the Judaeans" are Kokhba. According to this cal
part of the illuminating explana- culation, the destruction of the holidays and has no readers here is one of the worst
--
tory introductory c h :a p t e r s; Temple, which occurred in 70 1 offenders.
which lead up to the discussion C.E., corresponded to the year ;
3830
after
the
Creation.
This
of how Judaism met Hellenism.
There are New York papers — one an organ of a
.
Dr. Zeitlin shows how Juda- era is still employed by the national
or ganization—that are continuing the p ractice
Jews
of
today."
ism was "firmly prepared to
Temple income, the role of of clipping ads in other cities, including Detroit, and
resist" Hellenistic influences.;
lie thoroughly reviews the role the money changers, religious billing advertisers as if they had ordered "renewal" of
of the states that bordered on faith and practices. the litera- ads they never authorized.
Judaea. the relationships with tore of the time during which
We warn our readers to beware of the disgraceful
Syria and Egypt. the influence the Judaean State functioned.
of Alexander. The turmoil that the Judaean society and econ abuses resorted to by the unethical and irresponsible
• existed in Syria "gave Jona- omy, are thoroughly reviewed solicitors. Last year several advertisers unknowingly
remitted checks for unauthorized ads and were unable
than (Of the Hasmonean fam- by Prof. Zeitlin.
ily) the opportunity of making; Historical occurrences involv to secure refunds. Such abuses should be reported to
Judaea an independent state."! ing Salome, Caesar and Antip the Jewish Community Council, to the National Com-
The activities of the other Has- ater and the politics of Rome.. munity Relations Council, to the Better Business Bureau
monean brothers are outlined, the assassination of Caesar and or by writing to The Detroit Jewish News.
and the reader gets a thorough his successors. the trial of
briefing in the emergence of Herod and his marriage of
the priesthood as an influential -Mariamme, the roles played by
Antony and Cleopatra, the
element in the state.
eventual acquisition of his king-
The religious controversies
dom
by Herod — these are
that ensued during the social
among
the scores of incidents
and religious developments in
LOWEST FRICES
told in this 525-page volume in
the Third and Second Centuries
the analysis of the episodes of
B.C.E. involve the Sadducees
As LOW AS
the time under review.
and Pharisees and introduce
Dr. Zeitlin describes the cen-
the reader to the Essenes,

Iabout the genesis of such a

group."

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NEW CAR SALE ,

"known to us only through the
writings of Josephus and Philo
( ► cho called then Essaioi).
Since they are not mentioned
in tan ► aitic literature, we do
not know their Hebrew name."

Dr. Zeitlin adds: "Both I and
II Maccabees refer to a particu-
lar group who bore the name
Asidaioi. I Nlacabees says that
when the Judaeans were perse-
cuted for their religion, the
Asidaioi joined Mattathias."
Then there were the haberim,
who were not identical with the
Pharisees, although many of
them were Pharisees. The word
haber "was originally applied
to one who lived in a city and
was a member of the society
which was careful about the
laws of purity," the term haber
being applied to a learned man,
a scholar, as contrasted with the
ant-Imaretz who labored in the
field and could not acquire!
culture or knowledge of the
laws.
In relation to these groups,
Prof. Zeitlin outlines the func-
tions of the Bet Din. the court
that was better known by the ;
Greek name Synedrion — the
sanhedrin.

An interesting chapter is de-
toted to an explanation of the
calendar, and the Lunar-Solar
Year in Jewish tradition. as
well as the tradition of the ,
Jubilee Year which "automatic-
ally disappeared" as a result
of the change from the solar
to the lunar-solar calendar.
Zeitlin explains that the
names of the Hebrew months
"are Babylonian in origin."

trality of religion in that era,
the social and economic
changes, the manner in which
individuals were permitted to
utter their prayers. The author
states: "During the period from
Jannaeus Alexander down to
Herod. the Judaeans unques-
tionably produced" literature,
which has been lost. Some of
the hymns included in the Book
of Psalms were no doubt com-
posed during that time. Chap-
ter 74 is one of them . . ."

Some Judaeans lived accord-
to Stoic views. Judaean
folklore adopted belief in
angels and demons, but what-
ever they took from Hellenism
"was not of vital significance,"
Dr. Zeitlin states. adding:
"Fundamental Judaism was
not influenced by Hellenism in
the slightest. Judaism remained
as unmoved and stable as a
rock, based as it was on the
idea of the universality of
God . . . " When Herod be-
sieged Jerusalem the Judaeans
yielded to him because they be-
lieved that, not being of a
priestly family, he would not
interfere with the people's re-
ligious beliefs. "In this hope
they were ready to yield him
political dominion and face
what the future had in store
for their reople. Herod did be-
come king—and a new chapter
began in the history of Judaea."
That chapter belongs in Dr.
Zeitlin's second volume to fol-
low.
Thoroughly annotated. with a
chronological appendix that will
be helpful to the reader, Dr.
Zeitlin's "The Rise and Fall of
the Judaean State" enriches
Jewish literature.
—P. S.

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After the conquest of Judaea
by the Romans," Dr. Zeitlin
states, "the Judaeans reckoned
according to the years of the
Roman emperors as well as to
their own kings. After the de-
Of the 23 million - people liv-
struction of the Second Temple, ing in the United States in
the Judaeans again counted the 1850, 50,000 were Jews.

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invites Friends and Neighbors
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Available from Labor Day
Sunday — 11 a.m. - 3 p.
Evenings — '7 - 9 p.m.

ALSO ANNOUNCES
REGISTRATION FOR ITS RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

Boys and Girls
Leading to Bar Mitzvah and Graduation
School Term commences Sunday, Sept. 9 — 11 a.m.
FOR INFORMATION CALL
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