followed by the deftruction of their leader Barchocheba, who averred himself to be the Meffiah, by the flaughter of more than five hundred thousand of his adherents, by the fale of additional multitudes, and by the entire expulfion of the whole nation from Judea. From that day to the present, during a period of nearly seventeen centuries, they have had no national existence. They have continued, according to the unfailing truth of prophecy, "fcattered among all people "from one end of the earth unto the other; an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word among all nations (y)."

To give a detailed narrative of their fituation, as far as it has been afcertained, in the principal countries in which they have fojourned during their difperfion, would extend this part of the prefent work to a difproportionate fize. Yet a fummary account of their history throughout that period may be acceptable to the reader (≈). In collecting it I shall notice thofe events only which are in themselves important, and are also recorded by fufficient authority. The Jewish writers of later times, in their zeal to magnify the

(y) Deut. xxviii. 37.64.

(2) For full information confult Bafnage's Hiftoire des Juifs; and the Modern Univerfal History, 8vo. vol. 13th.

credit of their own nation, abound in fuch exaggerated and fabulous recitals, fuch extravagant violations of hiftorical and chronological truth, that on their unfupported teftimony little reliance is to be placed.

During the continuance of the Roman Empire in the Weft, the Jews experienced from different emperors varying degrees of oppreffion or forbearance: and at fome times indulged their rooted inveteracy against the Chriftians in tumultuous and fanguinary outrages; at others, endured many grievous cruelties from the fpirit of bigotry and retaliation. In the reign of Conftantine, they effentially contributed to the bloody perfecution in Perfia, which almoft overwhelmed the faith of Chrift in that country. In the reign of his fon Conftans, the Jews in Palestine, the region whither in the face of penal laws they were continually crowding, broke forth at Diocæfarea into a violent infurrection; which terminated in the deftruction of that city by the Romans, and in the revival and augmentation of fevere laws against the Jews. From Julian, who equalled them in enmity towards the Christians, they received many marks of favour. His abortive endeavours to rebuild the Temple at Jerufalem will be noticed hereafter. The treatment which they experienced

în

in Italy under the dominion of the Oftrogoths, and of the Lombards, was not materially different from that to which they had been accuftomed, while Rome had not yet bowed to a foreign yoke.

During the course of these events, the Jews appear to have been confirmed by the deftruction of their national polity, and other causes, in their attachment to the oral traditions and unauthorised decifions of their Rabbies; which in the days of our Saviour poffeffed a decided afcendant over the written law, and fince the difperfion had been studied with encreasing ardour in the Jewish academies established partly in Palestine, partly in the territories of the Perfian monarch. Towards the conclufion of the fecond century, and probably about A. D. 180, thefe traditions and decifions were collected, fyftematically arranged, and published by, Rabbi Judah, who prefided upwards of forty years with uncontrouled authority, and with the title of Patriarch, over the great academy at Tiberias. His work, entitled the Mishna, foon acquired and ftill retains univerfal celebrity among the Jews. About fifty years afterwards, as fome. writers affirm, though in the opinion of others not until a much later period, Rabbi Jochanan, who also presided at

Tiberias,

Tiberias, wrote a Commentary on the Mishna, denominated the Jerufalem Talmud. The concifenefs and obfcurity of this Commentary gave occafion to another, composed by some Rabbis of the academy of Sora near Babylon, and entitled the Babylonish Talmud, or Gemara. Its date is varioufly placed: and by fome enquirers is deferred even to the end of the feventh century. The work abounds with the most extravagant, grofs, and impious fables, but is in the highest repute among the Jews who affirm the Scriptures, the Mishna, and the Gemara to be equally of divine authority; and manifeft the proportionate cftimation which they affign to these writings refpectively by comparing the first of them to water, the fecond to wine, the third to the choiceft wine. Of the Babylonifh Talmud, the very learned Rabbi Maimonides, who was born at Cordova in Spain, A. D. 1131, but refided principally in Egypt, rejecting the most profane and puerile parts, has given a valuable abridgement.

Throughout the fixth century the Jews in the dominions of Perfia fuftained an almoft uninterrupted series of perfecutions. Early in the feventh they were admitted into favour by Chofroes II. who, as a recompence for the zeal with which they affifted him in his wars

against

against the Emperor of Conftantinople, gave them full liberty to glut their hatred of the Christians by the maffacre of immenfe multitudes, and by the general deftruction of churches, during his invafion of Judea; and delivered into their hands for certain flaughter, not fewer, if the Greek accounts are to be credited, than ninety thousand perfons furrendered to him, A. D. 614,, with the city of Jerufalem. When Perfia fubmitted to the victorious Saracens, under the Caliph Omar II. the Jews were fubjected there, as in all other regions overwhelmed by the Mahometan arms, to the customary alternative of tribute or converfion. The events which during these two centuries befel them in Europe, and in the Afiatic and African parts of the Greek Empire, were extremely diftreffing. The fhameful proceedings of the Emperor Juftinian, who altered by an edict the time of the Jewish paffover, deprived the Jews of the right of bequeathing property, and of other civil privileges, and in Africa turned their fynagogues into churches, and fuppreffed the exercise of their religion, irritated them to madnefs. Hence arose two infurrections in Palestine, A. D. 530, and A. D. 555, accompanied with the customary maffacres of Christians, and extinguished with dreadful flaughter

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