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Show Mf. BBJ ' JEITIU M'EECH IV THf TI1IE BBJ OF CHRIST. BBJ . ; Iiie following b from a review of BBJ "The Jews under Romin Rule," a BBJ I I recent bosk by Morn-ton, which ap- BBJ ' I pears In the coUnins of the New BBJ York Sun: BBJ "What language was spoVen by the s Jews in the Umj or Curut? This pre- limlnary qassUoa Is examined in a , I chapter on the components of the pop- f ulsUonof PaleUlns. Of course it was ' only in Judea projier that the Jews were in a majority. In Samaria, In Galilee, aud ia the country cart of the Jordan, and In the coast strip once j known as PhllisUa, the larger portion 1 of the inhabitants were Syrian and Greels, and according ta their nttion- alily, spoke Aramilo or a corrupt if I 'orm ' u, Hellenic tongue. But j M) n what language was spoken by the H Jews themselves? The author repro- i 1 jf dnces the unanimoas conelaion of f ij achoUrs when ho says that, 'Except I i If among the learned, Hebrew had be- ' ' f ' come extinct as a living tongue, and 1 f In ths time or Christ trie language I ?. ! In genoral use was Ararnalc It Is j ill equally certain that -traders and y Ji , the higher classes understood Greek ; also, and a vast number of Greek f , words have fonnd their way Into com- j j man use. Greek namss were very A I frequently employed for money, tk weights and maasures. It was the 'J jfiflj same In civil, legal and military af- f I H fairs. Many commsrclsl term, too, W BHjgS" IB were Greak nd Gree words had r VS i' H even coma to bs usod for food cloth- ""N " fj " Ingand household furniture. Among " ths ruling classes It was customary to u ili call children by Greek names, anch as Alexander, Arlstobulns, FhIUp,and so forth. Greek namea, Andrew and Philip, occur also among the disciples of Christ, which would lead ns to believe be-lieve that the custom of bestowing Greek names on children had opread through all classes of tho community." commun-ity." Of neatly all the Jews who lived In the west as well as In the east or Europe, Greek had become the mother tongue, and the multitudes of them who come as pUgrlmi to Jerusalem Jeru-salem must have helped to disseminate dissemi-nate tho Hellenic speech, not only In tbo Holy City, but throughout Judex. In another chapter Mr. "Morrison points out In what high respect Greek was held even by the scribes, whose duty It was to transmit for traditional purposes an esoteric knowledge ol the Hebrew tongue and to interpret the original Hebrew texts to the commonality. common-ality. Thus we read on page 237: "Gamaliel and zainy o( hi Immediate sceeuari wer ardent UeUeaUU. Bj-some Bj-some of tae rabbit Grrex wu described at a faoIUaii toerne and as the onlj luruie lata watch the law could be properly trans ltted. Fo warm wu the admlratioa for Greek that tae translation or the Septus gut was considered to be the runlt of dinne inipintion. and la Its aceomputh ment was seen the folxllment of the prophecy that Japhet shoald dwell In the teou of Ehem. rarenta were exhorted to leach their disgaters Greek, and U was apottrephiied aa the most beautiful laa snare amosa; the sona of men. In three things aald the rabbit of the Brat eenlnrj. lrecce atanla saperlor to Come, in la , inlanraajre.aadlnllteraure. uabblJada went a tar at to ear that Greek or Ilebrsw wu the onlj language whleo tboald be pokes by the people of Palestine. All these sayings go far to Justifying the deduction that in the time of Chnat Greek formed no unimportant part of the education even of a scribe. |
