Once identical with the Pheenician

Ilebrew was adopted by Abraham and his family in Palestine. The peculiar religious and moral. notions of the Hebrews could not but impre upon it by degrees a distinct character, and thus Hebrew became a distinct dialect. In the antiquity of its extant literary remnants it far surpa es all other Semitic idioms, and in richne and deae is only inferior to the Arabic. _ The extant cla ical Hebrew. writings embrace a period of more than 1,000 years from the era of Moses to the date of the composition of the books of Chronicles, which stand last in the Hebrew Bible. We naturally expect that the language of the earliest books should differ considerably from that of the later, and that we would even be able to trace a gradual change in the form of the language, becoming more and more decided as century followed century, and new influences were brought to bear upon it. This expectation is not, however, realized. There is indeed to be observed a very decided difference in style and language between the earliest and the very latest Hebrew writings, but this difference was the result, not of a very gradual proce of change extending over centuries, but of a very sudden and rapid revolution. Hence the extant Hebrew writings, when cla ified with respect to language, have usually been arranged in two great divisions —those of a date earlier than the Babylonish captivity, and those of a subsequent date. In pa ing from the book of Genesis to the books of Samuel we do not recognize any very striking difference in the language. Doubtle there is a difference; but not such a difference as we might expect to find in writings separated from ‘one another in date by so considerable a period; not so much difference as we actually find when we take up an English author of the 17th century, or even later, and compare his language with the English of the present day. The explanation of this remarkable phenomenon is not to be found in the rejection of the traditional belief as to the age and authorship of the Pent a teuch. It is probable that the language was as it were, stereotyped by becoming the language of books held in highest esteem, diligently studied by the learned, frequently committed to memory, and adopted as a model by succeeding writers, The most brilliant epoch of modern Jewish literature is incontestably that of the domination of the Moors in Spain, Treated by these conquerors with a mildne which contrasts strongly with the cruelty which which the Christian kings of that country used them, the Jews applied themselves enthusiastically to the culture of science and literature. The proscribed nation soon found itself at the head of the civilized world, without excepting even the Arabs, whose intediostpal culture is a. subject of admiration among all historians of that time. No science remained unstudied by the Israeli tes; astronomy, geography, philology, medicine, history, poetry, music, the Spanish rabbis knew well and taught well. The Jewish school of Toledo was the most renowned of all the schools in the Peninsula. This is the era of the — Moses ben Maimon (Mai monies), the illustrious disciple of Averroes; of the poet and philologist Aben- Ezra; of David Kimchi, of Isaac Pen- Sid, ete. The age of persecution of the Jews in Spain had set in several years before it reached Portugal, and the celebrated Academy of Lisbon flourished up to the end of the 15th century. But at last the unfortunate people were driven from that country,. and took up their scattered residences in France, Germany, Italy; and, _in fact, in most of the countries of Europe, where they could find the least toleration. At Leghorn they founded those printing establishments from which i ue at the — day a great number of the works published in Hebrew. The 17th century was more fatal to Judaism than even the centuries of persecution, for there sprang up within itself a more terrible p!ague than persecution — incredulity. It was the age of Spinoza the philosopher, who was of Jewish birth, but on account of his opinions, was_excommunicated by the synagogue. But even before his day the Hebrew language had been falling rapidly into disuse among the learned, who, with the exception of a few enthusiastic rabbis, employed in their works the language of the country in which they had settled. In Germany many of the writers of the 18th and 19th centuries are Jews, or of Jewish extraction, and are among the brightest names in her literature. We need orly mention those of Moses Mendel ohn, the _celebrated philosopher; Neander, He in rich Heine, Berth old Auerbach, etc.