order. Rabbi David Ben Joseph Kimchi is the descendant of a family rich in intellectual resources. His father and his brother were both literary men, and his ancestors had for generations been rulers of synagogues, and chiefs of academies, in Arragon and Castille. His common appellation among the Jews is Radak, being the initials of his full name. He was born at Narbonne, in the province of Languedoc, in a year that has not been exactly fixed, but which must have been about the middle of the twelfth century. For we find mention made of him, as a man of note, in the year 1192, and he was already an infirm and aged man in the year 1232, when he was engaged in settling the controversy about the Moreh and the Maddah. Without the original genius of Maimonides, or the elegance of Rashi, or the diversified attainments of Aben Ezra, David Kimchi was no mean man. He is the prince of Hebrew grammarians, and the great lexicographer of the Jews. He is also a judicious commentator on the Old Testament; and, divested of much of the superstitions of Judaism, he is sharp in his opposition to what he deemed Christianity, namely, that corrupt form of religion that is presented by the Church of Rome. It is especially in his exposition of some of the Psalms that Radak dips his pen in gall, and bites and barks at the Christians. But the childishness of some of his objections is so great, as only to shew us the uncommon power of prejudice, and the extreme weakness in some points of even the strongest minds. Of this there is a very striking illustration in his objections to the Trinity of persons in one God. He is speaking of that well-known passage in the book of Genesis, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;" So God created man in his own image; in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Kimchi is desirous of destroying the argument for a plurality of persons in the Godhead, that arises from these words; and, after endeavouring to explain away their force, by a reference to what he calls the royal mode of speaking, and a quotation from 2 Samuel xvi. 20, "Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you (or, to you) what we shall do;" feeling, we suppose, that this plural verb, "what we shall do," may undoubtedly include Ahithophel and the other conspirators along with Absalom, and not refer to Absalom alone, he has recourse to another expedient, which is so absurd and original, that, as a specimen of the wisdom of the ancients being turned into folly, we give exactly in his own words :My lord, my father of blessed memory," says he, "gave as his explanation, that God spoke as it were over the four elements, because he had said of the other things created, Let the earth bring forth;' 'Let the earth bud with grass;'

Kimchi: his Criticism.

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'Let the waters bring forth abundantly; but in man, wishing to place a superior spirit, he therefore says, 'Let us make,' and in the same manner, in our image.' For the spirit is after the image of things above, and the body after the image of things below." Such is the famous exposition of the learned Joseph Kimchi, the father, as adduced and patronised by the learned David Kimchi, the son; an exposition which, if it proves anything, tells us that, whilst "the earth" and "the waters" are expressly specified by name, when the one is commanded to abound with grass, and the, other with fishes; on the other hand, the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water, are to be elegantly understood as directly addressed, although their names are never mentioned, when God says, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:" an exposition which, if it proves anything, proves too much; for it does not merely explain away the plurality of persons in the Godhead, it debases the Godhead, by equalising Him with the things that are made, and reduces all to an immense pantheistic chaos, one huge mass of atheism.

But it is chiefly as a verbal critic, a strictly grammatical commentator, that Kimchi excels. Where his prejudices as a Jew do not interfere, he is at once enlightened and generous. And he has earned immortal honour by his defence of the fair fame of Maimonides; in allaying the evil spirit of stupid and malignant bigotry, that fastened upon the writings of that great man, and howled over his grave. The Jews of Montpellier having denounced Maimonides, and his Morèh and Maddah, those of Narbonne excommunicated the three ringleaders at Montpellier. Those of Montpellier, in their turn, despatched a messenger with letters to the sages and synagogues in other parts of France; and, stirring up the Jews, threw back excommunications and anathemas upon those of Narbonne, and all who favoured the writings of Maimonides. The Jews of Narbonne, at this juncture, perceiving the devouring flame that was kindled, appointed Rabbi David Kimchi, a man now of age and experience, to proceed to all the synagogues of the old kingdoms of Catalonia and Arragon, and urgently press upon them, that all cities, provinces, and synagogues, should meet and deliberate, and take steps for settling this dispute, and putting down those factious men.* Kimchi having commenced his journey, could not complete it, but, hindered by bad weather and indifferent health, stopped mid way. But what he could not transact personally, he accomplished by his letters. For, in a short time, not only by the chief rabbis of those countries, but by the collective and united synagogues, with one common

Buxtorf's Preface to Moreh Nevochim, p. 16.

consent, were hurled solemn excommunications and withering anathemas, by which Rabbi Solomon ben Rabbi Abraham, of Montpellier, and Rabbi Jonas, who afterwards apostatised, and David ben Saul, who by Gematria, or a transmutation of letters, was nicknamed the son of a menstruous woman, were all three smitten and laid prostrate. A few, however (among whom, Rabbi Joseph ben Alpháchar, held the first place), still remained firm, on the side of Rabbi Solomon and his partizans. Nor is it to be wondered at, says the younger Buxtorf, for it is an old proverb among the rabbis, that every schemer hates the scheme that outwits him.* On the transpiring of these events, the French sages, who had first countenanced the excommunications and anathemas, were seized with fear and trembling, so that regretting the step that they had taken, they were heartily ashamed, and begging the forgiveness of those of their own. province, made the most humble apology. But, the prime mover of all this dissension was not so speedily brought to his senses. Rabbi Solomon, perceiving that he was not supported by the French Jews, and that he could not accomplish the object of his desire, betook himself to the Christians; and, in the first instance, in fact, applied to the lowest and most degraded of the multitude, and persuaded them, that sundry heretics had arisen among the Jews, who entertained certain pernicious dogmas, imbibed from the writings of Maimonides; as they were in the habit of burning their own heretics, he expressed his wish, that they would proceed against the heretics of his nation in the same manner; and, in the mean time, that they would adopt measures to have the books, Moreh and Maddah, committed to the flames. Nor did Rabbi Solomon rest here, but proceeded also to the prelates of the Romish Church, and addressed them in the same manner, so that the matter at length reached the cardinal, who at that time presided over the churches of Spain; the Jews were thrown into the utmost danger, and made a general reproach. But the Roman ecclesiastics had the good sense to perceive the merits of the Moréh and the Maddah; the sacred censors refused to condemn the books; and the very persons, who, on other occasions, have not scrupled to burn the Jews by thousands, making with the greatest gusto an auto de fè of their victims, dressed with the san-benito, and adorned with dancing devils, constrained by the overruling providence of God, allowed the heretics, in the present instance, to go free.

Such is a short abstract of the progress of this great controversy, which Rabbi David Kimchi had the chief merit of

*Preface to Moreh Nevochim, p. 16.

† Buxtorf's Preface to Moreh Nevochim, p. 17.

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bringing to a close. This he accomplished whilst residing under the roof of Judah Kashiit, at Abula, by the letters which he addressed to Rabbi Joseph Ben Alphacar, a physician, and the chief rabbi at Toledo (which are still extant among the correspondence of Maimonides),* as well as by his negotiations, and his general influence at once with the Jewish and the Gentile community. It is refreshing to find one rabbi thus defending the honourable reputation of another, staying the devastation of ignorant prejudice and bigoted barbarity, that would have swept away the finest monuments of Hebrew literature and genius; and with all Kimchi's prejudices against Christianity, still cheering on with a helping hand that brighter era in his nation's history, which, in process of time, is destined to usher in the full and overwhelming conviction that Jesus of Nazareth is "the Desire of all nations," "the Prince of the kings of the earth," "a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel."

David Kimchi was now well stricken in years, and we are not aware that he was engaged in any prominent occupation after his labours in the great controversy. Few men stand more high in the veneration of his countrymen. In allusion to his name, which signifies a miller, it is a common saying among the Jews, лn 8 pp 18 px, Im én Kemach, én Thora, "If there be no Kemach, there is no Thora;" that is, "If there be no meal, there is no law for the grinding of it." And, again, Пpp by пpp, En Kemach beli Kimchi, "There is no Kemach without a Kimchi;" that is, "There is no meal without a miller;" "no learning without Kimchi." He is also called, D'PP, Rosh Hammedakdekim, "The Prince of Grammarians." And that not merely in reference to his work on grammar, but in relation to his expositions of sacred Scripture. As a strict grammatical interpreter, at once faithful and precise, and free from superstition, he is esteemed the most eminent of the Jewish commentators.

There are just other two Rabbis, to whose lives, if space permitted, we proposed shortly to allude, namely, Ralbag, and Abarbanel. We shall therefore endeavour to touch on the most striking points of their lives and characters, in as few words as possible.

Ralbag is the Jewish contraction, effected by the union of the initial letters of the full name of Rabbi Levi ben Gerschom. He was born in the year 1290. His father was a Spaniard by birth, and wrote a treatise styled Down we, Schar Haschamaim, "The Gate of Heaven;" his maternal grandfather was the cele

Vita celebrium Rabbinorum, p. 88. Wolfii Bibliotheca Hebræa, vol. i.

p. 310.

"A

brated Rabbi Moses bar Nachmàn, otherwise called Rambàn; and his grandson, by his daughter, was Rabbi Simeon bar Zemach, otherwise called Rishbatz, all distinguished as men of literature. Ralbag himself was born at Bagnols, in Provence; whence he is commonly called "Magister Leo de Bagnolo."* By profession a physician, he gave himself to the pursuit of Theology; but, although not destitute of learning, we cannot say with great success. He wrote treatises on philosophy, mathematics, and logic, such as as the following, viz, Short Exposition on Aben Raschid, that is, Averroes on the Logic of Aristotle;" Comments on the Commentaries of Averroës on the Physics of Aristotle;" "A Treatise on the Heavens and the Earth, their Generation and Corruption ;" another "On the Human Soul;" a third "On Arithmetic and Astronomy, including Astrology;" a fourth, "On the Precepts of the Jews;" and, last of all, "Comments on the Ghemaròth;" that is, Commentaries on the Expositions of the Mishna.

Besides all these works, he wrote, in the year of our Lord 1325, his famous work, be minorbo, Milhamoth Haschem, otherwise called mm morbo, Milhamoth Adonai, "The Wars of the Lord," in which he treats of the immortality of the soul, of the knowledge of things future, of the prescience of God, of divine providence, of the heavens and their motion, of the creation of the world, and whether it be eternal. Such are the topics discussed, in so many distinct parts, by Ralbag, in his "Wars of the Lord." It is one of the mournful illustrations of the native result of "science falsely so called," and of that judicial blindness with which God has visited the Jews, that in this work, Ralbag, seduced by the opinions and authority of Aristotle and Avicenna, maintains that the gift of prophecy is not gratuitous, but depends on certain natural powers of body and of mind; and inclines to the belief that the world in which we live, although having undergone various changes, is in itself without beginning, and shall be eternal. In speaking of the 32d chapter of Genesis, and the persevering energy of Jacob, Ralbag has the strange hardihood to assert, that the gift of prophecy dwells only in a man that is "wise, brave, rich, and of tall stature !"+ Well may we exclain, in such circumstances, with the prophet Jeremiah, "How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them."

Yet this same rabbi has written Commentaries on all the

Vitæ Celebrium Rabbinorum, p. 103. † Ibid. p. 103.

Jeremiah viii. 8, 9.