Among the first things to be accomplished by the Jews of Palestine at this period of their history was the elec- tion, in place of the late (iamaliel II ((i. v.),of a patriarch from the eminent rabbins who had escaped the sword of the lioman conqueror. A synod congregated at Us- cha (([. v.), and .Simon ben-Oamarul. presenting the best hereditary' claims for this distinguished office, was cho- sen, and intrusted with the reconstruction of the syna- gogue an<l school at Jamnia (q. v.), there to re-estab- lisli with fresh efficiency a rabbinical apjiaratus. Soon another and more important institution was founded on the banks of the Lake Gennesarcth, in the pleasant town of Tiberias (q. v.). Here also was reorganized tlie Sanliedrim (q. v.), until .Judaism was brought to stand out even in bolder relief than it had dared to do since the cjilamities under Titus. In a great meas- ure this success of the Jews was due to the Eomans, who, under the government of the Antonines, mitigated their severity against this unfortunate people, restoring to them many ancient privileges, and permitting them to enjoy even municipal honors in common witli other citizens. Indeed, of Antoninus Pius, Jewish ^vriters as- sert that he h.ad secretly become a convert to their faith (comp. .lost, CVwA. d.jsrmlitvn, bk. xiii, ch. ix), but for this statement there seems to be no very good reason; at least Criitz (desc/i. dcr Judcii, iv, 225^ 226) does not even allude to it. jNIost prominently associated with Gamaliel II in this work of reconstruction, among the Jews of the West, were Meir, Juda, .lose, Simon ben- Jochai. to whose resjjective biographical articles we re- fer for further details; also Juda Ila-Nasi, the succes- sor of ( Iamaliel II. In IJabylonia likewise the Jews had strained every nerve to regain their lost power and in- (hience, and tiiey had established a patriarchate verv much like lliat of the West. At first they had looked to the Homan Jews for counsel, and had virtually ac- knowledged the superiority of tlieir Jerusalem brethren in all spiritual matters, confining to temporal matters alone tlie office of the Jl<sh (ubttlnt (q. v.), or, "Prince of the CaiJtivity," as they called their rulers; but as the chances for a rebuilding of the Temple and a return to power in flic holy city grew less and less, they de- termined, encouraged by the growing celebrity oftheir own schools at Nisibis (q. v.) and Nahardea "(q. v.), to establish their total independence of the schools of Pal- estine, and to unite in tlieir otliccr Kesh Gelutha, who
was chosen from those held to be descended from the house of David, both spiritual and temporal authority (see Etheridge, Inirod. to Heh. Lit. p. 152, 153). We are told of the Hesh Gelutha that, after the consolidation of the temporal and spiritual offices, he exercised a power almost despotic, and, though a vassal of the king of Per- sia, he assumed among his own people the style of a mon- arch, lived in great splendor, had a body-guard, counsel- lors, cup-bearers, etc. ; in fact, his government was quite an imperium in imperio, and possessed a thoroughly sac- erdotal, or at least theocratic character. His subjects were, many of them at least, extremely wealthy, and pursued all sorts of industrial occupations. They were merchants, bankers, artisans, husbandmen, and shep- herds, and, in particular, had the reputation of being the best weavers of the then famous Babylonian gar- ments. What was the condition of the Jews at this time further east we cannot tell, but it seems cjuite certain that they had obtained a footing in China, if not before the time of Christ, at least during the 1st cen- tury. They were first discovered by the Jesuit mission- aries of the 17th century. They did not appear ever to have heard of Christ, but they possessed the book of Ezra, and retained, on the whole, a very decided na- tionalism of creed and character. From their language, it was inferred that they had originally come from Per- sia. At one time they would appear to have been high- 1}' honored in China, and to have held the highest civil and militarj' offices. In India also they gained a foot- hold, and since the Russian embassies into Asia Jews have been found in many places (see North A meiican Rerieic, 1831, p. 244).
lieverting to the Jews of the Poman empire, we find them perfectly resigned to their fate, and comparatively prosperous, until the time of Constantine the (ireat (q. v.). Indeed, the closing part of the 2d and the first part of the 3d century will ever remain among the most memorable years in the annals of Jewish history. It was during this period that Judah Hakkodcsh (q. v.) flourished, and it was under his presidency over the school at Tiberias that the Jews proved to the world that, though they were now left without a metropolis, without a temple, and even without a country, they could still continue to be a nation. Driven from the sacred city, they changed Tiberias into a kind of Jerusa- lem, where, instead of building in wood and stone, they employed workmen in rearing another edifice, which even to this day continues to proclaim the greatness of the chosen people of God after their dispersion — the Mishna (q. v.), and the Gemara, better known as the Babylonian Talmud (q. v.), the so-called Oral Late re- duced to writing, arranged, commented upon, and ex- plained, which became in the course of a few centuries a complete Digest or Encyclopaedia of the law, the re- ligion, and the nationality of the Jews. See R AnniNis."*!.