Restoration of the Jews. — The Jews, as is well known, deny the accomplishment of the prophecies in the per- son of .Jesus. The Reformed Jews (see below) deny the promise of a personal Messiah altogether; but the or- thodox, the greater part of the Jews, hold that the Mes- siah has not yet come, but that they will be redeemed at the appoi/ifed time, when he of whom the prophets spoke sliall make his appearance in great worldly pomp and grandeur, subduing all nations, and restoring the sceptre of universal rule to the house of Judah. Then there sliall reign universal peace and happiness in all the eartli, never again to be interrupted, and to the Jewisli fold shall return those of the flock that strayed into the Christian and Jlohammedan folds ; then idola- try shall cease in the world, and all men acknowledge the unity of God and his kingdom. (Comp. Zech. xiv, 9, "xVnd the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.) This restoration shall be effected, not on account of any merits of their own, but for the Lord's sake ; so as to se- cure their own righteousness, and the perfection to which they shall attain after their deliverance. (Atone- ment for sin is made by the fulfilling of the law and by circumcision, and not, as the Christian holds, by the sac- rifice of the Messiah.) For the Christian doctrine of the Restoration of the Jews, sec Restoration.
JUDALSM, CONSERVATIVE. The gradual eman- cipation of the Jews in Germany, which, however, did not become final anywhere until 1818, and which was rendered complete in IJavaria so recently as ISGfi, in- Bcnsil,ly diminished the influence of Talm'udical studies and of Itabbinical lore as the paramount obligation of hfe. Compelled, happily, to bear their own share in tlieir deliverance from oppression, the Jews became more and more attached to the land of their nativitv, and more and more estranged from the traditional all^ glance to the king.lom of Israel. Their love for Pales- tnw, intense and impassioned as ever, has assumed a <Ufferent form. Their union and fellowship no longer rcpresente.l a nationality yearning to be released from captivity, but settled down into the indissoluble affec- tion of race and a common faith, not inconsistent with ties of citizenship in the world.
In 1807, when Napoleon convened the so-called Jew- ish Sanhedrim, with a view of establishing the relations between the empire and the Jews resident in France, the first official and authoritative expression of the trans- formed Jewish sentiment was published. In effects,it was a defence of the Jew who had for centuries been de- nied the rights of man, and pronounced unfit for citizen- ship. It declared that the Jews of France recognise in the fullest sense the French people as their brethren ; that France is their country; that the Jews of France recognise as paramount the laws of the land, and their religious tribunals have no authority in conflict with the civil courts and national laws; that the Talmud en- joins the pursuit of a useful trade and prohibits usury ; that jiolygamy is forbidden and divorce permitted.
The Jews of France were equal to the promise of the Sanhedrim. They proved good citizens, and faithfully adhered to their distinct religious belief and practice. The chief rabbi of France has been recognised as of cor- responding dignity with the archbishop of Paris, and in the distribution of state aid to ecclesiastical institutions the Jews have been admitted to their proportionate share. The Jews of France, like those of Great Britain and Holland, are Conservative. The form of worship has not materially changed to this day. The Portu- guese ritual is followed at one of the Paris synagogues, as at London and Amsterdam. The German or Polish ritual is otherwise the ride.
In Great Britain, about the j'ear 1842, the key-note of progress Avas struck by a Jewish congregation at Lon- don, followed by that of Manchester. There arc now only two congregations in the United Kingdom denj'- ing the authority of the chief rabbi. In Great Britain, France, and Holland, there exists a recognised ecclesias- tical authority. The administration of religious affairs is conducted nearly upon the Episcopal system. The spirit of the churches in these three countries is ex- tremely conser\'ative. Nevertheless, great latitude is al- lowed to individual believers, and what would have been regarded as capital sins a century ago are considered trivial to-day. It may be said that the Jews have thor- oughly assimilated themselves to the rest of the popula- tion. In France their conservatism is formal rather than substantial, and the nonconformist is treated with great liberality. That he violates the sanctity of the Jewish Sabbath is not necessarily a disqualification for high of- fice in the congregation. The ministers are expected to live consistently with their professions; the laity arc not sharply criticised. In England conservatism is de- cided, authoritative, uncompromising. Nonconformists are on suiferance, and are rarely allowed a voice in the administration of synagogual affairs. In Holland lib- erty has dealt kindly with the Jewish people, who are prominent in the state and in commerce, in science, in learning, and in art, and are at once conservati\-e and tolerant in their religious views, while consistent in the conduct of the synagogue. There are successful Con- servative colleges or theological seminaries at Paris, London, Amsterdam, Breslau, Berlin, and Wurzburg.