420
{ Phil. iii, το 8
6 τ Ῥεῖ. 1.6. h Rom. v. 4; 1 Ῥεῖ. i. 7.
1Add NN WD Pesh.
distinction between the Jews of the Dis- persion and the Palestinian Jews. The latter were for the most part peasants or artisans, while the former, congregated almost wholly in cities, were practically all traders (cf. iv. 13). In each case there was a restricted circle of the learned. The connection of the Dia- spora-Jews with Palestine became less and less close, until at last it consisted of little more than the payment of the annual Temple dues; with very many one visit in a lifetime to Jerusalem suf- ficed, and this was of course entirely dis- continued after the Destruction, when the head-quarters of Jewry became cen- tred in the Rabbinical academy of Jabne. From the present point of view, it is very important to bear in mind, above all, two points of difference between Palestinian and Diaspora-Jews, (1) Lan- guage, (2) Religion. (τὴ Among the former, Aramaic had displaced Hebrew ; Aramaic was the language of everyday life, as well as of religion (hence the need of the Methurgeman to translate the Hebrew Scriptures in the Syna- gogues); among the latter Greek was spoken. It is not necessary to insist upon the obvious fact that this difference of language brought with it a corre- sponding difference of mental atmosphere; the Jew remained a Jew, but his way of thinking became modified. (2) Their contact with other peoples brought to the Diaspora-Jews a larger outlook upon the world; at the same time, they could not fail to see the immeasurable superi- ority of their faith over the heathen cults practised by others. This resulted on their laying greater stress on the essen- tials of their faith; the ethical side of their religion received greater emphasis, the spirituality of belief became more realised, and it therefore followed of necessity that universalistic ideas grew, so that proselytism became, at one time, a great characteristic among the Dias- pora-Jews ; Judaism contained a message to all peoples, it was felt; and thus the particularistic character of Palestinian Judaism found no place among the Dias- pora-Jews. But, at the same time, the Bible of these Jews, which exercised an
2 δοκιμον 28a,