Читать книгу Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ - Aaron Bernstein - Страница 13

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Aleksyeyev, Aleksander (called Wolf Nachlass), born in 1820, at Nazarevietz, government of Podolsk, of poor Jewish parents. At the age of ten he was impressed into military service by the press-gang (poimshchiki) of Nicolas I., and sent away to the distant city of Volsks, government of Saratov. It was the political and missionary policy of Nicolas I. to take young boys from their parents and to train them in military schools, so that after they had completed their service of twenty-five years, they might return home and act as missionaries to their parents. Aleksyeyev for a long time resisted Christian teaching, and the officials considered him a most stubborn subject. However, about 1845, he changed his views entirely, and not only became a member of the Orthodox Russian Church, but managed to convert about five hundred Jewish Cantonists, for which he was promoted in 1848 to the rank of a non-commissioned officer, and was honoured by the Emperor's thanks. About 1855, Aleksander was so unfortunate as to lose the use of his legs. He then settled in Novogorod, and during his long illness wrote the following works on ethnographic and missionary topics:—English titles: 1. "The Triumph of Christian Teaching over the Talmudic Teaching, or a Soul-saving Conversation of a Christian and a Jew on the Coming of the Messiah" (St. Petersburg, 1859); 2. "Religious Service, Holy Day and Religious Rites of the Jews To-day" (Novogorod, 1861); 3. "The Public Life of the Jews, their Habits, Customs and Prejudices" (ib. 1868); 4. "Colloquies of an Orthodox Christian with a Newly-Converted Jew" (St. Petersburg, 1872); 5. "A Former Jew for Monastries and Monasticism" (Novogorod, 1875); 6. "The Conversion to Christianity of an Observer of the Jewish Law" (ib. 1882); 7. "Do the Jews use Christian Blood?" (ib. 1886), and several others. His works are interesting, as he was the first Jew in Russia to give a description of the life and customs of his Jewish brethren. He refuted the absurd and criminal blood accusation.

Gregory Bar-Hebræus (son of a Hebrew) Abu Ab-Foraj Ibu Harun, Jacobite Syrian historian, physician, philosopher and theologian; born at Malatia, Asiatic Turkey, 1226; died at Moragha, Persia, 1286. Gregory first studied medicine under his father Aaron, who embraced Christianity, and was probably baptized in his youth. This accounts for his not being conversant with Hebrew, though he was well acquainted with Jewish doctrines. He was successively Bishop of Guba (1246), of Lakaba (1247), and of Aleppo (1253). In 1264 he was named "Mafriana," or Primate of the Eastern Jacobites, with his seat at Tekrit on the Tigris. Gregory was a prolific writer on theology, philosophy, ethics, history, grammar, medicine, mathematics and astronomy. Some of his works were written in Arabic, but most of them in Syriac. He was the last great Syriac writer, though he is important rather as a collector than as an independent writer. He is best known for his Syriac grammar, "Ketaba de Semhe," his "Chronicle" in two parts, ecclesiastical and political; his "Menarat Kudshe," a compendium of theology, philosophy, medicine, physics and metaphysics, and his scholia on the Old and the New Testament (Auzar Raze). In the last-named he occasionally cites readings from the Samaritan text; it is interesting to note that in a scholium to 2 Kings xvii. 28, he says: "The Law (i.e. text of the Pentateuch) of the Samaritans does not agree with that of the Jews, but with the Septuagint." He occasionally cites opinions of the Jews, e.g., on Ps. viii. 2, on the Shem Hamephorash (the name Jehovah). In the introduction to his commentary on Job he mentions as a writer the priest Asaph (brother of Ezra the Scribe), who identifies Job with Jobab. In speaking of the Apocryphal account of the death of Isaiah, he cites "one of the Hebrew books" as authority. (Nestle Marginalien ii. 48).

Rubinstein Anton Gregryevich (not to be confounded with Josef, also a Russian great musician), was born 1829, in the village of Wetchwotgretz, Bessarabia, died at Peterhof, near St. Petersburg, in 1894. His parents embraced Christianity, and the children were probably baptized when still young. Anton was first taught music by his mother (Katherina Khristoferovna, née Lowenstein), and then studied at Moscow. The great services rendered by him in the advance of music in Russia were recognized by the Czar, who decorated him with the Vladimir order.

Rubinstein Nikolai, born in Moscow 1835, died in Paris 1881, was the brother of the above, and was well-known in England.