HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
eut Europe, The pretext for calling 
this meeting was to devise some 
expedient for exciting a spirit of 
honest industry among the indivi- 
duals of the Jewish persuasion, in 
order to induce them to abandon . 
the scandalous and dishonest acts, to 
which the greatest part of them have 
Tecourse habitually to obtain a 
livelihood, These objects were 
stated to the convocation by M. 
Molé, in the name of the emperor, 
after which, various questions were 
proposed to its members, respecting. 
their laws and usages, which they 
were desired to consider maturely 
and answer at their leisure. The 
questions first put to them related 
to their use of polygamy and di- 
vorce among themselves, and to the 
lawfulness of their intermarriages 
with Christians. They were next 
asked, what civil relations they were 
permitted by their law to hold with 
ersons of a different religious per- 
suasion from themselves; whether 
they could lawfully render obedience 
to the civil laws and institutions of 
the state; and whether they consi- 
dered themselves bound to take up 
arms in its defence. They were 
then questioned about the jurisdic- 
tion and authority of their rabbins, 
and about the mode of their election; 
and they. were asked, whether their 
present usages in these respects might 
not lawfully be changed. Last ofall, 
they were questioned on the subject 
of usury. 
_ These inquiries had for their object 
hot only to shew that the Jews were 
not debarred by the peculiarities of 
their religion, from the enjoyment of 
the same civil privileges as the mem- 
bers of other religious communities, 
but to ascertain, whether the same 
influence and patronage, which the 
French government had acquired 
_ been summoned, 
219 
by. means of the concordat, over the 
clergy of the Catholic, Lutheran, — 
and reformed persuasions, might not 
be extended to the Jewish priesthood. 
The answers of the convocation were 
so conformable to the wishes of 
Bonaparte, that a grand sanhedrim 
was summoned to meet at Paris, for 
the purpose of considering the same_ 
questions, and giving a solemn opi-. 
nion with respect to them, which. 
should be afterwards considered as. 
obligatory on all persons professing, 
the law of Moses. The time fixed 
for the meeting of the sanhedrimy 
was the 20th of October; but as 
its discussions were prolonged to 
the ensuing year, it falls not within 
our province at present, to give an 
account of its deliberations. We 
cannot forbear, however, mention- 
ing in general, that the results of this 
assembly were satisfactory, and Core 
responded in every respect with the 
views and intentions for which it bad 
Its members were 
prevailed upon to acknowledge, that. 
their laws concerning marriage and 
divorce were subordinate to the 
regulations of the civil magistrate ; 
that their precepts respecting diet 
might be dispensed’ with during mi-. 
litary service, or absence from home 
for any other cause; that their 
present form of church government 
might be lawfully changed, having- 
no other origin but in views of 
expediency ; and that their prohibi- 
tion, and in other cases, their. 
permission of usury, related to cha=. 
ritable loans, and not to mercantile - 
transactions. In return for these 
concessions and explanations, thé 
French government undertook tg 
pay stipends to the Jewish ‘priest- 
hood, and succeeded in giving such 
aform to their church establishment, 
as ensured to the state a complete 
influence 
. 
