HISTORY 335 



destruction of Jerusalem, 70 A.D. One more struggle 

 produced a further desolation of Judaea by the Emperor 

 Hadrian, who issued an edict forbidding circumcision, 

 the reading the Mosaic law (the Pentateuch), and the 

 observance of the Sabbath. 



Then the dispersion of the Jews over the world became 

 greatly augmented. It had indeed begun much earlier, 

 under the Ptolemies, and was, as before said, promoted 

 by Antiochus the Great, who settled large numbers in 

 various Asiatic cities. In the time of Cicero there was 

 already a wealthy community of Jews in Italy. After 

 Hadrian, the Jews spread throughout the Empire were 

 allowed to follow their old usages and rites, and new 

 synagogues and schools were erected in e,ll directions. 

 But they strictly maintained their racial distinctness 

 and remained a people apart and by themselves, in a 

 way quite different from any other people Egyp- 

 tians, Greeks, or Gauls which had their several 

 representatives in various parts of the Empire. This 

 fact is very characteristic of the Hebrews, but 

 most important of all is their strict monotheism and 

 their detestation of idolatry, whereby they had come to 

 differ so exceedingly from all other nations of that period 

 of the world's history, and most notably from their 

 brother Semites, the Pho3nicians of Syria, and the 

 Carthagenians. Part of their spirit of nationality was 

 due to, as it was intensified by, the various prophecies 

 which had led them to expect (though they rejected) the 

 Messiah, and which had caused various impostors or en- 

 thusiasts to assume to themselves that character during 

 the century which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem. 



The Jews had done nothing to advance either science 

 or art, and did not do so for centuries, nor till they 

 came closely in contact with the Greeks at Alexandria, 



