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In a note to Archdeacon Hodson's last Charge, he expresses his regret that, by a misplaced confidence in this Magazine, he has been betrayed into erroneous and exaggerated statements relative to the state of religion among the dissenters, says that Dr. Pye Smith's sermon called his attention to the subject,-that he examined and found that some of the quotations by the writer in the British Magazine were garbled, and that there was great unfairness in others,-and that he was not aware that these inaccuracies had been fully exposed in the "Congregational Magazine" for May, 1833. Archdeacon Hodson, Dr. Smith, the dissenters, and the "Congregational Magazine," will at least do this Magazine the justice to allow that it does not attempt to conceal this formidable rebuke, or hide its disgrace. Whatever circulation it has attained, it thus uses to proclaim that it has fallen under Archdeacon Hodson's displeasure and censure. The only matter of surprise is, that the extreme candour which Archdeacon Hodson exhibits in this Charge towards every enemy of the church was not exercised towards a writer whose great learning and talents have already secured him the respect of all its friends, and whose earnest and lofty tone of Christian piety and of Christian zeal in the papers thus denounced by Archdeacon Hodson, would, without any other claims, have secured him the sympathy and regard of most readers. How is it, then, that Archdeacon Hodson, who talks so confidently of this writer's errors being exposed, and of his own ignorance of the fact till Dr. P. Smith's sermon put it before him, overlooked another fact, viz., that this fancied exposure was, at the time, noticed repeatedly in the British Magazine itself, and that the writer in question inserted his reply to it,-met it fully and manfully,—and most willingly left the decision of the question to candid readers, observing, that the dissenters might gnaw at his quotations, but they would find them of iron? That writer is abroad at present; and were he at home, the Editor doubts whether he would notice such general and uncandid censure as Archdeacon Hodson's. If Archdeacon Hodson likes to go into details, he shall be fully met. A general assertion can only be met by a general assertion; and, in justice and truth, the Editor must therefore say, that the quotations which in Archdeacon Hodson's opinion are garbled and unfair, are, in his, neither the one nor the other.

A Correspondent is much struck with observing the large number of persons in the list of Ordinations, given in the last Number, who appear to have been ordained without a degree. He will find, on examination, that they are (with one exception) the persons ordained by the Bishop of Chester; and, as many of them are stated to be of Oxford and Cambridge, there can be no doubt that this has simply arisen from the paper which gave the Ordinations omitting the degrees. There are very many at this Ordination from Dublin, but probably they too had degrees. The candidates from St. Bees had no degrees, but the Bishops of the Northern Dioceses have long been compelled, from the poverty of the livings, to admit candidates who could not go to the expense of an University education. The one exception alluded to is a simple case of error in the paper whence it was taken. For " Clark, Thomas, M.A.," without College or University, read "Clark, George, B.A., University College, Oxford."

:-" M. V.," "B.," "R. C. B.," "X.,"

The following are received, with thanks :

"H. Y.," "Littoralis," and "H.," and shall be used as soon as possible.

Mr. Williams's Letter on Philip Henry shall be inserted in the next Number.

Lord Caernarvon's admirable speech in the Lords will, it is to be hoped, be printed in a separate form; and Mr. Goulburn's masterly argument on the admission of dissenters to the University ought to have more than a private circulation.

"H." on Perambulations, " V. M.." "L. W.," and "G. F.," are in type.

The conclusion of Mr. Huyshe's elaborate treatise on the character of our Received Text will be given in the next Number.

The excellent translations from Filicaja, &c. are received, with much gratitude, and shall be used.

"A Subscriber" from Maidstone, "Clericus" on the Registration Bill, and an excellent letter from "Clericus Herefordiensis," shall be used in the next Number. They were too late for this, as was " Alpha."

Many thanks for the translations from the Breviary. The more from that quarter the better.

Jacob Abbot's "Corner Stone" seems to be a powerful book, full of thought and striking views, though containing much very exceptionable matter. Dr. Pye Smith's excellent Preface deserves to be read generally, and especially by those who quarrel with phrases and words in books generally excellent.

The Editor is sorry that he cannot use the article on the "Statistics of the Scottish Kirk" for three or four numbers to come. He will then communicate farther with the respectable author of the paper.

ERRATA.

In the last Number, in the article of Burlington Church, Yorkshire, Note, p. 131, for Christchurch, Twynam, read Christchurch- Twynam. Ibid., in the list of Churches belonging to this class, Hexham, Northumberland, is omitted. P. 136, for Gaun, Manley, read Gaunt, Mauley; for Bristoyk, read Bristvyk.

BRITISH MAGAZINE.

OCTOBER 1, 1834.

ORIGINAL PAPERS.

MOSES MENDELSOHN AND JEWISH REFORM.

MOSES MENDELSOHN, when spoken of in connexion with the reformed Jews, must be considered in his character of Reformer. As a literary man, his name is well known. He was one of those remarkable persons whose intellectual energy enables them to attain to eminence in spite of poverty, unfavourable circumstances, and infirm bodily constitution. Educated a rabbinical Jew, he had to overcome his own prejudices and those of Christians. But he gradually triumphed over all difficulties, and was at last acknowledged both by Jews and Christians to be, in some respects, one of the first of his cotemporaries. In this respect the Jews may apply to him the words in which they eulogize Moses Maimonides, "that from Moses to Moses there arose not alike unto Moses." But Mendelsohn is to be considered not only as a genius, but as a reformer. His brilliant career could not be uninfluential on his brethren. He shewed them that there was other knowledge besides that of the Talmud well worthy of their acquisition, and that a Jew, notwithstanding all the unjust prejudices against the nation, could attain and maintain high literary fame in the Christian learned world. The fact that his most celebrated works were written in German, and in such German as to call forth the admiration and applause of Lessing, and other celebrated German writers of the day, naturally turned the attention of his brethren to that language. Before his time, German was regarded by the Jews as a Gentile, and therefore a profane, language. Hebrew was the language of the learned, and Jewish the vernacular dialect of the great majority. Mendelsohn's translation of the Pentateuch and the Psalms, though printed in Jewish characters, introduced a purer dialect, and accustomed the youth to the diction and construction of pure German. His other works allured them to learn the German character, and then VOL. VI.-Oct. 1834. 3 A

taught them to value European literature, which their countryman prized so highly, and cultivated with such success. Óf course, there were many other Jews besides Mendelsohn, who were literary and scientific men, but I speak of the nation. This one circumstance the introduction of German, and a taste for general literature-was sufficient to produce a mighty change amongst the Jews. In fact it was itself a revolution. An old fashioned rabbinical Jew in Poland still looks with horror upon the acquisition of Galchas Taitsch. And a Jew who reads epikorsische bücher (epicurean books), as Christian books are called, runs a risk of losing his character. The fact that Moses Mendelsohn broke down this one prejudice, shews incontrovertibly the weight of his character, and the powerful influence which he exercised over the Jewish mind. The Jews read German, loved German literature, and learned to esteem German authors. From that moment the rabbinic spell was broken. Parents wished to see their children little Mendelsohns; for this, German was necessary. The study of German and profane literature was, therefore, preferred to the rabbinical writings. German history, poetry, philosophy, and romances were vastly more agreeable to the youthful mind than the scholastic disputations of the Talmud and the Rabbies. Rashi and Kimchi, Shulchem Aruch and Zosaphoth, were laid on the shelf. Schiller and Wieland, Wolf and Kant, were the favourite books of the holy nation, the kingdom of priests, the sons of Abraham.

But Mendelsohn was not a reformer simply by influence. He was one also by intention. Such, at least, is the opinion of his brethren. Dr. Jost says:

"We place Mendelsohn, notwithstanding his strict rabbinical observances, amongst the opposers of rabbinism. Although the most zealous rabbies have not been able to detect, in his Hebrew writings, the spirit of departure, we believe that we are fully justified in directly considering him as the author of the opposing system. We go even farther, and assert that this opposition was not a fortuitous result of his writings, and their application to the instruction of youth; but that he was himself conscious of his purpose, and directed his activity to the object of giving to the Jewish religion another foundation from that which it was supposed to have to spiritualize, to raise it,— and with it to deliver his co-religionists from darkness, and to dispel a cloud of prejudices."

This opinion is confirmed by extracts from Mendelsohn's writings. Two of his sentiments are directly opposed to the whole rabbinic system. The one, that the right of excommunication or exclusion is contrary to the prime object of a religious community. "Every other society," says he, " has the right of exclu

The Jews call a popish priest, from his tonsure, Gallach; and pure German, Galchas Taitsch, or priest's German. + Vol. ix. p. 65.