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Critical Notices. 353
Geschichte der Juden in. Bom von der dltesten Zeit Us zur Oegenwart
(2,050 Jahre). Von Dr. A. Berliner. Frankfurt am Main, 1893.
Two vols. (History of the Jews at Rome from the earliest time
to the present, comprising 2,050 years.)
Nobody could have been better prepared for writing the later history
of the Jews at Rome than Dr. Berliner, who has paid so many visits
to Rome, not only to investigate the Hebrew MSS. in the Vatican
Library, but also the Municipal documents concerning the Jews.
As forerunners he" has already published two important pamphlets,
viz., Aus den letzten Tagen des ronisehen Ghetto (1886), and Gensur
und Confiscation hebr'discher Bucher im, Kirehenstaate (1891), as well
as articles which appeared in his Magasin fur die Wissensehtift des
Judenthums, and elsewhere.
The work is divided into two volumes. Vol. I. has for its object
the history of the Jews in heathen Rome, viz., from 160 B.C. to 315
a.d. Here we cannot expect many new facts, after Mommsen's
History of Borne, and P. Manfrin's Gli Ebrei sotto la dominazione
romarta. Still, the complete apergu of this epoch is useful, and more
especially the translation of the inscriptions in the catacombs.
The second volume has for its object the history of the Jews in
Christian Rome (viz., from 315 a.d. to 1885), which is divided into
two parts : (1) From the beginning of the Christian domination (315)
to the exile into the Ghetto (1555) ; (2) From 1555 to 1885. The first
mention of a Jewish community at Rome is under Pope Gregory
the Great ; but it is most likely that the Jews had remained in
Rome through all vicissitudes. Dr. Berliner discusses the synagogues
which are reported at Rome, of which he mentions the Porcaleone,
Bozecco, and Gallichi ; others remain doubtful.
Here follows a chapter which will be new for those who read, for
instance, M. Rodocanacbi's book on the Ghetto ; it treats of the
literary occupation of the Jews at Rome. The first place is given
to the famous liturgist, Eleazar Qalir, who, according to an hypo-
thesis, lived in the eighth century at Portus, near Rome. It is not
the place here to discuss this hypothesis. Dr. Harkavy, who believes,
and perhaps rightly, that Qalir lived in Palestine (Tiberias), promises
to bring forward his arguments, which we await with curiosity. The
first literary Jew who may be said to belong to Rome with certainty
was Meshullam ben Qalonymos, of Lucca. The Talmud scholars at
Rome were, according to Haya Gaon (1032), not very important. Dr.
Berliner mentions family names in Hebrew which were found at Rome,
such as DWIKn (de Bossi), D^ITlQnn (de Points), Dnj»n (Giovani),
and others. There were many physicians and artisans. The pride of
354 The Jewish Quarterly Review.
Jewish learning at Rome was the famous Nathan, son of Jehiel,
author of the Arueh. The father, as well as th6 two brothers, Abra-
ham and Daniel, are also known ; they are quoted as the '"I JV3 *31KJ
?N*ni. The words of Benjamin of Tudela concerning his visit to
Rome are then given (in German translation). The classical epoch
finishes with the poet Immanuel ben Solomon, the friend of Dante,
and the sons of Abraham, "VUX, Benjamin, and the more celebrated
Zedekia.
Next comes a chapter on the last Pope at Rome before the transfer
to Avignon. It was Bonifacius VIII., one who could not bear oppo-
sition, and naturally the Jews were the first to feel his hand. Still,
he favoured the Jewish physician, Angelo Manuel, whom he styled
" familiaris." In a following chapter we find the names of Isaac
Zarphati, Bonet de Lates, Jacob Mantino, Obadja Sforno, Elia
Bachur, and others, concluding with the famous David Reubeni
and Solomon Molkho. This carries us on to the sixteenth century,
when we find at Rome seven synagogues, used by the Jews
who immigrated from various countries, such as Italy, Catalonia,
Castile, Sicily, besides the German and French Jewish colony, who
had no special synagogue. Many of these synagogues had to be given
up when the Jews were relegated to the Ghetto. This chapter is
full of interest for the interior history of the Jews at Rome, being
taken from documents in the Jewish archives. In these portions
Dr. Berliner's book is original, and very instructive. And with this
ends Part I. of the second volume, which is followed by learned
notes concerning the literary names mentioned.
We come now to the second part, which begins with Cardinal Car-
raffa, later on Pope Paul IV. (1555), who cut all the threads of life
of the Jews by forbidding them to exist except in the Ghetto. This
part is indeed, on the whole, the most interesting of Dr. Berliner's book,
and here are original documents in abundance. In the fourth chapter
is given still more of the interior history of the Jews in Rome. The
indexes which follow each volume greatly facilitate the finding of
facts and literary matters. The last is completely ignored in M.
Rodocanachi's excellent book on the Ghetto. This second part does
not lack notes concerning the documents used by the author.
Dr. Berliner has done well to dedicate the first volume to F. D.
Mocatta, Esq., an English Maecenas for Jewish literature, and the
second to the memory of Samuel Alatri and Isidore Loeb. He
also acknowledges his thanks to the keepers of various archives at
Rome, and more especially to Signor Tranquillo Ascarelli, and his
colleague, Signor Crescenzo Alatri, who put their knowledge of the
Jewish archives at Dr. Berliner's disposal.
A. Neubauer.
