I., flourished. The document is described in the following terms by the cataloger:
“Naar, Josua b. Jacob. Traité en Espagnol dans lequel il y a prédit que la venue du Messie aura lieu en 1806 et la reconstruction de Jerusalem en 1808. Ms. de 23 pp., écrit à Curaçao de 5552-5554 (1792-1794). Inédit. Très rare.” — Its present whereabouts I have not been able to ascertain.
2. Joseph Samuel Christian Frederick Frey, a convert to Christianity, who was very zealous in his missionary labors in behalf of the Jews in England and America (born Sept. 21, 1771; died at Pontiac, Michigan, Jan. 5, 1850), was baptized May 8, 1798; came to the United States in 1816 and wrote a number of tracts in defense of the Jews. For biographical data and for lists of his works, see Sprague’s Annals, vol. VII, p. 757; McClintock and Strong’s Theological Encyclopedia, vol. III², pp. 664-5; Fuerst’s Bibliotheca Judaica, vol. I, p. 298; Steinschneider’s Bodleian Catalogue, pp. 986-7; his Bibliographisches Handbuch, p. 49, nos. 640-1; Zedner’s Catalogue of the Hebrew Books in the British Museum, pp. 102, 131, 258; Louis Meyer, himself a neophyte, gives a sketch of his American career in “The Jewish Era” (“a Christian Quarterly in behalf of Israel”) Chicago, 1900, vol. IX, no. 1, pp. 14-19.
Among his works is one on the Re-establishment of the Jews entitled : Judah and Israel; or The Restoration and Conversion of the Jews and Ten Tribes . . . . 8°, London, 1837.
It may be noted in passing that a recent addition to the literature on Zionism is the leaflet by the Rev. A. J. Frost, D. D., entitled, Restoration of Israel to Palestine, published as a supplement to “The Jewish Era,” January, 1900, consisting of 8 unnumbered pages, with a rather fanciful chart or map of “Syria and Arabia showing the Resettlement of the Twelve Tribes.” — Where he has found the long lost Ten Tribes he fails to say.
III.
A Bibliographic Curiosity on Zionism.
A carefully systematized index to the rather extensive literature touching the Restoration of the Jews is still a desideratum. As a meagre contribution to a future bibliography of Zionism, I offer the following item :
“On the | Jews’ Return to Palestine. | A short Essay | in | Answer to the Question, | “Is there sufficient evidence in God’s holy word to warrant the | belief of His having pledged Himself to His
ancient people | the Hebrews, that their descendants shall by Him be again | restored to the land of their fathers, and there resume | their ancient nationality and religious and civil polity?” | Read at Mr. J. F. Fortescue’s Christian Union | Institute, No. 8, St. Martin’s Place, Trafalgar | Square, London, | Tuesday, February 4th, 1862. | By Daniel Benham. | . . . . . London : Printed for Private Circulation. | 1862.”
This curious pamphlet contains 29 numbered pages in octavo and appears to be wholly unknown to bibliographers, for it is not mentioned in any catalogue. There seems to be no copy extant in any of the great European libraries, not even in the British Museum, that treasure-house of Jewish literature. My copy was picked up at an auction in Amsterdam, some months ago, for a mere bagatelle. The contents of this dissertation are not very edifying. It is an anthology of Biblical quotations chiefly Messianic and flavored with a strong Christian bias. From the opening sentence we learn that the author has dealt with the topic upon a previous occasion.
“Having, since our conference on this subject in the early part of the last year,” says he, “endeavored to learn how it has been treated, I find, amidst a chaos of opinions, that its discussion has been much more as a matter of opinion than of proof. I shall therefore discard the theoretic methods heretofore adopted, principally by those who advocate the Return, and pursue the enquiry as a matter of evidence — believing the unfulfilled declarations of God, to be as much matter of fact to be accomplished, as though they had actually been brought to pass : and, as the point at issue is purely historical, it must necessarily be dealt with in a historical form.
“The question before us, divested of needless incumbrance, resolves itself into a simple covenant or agreement made between two contracting parties ; the one, the Lord God Almighty ; the other, his adopted people. On the part of the one, His graciously condescending gratuitous engagement, insuring to his people the plenary possession of the land of Canaan, with all its concomitant benefits ; and requiring from them, they spontaneously consenting thereto, all due dependence upon Him and obedience to Him, with the view to His own glory and their happiness before all the nations of the earth.
“Let us endeavor to trace the origin and history of this Covenant.”
Here the author enters into an elaborate discussion of the History of this Covenant, considering its developement throughout the old Testament and adroitly leading up to the advent of