The Maccabaean

(Continued)

THE FIRST CENTURIES AFTER THE DESTRUCTION

With the destruction of the Temple and the loss of the semblance of political independence, the hegemony of Palestine suffered undoubtedly a great loss. The strongest cord had been snapped, yet the difference in the relation between Palestine and the Diaspora was little marked, in the first few centuries after the catastrophe. Too strong had been the knots that bound them to their mother country, to be loosened within a short time, and too weak as yet the Jewish colonial communities to be able to exist independently. Even the strongest centre, Babylon, was still for the most part dependent in all religious and civil questions upon Palestine. Judea was still the vital point, the nervous vivendi of the vast Diaspora. The place of Jerusalem was taken now by Jabne. It is here, that the builders of the nation came together and laid the foundation for the future of the people. The supreme academy took now the place of Temple, court and seat of authority, at the same time. It is thither that the faces of the dispersed children were turned in cases of perplexity and distress. The dispersed remnants of the zealots scattered to all the four winds of Goluth, kindled anew the flame of love for Palestine in the hearts of their brethren among whom they came, so that the affection that might have been chilled somewhat on account of the distance and catastrophe took on new strength, and in some places as in Cyrenica it reached the igniting point,

resulting in a rebellion against the Romans under Trajan. The hope of recovering Palestine had not died out entirely, and these thousands of fugitives acted as agents in kindling this hope, so that, as before, all eyes of the Diaspora were turned to Judea. Steps were taken even by the scholars of Palestine to strengthen that bond. The great R. Akiba undertook a personal visit of the most important centres of the Diaspora. He travelled through Babylon, Media and Asia Minor.(32). It is undoubtedly true that other scholars did the same thing. Some of the Palestinian scholars went visiting distant places; many references are found to that effect. (33). Palestine in the meanwhile held its prerogatives; ordination was exclusively its privilege, (34) and thus the key to its civil life was in its hands. Fixing the calendar was still their right. Any attempt to depart from that practice was strongly resented. A striking case is told in the Talmud where such an attempt on the part of R. Hanina, the nephew of R. Joshua, was treated with the utmost severity, even resulting in banning him, (35).

In the meantime a certain feverish activity was going on in Palestine, the work of studying and classifying the law and custom. The leaders of the movement were men of ability, and this made an additional bond, ad

(32). Aboda Zora 39a.

(33). Sabbath 26, where R. Jochanan Ben Nuri shows a considerable acquaintance with the life of Cappadocians.

(34. San 5a.

(35). Berochoth 63a.