The eighth period (1492 to 1755 A.D.) is not marked by much creative or spiritual force among the Jews. In Italy and the east (1492), in Germany and Poland (1550), in Hol land (1620), Jewish scholars worked printing-presses, while numerous authors wrote in Hebrew, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Judeo-German. Some of the most eminent theologians, philosophers, jurists, historians, mathematicians, poets, commen tators, lexicographers, grammarians, etc.. of this period were Isaac Ahravanel, Elia Misrachi, 1. Arama, J. Chabib, Eli Levita, 0 dio Seforno, Joseph Cohen, Gedalja Jahia, Sal. Usque, Asaria de Rossi, David de Pomi, David Gans, Isaac Troki, I, Luria, J. Karo, M. Alshech, M. Jafe, J. Heller. J. Aboab, Manasse b. Israel. Day. Comforte, Leo de Modena, B. Musaphia, J. Eybeschutz, D. Oppenheimer, J. Emden, M. C. Luzzatto, etc.
The ninth period extends from 1755 A.D. to the present time. Encouraged by the spirit of the 18th c. Moses Mendelssohn (q.v.) opened, to his coreligionists, n new era. which, as in the middle ages, first manifested itself in the national literature. Its char acter, contents, expression, and even its phraseology, were changed. Poetry, language, liis_tory. and literature have been earneli-firiited. The sacred books have liT:eritranslatedlik of modern Europe. and foreign works into Hebrew; and many of this once proscribed and detested race have taken an important part in the public and scientific life of Europe. Among the many illustrious names of this last period we can select only a few, like Ezechiel Landau, Elio Wilna. J. Berlin, Mendelssohn, Maimon, Bendavid, Mendez, Beer, Enchel, BC11SCV, S. Dubno, Creizenach, Zunz, Jost. Geiger, Rappoport, Dukes, Zedner, Furst, Sachs, Steinschneider, Munk, Salvador, Reggio, etc.—chiefly cultivators of literature, with reference to their own creed and nationality.
To epu werate_nainesof who Were ._and. are illustrious in general literature, .11 medicine, philology. mathematics, belles-lettres, etc., we cannot even attempt., since there is not one country in Europe which does not count Jews among the foremost and'most brilliant representatives of its intellectual-progress, Of Germany considered to be in vanguard of European learning—Bunsen says that the greater part of the professors at its universities and academies are Jews or of Jewish origin—(Nean der, Gans, Banary, Weil, Benfey, Stahl, Derdberg, Valentin, Lazarus. Herz, etc.)—
certainly a most startling fact. Another extraordinary and well-authenticated fact is, that the European press, no less than European finance, which means the freest develop ment of all the resources of soil and science for the gigantic enterprises of our day, are to a great extent in their power; while, on the other hand, names like Heinrich Heine, B. Borne, R. v. Ense, Berthold Auerbach, Henrik Herz, Jules Janin; Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Halevy, Meyerbeer, Moselleles. Joachim, Ernst, Rubinstein, Wieniawski, Grisi, Braham, Giuglini, Czillag, Costa; Rachel, Davison, Rott, Dessoir: Bendemann, etc., besides hosts of others less familiar to English ears, who shine in all branches of art, music, sculpture, painting, the drama, etc., show plainly how unjust is the reproach of their being an "abstract" people, without sense for the bright side of life and the arts that embellish it. Briefly, they are, by the unanimous verdict of the historians and philosophers of our times, e ,_pr to ers of of eivilizatfore- been their reward we have seen. Terrible has been the punighlitT:Tirfar-sins and shortcomings, real or imaginary, over which both Christians and Mohammedans have thought good, at different periods, to constitute themselves judges; and the most bieeous spot in the history of the last 2,000 years is the systematical but futile endeavor to sweep the "chosen race" from the face of the earth. "If there is a gradation in sufferings, Israel has reached the highest acme; if the long duration of sufferings, and the patience with which they are borne, ennoble, the Jews defy the high-born of all countries; if a literature is called rich which contains a few classical dramas, what place deserves a tragedy lasting a millennium and a half, com posed and enacted by the heroes themselves?" With these grand words of Zunz (8ynagogale Pocsie) we conclude our brief sketch, proudly pointing to the final triumph of humanity which belongs to our own day and generation.