{ "language": "en", "title": "On Resurrection of the Dead", "versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org", "versionTitle": "Sefaria Community Translation", "actualLanguage": "en", "languageFamilyName": "english", "isSource": false, "direction": "ltr", "heTitle": "על תחיית המתים", "categories": [ "Jewish Thought" ], "text": { "Translator's Introduction": [], "Title Page": [], "Dedicatory Letter of the Latin Edition": [], "Dedicatory Letter of the Judeo Spanish Edition": [ "Dedication Letter from the Judeo-Spanish Edition
To the great and learned Lord Enrique Hofficer, sole son of the receiver of customs duties for the illustrious gentlemen in the general states of the United Provinces; and master of the same scriptures in the city of Amsterdam.", "Menasseh ben Israel S.P.D. (Salutem Plurimam Dicit / with many greetings)", "In the same way, great lord, as in any well-governed Republic, laws are given to the subjects by which they shall live; so it must be believed, infallibly, that being God the architect and supreme creator of the universe, holding the empire in Monarchy, He has established laws for His subjects and creatures. For otherwise, how could the world be sustained? Or in what manner could men live among each other if they were not governed by divine command? Thus, we believe that He has given all nations the seven precepts, known as the Noahide Laws, which are universal, namely: not to worship idols, not to murder, not to commit adultery, not to steal, not to blaspheme the name of God, not to eat the flesh of a living animal, and to establish judges to enforce these laws. Also, for the children of Israel, whom He chose as His people, He established the Law of Moses, contained in 613 precepts, with such a covenant that, as God is one, and the people one, so the law would be one, without any alteration. And thus, He commands that as the work is divine and perfect, nothing should be added to it, nor anything taken away. But this excellence and purity of the sacred law, due to the wickedness of human ingenuity, fond of novelties, was corrupted not long after; and so at the beginning of the second temple, Josephus writes that there were already three ways of philosophy: The Essenes, Sadducees, and those called Pharisees. These groups were divided not only in opinions but also in their ways of living.", "The Pharisees asserted that some things in this world are subject to fate, being some things contingent, and others necessary; yet, they did not take away man's free will, saying that God uses this moderation, so that all things are done by His counsel and man has the choice of virtue or vice. They believed, likewise, that souls were immortal, and according to this, after death, each one would receive the reward for their virtue or malice; the souls of the good only pass from one body to another, but the evil ones are tormented and condemned to perpetual prisons. Above all, the Pharisees gave the people many statutes that they had received from their ancestors, which, virtually, if not expressly, are contained in the Law of Moses.", "The Sadducees were of an entirely different opinion, for they completely denied fate, saying that everything is in the power of man, he himself being the cause of his happiness or misfortune. About the soul, they claimed that it dies with the body, and thus they did not assign it any glory or torment. They also refused to give any credit to traditions, and judged that only what was expressly contained in the literal form in the sacred law should be observed.", "But the Essenes, in part, disagreed, and in part, agreed with these. For they, with a different sentiment, said that without exception, God rules and governs all things, excepting man's freedom. They conceded the immortality of the soul; but agreed in denying divine tradition. The style and manner of life of these were very singular, for they valued their simple word more than a thousand oaths and thus avoided judging, as well as swearing. All things were common among them, as for the Pythagoreans. They abhorred marriages, noting the little faithfulness of women, and above all, they esteemed justice so much that, by practicing it in continuous studies, they excelled all other nations.", "There was another fourth way of philosophizing, of which Judas the Galilean was the first inventor; these coincided in everything with the Pharisees, except in their clamor for freedom, believing that only God should be considered as Lord and prince; and thus they would not suffer from magistrates or governors, and would more readily endure exquisite punishment than call any mortal man lord.", "Bano was an inventor of another way of living, for he, living alone in the jungle, dressed in leaves he found on trees, and sustained himself with things the earth produced for him, and bathed night and day in cold water to preserve chastity.", "These were the opinions that once existed among the Hebrews. And as the truth has a firmer foundation, so of these, only the sect of the Pharisees prevailed among ours, which means 'separated', for these were separated from the majority in their institutes and in their righteous way of living. Today, there is little memory of the Sadducees and Essenes whose heads and inventors in ancient times were Sadoc and Baitos, their disciples; and only in some parts of Egypt, there are some Essenes who are commonly called Karaim, meaning literalists; because they adhere only to the literal text of the verse. The disciples of Judas the Galilean were completely destroyed; because Tiberius Alexander, procurator of Judea, captured Jacob and Simon, sons of him, and hanged them for the revolt of the people against the Romans. The disciples of the solitary Bano were so few, that only the name remained of their way of philosophy. Considering, therefore, the nefarious wickedness of the Sadducees, depraved in all, and as today in this miserable century some are persuaded of the mortality of souls, to give more rein and let themselves be carried away by their lascivious appetites, I decided to write this book, which not only deals with proving the immortality of the soul, but also expressly and exactly proves the resurrection, denied by the Sadducees. To the great lord, it seemed fitting to dedicate it, because of his curiosity and desire to know foreign faculties, equaling in this Ptolemy and other illustrious men, who were no less dignified in knowing our things, and investigating them attentively, if they were of another opinion, for as John Pico della Mirandola says,", "Angustae mentis est, intra unam familiam sese continuasse etcetera.", "A narrow mind is one that confines itself within a single family.
(Oratio de hominis dignitate, I, §30, 195).", "And thus your majesty has not only been content with the native tongue and Latin, but even desires to know others as you already know Spanish. Here, therefore, your majesty will have a book to likewise continue your honorable exercises with the delight of your intellect. Although it is true that not everything I write may be pleasing, being of a different religion, in part, you will delight in the doctrine, and in part, only in the language. Considering the nobility of your lineage, heroic virtues, affable condition, and generous liberality, I did not want to fail to contribute with my obligation, wishing that the works correspond to the will I have to serve you.", "And as your majesty is a master of writing, it is just to also exercise oneself in divine scripture, since in this work various texts are explained.", "Farewell, most illustrious lord, may God prolong your life for many years, with successes of prosperous fortune.", "Amsterdam", "April 1, 1636." ], "Prologue": [], "": [] }, "schema": { "heTitle": "על תחיית המתים", "enTitle": "On Resurrection of the Dead", "key": "On Resurrection of the Dead", "nodes": [ { "heTitle": "הקדמת המתרגם", "enTitle": "Translator's Introduction" }, { "heTitle": "דף השער", "enTitle": "Title Page" }, { "heTitle": "הקדשה למהדורה הלטינית", "enTitle": "Dedicatory Letter of the Latin Edition" }, { "heTitle": "הקדשה למהדורה הספרדית יהודית", "enTitle": "Dedicatory Letter of the Judeo Spanish Edition" }, { "heTitle": "הקדמה", "enTitle": "Prologue" }, { "heTitle": "", "enTitle": "" } ] } }