The Jews in ancient, mediaeval and modern times . , heshould rather be called a God-intoxicated , a writer who has no sympathy with hisphilosophical system, but a great admiration for hisvast intellectual power and noble character, gives ina picture full of brilliant lights the story of his describes him as a little Jewish boy playingwith his sisters on the Burgwal of Amsterdam, closeto the Portuguese synagogue. His face is mild andingenuous ; his eyes small, but bright, quick, andpenetrative, his dark hair flowing in luxuriant curlsover his neck and shoulders. Amsterdam is
The Jews in ancient, mediaeval and modern times . , heshould rather be called a God-intoxicated , a writer who has no sympathy with hisphilosophical system, but a great admiration for hisvast intellectual power and noble character, gives ina picture full of brilliant lights the story of his describes him as a little Jewish boy playingwith his sisters on the Burgwal of Amsterdam, closeto the Portuguese synagogue. His face is mild andingenuous ; his eyes small, but bright, quick, andpenetrative, his dark hair flowing in luxuriant curlsover his neck and shoulders. Amsterdam is noisywith the creaking of cordage, the bawling of sailors,and the busy trafficking of traders. The ZuyderZee is crowded with vessels laden with preciousstores from all quarters of the globe. The canalswhich ramify that city, like a great arterial system,are blocked up with boats and barges, the wholescene vivid with the greatness and the littleness ofcommerce. The parents of Spinoza were from mer-cantile families, among the fugitives from Spain,. iiiiiiiiiiiiiH 222 THE STORY OF THE JEWS. having their part in all this commercial bustle ; andthe lively boy would, it was supposed, like his ances-tors, play a part upon the market and passion for study, however, and the brightnessof his mind induced his parents to educate him as arabbi. Upon the study of Talmud and Old Testa-ment Spinoza entered with zeal, and at fourteen,even, is said to have rivalled almost all the doctorsin the exactitude and extent of his knowledge. Great hopes were entertained of the youth, hopeswhich gave way to fears when the rabbis discoveredthat the boy was developing a questioning spiritwhose pertinacity they were unable to satisfy. Hewas summoned before the synagogue, and at lengththreatened with excommunication. An offer of anannual pension of a thousand florins was made tohim, if he would only consent to be silent and assistfrom time to time in the services of the synagogue,which, however,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublisherlo, booksubjectjews
