declared that their "wonder-workings" were accomplished by means of the Shem Hamphorash (the ineffable name of God), his attributes, and the Angels, whilst the Gentiles performed them by means of Satan and his hosts. The principal Hebrew colleges for the study of the Kabbalah were located in Spain; but after the expulsion of the Jews (1492) from that country, various schools were opened in France, Germany, and Palestine. Whilst the Gentile alchemists endeavored to discover the philosopher's stone by means of the 'Practical Kabbalah,' the Rabbis, on the other hand, by help of the all-powerful Prophet Elijah, tried to obtain saintly virtues, in order to become the possessors of the Divine teachings (Grace); and there were not a few who even attempted the liberation of the Jews from their captivity by means of the Shem Hamphorash, and even assumed the title of "Messiah." Abraham Abulafia in the thirteenth century, born in Zaragosa, and the famous Sabbathai Zebhi in the seventeenth century, born in Smyrna, are examples of those who tried it, but who failed miserably. It was not long before the latter pseudo-Messiah proclaimed himself King of the Jews. Plans to march on Constantinople and subdue the Gentilesof course not by the sword, but by miraculous deeds were laid. The globe was portioned out among his immediate disciples and relatives, reserving for his own dominion the Holy Land, with Jerusalem for his own residence. The day for the capture of Constantinople was already appointed. But the unusual multitude which gathered around him attracted the attention of the authorities, and the intended uprising was quelled in its inception. Sabbathai Zebhi and his disciples were cast in prison. His adherents still confided in him, and waited for Divine intervention when the gates of the prison should open. This drama ended in the total discomfiture of the pseudoMessiah and his followers. Sabbathai Zebhi embraced the Moslem faith, and died in prison. In his belief he was a follower of Isaac Loria's Kabbalistic doctrines, and considered himself able to perform miracles; his right-hand disciple was Nathan of Gaza, who assumed the title of "Prophet." The fame of Sabbathai Zebhi spread among the Jews in all parts of the world, and he proclaimed himself to be the long-expected Messiah. Deputations were sent from various centres of Hebrew learning to ascertain the truth as to his claims of the Messiahship. The deluded Kabbalist had succeeded in convincing some of them that certain Messianic passages in the Scriptures (by means of the above-named Gematria, Notarikôn, etc.) point directly to himself. For instance, the three Hebrew consonants SBT, forming the word She BheT (sceptre), mentioned in Balaam's prophecy, "There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre (SheBheT) shall rise out of Israel" (Numbers xxiv. 17), amount to the number 5, the same as the Hebrew letters of his own name; a slender foundation for the Messiahship. Notwithstanding the efforts of those modern occultists who attempt to infuse new life into the 'Practical Kabbalah' by means of heterogeneous materials, it is, like sorcery, doomed to become a thing of the past. As a matter of fact, its incantations, charms, and exorcisms are nothing more than sorcery. There are numerous books on this subject, some of them written by eminent Kabbalists. One of the most curious of these is the production of Rabbi Israel Baalshem, called 'Miph'aloth Elohim' or 'Elokim' (Workings of the Almighty). This book is the storehouse of Kabbalistic therapeutics, and among the numerous recipes are directions how to expel unfamiliar spirits from the possessed by means of exorcisms and charms; how to draw wine from the wall, how to create wine, etc. The vade mecum of the modern Baalshem is the book called Shimûsh Tehilim,' which teaches how to cure all diseases, put out fires, become a favorite, conquer enemies, counteract an evil eye, discover hidden treasure, etc., by means of certain Psalms. Each Psalm, yea, verse or word, is asserted to contain the name or attributes of God and the Heavenly Hosts. The injunctions to the postulants are of the most severe nature. A worldly man, even if he chances to learn the doctrinal part of the theosophy, can penetrate no further. The Keeper of those secrets is Elijah the Prophet, who will never permit the ungodly to acquire them. Not only is the unworthy student threatened with dire punishment, but the betrayer of the Divine secrets must meet the same fate. The Kabbalists believe that Moses acquired these heavenly secrets, the Shem 'A B (Seventy-two Name), at the "burning bush." Whosoever utters the holy name of the "Seventy-two," the Kabbalists declare, "will surely die." The name of the "Seventy-two" proceeds from the Hebrew letters of the verses in Exodus xiv. 19-21, beginning with Vayis'a, Vayabho, Vayēt. These verses speak of the doings of the "Angel of the Lord" and Moses at the Red Sea. Each verse has seventy-two letters, and is by the Kabbalists written in three lines; the first from right to left, the second from left to right, and the third again from right to left. The verses, placed horizontally and in juxtaposition so as to correspond exactly letter for letter, if vertically divided form seventy-two triads of letters; each triad is supposed to represent one of the attributes of the Deity, and to possess a recondite meaning. The Prophet Elijah never tasted death (2 Kings ii. 11). He is, according to the Kabbalists, a ubiquitous personage engaged in the same mission now as when he was on earth. This assertion they base on quasi-Scriptural authority, as in Malachi iv. 5-6: "Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Many stories of his exploits are related in the Talmud,' the 'Midrash,' and the 'Zohar': how he relieves the needy and suffering, chastises the godless, etc. But his main mission is to assist the ascetic saints when they are engaged in the study of the Divine secrets. Not only the Hasidim sect, but even many orthodox Hebrews, repeat every Saturday evening songs and hymns wherein are cited the deeds of Elijah, as related in the Bible and tradition. Saturday evening is specially a propitious time for those who keep the Sabbath holy; for Elijah sits then under the Ets Hayim (Tree of Life), and records the good deeds of the pious. Elijah's name is then repeated one hundred and thirty times. The five Hebrew letters in "Elijah" are transposed one hundred and twenty times, in the following manner: ELIAH (Elijah), ELIHA, ELHIA, ELHAI, corresponding to the numerical value of the Hebrew letters composing "Eliahu Hanabhi» (Elijah the Prophet): 1+30+10+5+6+5+50+2+10 +1=120. In addition to these 120 transpositions they repeat ten times the regular untransposed name of ELIAH (Elijah), making the total 130. Those who are unable to pronounce these difficult transpositions repeat 130 times "Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Prophet," etc. This points to the Hebrew word Ka L = 130 (Swift), and hints also at 'AB=72 (Cloud); both words are mentioned in Isaiah xix. 1: "Behold the Lord rideth upon a 'Swift' (Ka L, 130) Cloud” ('AB, 72). Among those who chiefly distinguished themselves (since 1550) and who are designated by the title Elohe or Eloke (Divine), and could perform miracles, are Moses ben Jacob Cordovero (1522-1570), author of the Kabbalistic work 'Pardes Rimonim' (The Garden of Pomegranates); Jesaiah Horwitz (1570-1630), author of the Sh LaH '; Isaac Loria, author of 'Ets Haïm (Tree of Life), and 'Sepher Haguilgulim' (Metempsychosis); and his disciple Haim Vital (Vidal), and Israel Baal Shem, born in 1750, at Medziborze, Poland. The number of the Hebrew books and commentaries on the Kabbalah amounts to thousands. The following are the most important and accessible: The Talmud,' Tract. Chagigeh (Haguigah), Chap. ii., fols. 11-16. The Zohar,' attributed to Rabbi Simeon ben Yohaï. First edition, Cremona and Mantua, 1560. (There are numerous later editions.) 'Sepher Tikûne Ha-Zohar' (attributed to the same). Leghorn, 1842. 'Sepher Yetsireh' (The Book of Creation), with ten Commentaries. Warsaw, 1884. 'Sepher Habahir' (The Book of Brilliant Light). Amsterdam, 1651. (There are several editions.) 'Pardes Rimônim' (The Garden of Pomegranates), by Rabbi Moses Cordovero. 'Sha'are Ôrah' (Gates of Light), by Joseph ben Abraham Gikatilia. (There is a Latin translation by P. Ricius, 1516.) 'Ets Hayim (The Tree of Life), compiled by Hayim (Chayim) ben Joseph Vital (Vidal). Korzec, 1784. 'Sh'nē Lūhoth Habrith (The Two Tables of the Covenant), by Jesaiah Horwitz. 'Beth Ha-Midrasch,' a collection of apocryphal midrashim, mostly treating of Jewish folk-lore and Kabbalah; compiled and translated by Adolph Jellinek. Leipzig, 1853-55. 'Guinze Hakhmath Hakaballah: Auswahl Kabbalistischer Mystik' (A Selection of Kabbalist Mystic). Jellinek, Leipzig, 1853. 'Beiträge zur Geschichte der Kabbala' (Contributions toward the History of Kabbalah). Jellinek, Leipzig, 1852. 'Kabbalah Denudata' (Latin). By Baron C. Knorr von Rosenroth. Sulzbach, 1677. English translation, with Preface by S. L. MacGregor Mathews. London, 1887. 'The Kabbalah, An Essay,' by C. D. Ginzburg, 1865. 'Kabbalah' in 'Encyclopædia Britannica,' Ninth Ed., by C. D. Ginzburg. 'La Kabbale, ou la Philosophie Réligieuse des Hebreux,' by Adolphe Frank (new ed.). Paris, 1889. 'Midrash Hazohar: Die Religionsphilosophie des Zohar: Eine Kritische Beleuchtung der Frank'schen "Kabbala" (The Religious Philosophy of the 'Zohar': A Critical Examination of Frank's 'Kabbalah'). (By) Joel (D. H.), Leipzig, 1849. 'Le Livre des Splendeurs' (The Book of Splendors), by Eliphaz Lévi, Paris, 1894. 'Geschichte der Juden' (History of the Jews), Graetz, Vol. viii., pp. 96-98, 219–221, 242. THE KALEVALA BY WILLIAM SHARP HE great Finnish epic, the 'Kalevala,' is in a sense the most significant national epic in existence. In it are reflected not only the manners, beliefs, superstitions, and customs of a race, but the very soul of that race. The Finnish pulse beats in the Kalevala,' the Finnish heart stirs throughout its rhythmic sequences, the Finnish brain molds and adapts itself within these metrical limits. There is, too, certainly no other instance so remarkable of the influence upon the national character of an epic work which as it were summarizes the people for itself. In no exaggerated sense, the Finland of to-day is largely due to the immense influence of the national sentiment created by the universal adoption of the 'Kalevala as, after the Scriptures, the chief mental and spiritual treasure-house of the Finnish nation. The word "epic" is frequently used too loosely; as for example when applied to the 'Ossian' of Macpherson. In the sense of continuity alone can the word "epic" properly be used; whereas great epical works such as the 'Kalevala' are really aggregations of epic matter welded into a certain homogeneity, but rather by the accident of common interest, and by the indomitable skill of one or more sagamen, than by any inherent necessity of controlled and yet inevitable sequent relation. When therefore one sees the 'Kalevala' referred to as recently in the instance of a critic of some standing — as an epic comparable with those of Milton or Dante, one must at once discount a really irrelevant comparison. For though both Dante and Milton, and doubtless Homer in his half-mythic time, summed up an infinitude of general knowledge and thought, their actual achievement stands to this day as individual and distinctive. But though we owe the 'Kalevala' as we know it to the genius of one man,— Elias Lönnrot of Helsingfors,-this man was the editor rather than the creator of the national epic. For the famous national epic of Finland is in reality composed of a great number of popular songs, ballads, incantations, and early runic poetry, strung together into an artistic whole by the genius of Dr. Lönnrot. The Finns were gradually dying out as a nation before the 'Kalevala' appeared. National hopes, aspirations, and ideals had long been slowly atrophying; and in another generation or two Russia would |