The Story of Hebrew explores the extraordinary hold that Hebrew has had on Jews and Christians, who have invested it with a symbolic power far beyond that of any other language in history. Preserved by the Jews across two millennia, Hebrew endured long after it ceased to be a mother tongue, resulting in one of the most intense textual cultures ever known. Hebrew was a bridge to Greek and Arab science, and it unlocked the biblical sources for Jerome and the Reformation. Kabbalists and humanists sought philosophical truth in it, and Colonial Americans used it to shape their own Israelite political identity. Today, it is the first language of millions of Israelis. A major work of scholarship, The Story of Hebrew is an unforgettable account of what one language has meant and continues to mean.

Excerpt from The Hebrew Review and Magazine of Rabbinical Literature, Vol. 3: Tebath Ab, 5596; January July, 1836 Longobardi, like most of the north ern barbarians who embraced chris tianity, had been converted by Arian teachers. They knew from expe ricuce that they could not rely on the affection or loyalty of their Athanasian or orthodox subjects; while the Jews, on the contrary, had always been most faithful to their Arian rulers. Accordingly the Longobardi, not only placed the Jews on a footing Of perfect equa ltty with their other subjects, but at the first establishment of the new monarchy, they granted them im munities and exemptions from many of the burthens, which weighed heavily on the conquered land. If we ret1ace the short sketch which we have now submitted to our readers, we find that at the com mencement of the seventh century, the Jews were Oppressed at the two extremities of Europe, in the Spanish peninsula, and the empire of Constantinople That among the Longobardi in Italy, they were placed on an equality with the rest Of their conquered fellow-citizens; while in the south Of France they enjoyed perfect liberty and consider able political influence. But few of them were settled among the Franks in the northern parts Of France, and their congregations in the Roman colonies on the Rhine were equally inconsiderable. The patriarchal dignity, - which was held during ten generations by descend ants of Hillel, who resided at Ti herias, and whose authority over the western Jews had been acknow ledged by the Christian emperors as late as the days oftheodosius II. Had ceased to exist. So that the Jews of Europe, without any visible or authorized chief, and deprived Of that centre Of unity, which the patriarch had Offered to them, stood isolated from each other, without any community of feelihg, or fre quent and continuous intercourse. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Marcus Heymann Bresslau was a German-Jewish journalist and Hebraist who settled in London as a youth. He was affiliated with "Hebrew Review" (1834-1836), a monthly publication edited by Dr. M.J. Raphall. Bresslau tried to revive the "Hebrew Review" in 1859 but was unsuccessful. [Sources: Bresslau, Marcus Heymann. The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia. New York : Univ. Jew. Encycl. Co, [1948]; Breslau, Marcus, Heymann. The Jewish Encyclopedia, viewed online March, 28, 2016].