Asia Minor 'Asiyah
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
213
a remarkable vitality. Even in the third century, the Jewish colonies of Smyrna and Hierapolis preserved a racial feeling sufficiently strong to cause them to call themselves " laos " or " ethnos "(people) About the same time, of the Jews. Strong the colony of Apamea invoked a parRacial ticular statute, administered under a
Feeling of law (" nomos "). Jews. These groups of Jews, however, seem to have lost all connection with the Jewish centers of Palestine and of Babylonia. The Talmud ignores them completely. According to a doubtful tradition, R. Akiba and R. Mei'r went to Mazaea in Cappadocia; and, according to the Pesikta, an obscure haggadist, Nahurn, preached M. Jastrow disagrees with Kohut and at Tarsus. Neubauer, in identifying the Biblical Ludim with the Indians. Joseph Halevy has raised strong objections to the identification of Phrygia with Prugita, the wine of which, says the Babylonian Talmud, separates the Ten Tribes from their brethren. Cappadocia seems to have been an exception to the rule, and not to have lost all contact with Talmudic Judaism. Two scholars, Samuel and Judah, are and in an inscription at styled " of Cappadocia " Jaffa occurs the name of a Cappadocian Jew called Jacob, at a time when members of the Asiatic communities generally bore Greek names. Christianity at first affected these little Jewish The colonies less than one would have expected. preaching of Paul, himself a Jew of Advent of Tarsus, does not seem to have been
The
colonies thus formed have passed through the few centuries without either disturbance or distinction; having lived in accord with the Turks,
last
but at times less harmoniously with the Greek Christians. The only noteworthy incident in modern times was the excitement aroused by Siiabbethai Zebi. Official statistics give the following figures for the Jewish population of Asia Minor, including the Armenian provinces:
Jewish Population op Asia Minor. Vilayets of Trebizond, Erzerum, Angora, Seevas, Konia, Diarbekr, and Kastamuni Vilayet of Van Vilayet of Brusa Vilayet of Constantinople (Asiatic dependencies) Vilayet of Smyrna Sanjik of Imidt
Sanjik of Biga Total
3,170 .o.iii
ii
i
3.335 0,670 33,516 3,500 3,988
46,069
The Jews form an active, industrious class, following minor trades and handicrafts. The founda"Or
tion of the agricultural school,
Israel," near
Smyrna, by the Alliance Israelite Universelle and the Jewish Colonization Society will doubtless cause
the migration into the agricultural regions of a numThe Alliance ber of Jews concentrated in cities. has contributed also to the moral and Trades and material improvement of the Jews in Schools, the provinces bordering on the iEgean Sea, by the erection of schools and workshops for apprentices in Smyrna (1878), Darda-
very successful, save, possibly, at Iconium. Where defections occurred, they were merely individual cases.
nelles (1878),
The texts of the third century, cited above, show that the Jewish elements continued, without serious impairment, up to the triumph of the new religion and the establishment of the Christian empire. Information concerning events later than this epoch is very scarce. The Jews of Asia Minor probably shared the vicissitudes of their coreligion-
Bibliography
Christianity.
Oriental Christendom undergoing, like them, the changes of an increasingly harsh legislation, and the persecutions of Justinian, Justin, Phocas, and false tradition makes certain Jews of Heraclius. Syria who had fled to Isauria the instigators of the struggle of Leo II. with the Iconoclasts. It is, however, certain that Leo in 722 forced the entire body
ists in
A
Christianity. The measure must have been merely nominal in its effects for in the following century various emperors passed many
of
Jews to embrace
similar ordinances. Turkish rule initiated
an era of comparative tolerance for the Jewish communities, though they had doubtless become greatly reduced in numbers. In the reign of Sultan Orkhan (1326-1360) a group of
immigrants from Syria reinforced the population of Brusa and .at the end of In the Middle the fifteenth century and later, the com;
munities of Amasia, Tokat, Magnesia,
by a
Syria, and Smyrna were augmented fresh contingent of immigrants, refugees from
Spain, whose language soon superseded Greek, which had probably remained from ancient times
the language of the old indigenous communities.
Cuscunjuk
nesia (1892), Aidin (1894), and Syria (1897).
(1879),
Brusa
Pergamus
(1886),
Mag-
(1896), Casaba,
Schiirer, Vital Cuinet, La Turquie cVAsie Gesch. des Jttd. Volltes, 3d ed., i. 3 Th. Mommsen, Provinces of the Roman Empire I.R6mische Geschichte, v. viii.); Ramsay, Historical Commentary on GaJatians; Joseph Haleyy, Memoire sur Quelques Noms Geographiques de la Palestine, embodied in the annual .of Luncz, Jerusalem; J. Schenk, in Byzantinteche Zeitxchrift, 1896, p. 373; T. Franco, Essai sur VHistoire des Juifs de V Empire Ottoman M. Jastrow, ies Ludim mi Luda'U in Revue Etudes Jutr.es, xvii. p. 308 Ramsay, Cities and Bishoprics of Phryaia, i. 3 idem, St. Paul.
LY.
I.
G.
ASIEL
Found only
the genealogy of Simeon (I Chron. iv. 35). 2. One of the five skilled writers who wrote the law for Ezra (II Esd. xiv. 3. Ancestor of Tobit (Tobit i. 1, R. V. A. V. 24).
1.
in
reads j.
"
Asael").
G. B. L.
jr.
'ASIYAH
world of making ") The last of the four spiritual worlds of the Cabala Azilut, Beriah, Yezirah, 'Asiyah based on the passage in Isa. xliii. According to the "Maseket Azilut," it is the 7. region where the Ofanim rule and where they promote the hearing of prayers, support human endeavor, and combat evil. Their ruler is Sandalphon. According to the system of the later Palestinian Cabala, 'Asiyah is the lowest of the spiritual worlds containing the Ten Heavens and the whole system of mundane Creation, The light of the Sefirot emanates from these Ten Heavens, which are called the "Ten Sefirot of 'Asiyah"; and through them spirituality and piety are imparted to the realm of matter —the seat of the dark and impure powers (Cordovero, "Pardes Rimmonim," chapter J?"i3X [initials ("
—
—
