Page:Ginzburg - The Legends of the Jews - Volume 5.djvu/67

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The Creation of the World
[151–154

time, discussed the question whether it was permissible to eat these birds during Lent. Comp. Geraldus Cambiensis (1154–1189), whose zeal burned against the rashness of those who indulged in the enjoyment of this bird during the Lent season. It appears, however, that his zeal was not of much avail, since Duran, in his Magen Abot, 35b, confirms the persistence of the “rashness and indulgence” of the Frenchmen of his time, two hundred years after that “zeal for the observance”. Comp. Oppenheim, Monatsschrift, XVIII, 88–93; Gtidemann, Erziehungswesen II, 117, 213, and III, 129; Steinschneider, Hebräische Bibliographie V, 116–117; Steinschneider in Gosche’s Archiv III, 8; Ha-Goren IV, 99; Jewish Encyclopedia, s.v. “Barnacle-goose.”

151 BR 19.5: Shemuel 12.81; Tan. Introduction 155; 2 Alphabet of Ben Sira 27a, 28b, 29a–29b; Bereshit Rabbeti cited by Jellinek, Einleitung to BHM VI, 12, note, 4. The older sources name the phoenix חול, and find in Job 29.18 a reference to this bird; in the two last-named sources the immortal bird is called מלחם or תלתם, a word of obscure origin which is very likely corrupt. Ben Sira 27a adds that this bird and its species, after the fall of man, was locked up in a city to which no one, not even the angel of death, has access. Here the very old legend concerning Luz is made use of (vol. IV, pp. 30 and 175). The Church Fathers, as well as the Rabbis, refer to the phoenix as a proof for the resurrection of the dead. The discrepancies of the sources in the description of the rejuvenation of the dead represents different dogmatic opinions relating to the doctrine of resurrection; comp. Ginzberg, Haggada bei den Kirchenv., 52–55; Gtidemann, Religionsgeschichte, 55–65. See further note 37 on vol. I, p. 161, and note 67 on vol. I, p. 74. The description of the rejuvenation of the pious in the world to come, found in Alphabetot 107, which was probably made use of in Mahzor Vitry 317, line 11 (טל ילדות צומח) presupposes the phoenix legend. On the phoenix legend in patristic literature, comp. the vast collection of material given by Charles, 2 Enoch 12.

152 Greek Apocalypse of Baruch 6; comp. notes 133–134. On a similar idea in rabbinic literature, comp. the legend concerning Ziz vol. I, 29, and notes 134, 139.

153 On this inscription comp. note 106.

154 The etymology of the word “Chalkidri” is very obscure; comp. Forbes and Charles on 2 Enoch 12.1; Bousset, Religion, 568. The latter conjectures that it is to be regarded as an Iranic word.

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