Indulgence must again be asked for having to traverse another tedious section of this historical journey. But it is inescapable if we are to become aware of the grave departure that had now developed in Jewry—a digression that drew a major segment farther and farther away from the Mosaic faith of their forebears, as concerns the soul. It is admittedly a barren stretch, neither pleasant nor edifying to pass through. But it is an integral part of the fateful deviation now under way. And we must not lose sight of the fact that it is not only essential for the record but necessary in order to understand the emasculation of the faith of the chosen people, now far advanced. CFF1 718.1