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From: michaelm@3comvax.UUCP (Michael McNeil)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: 360 Billion Jews Want Israel Today -- or, Standing Room Only
Message-ID: <222@3comvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Sep-85 04:02:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: 3comvax.222
Posted: Mon Sep 16 04:02:43 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Sep-85 02:49:34 EDT
References: <3780073@csd2.UUCP> <387@ttrdc.UUCP> <1189@brl-tgr.ARPA> <400@ttrdc.UUCP>
Organization: 3Com Corp; Mountain View, CA
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[``Yaaaaargh!''  (Munch, chomp, *belch*!)]  

In article <1189@brl-tgr.ARPA>, matt@brl-tgr.ARPA (Matthew Rosenblatt) writes:

> >(4) Concerning those empty, barren hills, on which cities are rising :
> >The Talmud makes mention of a Jewish king who had established on each of
> >60 hills, 60 cities - an enormous population. (I think that it may be
> >found in Gittin, among the discussions of the destruction of the Temple.)
> >(A. METH)

> And that's not all!  The same Gemara in Gittin says that at the time of one
> Roman attack, there were 600,000 towns, each of which held as many Jews as
> took part in y'tzias Mitzrayim (i.e., about 600,000).  That's 360 thousand
> million Jews, 360 billion according to the American convention.  This is
> not a Midrash, but a Gemara.  The fact is that the "rules" of physics
> and ecology are the creations of G-d, who can alter them locally and
> globally, and has done so, especially in cases concerning His people.
>
>					-- Matt Rosenblatt

I find it extremely difficult to believe that the feisty Jews of Roman
times (who provided us with the word ``zealots'' and the doomed-but-
defiant image we have of Masada) could not have *easily* defeated all
the might of Rome, had they had but a fraction of the *360 billion*
people which Matt here suggests.  Compare this figure to an estimated
total population of *100 million* or so for all of the Roman Empire!  
Surely the Jews could have managed to kill a single Roman for each of
*3,600* Jews killed or enslaved!  (Unless, of course, ``G-d'' altered
the ``rules of physics ... in cases concerning His [sic] people.'')

________________

Michael McNeil
3Com Corporation     "All disclaimers including this one apply"
(415) 960-9367
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