The book itself was, in their belief, not in any true sense inspired,
but magically dictated--by what power they cared not to define. His
character was unimportant to them, provided He had inspired no nation
but their own. But, thought they, if the words were dictated, each of
them must have some mysterious value. And if each word had a mysterious
value, why not each letter? And how could they set limits to that
mysterious value? Might not these words, even rearrangements of the
letters of them, be useful in protecting them against the sorceries of
the heathen, in driving away those evil spirits, or evoking those good
spirits, who, though seldom mentioned in their early records, had after
their return from Babylon begun to form an important part of their
unseen world? For as they had lost faith in the One Preserver of their
race, they had filled up the void by a ponderous demonology of
innumerable preservers. This process of thought was not confined to
Alexandria. Dr. Layard, in his last book on Nineveh, gives some curious
instances of its prevalence among them at an earlier period, well worth
your careful study. But it was at Alexandria that the Jewish Cabbalism
formed itself into a system.
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