S E P HA R D I M '

OR , TH E

HI S T OR Y O F T H E J EW S

S PA I N A N D P ORT UG
AL,

JA ME S F INN ‘
.

Da prop riam d o mu m ; da maania fe ssis,

E t gen u s, e t mans uram u rbem .

fE N E ID , iii 85
(
. .

3
3 ,

L ON D O N

PRINTED FO R J . G . F. J . RIV IN GTON ,

'
sr .A U L S C H UR C H Y A R D
P
’
,

A ND WA T E R L O O P L A C E P A L L MAL L , .
 L ON DON
GI L BE R T R I VI N G T O N , P R l N T E R S,
’
J OH N S S QUA R E .
 TO THE RI G H T H O N O URAB L E

G E O R G E,

E A R L OF A B E R DE E N, K T . . F RS
. . .

&c &c &c

. . .

THIS REC OR D

OF A N I N T E RE S T I N G PE OPL E ,

IN C IRC UMS TAN C E S UN K N OWN TO O T H E R N AT I O N S ,

IS (B Y PE RM I S S I O N ) DED C I AT E D ,

I N T E ST I MO N Y OF M UC H RE S P E C T A ND

PE RS O N A L G RAT I T UD E .
 P R E FA C E .

OF the two large b o di e s of E u r o p ean J e w s, the

A shkenazim from Germany and Po la n d, an d

the Sephardim of S p ani sh and Po rtuguese de

sce n t
,
it is well kn o w n that during ou r middle
ages the latter were the more eminent in wealth ,

li teratu re ,
an d general imp o rtance . To this fa ct
we find frequent allusio n s i n hi storical w o rks ,

though only in curs o ry or c o mpressed remarks .

And from the n ature of their circumstan ces such

an effect must have fo ll o wed . The M e di t er
ran e a n for merchandize the abundant ri c u l
,
a
g
vi P R E FA C E .

tural pro duce and the metalli c riches of Spain

o ff ered advantag es unkn o wn to the E astern S ide
of the contine n t while the steady prevalence
,

and u n ifo rmity of the R o mish system among

the natio n s of the W est allowed ,
to the Jews a
more familiar in te r c o urse with a variety of
settled pr o perty an d of civil institutions than ,

the A shkenazim could o btai n amid the tumul

t u ar y fo rtu nes an d the barbarism of Teutonic
an d Slavo n ic tribes at the same epoch . More
o ver their early and afterwards
, di versified culti
vation of literatu re and science raised them to ,

a p o sitive stan di ng in the intelligence of E urope

so high that it has been said
, ,
W e have never yet
r epaid o ur debt of grateful ackn owledgment to

the illustrious Hebrew scho o ls of Cordo va Seville , ,

”
an d Granada .
(R etrospective R eview,
iii .

The general histories of m o dern Jews have

treated of them as one pe o ple witho ut
p er s e,

adequate consideration of h ow differently must

have been m o di fied the Judaism of Granada in

the twelft h century ,

or of Castille in the four
 P RE FA C E .

t e en t h century from that of the same peri o d

,

amid the ferocity an d unlettered ign orance of

Po land and Muscovy . In Spain this people

,

a cquired a degree of nationality not found in

o ther countries and this again assumed peculiar
,

di versities of circumstance under the three great

a sce n dancies of the G o ths the Arabs and the , ,

Inquisition .

In framin g a hi st o ry of the Peninsular Jews ,

it is n ecessary to bear in min d how str o n g

,
a

feat ure in the Spanish character is the pri n ciple

of a rigid exclusive bigotry : a prin ciple ,
not so

much derived from the spirit of R oman do minio n ,

as from the struggle through man y ce n turies of

three conflicting national religio n s : nation al in

a s mu c h a s the M o hammedan creed pertain ed on ly

to th o se Spaniards of Ara b and Afr ican blo o d ;
the rabbin ical creed to those Spaniards desce n ded
from Abraham ; an d the Christian cr eed to the r e
m ai n d er : the converts fr o m either side being to o

insignifican t in number to alter this view of the

parties . The tw o fo rmer were eve n tually subdu ed
v fii P RE FA C E .

by the sword or banishmen t but the obstinacy ,

of feeling engender ed by the prolo nged hostility ,

forms still a prominent characteristic in the genius

of the vict o rs .

Th e events here related are gathered from a

variety of chr o n icles . The notices of Jewish lite
rat ure an d R abb l m c al biography are main ly taken
”
fro m the Bibliotheca Magn a R abbin ica of Fr .

B art o lo c c i o , and the D izionario Sto ric o degli

”
a ut o ri Ebrei of D e R o ssi : the opi n ion up o n
Talmudic Judaism is co n siderab ly i n fluenced by
”
a recent w o rk called The O ld Paths ,
by the
R ev A M C aul D D
. .
‘
,
. .

It is nearly superfluous to observe that previous

to the date of A . D . 1 1 36 , Spain and Portug al are
to be con sidered o ne c o untry .

The follo wing n arrations will supply matter

of regret in two ways to the reflecting mind
the b o asted C ath o licity of Spai n will not from
its visible fruits dem o n strate the national Chr is
 P R E FA C E . ix

t i an ity t o be the Christianity of the N ew T es

tament ; and on the o ther hand wh ile its victims

,

were indeed the relics of Judah ,

Ou r compassi o n
for them in their fiery trials c ann o t but be min ‘

gled with grief at the considerati o n that they are

nevertheless an alienated Judah .

A miraculous pe o ple they still c o mmand the,

attentio n of the w o rld eve n in their fallen state ;

and the in tellectual or moral advan ceme n t of

man kin d with all the gigantic march

,
of events ,

does not preclude the certainty of God s express ’

arrangements fo r Israel . While the infidel sneers

”
at them as the Pariahs of the glo be ,
or the
m o re friendly Christian ,
in r everti n g to their l o n g
past hi story and l o o king
,
fo r their pro mised
spiritu al regener ati o n ,
as well as the nati o n al
return to their o wn land de sign ates them
,
the
A r ist o cracy of the wo rld ; as yet the H ebrew
walks on in his self c o llected stubb o rn n ess : em
-

pires bec o me exti n ct tribes and langu ages

, be

come amalgamated ; but these remain an i n de

 C ON T E N TS .

C H AP TER V .

G thic i v i
o n as o n —Th e t hi d c
r ou n cil of Tld o e o

CH A P TER VI .

B pti ma l p
a s c i
e rs e u t o n o f th e J e ws by ki g Si n se b u t

C H AP TE R V II .

F o ur t h c o un cil of To ld e o —S t . Is id ore of Se i v ll e on th e

Je ws

CH AP TE R V I II .

S ixth c cil f T l d — O C th licity i Sp i —J wi h

o un o o e o u a o n a n e s

dd
a t ki g R
r e ss i th — T w lfth c
o n cil f T e c c es u n e o un o o

l d —Ch l gy f LX X — R mi h i fl c i S p i
e o r on o o o . o s n u en e n a n . 95

C H AP TE R IX .

S ixt h c cil f T l d —J wi h c
e en t o un o o e o e s or r e s p d c
on en e ih
w t

Af ic — T t l r d cti f th J w
r a o a e u on o e e s to s a lv y er

C H AP TE R X .

Witisa—Re tr osp e c t of Go t hic d mi i

o n on o v er th e J e ws
 C ON T E N TS :

C H AP TE R XI .

A
P GE

Mh o amme dan m v as o n i — T o le ra ti o n o f a ll re ligi ons —

Se re nu s
th e f l M i h—G
a se e ss a e n e ra l re mar ks

CH AP TE R X I I .

Th e o m ei a d c li ph t — Ep i t l f B
a a e s e o ar Hh as dai — R M . oses

in l v y—J w i h i fl
s a er e—C s n u en c e o un cil f L o eo n —S p ni h a s

li te mt —M z bic Ch i ti n
ur e o a ra r s a s

C H AP TER X II I .

O r ien ta lism in S p ai n —C o un cil pi t l f p p

of Co y a c ar —E s e o o e

Al x n d I I — M
e a er . assa c t G d — Epi tl f p p
re a ran a a s e o o e

G g y—Th A lm
re or e ora vid —D th f R I c A l F
es ea o . saa - es

H b w a the re u o rs

C H AP TER X I V .

C ru sa d es — B a p t ism
Al o Massa c f J w of P et er o ns - re o e s

P litic l v t — A lm h d —I cid nt to J w i h c
o a e en s
’

o a s n e e s o ur

ti —H b w th
e rs e re au o rs

CH A P T ER XV .
xi v C ON T E N T S .

CH AP T ER XV I .

P GEA
L iteratur e of th e S p ihJ
an s ews

C H AP TE R XV I I .

On th e C bala
a an d T lm d
a u

CH AP TE R XV I I I .

E v e n ts o f th e thi r t een t h an d fourt e en t hc e n tu r es i

C H AP TER X I X .

L ite ra tur e of th e t hi t
r ee n t h an d f our tee n t hc i
e n tur es

C H AP TER XX .

L a ws an d c cili
on ar dc e rees r es p ct i g
e n Je ws ma de i n th e

C H AP TER XX I .

Cl a u mn ie s o f th e thir t e en th an d f o ur t e e n t hc i
e ntu r es

C H AP T ER XX II .
 C ON T E N TS . XV

C H AP TE R XXI I I .

Ev e n ts in t h e fi fteenth c en tur y—Th e In q i i ti

u s on

CH AP TER XX I V .

Ge n era l b ani s hm ent o f J ews f

ro m Sp ain —S uffe rin gs o f th e
ex il es

C H AP TER XXV .

T ra nsa c ti o ns in P ortu gal Ho lla n d

, ,
B b y
ar ar ,
an d B razi l

C H AP TER XXV I .
 SEPHA RDI M .

C HA PT E R I .

H E B RE WS IN S PAI N D U RI N G T H E P E R I O D OF

T HE F I R ST T E M P L E I N J E RU S A L E M .

THE earliest uncontradi cted testimony that we

have of Jews resi di n g in Spain is give n by the
,

decrees of the council o f E lvira held A D 8 24

,
. .

and we may gather that they were the n n umero us

in the c o untry ,

1 F r o m the nature of the canons enacted r e

.

gar din g them

2 F ro m that cou n cil being ge n eral for all Spai n ;
.

n o t a pr o vincial sy n o d as we s h a ll s ee hereaft er
, .

The date and circumstance s o f their first intr o

duc t i o n t o the W estern Pe n i n sula are u n kn o w n ,

a n d by many would be co n side r ed of little import

ance ; n o t greater than the e n tr ance of Jews i n t o

an o ther o f the man y lands whe r e they have bee n
y
foun d fo r the last sixteen or seve n tee n ce n turies But .

their p r ete n si o n s on this p o i n t r ecede t o a higher

antiquity than the vagrancy e n fo rced by the swo rd
B
2 H I ST O RY OF T HE J E WS

of Titus C aesar and Christian authors of con

,

s id era ble readi n g if not discriminatio n have s e t u

, p ,

fo r them cl ai ms exceedi n g their o wn .

In th at beaute o us district called the garden of

Valencia there is a small town Murviedro built
, , ,

from the rui n s of the famous Sagu n tum Amid .

these rui n s ab o ut A D 1 6 30, s o me Jesuits were

, . .

searchi n g fo r a particular stone S or os or perhaps ,

a tomb the i n scripti o n upon which was expected

,

to decide a p o in t of hist o ry u n der the date of 2 6 00

years previ o us It was this —W e r e there Jews in
.

th at r egi o n residi n g an d payin g tribute to Jeru

,

salem in the days of ki g S o lomo

n n ? Their task
was un dertaken at the special e n treaty o f one o f
their o r der at R ome Villalpando w h o had r ead , ,

in a bo o k then rece n tly published by F rancis

,

Gonzaga bish o p o f Mantua an d gene r al of the

,

F ranciscan s upon the rise o f his o r de r that a

, ,

sepulchral monument existed at Murviedro bear ,

ing a H ebrew epitaph in ch ar a cters m o re an cient

than the square alphabet n o w i n use to this e ffect ,

Thi s i s t h e t om b f Ad i m
o on r a

Th e s er v an t o f ki g S l m
n o o on

Wh o cm t a e o c ll c t th t ib t
o e e r u e,

A n d di d t h
e e da y

The stone bei n g bro ken and defaced th e writing ,

was described as incomplete F urther the bishop .

,

App dix A 1
en .
4 H I ST O RY OF T HE J E WS

an tiquity It c o ntai n ed an embalmed c o rpse not

.
,

o f the usu al stature but taller th an i s comm o n

,
.

It h a d and still retai n s o n the front two li n es i n

, ,

the H ebrew lan guag e and characters the sense o f ,

whi ch i s The Sepulchr e o f A do n ir a m the

,

servant o f ki n g S o lo m o n who came hither to c o l ,

lect the tribute O f this A d o nira m the servant of

.
’

Solo m o n me n tion is made 111 the v t h o f the first

b o ok of Ki n gs and m o r e exp r essly i n the i v t h of
,

that b o ok The H eb r ew letters re n der ed i n t o

.

R o man are these : , Z e h u keb e r A do n iram E b ed ,

h a M ele c Selomo seba li gb o t e t h am m as v o n ip ta r

-
, ,

3
yom
A n d in page 1 1 2 of the same M S they fo u n d .

written The marble maus o leum of surpris in g

,

a ntiqui ty which w as di scovered at Saguntu m in the

year of our Lord 1 48 2 a n d i n scribed with H eb r ew

,

letters which are these i n R o man Zeh u keb er & c , , .

[ a s above
] still exists i n the cita del before the

o uter gate

Such were the fruits of their enterprise ; the r e

c o m en ce w as su fficient t o j ustify i t s undert aki n g
p .

And it must be added that Villalpan d o p r o cur ed ,

a ft erwards a careful C opy by o thers agai n o f his ,

o rder o f s o me o ther M S which speaks ho n ourably

, .

of the same sepulchre .

The r esume of the wh o le sta n ds thus An author

’

1 Villalp and us i n E z ec hi e le m, V o l ii . . P ar t 11 . ch Iviii

. .
 IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 5

makes a startling assertion c o n nected w ith ancie n t

histo r y ; he pro duces fo r v o ucher a very respect
,

able MS S o me o f the m o st learn ed m e n o f their

.

time (learn ed befo re they c o uld bec o me Jesuits )

seek perso n ally fo r i nfo rmati o n where they were
di rected . A p o pular traditio n is fo un d m ai n ly , ,

though n o t e n tirely c o i n cidin g with their o bj ect

,

a n d this traditi o n exists when there had been n o

Jew in the whole ki n gdom for nearly 1 20 years .

They gain a str o n g c o rroboration in the ancient

records o f the place affo rdi n g even min ute details
,

of the O rient al constructi o n of the t o mb and em ,

balming of the b o dy ; this record havi n g been

gu arded the r e duri n g the fullest e fficie n cy o f the
holy I n quisiti o n a n d prev ale n ce of popular hatred
,

against the Jews Another M S fo und su b s e

. .

q uently c o n fi r ms the wh o le and the i,

n scriptio n is

exactly the same in all these s o urces o f informa

tion .

But if the facts thus eli cited fail to demonstrate

that S o l o m o n collected tribute from Spain we may ,

an d o ught t o make use of these subsi di ary con s ide

ratio n s.

l The tr easur es o f gold and silver in Spai n

.
,

were vast in an cient times beyond general credence ,

even abatin g much fro m the report o f Po sido n ius

( apud S t ra b o n e m ) w h o describes the natives as
using m angers an d barrels of pure silver It is .

B 3
6 H I ST ORY O F T HE J E WS

k n own that Marcellus exacted at o n e time from

t h e Celtiberi the sum of 600 tale n ts .

2 The Phoen ician s di d un questi o n ably trade to

.

Carthage an d Spai n ; and Hiram kin g o f Tyre was

a per s o n al frien d of Sol o mon .

3 The Ph oe n icians had a colo n y at Tarshish

1
.
,

Tarsis or T ar t es su s near C a di z and Solom o n di d

, , ,

send ships t o Tar s hish in c o mpan y with those of

Hir am and p r ocured metallic riches by their means
z
, .

T hi h w th y m ch t [ i f Ty ] E k xxvii 1 2
1
ar s s as er an ,
”
. e . o re ze . . .

J ph b li v d T hi h t b T
2 o se us e i Cilicia b t t hi i
e e a rs s o e ar s u s n ,
u s s

an u tt ly i d f er ibl id n Th d t
e en s J x 9 e d th ea . eo or e on er . . . r en er s e

w d by C th g b t th l
or ar d B h t c t d i
a e, u ply e ear n e oc ar o n en s n re

th t C th g h d
a ar di c t cc t y m t l I h i p f c
a e a no re a ess o an e a s . n s re a e

G g p hi S c lib iii c 7 h
” ”
to Ph l g d i
a e th ,
an n e eo ra a a ra, . . . . e

d cid dly c cl d th t th T hi h f th S c ip t
e e on u es wa T e a rs s o e r ur e s as ar

tessu s i S p i w i th p b bly
n di t ict
a n d t i cl d
ro a a s r a r o un ,
so a s o n u e

C diz H w v d i ti ctly i t m y b h w t h t th fl t f A m
a . o e er s n a e s o n a e ee o

i h n d J h h p h t ( 2 Ch
az a a e xx os b ilt t E i g b
a a r on . . u a z on - e er ,

w as d t i d f I di thi d
es ne t p v
or t h t th
n vyg t
a, s o es no ro e a e o a e o

T hi h w i th m di cti
ars s as Wh J
n eh d t d hi
sa e re on . en ona e se r e s

p ph t ic ch g h mb k d t J pp f T hi h th f
ro e ar e, e e ar e a o a or ar s s ,
e r e or e

T hi h w l g th M di t
ars s as a o n Th v i Ch e icl e e rr an e a n . e ers e n r on es

migh t m t i mply t h t th w y t T
se e o hi h w by E i n a e a o a rs s as z o

gb e b t i
er th igi l th i
u n th b f e orhip th f na er e s no e e or e s s, er e ore

th c e f d t ki g m d t w p t fl t T h t
on e e ra e n s ct i in
a e o se a ra e ee s. e ra n sa on

1 Ki g xxii 48 49 i
n s t th m . t hi
, d th
,
pp ll t i
s no e sa e as s , an e a e a on

th er e f hip f T hi h d t s hip
o S s o ch th f
ars s
”
en o e s s su as o se or

T hi h Th th y
a rs s .
”
q i d f r th v y g ( 1 Ki g x
e r ee ea rs r e u re o e o a e n s .

will t no m i c dibl wh
se e w c ll ct t h l g p g f m
n re e en e re o e e on assa e ro

J d u t
ae aI t ly ( A c t xxvii
o d xxvi ii ) i n an age wh n th ar ts
a s . an . e e

o f n a vi g t i on w e ast ill mo dv n c e d re re a a .
 IN S PA I N AND P O R T U GA L . 7

4 . The name of A do n iram as the Mu rv i e dra n ,

M S observes falls in precisely with the Scriptural

.
,

hi s to ry o f 1 Kin gs iv 6 A doniram the son of

. .

”
Abda was over the tr ibute (among the other ap ,

o i n t m e n t s o f the king ) al so 1 Ki n gs v 1 3 at the

p , . .

erectio n of the temple And ki n g S o lom o n rai sed

,

a levy o u t o f all I srael and the le v y was ,

men and further on A doniram was over the ,

”
levy .

N ow if these varied observatio n s co n verge t o

any o n e poi n t it must be t o this question at issue
, ,

a n d tend g r eatly to its establi shme n t a s a certainty

viz that A do n iram chancello r o f Solo m o n came

.
, ,

i n c o mpany with Tyrian ships to T a rshish in Spain ,

and othe r neighb o uri n g cities for the co llectio n of ,

precious metals di ed at Saguntum and received a

, ,

di gnified burial from some o f h i s c o untryme n

settled there They will not S h o w that the s ep u l
.

chre described at Murvi edro was a relic of that

ancient period but they may i n clin e us to thi nk
,

less lightly o f the asserte d Jewish colony than , ,

from its n o velty to us we might be tempted to do , .

W e need n o t however be s o san guin e as Villal

, ,

pan do who i n h i s gigantic Comme n tary o n E zekiel

, ,

beli eves this to be actually demonstrated and 1

,

j umps to the further cer ta i nty that ther efore , ,

E x qu ibu s o mn ib u s a p e rt e d emo nstrar i po t est, &c .

B 4
8 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

co lo n ies of Hebrews existed all over the world in

t h e reig n s o f D a v i d a n d S o l o m o n ; an d that th er e

the tribute f r the erecti o n an d support of

f o r e o

the temple attai n ed its well k n own large a mount - .

N or need we o n the other han d with B a sn ag e

.
, ,

rashly conjure up declarati o ns that were never

made and then pro ceed t o demolish them W hat
,
.
a

ever becomes o f this whole subj ect it is certainly ,

not a R abbin ical figme n t b u t a matter of research ,

co n ducted by C hristian scholars This latter .

wri ter says In the first place they [i e the

, . .

R abbis] pro duce monuments of st o ne to prove ,

that Spai n bei n g subj ect t o S o l o m o n pai d him ,

tribute : and that that prince sent thither h i s

”
o fficers to levy it annually A sen te n ce which .

contains three gratuitous assumptions with a sneer ,

at the close ; per haps lies are never written on

”
stones a n d tombs Y et commercial s o cieties or
.

fa ctories render in g occasio n al return s to the mo

ther cou n try fo r special pur p o ses may have been
-
,

formed in Spai n even th o ugh unasserted by old,

M S S an d sculptured inscriptio n s
.
2
.

1
His to ir e d e s J n ifs ,
liv r e V IL c . 9 .

2
Th e m e ta l l ic i ch
r es of S pi
a n wer e kn o wn to th e J ew s at l ea s t

300 y e ars B C . . Se e 1 Mac e . viii . 3 .

Th gh w ou no no mor e you r glitt i g m

er n ar ts u n of ld
S id i dy
o n an e s, a n d L usita nia n g ld o .
”

H b P a l es tine
’
e er s .
 IN s PA I N A N D P O R T UG A L . 9

To p roceed : the epitaph which the visitors did

r ead on the H ebrew sepulchre was this
1
,

of O ran N eb ah h th e P re s id en t
Wh o b ll d g i
re e e a a n st h is pi c
r n e

Th e L dh t k
or as a en h im

Then after a few illegible words

A nd hi s gl y t ki g Am zi h
or o n a a .

The pe o ple exhi bited this as the stone of Solo

”
mon s c o llect o r and the M S rec o rd pr o n ounce d
’
, .

the t o mb o f A donir am with its emb alm ed corpse

to be on that spot i n the citadel b efo re the outer ,

”
gate .This discrepancy w o uld be at o n ce r e
c o n c ile d if we could shew (which though probable ,

cannot be pro ved neither can it be denied) that ,

amo n g the confused an tiquities of the place there

were formerly t wo such m o numents near each
other : as we know that very ancient H ebrew
inscriptio n s were not uncommon in Spain a n d ,

”
e ven now are to be found Between the dis .

A pp dix C
1
en .

By th d id n M tj ich th
e roa ta d a l g
-
s e d e ar on u er e s n s ar e ru e

w ith H b w i c ip t i (T G D W hi tt i g ”
t
s on e a e f R
re ns r on . o ur o ev . . . n

t
o n, —I gli i 1 830 m t i n v l f ths t M tj i h
n ,
en ons se e ra o e se a on u c ,

a nd m bl ck
so f w hi t m bl w
e o s o t P l m i S icily e ar e ere s e e n a a er o n

by B yd r w hich b
on e , Ch ld i i p ti Th h c pi dor e a ae a n n sc r o ns . e se e o e

b t w
u th y
er e ct d by ny th t h J w Q d w t h y
e ere e a o er an e s an ere e

th w k f w t ch d f gi t iv
e or o l A c t mp
re y A bic w i t
e u es on e o rar ra r er

w i th t h c q t f Sp i l t th t th vic t i M z t d
e on u es o a n r e a es a e or o u s u a s oo

a t th chi f g t e o f M r i da t o g z
e e a a l g gl ct d t n i e a e on ar e ne e e s o e n

B 5
10 H I ST O RY O F T HE JEW S

c o v er
y of the sto n e c o ffin t o the V i sit of the
Jesuits there was an i n terval of 1 50 years : and
that t o o a period of excessive anim o sity against
every thing Jewish ; the b o dy by exposure to the
air must have crumbled to dust and have been ,

scat tered by the passi n g wi n d the receptacle may ,

have been destroyed by v i o lence an d the tradi ti o n ,

have become gradually transferred to the neigh

b o u ri n g st o ne which to the u n lear n ed w o uld appear
,

very similar o r identic al .

N othin g is k n o wn o f the pers o nage O ran N e

b ah h o r o f his rebellion : but his record b o re the
,

marks of high antiquity in 1 6 30 It S peaks of a .

preside n t a prince ren o wn a n d the time of a

, , ,

mo n arch s reign If the argume n t fo r H eb r ews

’
.

inhabit ing Sp ai n in the days of S o l o mo n be deemed ,

already established there rem a in s no difli cu lty in ,

conceivi n g this tomb t o be o f the age of A maziah

ki n g o f Judah 1 5 0 year s after S o l o mon Bar
, .

t o lo c c i o however states that the later Jews as

c ib d wi th Ch ld
s r e w i ti g ; t h m
a i g f which h h d giv
ae an r n e e an n o e a en

h i m by kilf l i t p t
s uTh t thi t
n er w ll
r e ers th . i a s s on e as e as os e n

S icily f d t v y ly p t i ch l g i ci c m t n c
r e e rre o er ea r a r ar a a e s, s a r u s a e

b ides e p t p
our p w hich i
r e s en th tur c t i th t
o se , s ra er o as e r a n a

H b w
e re d Ch ld i c ip ti ( i p ct iv f Ph i ci ) f
an a ee ns r on s rr es e e o oen an o

exc di g g t tiq ity w f m ly t

ee n r ea an u l ly m t w i t h
,
er e or er no u n u su a e

at th W t
e xt m ity f th M di t
es er n e re — ( Hi t i d o e e e rr a n e a n . s or a e

M id by B b M
er a, d V g
er n a cit i g Mig l d L na
e or en o e ar as n ue e u ,

an d th o v d i A bic i t h E c i l )
e rs e rse n ra n e s ur a .

1
Bibli th c m g R bbi ic
o e a R M
a b
na Sh m T b
a n a, o n . o se s ar e o .
 12 H I ST O RY ‘

on T HE J Ews

th e words T o Amaziah
,
‘
Then I believe d that .
’

this fo rm of rhymes a n d feet had bee n in use ever

”
si n ce o u r fathers were in their o wn lan d .

This a uthor seems to have entert ai n ed n o d o ubt

o f his people bei n g settled in Spai n befo r e the

Chaldaean captivity ; but as t h e b o o k itself is a

treatise up o n rhymes and metrical scan s i o n (which
h o wever are de n ied by Christian s t o be of an cient
date in the H ebrew lan guage ) and is the ori ,

i n al s o u r ce o f this indi vidual epitaph ; and as i t,

g
like that describe d by the Jesuits ends with the ,

name Amazi ah ; may it not be suspected that

the learned R abbi has yielded to the temptation
o f ass o ciati n g a n I a mbic distich of his o w n with

the reality o f an i n scr iption at Murv iedr o fo r the ,

purpose of provi n g his o w n argument ? N ever

t h eless it is worth observi n g that this acc o u n t
,

was writte n ab o ut the time o f the S o r os bein g dis

covered and above a century before the i n quiry
,

made by Villalpando .

These several inscriptions are C opied i n to the

”
Glo bus A r c a n o ru m Lin guae San ct ae by Luis de ,

San Fran ci s c o p 7 0 9 ; an d F abricius Bibli o theca

, .
’

”
Graeca vol xiv p 1 66 besides Villalpan do and
, . . .
,

B art o lo c c i o .

B a s n a ge
advises not to beli eve implicitly in
,

m o nume n t s which impost o rs have amused them

,

selves with burying for the astonishment of the ,

 IN S PAI N A ND P O R T U GA L . 13

”
S imple. But it does n o t appear that the sto ne
actu ally seen a n d c o pied had ever been un der
,

gro u n d ; and the S or es or stone c o fli n inscr ibed

, ,

with H ebrew co n taini n g a n emb al med corpse a n d

, ,

survivi n g in the popular tradition c an har dly be ,

supp o sed a cheat u n less we learn to disbelieve

,

V illalp a n d o s whole narrati o n of the search insti

’

t u t e d at Sagu n tum an d the record i n the archives

, ,

as well as the i n dependent evidence of R Moses .

’

discoveri n g an epitaph on the same spot lo n g ,

before this accou n t was made N either Spaniard .

n o r Jew would be s o rash as to doubt of m o re than

the co n clusion that has been draw n ; an d whatever

either a heedless or an ove r cauti o us reader may
,

believe he will the most securely sco ff at the notion

,

of Jews in Spain from a long an tiquity w h o has ,

not from the wrecks o f that an cie n t city gazed ,

“ ”
upon the deep and dark blue Mediterran ean ,

and has n o t there rec ollect ed that Tarshish was at

his right hand an d Palestine along that sea to the
,

left
.
 CH A PT E R I I .

HEB R E W S E TTL E M E N TS I N S PA I N D U R I N G THE

S E C ON D T E M P L E .

A D I FF E R E N T origin is ascribed to the Jews of

Spai n by several o f the princip al R abbinic al
writers and has been hastily believed by some
,

Christians fro m wh o m more pru dence might

,

have been expected .

R Isaac A b arb an el in his Commentary on Zech

.
,
.

x ii 7
.
“
The Lord also S hall save the tents of
.

”
Judah has this remark :
,
And even into Spain
i n the time o f the desolation of the first Temple ,

accordi ng to R Isaac abe n G h e ath of blessed

.
,

memory that t wo families of the h o use of D avid ;

,

o n e from the S o ns of D avid who settled in L ucena

[ near Granada ] and t h e other the

,
family o f t h e ,

A ba r ba nela which inhabited Seville and from it

, ,

came a thousan d o ffshoots This reference ,

however cannot n o w be found among the writings

,

of R Isaac aben G h eat h

. .

1
R Menasseh
. b en I sra e l c ib
as r es t h e se t t l e men t of th e Ab ar
bau c ls i n S p in to th d
a e at e o f th e c d T mpl
s e on e e s
’
f ll
a .

11
 HI ST ORY OF T HE J E WS , &c . 15

“ ”
The Sceptre o f Judah by R Solomon ben ,
.

Virga rel ati n g eve n ts o f the thirtee n th cen tu ry

, ,

i n serts the fo ll o wi n g p r etended conversation

“ Then said Th mas t h
o e phil o s o pher It w o uld ,

delight thee 0 king [Alons o ] to c o n verse with

, ,

that Jew who is said to be descended from the

,
’
a n cient sto ck o f their ki n gs Th e ki n g replied .

But they say falsely ; fo r we are to ld that the

royal r ace o f D avid was entir ely destroyed when
N eb u ch a dn e z z ar conquered the Jew s ; fo r he
dreaded lest a n y one o f that bl oo d sh o uld sur vive ,

u n der wh o se i n flue n ce the people might resume

their arms and vindicate their fo rmer
,

Thomas answered : Y et it appea rs that when ,

N ebuchadn ezzar was on his way t o besiege Jeru

salem he h a d auxiliary fo rces se n t him by s o me
,

p o werful princes partly because they feared the ,

ruler of the world and partly o u t of that hatred ,

to ward the Jews which they held o n a ccount of

religio n Amo n g these one far super ior to the rest
.

w as named Hi sp a n u s fr o m wh o m Spai n derives its ,

name wh o t o gether with his relative Pyrrhus a

, , ,
”
ki n g o f the Greeks s et out for Je rus alem These , .

1 W h en th e ra bbi
i t Ch i ti ki g h
ass ig ns t hi s n o t on o a r s an n , e

f g t t h t th N w T t m t b i g th g l gy f D vi d
or e s a e e es a en r n s e e n ea o o a

d w t J
o n o i th ig f H d d t hi c i till l t
e s u s, n e re n o e ro ,
an o s o us n s , s a er .

M i m k t hi P y h
2
ar a n a p i c f M id in L it i
a es s rr us a r n e o er a us an a ,

and d c ib h i imp t ti
es r f J w f m A ia t ha v b
es s or a on o e s ro s o e e en
16 HI ST O RY OF T HE J EW S

two Pyrrhus an d Hi sp an u s subdued the J ews ;

, ,

and N ebuchadn ezzar in gratitude fo r their su c ,

cour, granted them in a royal manner a share of , ,

the acquisiti o n M o reover, it appears that J eru .

salem was divided by w alls into three parts the

outerm o st was inhabited by ar ti fi c e rs and more ,

especially by the ve n dors o f spices fo r the temple

sacrifices and c o n cerni n g whom the prophet says
, ,

Howl ye i n habit a nts of Maktesh

,
Between the
first wall an d the second resided all the student s
and the merchants b ecause the learned have more ,

need of the merchan ts than the merchants have of

the learned for this single reason, that merchan di ze
,

will never teach the want of t r u e wisdom but a ,

learned man knows his want o f money The S pace .

between the second a n d third w all was o ccupied

by the royal family ; that is to say t h e whole ,

seed of D avid ; als o the priests and the sacred

ministers .
’

W hen Jerusalem was allotted for plunder t o

o cc i as o n e d by th di p i e d Tit smi t t i g ll m t i
ers o n u n f er u s, o n a en on o

His p an u s . Th T l d Epi t l m k
e o ePy h an c pt i i th s e a es rr us a a a n n e

ar m y o f Cy t th
ru s a t ti n e r e s or a o .

1
Z e ph i h i 1 1 N t by W L w th
an a . . M kt h p a t
o e . o . a es , a r ,

o r s t r ee t fJo l m Th Ch ld int p t i t f th i h bi
e r usa e . e a ee er re s o e n a

ta n ts o f th b ek Cd r oo— N t by A chbi h p N w c m
e r on .
”
o e r s o e o e.

A v a ll y in J
e l m which divid d th pp f m th l w r
e r u sa e ,
e e u er ro e o e

ci ty . Thi i g bl t th tym l gy f th w d which ig

s s a r e ea e o e e o o o e or , s

” —
ni fi es a holl w p lace
o ( F m D O l
y y
. d M t Bibl ) ro
’
e an an
’
s e .
 IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 17

these mo n ar chs N ebuchad n ezzar t o o k fo r himself

,

the t w o lo wer walls a n d the people ab o ut them ,

besides the other cities o f Jerusalem an d led them ,

captives i n to Persia and Media ; but the third

division he left fo r Pyrrhus an d Hi sp an u s Pyrrhus .

co n veyed these captives i n his S hips to ancie n t

Spain which is called An d alusia and t o the city
, ,

o f Toled o W hen t h e lan d was found i n su fli c i en t

.

to c o n tai n s o great an influx o f p o pulati o n they ,

were rem o ved to other parts of h i s domi n i o ns .

Par t o f the ro yal descendants who had at first g o ne ,

t o Seville r etired thence t o Gra n ada

’
, .

[ H e adds that ,
the numbers were afterwards
increased by the fugitives from Jerusalem at the ,

overthrow by Ti tus ] .

S o that all the Jews now in thy realm 0 ki n g , ,

are deri ved fro m the r o yal st o ck at least the greater ,

part are o f the tribe of Jud ah Therefo re it is n o .

marvel that s o me still survi ve w h o trace up their

geneal o gy t o D avid .
’

The merits of this tale are easily appreciated .

But we fi n d that fo r ce n t ur ies befo re A b arb an el an d

Ben Virga the Spanish Jews ur ged the same pre
,

tensio n s A t the capture o f Toled o i n 1 080 they

.
,

assur ed their c o n quero r that they were a residue

of the fir s t c ap t iv i t v A n d ag a i n in 1 49 2 whe n
‘
.
,

the ge n eral expulsion was an n o un ced the T o ledan ,

1
S d v l Hi t i d l
an o a , R y d C t ill y d L
s or a e os e es e as a e e on .
18 H I ST O RY O F T HE J Ew s

Jews appealed t o an ancient mo n ument in the open

square o f the city beari n g an i n scriptio n dictated
,

by s o me very early bish o p which testified that ,

this pe o ple had not quitted Spai n during the whole

time o f the second Temple a n d therefo re could ,

not have been participat o rs in the guilt of cruci

fy i n g Jesus .

The R abbis appealed li kewise to the Scripture ,

“
in O badiah verse 2 0 The captivity of Jeru
,
.

”
salem which is in S ep h a r a d where the Targum
, ,

of J o nath an renders Sephar ad as Spain N ow .

this Chaldee Targum was written about the time

of the Christian era in the reign of Ti berius C aesar ; ,

a n d if its auth o rity be c o nclusive there were

Jews i n Spain duri n g the p r o phecy of O ba di ah ,

that is soon after the days o f N ebuchadnezzar

, .

A gai n the zeal o ts o n this debateable groun d

,

co n te n d that man y of the names o f places in the

,

Pe n insula are evide n tly repetitions o f names in

the Holy Land o btai n ed from the usual cus t om
,

of col o n ists to designate their n ew settleme n ts by

appellations to which they had been familiar .

Thus we have E scalo n a fro m A sc alo n ; N o ves fro m

N ove ; Magu e d a fr o m Megiddo Y epe s o r Jepes ,

from J o ppa ; and Toledo fro m T o le do th (gen ea 2

,

1 At fi r st c alle d P e r i t z olo , b u t t h e He b r e w s na d
me i t To li t o la , ”

sa y s th e B ch f D vid by R
ra n o a ,
”
. D vid
a Ganz . B ut t hi s s ta te

me n t wou ld l a d to th c cl i
e o er on u s ons .
20 H I ST O RY OF T HE J E WS
“
the prediction o f O b a diah has failed : S i n ce the
”
Captivity which was i n Sepharad did n o t return ,

“
accordi n g to their o w n sh o win g t o possess the ,

”
cities of the S o uth but allowed their brethren ,

fro m Babylon to take possession and u n der Hyr , ,

can n s to devour E d o m The Septuagint trans

,
.

latio n made ab o ut two centuries befo re the Targ um

,

of J o n atha n is the m o re trust worthy of the two ,

-
,

whe n it substitutes E phrata for S ep h ar a d ll

3 The etym o l o gies adduced an d which resemble

.
,

H ebrew belo n g rat her to the cogn ate lan guages

, ,

”
Ph oen ician o r Arabic and are n o t repetitions o f ,

local n ames .

4 The table of emerald paste must have been

3
.

1
St . J e r ome , i n th e Vu lga t e, h as s t ran g ly t
e r an s a te l d 1 1 90 3
in B o S p h o r o .

2
A ld r ete
,
O r ig en
i g C t ll iii 4 B h a t g d e la I n ua as e a n a, . . oc r ar ues

f m 750 th P h ici i t c
ro w i th S p i
e oen an n er o u rse a n.

S m3
pp th t w h th
o e su ci t m ti l g f b ic
o se , a en e an en s en on ar e a r a

ti o nsf m ld t h y m
o e g fl era p D ,
E Cl k
e e an r e en uor S ar . r. . ar e

( T mb f A l x d p
o o d t d th m t ig ify th g
e an er , . un er s a n s e o s n e re e n

b cci f Egypt M i c id thi t bl t h v b

re a o . f
ar a n a on s ers s a e o a e e en o

g r ee nm bl B t H d t (E t p
ar e. d c ib the
u e ro o us u er e, es r es

c l m f m ld i th t mpl f H c l t Ty di ff
-

o u n o e e ra n e e e o er u es a r e , as us

i g by igh t
n xt di y pl d
n an ed it i w k
ra o r w n ar s en ou r an s no no n,

th t m
a som p cim f m
e e n or ld v & t ill xt
o us s t
e en s o e e ra as e s , c. s e an

on th c ti tf m
e ly t im
on m d f vi t i fi d p t th
n en ro e ar es , a r e a e o a r e as e , e

a t f w hi ch w
r o km hip i t t d t h v b or t ill i xi t c
an s s s a e o a e e en s n e s en e

a b t th i th c t y by H cli ( S D Ch l O Co
ou e n n e n ur , e ra us . ee r. ar es
’
nor s
’

A pp n dix t o th C tal g f S t w MSS )

e e a o ue o o e .
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G AL . 21

a valuable p r ize as well fo r its accompaniments of

,

g o ld an d pearls as fo r the p r es tig e c o n n ected with

1
,

its hist o ry ; a n d accordin gly we fi n d a ro man tic

, ,

account o f its r em o val t o D a mascus : but it n eed

not be a porti o n o f the fi r st Temple s furniture ’
.

If a relic of Jerusalem at all it may have bee n a ,

part of the R oman plunder which Alaric had seized ,

an o ther portion o f which had been ta ke n from the

G o ths by the F ran ks at Poitiers ; an d a third
,

shar e had been fo un d in C a r thage by Beli sari us ,

w h o g r aced with it his triumphan t e n tr y t o Con

s t a n t in o p le and thus it wo ul d only date from the

2
, ,

s econd Temple .

So the n there is n o adequate c o nfirmatio n t o

, ,

”
be had of the statement i n the Sceptr e o f Judah
respecti n g Pyrr hus Hi sp an u s and t heir host o f , ,

captives fro m the city o f Zi o n .

Marian a Sarmie n t o and aft er them B a sn age

,
’
, ,

have i n terw o ven another subj ect with that which

we have j ust co n sidered but which o ught to be ,

kept distin ct from it if menti o n ed i n serious ,

earnestn ess : viz the prete n ded i n vasi o n of Sp ai n

.

by N ebuchadn ezzar The n o tio n is founded on a .

passage i n Strabo (li b an other in E usebius .

,

Chron Canon p a n d t w o passa g es i n

( . 1 . . .

1
I ts i t i ic v l w
n r ns tim t d a ue as es a e at c r o wn s . Ga r d on n e .

3 Re a n l d d Sp lii T mpli Hi
e ,
o s e e r os.

3
O b ras Posth umas .
22 H I S T O RY OF T HE J E WS

Josephus (Ant x 1 1 l and Contra . . all . .

quoting from an o therwise unknown Persian au

thor M ega sth en e s
,
.

Strabo cites him as affirmi n g that N ebu

c h o d o n o so r renowned above H ercules by the
,

Chaldaeans traversed as far as th e P i lla r s t o

,

T earc o n an d returned with his army from I ber ia

,

”
into Thrace a n d Pontus .

In E usebius Als o M egasth e n e s in the fourth

, ,

part of his I n dian [history] where he e n deav o urs ,

to S how that the aforesaid king o f the Chaldaeans

,

surpassed H ercules in v al our and greatn ess of

actio n ; for he declares that he subjugated a great
”
part o f Africa an d Iber i a .

B a sn age conte n ds that this I ber i a is not Spai n , ,

but Ge o r gia in A sia which i n deed would best ,

accord with the expe d iti o n into Thrace and Pontus ;

but where is T e ar c o n a n d where are th e P i lla r s
?

The Latin paraphrase of Strab o renders Iberia by

Hispan ia E ither therefo r e the O r iental writer
.
, ,

believed the Iberia subdued by the Babylonian s t o

be Spain or the ge o grapher (which is scarcely
,

credi ble) c o n ceived him to mean so a n d inserted ,

th e P i lla rs as a fl o urish of his own in co n n ectio n ,

with the n ame of H ercules 1

1
U n l e ss
i t d d th P ill
he f Al x d
n en e e ar s o e an er in A i t ic S
s a ar

m t i ( Pt l my G g v ) b t the
a a o e , f p eo r . . u se ar e o i
os t er o r c ti
er e on

t th
o ig f N b h d
e re n o e uc a n e z z ar .
 IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 23

N either J o sephus nor E usebius menti o n the

Pillars but they as so ciate Africa with Iberia ; and
,

the M ilan editio n (1 8 1 8) of E usebius gives in its

paraphrase Zy b oei a pe o ple o f Africa fo r Ibe , ,

ri a .

Marian a fo llowing the common readi n g of

,

Strabo has detailed fro m his own i n ve n tio n the

,

disembar kati o n of the Babylo n ian s n ear the Pyre

nees their takin g of successive cities march n t o
, ,

Cadiz a n d the n at the pillars o f H ercule s suffer

, ,

i n g such reverses fro m the b r ave a n d h a rdy natives ,

as to cause their speedy departure fo r Thr ace and

P o n tus burde n ed with en o rm o us tr easur es and
, ,

b o a sti n g to have carried their ar ms t o the e n d o f

the w o rld .

An other theory of the same te n de n cy has bee n

stated at le n gth by Sarmie n to a n d the n co n tr o 1
,

verted Po lybius Pto lemy Plin y a n d Strab o have

.
, , ,

me n ti o ned a people i n habitin g And alusia and t h e

modern Algarve di ffe r i n g from all their neig h
,

bours speaki n g a peculiar l a n guage usin g refined

, ,

grammatic al rules a n d possessi n g in scribed m o n u

,

ments of antiquity and p o ems n ay laws in ve r se , , , ,

which Strabo states t o be laws of S ix th o usand

years as they say o r by a n eme n dati o n of Pal
,

meri u s , S ix th o usan d ver s es

2
N o w was this .
’
,

1
O b ra s P os th u m as .

1
Sa li m fo r S tra b o, G e o gr . lib iii
. .
24 H I ST O RY OF THE J E WS ‘

a Jewish p o pulati o n de s ce n dan ts of the o ld colo ,

n i st s i n t h e times o f S o l o m o n A maziah a n d N ebu , ,

c h ad n e z z ar ? It is certai n that the laws o f E x o dus

and D eutero n o my c o n tai n p o ems n o t t o me n tion ,

1
the Ps alms an d Proverbs The district thus peo .

pled i n cluded Tar shish and the chief cities o f the

Mediterr an ean coast a n d ab o unded so much in the ,

precious metals that Strab o says of it ,

The
regions be n eath the gr ou n d are i n deed n o t the , ,

”
realm o f Hade s but o f Plutus In these t w o
, .

respects the spirit o f merchandize w o uld be fos

t ere d Besides that the la n d was m o st exuberant
.

i n agr icultural pro duce and the Jews I n their own ,

c o u n try were all agriculturists .

—
R eply These pe o ple ar e denominated T u r d e
.

tan i a n d T u r d u li by auth o rs wh o se i n fo r mati o n

,

was exte n sive up o n n ati o n al peculiaritie s a n d wh o ,

were at least s o well acquai n ted with the Jews as ,

t o have bee n able t o pr o n o u n ce at o n ce if war ,

ranted by facts that these An d alu s ian s were of ,

th a t n a ti o n They were pro bably a fl o urishi n g

.
, ,

b r an ch o f the great Celtic family which extended ,

1
Th e P sa lms ar e t e rm e dL a w in John x . 34 . xv . 25 . an d Rom .

iii . 19 . B ut h e v en th e p h ra se si x t o u sa n dy e ars , as hy y
t e sa ,
”

b m w h t f J w i h c m pl xi
e a rs s o e a o a e s o e on . Th eT lm a u dic p v b ro er

sa y th t th w ld d
s, tw th
a e or en ur e s o o us a nd y ear s o f c f i on u s o n

(i. b f th l w f M ) t w th
e . e ore e a o os e s , o o u s an d th y e e ar s o f th e la w ,
an d t w th u d th y ars f M i h
o o sa n e e o e ss a .
”
S anh e d 9 7 1 . . .
 IN S PA I N A N D P O R T U GA L . 25

from the river Ob y in R ussia t o C ape F i n isterre ,

o n the A tlan tic ; but th ey can n o t be co n sidered

Israelites St Augustin e co n siders them the pri

. .

mi t iv e p o pulati o n a n d refers t o their p a st history

,

a s affo rdi n g the best specimen o f the g o lden

age .

R eviewin g thus all the speculations which

, ,

assign to the Jews a residence in Spain pri o r to the

Christian era they must be each a n d all dismissed
,

with the n e g ative ver di ct N o t p r ov en In the , .

prese n t age o f r ig o r ously siftin g the chro n icles o f

past ge n erati o n s there i s little dan ger of givi n g i n
,

to the imp o stu re practised upo n King A l o n so at

Toledo where the Jews asseve r atin g that they
‘
, ,

had dwelt there ever since the first Temple o f Jeru

s alem adduced i n pro of a c o py o f the H ebrew
,

epistle with its translati o n i n Ar abic which their

, ,

fo refathers had di spatched to Judac a o n the occa ,

si o n of C aiaphas co n sul t ing the To ledan syn ag o gue ,

as to the j ustice o r expedie n cy o f putt i n g t o death

the pers o n n amed Jesus wh o had assumed the ,

august title of Messiah They replied that a s the .

,

di vine pro phecies seemed to be accomplished i n

him he o ught not t o be treated as a malefact o r
, .

Alon s o either fr o m p o licy o r facility of belief

,
.

respected their claim and had the epistle fu rther,

S ee p g
a e 15 .
26 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E w s, &c .

translated into L atin and Castilian to be dep o sited ,

in the royal archives where it was guarded till ,

1 494 The latter version is found in Sandoval

.
1

N either S hall we allow much weight to the mere

assertio n that the Spanish Jews were so nume r ous
befo re the fall of the latter Temple as to in vite by , ,

deputatio n , the ap o stles of Christ to come and

preach to them the new revelation That St . .

James came in consequence and accordi n g t o , ,

apostolic practice not o n ly proclaimed the Gospel, ,

but in every town began by o ffering the law of

grace to the Jews This is heartily credited by .

D e Varg as in the History of Merida from the ,

authority of Flavius D exter and sun dry other ,

monkish writers .

1 H isto r ia d e lo s Re y e s,
A pp dix E Thi tific &c . See en . s ar e

was imit t d m c t i ft w d by th G m n J w
a e so e e n ur e s a er ar s e er a e s .

Th y xhibit d
e e im il l tt t th i p cti
e a S f t h E mp
ar e er o e ns e on o e e ro r

a d Di t
n t W m ; nd bt i
e a d by i t m
or s m p c li a r
a o a ne s ea n s s o e e u

p ivil g s Thi pi tl th y h v i c p bli h d i th t bl

r e e . s e s e e a e S n e u s e n a as

p h mous b o o k Th G l gy f J s ( B asnage ) ”
e , e en e a o o es u .
28 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS
“
A chron o l o gical b o ok called the O rder of Time 1

by R J o sé ben Hh ilp eth a in the third or fo urth

.
,

ce n tury affi rms that the conqueror A S p a si an u S

,

( Vespasia n
) destr o yed the temple and rem o ved ,

man y families o f the h o use of D avid and Judah

”
i n to A sp ami a which is Spain ,
.

The same statement w as made to St Jerome .

,

only chan ging the name A sp asi an i n to A drian a n d ,

e n umerati n g the families at It was r e

e at e d by the Je w s at the A ragonese c o nference i n
p
1 4 1 4 with the numbe r s as above
,
A b ar b an e l .

c o nti n ued the story but severed the ce n sus i n to

,

families o f Judah and o f Be nj am in

,

a n d the priests His s o n i n law M en a s s eh ben

.
- -

Israel asserti n g the general supremacy o f Spanish

,

Jews and the ro yalty o f the A b arb an el family in

,

particul ar tr ansmitted the same fictio n To which

, .

“ ”
likewise the Sceptr e o f Judah gives c o unte n an ce ,

by statin g that the m ul titude bro ught out of Jeru

salem an d o ther parts of Palesti n e i n to Spain ,

alm o st equalled i n numbers that which was led o u t

o f E gypt by Moses ; but that many passed thence

into France and German y .

But w o rldly wise men as were A b arb a n el an d

-

Ben I srael they co ul d n o t have themselves as they

,

wrote u nless they had first procured di fferent and

,

1
Se d er O lam . by G e n ebrar d . — B as l e , 1 5 80 .
 IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 29

more certain accounts of the R oman siege than

their countryman Josephus has recorded who w a s ,

an eye witness an d wh o se history was attested by

-
,

Titus hi mself by Hero d Agrippa and H ero d kin g

, ,

o f Chalcis as t o i t s strict veracity

, H i s d e s c rip .

tion ru n s thus 1

A n d n o w since his s o ldie r s were already quit e

tired of killin g m e n a n d yet ther e appeared to be
,

a vast multitude still remaini n g alive C aesar gave ,

o rders that they S ho u ld kill n o n e but such as were

in arms an d opposed them but sh o uld take the ,

rest alive But together with those whom they

.

had o rders to slay they slew the aged and the i n

,

firm ; but fo r those that were in their flourishi n g

age and who might be useful to them they dr ove ,

them together into the temple and shut them up ,

within the w alls of the court o f the women over

which C aesar set one of his freed m en as als o -
,

F ro n to one of his own friends which last was to

, ,

determine every o n e s fate according t o his merits

’
.

S o this F ro nt o Slew all th o se that h a d bee n se d i

tious or ro bbers who were impeached o n e by
'

an o ther ; but o f the y o un g men he ch o se out t h e

tallest an d m o st beautiful an d r eserved them fo r ,

the triumph : and as for the rest o f the multitude

that were about seve n teen years o ld he put them ,

1
W a rs ,
VI . ix . 2 .

C 3
30 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

in bonds and se n t them into the E gyptian mines

,
.

Titus also sent a great number in to the provinces ,

as a present to them that they might be destroyed

,

up o n the theatres by the swo rd a n d by the wild

beasts but th o se that were under seventeen years
o f age were sold as slaves N ow duri n g the days
.

wherei n F ronto was distinguishing these men,

there perished fo r want of food some of ,

wh o m did n o t taste any food throug h the hatred

t heir guards b o r e to them ; and others would not

take in any when it w as given t o them The mul .

t i tu d e als o was so very great that they were in

wan t even o f c o rn for their sustenance .

N ow the number of those that were carried

captive dur i n g the whole war was c o llected to be,

as w as the number of tho s e who perished

during the wh ole siege ,
the greater
part o f whom were indeed o f the same nati o n but ,

not belonging to the city itself ; fo r they were come

up fro m all the country t o the feast of unleavened
”
bread &c
, .

The stem simplicity of this relation bespeaks it s

t ruth even with o ut external corro b o ratio n Before .

this the dreams o f the R abbis vanish F or in the .

first place the R oman s while devisin g contrivances

, ,

for the reductio n o f the pe o ple by te n s of thou

sands a t a time a n d actually in want of bread to
,

feed their victims till they could despatch them

11
 IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 31

away to the mines or the li ons cannot be imagined ,

to have shipped o ff fa milies with suffi cient

provisions to enable these favo u red persons to reach
the extremity of the known worl d Secondly had .
,

such a thing been done what a noble theme it ,

would have pro ved for Josephus to exhi bit either

hi s nation s merit or C aes a r s clemency ! But n o
’
,
’

hint of the ki n d is found in hi s H isto ry Thirdly .

,

the numbers are greatly at variance J osephus .

gives captives fo r the whole war ; the

Ra bbis enumerate famili es ; whi ch, at six
individuals for the average of these famili es woul d ,

raise the census to removed from J er u

s alem alone int o the single country of Spain .

F our thly it i s certain that the wr etched s u fferers

,

in the city were n o t exclusively belonging to

Jud ah and Be nj amin with one section of priest s
and Levite s ; for first Josephus sta tes th at they h ad
, ,

come up to the feast from all parts of the cou ntry :

and as we kno w that families of other tribes re
sided even in the city itself [Luke ii so much
, .

more in Galilee an d the G alilaeans always attended

,

the grea t festivals ; secondly the Jews from every ,

nation under heaven used to come up for the same

purpose [A c t s ii 5 and xxi
. . therefore from .

am o n g the ten t ribes of th e E astern di spersion .

[ See A cts xxvi .7 and James i A nd all the .

Passover worshippers were in discrimi nately e n

C 4
32 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

closed when the en emy cast a trench about the

,

”
city and kept her i n o n every side
,
.

Aft er this great R o man vengean ce o f the year

7 2 s o me mise r able relics of the t w o prin cipal
,

tribes co n ti n ued to haunt the l o calities of Zion

a n d O livet ; t o these were soon ass o ciated a motley

c o llectio n fro m every Jewish class and party still ,

clin gi n g to their centr al h o me : till fr om the r e

e a t e d demo n stratio n s give n by even these that
p
”
i n their ashes gl o wed their w o nted fi r es of

enmity t o their masters Adr ian in the year 1 35

,

deemed it necessary to chase every Jew u n der

pe n alty of death from the vicinity o f Jerusalem .

He erected a new city o n its site with the heathen

name of fE li a Capitolin a s et up in it his ido ls
, ,

a n d scattered the hated pe o ple o ver the world ,

deprived of their ears and noses It w a s not

,
.
,

then under his directi o n s that

,
fam ilies o f
Judah a n d ,
o f Be nj a mi n a n d Levites wer e ,

transported in a united comp any to Sp ai n .

Y et it is u nde n iable that fr o m the very infancy

o f Christianity there were man y Jews in that
country : whether as refugees from the E astern
d esolati o ns or as purchased s laves at the will of
,

their pro p rietor s W afted n o t an n ihilated by the

.
, ,

t empest al o n g every shore of the o cean like the ,

i ndestru ctible thistle down over cli ffs a n d r o cks

-
,

they o b tained th o ugh at the setting su n a conge

, ,
 IN S P A I N A N D P OR T U GA L . 33

nial place of rest where Oppression being nearly

,

u n known fo r centuries they speedily r o se above

,

poverty an d degrada ti o n Th e mercantile and

.

agr ic ultural habits whi ch they had exercised for

ages foun d adapted circumstan ces an d ample scope
,

in the ports from Barcelo n a t o the Tagus with the ,

extreme fertility of the soil fo r necessary food a n d

luxurious refreshme n t o f human life W hether .

they di d or did n o t in the first Christian century

, ,

meet a remn an t of earlier settlers from their own ,

the h o ly lan d ; we have now t o d o with history ,

a n d t o treat of Hebrews as a constitue n t p o rtion

o f the Spa n ish populatio n , however diversely or

consenta n eously they may have formed a banded

race in that n e w and alien territory .

The W estern Pe n insula w as the most peaceful

section of the R oman empire Aft er t h e defeat o f
.

P o mpey s sons it was preserved in that state o f

’
,

repose most favo urable to civilization an d com

fort for about 400 years ; and though m o st s u b
missive as a province the atr o cities o f the detest
,

able amo n g the C aesars were but little known o r

felt beyo n d the Pyre n ees .

The body of the i n habitants were o r igi n ally

Celts. Partial conquests a n d settleme n ts had
been successively made by the Ph oen icians and
Carthagin ian s ; the former of whom had instructed
them in mining, with the culture of corn and the
C 5
84 HI S T O RY OF T H E J EW S

vine : the latter had improved their husbandry, an d

introdu ced the olive There were besides some .
,

Grecian colonies on the southern c o ast as R osas , ,

nam ed after R hodes and Sagu ntum from Z a cy n ,

thus now Zante

,
.

In the reign o f Tiberius Columella had extolled ,

the Span ish farming and described the hemp as ,

i ndigenous to the soil ; the flax a s naturalized

fr o m E gypt ; and the produce o f woo d h o ney , ,

and w ax as very abundan t U nder Vespasian

,
.
,

the Spanish min es an d fisheries were represe n ted

as inexhaustible an d the citi es to be 3 60 in num
,

b er ’
C orduba had already produced Lucan an d
.

the two Se n ecas to represent her li t erat ure ; an d

four of the p osteri o r E mper o rs o f R ome were
Span iards v i z Traj an A drian Maximus a n d
,
.
, , ,

The o do s ius I I .

The several religi o ns in Spain as they had a d ,

v an c e d from the m o st remote ep o ch were , ,

1 The D rui di sm of the Celts

. .

2 The human sacrifices o f the Carth ag in ians

. .

8 The Classic heathenism of the R o ma n s

. .

4 Christian ity
. .

W hether the apostle James, or Paul o r E uge ,

1
T h es e citi c i t d g
es ons s e en er a lly of a me r e vill g a e w ti h c tla as e,

an d f ro m th ed d cy
re un an of t h e se th e l dw
an as t er m d Xh é
e t t

woh cg .
36 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

in general at a particular period ; but where the

s ame causes o perate we may look fo r S imilar peace
,

a n d i n dustry .

The Jews never became less Jewish for their

residence in Spai n ; religi o n fo rmi n g an essential
constitue n t in their individual and c ollective exist
ence ; they c o mbin ed rapidly into groups of brother
h o od by ties a n d motives unk n own t o every o ther
pe o ple They had their pride o f privilege as the
.
,

elected race alth o ugh un der chastisement for a

,

time ; they had an in te n sity of ass o ciati o n depend

i n g upon a language a n d a ritual they all but
adored a n d an honourable attachment t o each
,

o ther in the time of su ffering U n der p er sec u .

tion no doubt a deep anim o sity ran kled in the

, ,

breasts o f many ; but they all cherished their an

t i c ip at i o n s of future bliss however mistaken in ,

their views of it but o f which n o extent o f de

,

gradati o n has ever dep r ived them Thus their .

syn agogues became each a rallyi n g poi n t a nu -

,

c le u s of families ; a n d in Spai n these multiplied

with surprising fa cility They were still con .

n ec t e d with the E ast ; fo r all the syn agogues in

E urope E gypt and Palestine were ru led by the

, , ,

successive Patriarchs o f Tiberias w h o had been 1

,

1
Th e A i t ics a J e ws ,
e as t w ar d f J d c ti
o or an , on nue d bj ct i
su e n

s pi i t l m
r ua a t ters, an d to so me ex t t i t mp l
en n e o ra s , to th i P i c
e r r n e
 IN S P AI N A ND P O RTU GA L . 37

allowed bv rescript of Anto n in us to exercise

their extensive functio n s a n d to levy a general ,

tribute .

This S piritual government was founded on the

”
Tradi tio n s of the E lders which constituted the ,

law fo r regu lation of devoti o n an d for every ,

mi n ute tran sacti o n in comm o n life A s these .

traditi o n s were gradually exte n ded beyond the

stretch o f recollection in almost any man ; a s it
was required that every decisi o n should be the
u n anim o us res o lution o f all the R abbis ; and as
the ultimate appeal was to this Patriarch it fo l ,

lo ws that hi s juridical in fluence and pro portion

able reve n ue must have been prodigio us .

U n der this fo rm of exclusive domin i o n in com ,

m o n with the maj ority of their scattered nati o n ,

but with greater advanta g es of worldly pro sperity

than the rest of the Patriarchate we are t o con ,

sider the Jews o f Spai n u n til the commencement

o f the fo urth ce n tury W e have n o i n fo rmation
.

from themselves relating t o these times but may ,

assume from that very quiesce n ce a n d the known ,

security of the c o untry an o men o f their general ,

happin ess .

of th e C p tivi ty
a at B byl
a on . Th e e ar li es t k n o wn o f t h es e pi c
r n es

w as H una ,
in t h e S c
e dc
on e n tu r y .
 C HA PT E R IV .

C O U N C I L O F E L V I R A — H I ST O RY O F M I S HN A A ND

G EMARA .

A T I M E at length arrived when the little leaven

,

o f Christianity had fermented silently thr o u gh the

kingdoms of this w o rld The R oman E mpero r

.
,

from a patron became a proselyte t o its doctrines

, ,

and its o utward symbol the cross displaced the

, ,

Capit oline eagles on the military an d civil

”
ensigns . In this S ign c o nquer ! was the ,
”
imperial mott o ; In this S ign conquer l was t h e ,

devout reply the grateful ackn o wledgmen t of

,

every pious Christian as he traced thro ugh the

,

past the worki n g of O mnipotence and looked ,

fo rward t o the yet more extended and deeper

victories to be achieved by the death of Jesus 1
.

Councils fo r the settlement of church discipline ,

a n d the fixing of creeds were now pub licly su m

,

1 See John xn 32
. .
A . D . 3 24] H I S T O RY O F T HE J EW S . 39

mo n e d under the protection of the highest secular

authority an d twelve years aft er the battle of the
,

M ilv ian bridge Co n stan ti n e summ o n ed the great ,

C o uncil of N ice in Bithyn ia at wh o se sessio ns he ,

himself o ft en attended I n the same year (A D . . .

was c o nve n ed another council in the oppo ,

site extremity o f the empire that o f E lvi r a (E li b eri s) ,

near Granada : the first natio nal council o f Spain ‘

.

This assembly con sisted of ni n eteen bishops ,

twenty six (or as another account says thirty S ix)

-
, ,
-

presb yters with the deacons a n d the people,

ar o und 2
.

The C an ons they enacted ar e interesting in many

historical p o ints of view but fo r our present ,

purp o se o n ly as they are con n ected with the

Jews agai n st whom they made s o me regulatio n s
,
.

These of c o urse were obeyed me r ely i n their own

, ,

c o ngregatio n s ; for although this very year imme ,

di at ely aft er the defeat of L ici n ius C o nstanti n e ,

had by Circular letters i nvi ted all his subj ects t o

, ,

fo llow his example in embracing C hristianity yet ,

i t would perhaps be t oo ample a c o ncession to

, ,

supp o se that even half of the inhabita n ts o f Sp ai n

at that time were u n der the ecclesiastical j u ri s di c

1 Th er e had b e en p vi ci l y d
ro n a s no s of a pi
r or dat e ,
as E lvi ra ,

A D
. . 57 To ld A D
e o, . . 2 30, & c .

2
Co llec ti m xim
o a a Co n c ili or um His p an i ae . A g irreu .
40 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

tion It was not till above S ixty years later that

.

ido latry was abolished in form by the Senate o f

'

R ome .W e acc o rdi n gly find t h e s e Elib erita n

can ons forbiddi n g the sacrifices to ido ls the burn
ing of tapers in burial places the placing o f -
,

pictur es in churches a n d o ther superstitious

,

practices ; a n d fro m the sixtieth can on it is appa

rent that Chr istian ity was as yet v e ry far fro m ,

general i n the lan d : If any one sh all destroy an

idol and on that acc o unt be sl ai n : si n ce this is
,

not comman ded i n the Gospel nor kno w n to have ,

been ever d o ne by the Apostles : he is n o t to be

”
placed i n the catalo gue o f the martyrs Thus .

the fo llowing laws respecting the Jews would be

viewed by a neutr al spectato r of the period merely
, ,

as safeguards instituted by o n e c o mmun ity of

religio n ists against the influe n ce of an o ther asso
c i at i o n neither bein g as yet supreme in the
, , ,

country which b o th i n habited ; although marked

with this di ffere n ce, that the one of these bein g
under an obligation to sustain a spirit of pro se
lyt i sm was flushed by recent success o f no o rdi
,

nary character ; the other purely passive had n o

, ,

further relati o n t o the o t her commu n ities than

that of n eighbourhood This state of thi n gs
.

distin gu ishes the Council of E lvira from all its

succ essors .
324 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 41

C A N O N XV I .

“
The daughters of Cath o lics shall n o t be given
in marriage to heretics unless these shall submit,

themselves t o the Catholic church : the same is

also decreed o f J ews an d Schismatics : S ince there
can be n o commu n ion of o n e that believeth with
an i n fidel (2 C o r vi ) And if parents tr an sgres s
. . .

this c o mmand they S hall be excommunicated for

,

”
five years .

C AN O N XL I X .

Landholders are to be adm o nished not to

suffer the fr uits which they receive fro m God
with the givin g o f thanks to be blessed by th e ,

J ews lest o u r be n edicti o n be re n dered invalid a n d

,

unp r o fitable If any o n e shall venture to do so

.

aft er this i n terdiction let him be alt o gether ej ected

,

”
fro m the C hurch .

C A N ON L .

If an y perso n whether clerical o r one of

,

the faithful shall take food with th e J ews he is

, ,

to abstain from o u r communion that he may learn ,

t o amend .

C A N O N L X XV I I I .

If any o n e of the faithful having a wife shall ,

c o mmit adultery with a Jewess o r a Pag an he is , ,

”
t o be cast out from our communion .
42 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

The fi rst of these is too s criptural and too well ,

re c omme n ded by its useful tende n cy t o be n e ,

le c t e d by conscientious Christians The last

g .

one was perhap s requisite in those times when

, ,

transgressors might be apt to plead fo r varied

gradations in criminality correspon di n g to the ,

estimation in which the several religio n s were

held .

The interference of the forty ninth canon seems -

t o imply that the Jews were the principal culti

v at o r s o f the lan d an d that the pe o ple cherished
,

some superstitious veneration for the rabbinical

bene di ction either pro n ou n ced in the synagogue
, ,

or over the crops standing in the field ; a r emnant

o f old feelings duri n g pagan i n orance j ust as we
g ,

now detect p o pish habits li n gerin g am o ng the

c ommon people in protestant countries l o ng after ,

the meaning of them is given up The Jewish .

liturgies have p r eserved the an cient supplications

fo r a blessi n g on the increase of the earth The 1
.

1
Gr eat H osa nna h a t the N ew Y W . Seventh kneeli ng .

O G o d, w e bp th y g d t
e se e ch th ee , to o en oo r e as ur e f ro m thy

d w lli g p l c
e n -
d m y th
a e t h giv h
an v d a e ea r e er er ur e .

H h w p y th v w
o sa n n a , e ra ee , sa e no

OG d w b o ch th l t th f hi g d p
, e e s ee ee, e e r e r es n ro s sa t a t ei th e

v d
er ur end p vid a th hi g d vi t g
ro e us a re s n an n a e .

H n h w p y th v
o sa na , e ra ee , sa e no w
44 H I ST O R Y O F T HE J EW S [ A . D:

preserve to their use the kindly fruits of the earth ,

s o as in due time they might enj o y them .

“
The reason here assigned lest our benedic ,

”
tion be ren dered in valid and un profitable is ,

per haps intended to be a cautio n lest the pe o ple ,

S h o uld seek the Jewish rather than the Christian

blessi n g by a ccou nti ng the latter un profitable :
,

not that these vener able bishops would express

before the w o rld a fear o f the heretical benediction
weakeni n g their own when bestowed .

The fiftieth can o n is directly o pposed to the

instructi o n an d practice of the apostles W e read .

i n deed o f the self righteous Pharisees refusi n g to-

eat with the Gentiles but these were n o t models ,

“
fo r imitati o n of Christian legislator s Y e know .

how that it is an unlawful thin g ( accordin g to the

tradition s ) for a man that is a Jew to keep c o m
pan y o r t o c o me u n t o o n e of an other nati o n (o r
,

religi o n the case is the same ) ; but G o d hath Shown

,

me said Peter the apostle o f the circumcisio n

, ,

O G o d, w e b ch t h
e se e ee , d liv
hi c mp y which d i
e er t s o an es re s

to be n ear t h ee Bl t h
e ss t h m lb
ou y C it
e u d g
err ,
ro n a n ora n e.

H n h w p y th
o sa n a ,
e v w ra e e , sa e no

O G o d, w e b ese e ch th c ll w f b d c wi th th
e e, a no or a un an e e

s h o w e rs o f h v ea en : d bl
an ll m
e ss a f t hi g pl t d
ann e r o n s an e or

so wn .

Ho sann ah , w e p y th
ra e e , sa v e n ow

O r den d e Ro s A san a t y Ky p ur . A mst 5 4 1 2. .

( 1 6 5 2 )
32 4] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 45

that I should call n o m an common or unclean

There is i n deed an injuncti o n t o refrain fro m the
“
society o f a cer tain class o f perso n s If any .

m a n that is ca lled a bro th er be a fo r nicator o r , ,

covetous o r an ido lato r o r a railer or a dru n kard

, , , ,

or an extortio n er with such an o n e n o n o t t o eat

,

But when religious cre eds are in questi o n the ,

very insta n ce where this c o un cil placed its v eto it ,

“
is writte n If any of them th a t beli eve no t bid
,
”
you t o a feast an d ye be disp o sed to go & c
, ,
.

W hether therefo re ye eat o r drink or whatsoever ,

ye d o d o all to the glory of G o d Give n one

, .

o ffence n either to the Jew s nor t o the Gentiles

, , ,

nor to the Chur ch o f

The decree c o n fesses virtually that the Jews
had become sociable with C hristians sin ce the dis
ers i o n ; but i n stead o f encouragi n g the change
p ,

and developin g the N ew Testame n t p r i n ciple o f

breaki n g down the wall of partitio n by a genero us
expansion o f heart it sets itself in defian ce o f the
, ,

first and pur est o f all Ch r ist ian c o u n cils (A cts xv , .

t o r ear up a n ee dl ess obstructio n Thus .

S pai n had alr eady comme n ced her dark car eer
of religi o us persecuti o n I n which S he s o ught and
,

gai n ed pre emine n ce o ver the rest of E urope

-
.

Had this not been done who can calcul ate the ,

1
Act x
s . 28 .
2
1 Co r . v . 11 .
3
1 Co r . x . 2 7 3 1 , 32
. .
46 H I S T O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D.

e ffects that might have fo llowed their h o me mis

s i o n ar
y labours to the Jew ,
first and also to the ,

Gentile begin n ing at Jerusalem ” —

a t least in
2

mo di fying the rising bigotry o f R abbinism by an ,

amen ity of interc o urse s o to acquire that ascend

ancy which o n e of invincible suavity invariably
gains over an angry Opp o nent u n til a large Jew ish ,

barrier S hould be founded in Spain among the ,

most influential of the nation again st the usurpa ,

tion o f the comi n g Talmud an auth o rity whi ch ,

can only support itself by the prin ciple of r e

striction ? And this even without direct conver
,

sion would have proved of great v al ue In no

,
.

country were circumstances more propitious to

this obj ect than in Spain where for three cen ,

t u ri e s and a half the sword h a d not been drawn .

There are several allusions in the N ew Testa

ment to a system of doctri n al tradition which ex
e rc i s e d over the people an oppressive sway .

Against this influence our Lord Jesus and his

followers protested with s o lemn earnestnes s a n d
diligence ; so much s o that the hostility of the
,

two par ties frequently appe ared to be but a con

fl i ct between the simpli city of M o ses a n d the
Prophets on one side an d the Pharisaic traditions
,

on the other It is concede d i n Matt v xv

. . . .

1
Rom
. i . 16 .
1
Lu k e xxiv . 47 .
32 4 ] IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 47

and xxiii that these were delivered of o ld time ;

.

they were appar e n tly an accumulation of sayi n gs

and decisio ns of the ruli n g Phar isees since t h e
return from Babylon But their votaries affirm .

them to be an in tegral co n stituti o n of law c o ,

existe n t with the c o de of M o ses to which it ,

sho uld be an auxiliary and without whi ch the ,

writte n law appears t o be imperfe ct These

tra di ti o ns were preserved unwrit ten and were ,

admi n istered by a corporation of perso n s kept

al o of fro m the rest whose reputation fo r piety ,

co uld alone repr ess the nat u ral suspicions that

would arise in a n y other matter where so much ,

temptation a n d Opportunity existed for the fo rg

ing of traditi o ns j ust as circumstances might r e
quire .

Thi s oral legislation rose in importance from

the general dispersion o f I srael The Patriarch .

of the W est dispensed its dict ate s at fi r st from ,

the ruins o f the h o ly city then fr o m Jamnia and , ,

lastly fro m Tiberias by mean s of a g ents termed ,

ap o stles ; but in proporti o n a s the pe o ple made

,

settlements remote from the chief the more i n co n ,

v e n i e n t or imp o ssible his admi n istrati o n became .

To alleviate this difficulty and yet preserve the ,

1 R Men as seh
. b en I sra e l d are d no t to sa y is m i p f ct
er e ,
”
so

l g
on as D eut iv. . 2 is. e xt an t .
48 I S T O RY O F J E WS
‘

H T HE A . D .

j uris dicti o n e n tir e the patriarch R Judah (the

,
.

holy as he is design ated) committed the traditi o n s

,

to writing and published the wo r k u n der the

,

name of Mis h na (the D uplicate ) purpor tin g t o ,

emb o dy a law hitherto u n writte n which had first ,

been give n to Moses o n M o un t Sin ai an d fr om ,

him tra n smitted by word o f m o uth through ,

elders judges prophets a n d ruler s o f San hedri n s

, , ,

d o wn to the said R Judah This do cume n t w a s

. .

produced to the scattered sy n ag o gues up o n its

own bare authenticatio n having never been al ,

lu d e d to in the w riti n gs of the p r o phets by ,

whom they asserted it t o have bee n delivered i n

s uccessi o n ; un sancti o ned by a n y tes t im o ny o f
the Targums or Maccab aean histo ry a n d after
, ,

being ridic uled by Sadducees Karaim Samaritans , , ,

and Christian s while yet a fl o atin g tr adition A s

, .

a Mos ai c law it was a bold imposture ; but o wing ,

to the peculiar circumstances Of the Jewish n atio n ,

it became accepted as o f di vin e origi n a n d c o n ,

tinn es along with all the no n sense appe n ded to it

,

sin ce t o fo rm the law of modern Israel to thi s

,

day .

About a ce n tury later or rather m o re the col

, ,

lege of Tiberias superadded a mass o f r abbinical

expositi o n s pr o verbs allegories lege n dary tales
, , , ,

&c which they s tyled the Gema r a (A ccomplish

.

ment) This united with the Mi shna makes up

.
, ,
40 0 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 49

the Ta lmud (or D o ctri ne

) A s this huge compi .

lat i o n was rem o tely di ffused the syn ag o gues

l
,

disco vered that they needed no l o n ger to u n der

t ak e expe n sive and labori o us v o yages t o J u dae a
for fi n al appeals All decisio n s were then ce.

forward made from the Talmud ; m o re especially

whe n i n an o ther century the prin ce of the c ap
t iv it y se n t fo rth from the banks o f the E uph r ates

an impro ved Gemara which h as sin ce alm o st ,

superseded the former and together with the ,

Mish n a fo rms the Babylonian Talmud .

The college Of Tiberias dwindled in its in flue n ce

and revenue till the begi n ni n g o f the fi ft h cen
tury when Theodosius the Y oun ger deprived the
,

patr iarch Gamaliel o f his title o f pro phet an d ,

fo r bade the conveyance of tribute Th us the

o ffice itself expired aft er a l o n g tyran n y an d ,

bequeathing to the world at least o n e Scriptural

—
b e n efi t the Mas o ra 2
.

Thi s pro di gious effort of patient i n dustry this ,

S in gle work demands from the learned of every

,

nation that th e Jews be considered as emi n e n tly

,

a li t erary pe o ple ; a ch aracter which they have n o t

failed to u phold ever since those early age s ;
.

1
p i t d i 1 2 v l f li
No w r n e n o s . o o .

A v i fi c ti f v y j t i l f Heb re w S c r ip
“ ”
2 er a on o e er o an d t tt e o th e

tur e s i div ity f m d f

n a e rs o o e s, or th e fi xi gn of a f ll
u an d e x ct
a

te xt f th H ly W d
o e o or .
50 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

early to us but the Hebr ew s w er e already fathers

'

in literature befo re one Of the present n ations o f

E urope had it s existence T o estimate their v alue
.

i n this respect we must travel back by an as

,

t o u n di n g climax th r ough the Gemara a n d Mish n a ,

the Hellen ic Jewish writi n gs of Josephus Philo , ,

the N ew Testa ment the Septuagi n t an d the

, ,

Maccabees ; through the minor p r ophets t o N ehe

miah who wro te 1 40 years befo re Xenophon ;
,

to Isaiah 7 00 years before Virgil ; to the Pr overbs

,

a n d Psalms 1 040 years before H o race ; to Ruth

, ,

1 030 years previ o us to Theoc r itus and t o Moses ,

ab o ve 1 000 years the predecess o r of H er odo tu s .

A nd the Israelites we r e alone in the pop ul ar

diffusi o n o f elementary literature Befo re even .

entering the pro mised lan d at a time when som e ,

would persuad e us they were a wild h o rde o f

degraded an d fugitive Slaves their legislator could ,

“
address them i n this man ner These words
'

which I c o mmand thee this day thou

shalt bin d them fo r a S ign upon thi n e han d and ,

they Shall be as fro n tlets between thin e eyes a n d ,

thou shalt wri te them upon the p o sts of thi n e

house an d upon thy gates
,
a n d when thy

so n asketh thee i n time t o c o me saying W hat , ,

1’
mean the test imonies &c ,
It was l o ng befo re
.

1
De n t . vi . 8 &c. .
52 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

o bli gations arising from the divine origin of that

volume .

These reflectio n s apparently uncalled fo r upo n

, ,

the primitive literature of the Hebrews are not ,

altogether unimportant in o ur p r ese n t vi ew of

them as settled in Spain at the period of the Eli
,

b eri t an Council and duri n g their subsequent

,

eventful history ; in which their bo o k learni n g an d

-

talents fo r busin ess served to elevate them above

the surroun di n g ign orance and afforded them
,

security amid political convulsions .

They we r e n o w in a con dition of ease c eleb ra t

,

i n g their festivals rej oici n g in the bounties of

,

God s workmanship N ature— and that t o o in a

’
, , ,

luxurious cli mate upon a land which c o mprised

,

“
the gorge o us beauty of Valencia with the fairy
”
fields o f the Min ho yet still looking through the
,

t i sta of futurity towards brighter scenes than

these .
40 9 ] IN S PA I N AND P O R T UG A L . 3

CH APT E R V .

G OTH I C I N V A S I ON — T H E T H I R D C OU N C I L O F
TOLE DO .

IN the mid dle of the fifth century the E uropean ,

section of the empire became the prey of northern

barbarians .

The R oman proconsuls of Spain had succeeded

each other in brief and unstable authority since
the palmy days Of the C aesars an d Antonines ,

but soon aft er the partition of the empire by Are a

dins and Honorius in 40 9 the Pyrenees wer e ,

crossed by exte n sive hordes of Suevi Alani and , ,

Vandals ; and as it were immediately the whole

, ,

territory from Pampeluna to Gibraltar and thence

, ,

again to C o ru fi a was c o vered an d desolated by

,

these ruthless invaders The horr o rs of the time

.

exceed all that history ever had to depict with ,

the solitary exception of J u d aea s ruin : and appear

’

to have had no mitigati o n whatever Spain .

,

D 3
54 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

which had fo rmerly ennobled her name by the

resistan ce given to Hannib al and C ae sar was n o w ,

s o enervated that in two years the barbarian s cast

,

“
lots for its S hares : They wasted every thin g
with hostile cruelty ; the pestilence w as n o less
d estructive ; a dr eadful famine rag ed to such a
degree that the living were constrained to feed on
the dead b o di es of their fell o w citiz ens ; a n d all -

these terrible plag ues des o lated at once the u n

happy kingdom Procopius declines to n arrate
the cruelties of the invaders lest he should affo rd ,

examples of inhumanit y to futu re ages .

S o me bodies of the natives retreated to the

moun tains o f the north an d i n those rugged fast
,

nesses main tained an i n dependence They are .

si n ce denomi n ated Biscayan s a n d Basques F ive .

years afterwards A dolphus ki n g o f the W isi (or

, ,

W estern ) G o ths who had settled in A quitaine

, ,

w as induced t o relieve Spai n fro m these intruders

upon his a lly the E mperor of R ome F urther .

devastatio n s of course e n sued ; and cities were

, ,

now bu rn ed whi ch had hi therto escaped the

ravages o f the Vandal s The latter preyed upon
.

each o ther un til in 429 the Vandals and Alani

, ,

retired to Africa only leaving the Suevi in Spai n

, ,

who were completely overthro wn by T h e o deri c

1 I da ti i Ch r on ic on .
4 72 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GAL . 55

the W isi G o th A D 45 6 in the R oman name

-
,
. .
, .

Thi s deli verer h o ldi n g there an army o f o c cu

,

at i o n w as murdered and succeeded by his bro

p ,

ther E u ri c, who in stantly clutched the realm from

even the shado w of R oman supremacy by the ,

capture of Tarragon a which had been their Spa ,

nish metro polis fo r 6 00 years Thi s wa s done .

A D 4 7 2 fo ur years before the wh o le W estern

. .
,

E mpire was extin guished as such .

Duri n g these troubles to whi ch we look back ,

as t o a bl o od red cloud hovering Upon the land

-
,

we lose S ight o f the Jews in the abse n ce o f i n fo r ,

matio n from themselves from the wretched mo nk s , ,

or the ill iterate barbarians ; but as no chan ge

co ul d take place without materi ally affecting the
,

agric ulturists a n d traders we may believe that ,

they were not i dl e spectators Whatever may .

have been their gain or loss by the wrecking of

the huge empire it is very possible that they
,

generally regarded the event as a visitation of

God s vengeance on their old o pp ressors The
’
.

T almud ha d already ta ught them to ide n tify E dom

with Christianity a n d every curse recorded i n the
,

Bible against E dom they learned to believe would

,

light up o n the E ur o pean natio n s It may have .

been therefore that whe n they saw the R om an

,

dominion first h alved a n d then that half which ,

h ad most affl icted them ground to powder : they ,

D 4
56 H I ST ORY O F THE J E WS [
A . D .

mi ght, wh ile recurrin g t o the 1 37 th Psalm have ,

l ai d a peculi ar emphasis on the thr ee last verses .

O ne thin g is certai n that very soon aft er the

,

G o thic ro yalty w as established the Jews were

,

still very numero u s an d influential : they pro bably

suffered least fro m having resisted least the fii ry
,

o f the i n vaders .

By an arran gement with O doacer the O stro

E astern G o th Spain and Gaul became the al
( ) ,

l o tted p o rtio n of the W isi Goths and these held

-
,

their regal courts at Arles o r Bordeaux until ,

the F rank tribes spreading westward from the

,

R hine drove the Goths as far as the Pyre n ees,

,

and gave the name of F rance to their acquir ed

territory The rivalry of these natio n s was ex
. .

asperate d the more by a religi o us animosity .

Alas ! that these t wo words sh o uld ever meet to

gether The Franks held to the Catholic d o ctrine
.

o f A than asius an d the N icene creed ; the co ur t o f

To ledo and the maj o rity Of Sp ai n to the Arian

side of the great contr oversy : with these the Jews
sided not o nly for the sake of protecti o n by ad
, ,

hering to o n e party but because the Arian doc

,

tr ine w as much the least o ffensive to their o wn

prejudices ; an d this course they had un ifo rmly
adopted in A sia and Africa .

There existed however a virulent struggle

, ,

within the Peninsula concerning orthodoxy and

58 9] IN S PAI N AND P O R T UG A L . 57

heterodoxy ; the Catho lics producin g mi racles to

attest the patro nage o f heaven to their doctrine
and ritual or frequently exciting political in su r
,

recti o n s against the t o lerant rul e of the Arians .

At length after the unnatural rebelli on of H er

,

men egild the Catholic agai nst h i s heretic father ,

and the dreadful issue hi s execution in the to wer

,

of Seville ; on the death of the ki n g hi s n ext ,

so n
,
R e c are d succeeded to the throne
,
and hi s ,

fi rs t act w as to recal the bishops who had been

bani shed fo r ai di ng in the treason of Herm en e
gild and with them to conve n e the third co un
,

cil of To ledo At thi s convocation he publicly

.

adopted the N icene doctri ne of the Trinity an d ,

the D eity of the world s Savi o ur ’

.

The Catholics now triumphant became as

, , ,

might be expect ed stern and persecutin g in pro

,

ortion t o the e ffort they had employed to gain

p
the as cendancy W ould that they had while
.
,

fi xin g the national Church upo n the divine na

ture of C hrist but imbibed m o re o f the large
,

benevole n ce of Hi s Spirit !

T HE COUNCI L 1
.

In th e name of our L ord Jesus Christ In .

the fourth year of Re c are d our most glorious ,

1 Collecti o ma xim
a, &c . A guirre .
58 H I ST ORY O F T HE J EWS [
A . D .

1
lord the king the 2 5 th of May 6 2 7 this , ,

sacred assemblage was held in the roy al city

of To ledo by the undersigned bishop s of all
, '

”
Spain and of Gaul (i e A quitain e )
,
. . . .

W hen in the sincerity of his faith the said ,

most gl o r ious prince comman ded a convocati o n of

the prelates throughout his do mi n io ns that they ,

might rejoice i n the L ord o n account of his con

version and the refo rmation of the Gothic people ,

and also re n der thanks fo r s o great a blessing ;

that m o st sacred prin ce di d thus address the vene
rable council sayi n g ,

I believe it to be n o t unknown to you most ,

renowned prelates that my purpose in summon ,

i n g you to our serene presence i s the res toration , ,

of E cclesiastical discipline And whereas the .

heresy whi ch has impended over the past times

wo ul d not suffer the synodal decrees t o take e ffect
thro ughout the Catholic Church ; God who has ,

been pleased by our means to chase away that

heretical impediment has admonished us to r e ,

fo r m in fitting man n er the E cclesiastical in stit u

tio n s & c
,
’
.

Hereupon giving thanks to God and the ,

1
A cc di g t th
or n o e ae ra of C ae sar , w hich w as 38 y in
e a rs ad

v c f th Ch i tian dat
an e o e r s e, an d was u se d by a ll Ch i t i
r s an s in

S p in ti ll
a D 1 35 3
A . . .
60 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D.

Glory be to the F ather and t o the S o n an d , ,

to the Holy Gh o st ; whose care it is t o p r o vide

peace an d un ity fo r his holy Cath o lic Church .
’

Glo ry be to Jesus Christ our L or d who 1

,

has by the price o f his o wn bl o od c o llected

his Catholic Church from among all nations
Glo ry be to Jesus Christ our L or d who 1
,

h as br o ught in s o illustrious a natio n t o the

true faith and has made one fold and one
,

’
Shepherd .

O n whom will God besto w eternal merit ,

but on R e c ar e d the true Catholic king ? ’

O n whom will God bestow an eternal crown,

but on R e car e d the orthodox king ?

This was a memorable day for the Spanish

C hurch because upon it a termination was given
,

t o the bickeri n gs and contests of nearly 2 00 years .

N o doubt the king had previ ously calcul ated upon

the accession of tal ents wealth and popular i n , ,

flu e n ce which thi s proceedi ng gained for him a s ,

well as upon the amity to be thus procured with

neighbourin g states It w as b o th humane and .

kingly to do s o however intelli gent and heartfelt

,

1
c pi h v th w d G d i th pl c
Som e o es a e e or d it i
o tn e se a es an s no

un lik ly t h t i t h i z l t h c
e a n e r cil mpl y d th is q lly Sc ip
ea e o un e o e e ua r

l d sig ati
t ur a e n See A c ts x x 2 8
on . . .
5 89 ] IN S PAI N A ND P O R T UG A L . 61

his assent might be to the Catholic belief while on ,

the part of the clergy there was much o f bitter

ness in their ascendan cy
W hosoever desp ises the creed of the N icene
council, let him be anathema !
Whosoever is not, and S h all not be content
with this faith let him be anathema maran
,

atha unto the coming of our L o rd Jesus

”
Christ l
0 how th ese words would have t h rilled in the
hearts of the H ebrew Spaniards c o uld they have ,

foresee n even in a comparatively sm all degree t o

, ,

what an extent their fello w m en would thereafter

work out these anathemas with their o w n hands
upon all their victims and every Jew between the ,

Pyrenees an d the W estern ocean would that day

have b owe d his hea d with the utterance of one
long and m o u m ful groan .

The council, in secular capacity enacted the 1

,

two fo llowing canons .

X IV .

Conformab ly to the Opinion of the council,

our glorious lord (the king) h as ordered to be i n
1
Th eci t c cil f Sp in w
an en o un s t p ly l Si t i l
o a ere no ur e ecc e as ca

in th i f
e r ctiun th f
on s th d y f
on i t h y f m d th m
e o ur a o s e ss on e or e e

se lv i t c t wh
es n o ec la
or es, b ro s b i g a dmitt d th y d
e n, s u r a n e n e ,
e e
62 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EWS [A . D.

among the canons that it Shall not be per

s ert e d ,

mitt e d fo r Jews to have C h ristian wives or concn

bines or to purchase Christian slaves for their
1
,

o wn service ; and all children born of such union

are to be bro ught to baptism ; neither shall they

hold any public o ffice by virtue of which a n y
punishment may be i n flicted on Christians ; a n d if
Christians (slaves ) be circumcised their freedom ,

shall be rest o red without payme n t of ransom and ,

they revert to the Chr istian religi on 2

This was the earliest aggression in Sp ain upon

Jewish em o luments pr o perty and family ties , , .

C A N ON XX I I .

The corpses of all the faithful are to be i n

t erre d with psalms a n d hymns ; no fun eral cries

1 Thi s w or db
di ff t ig ifi c ti t th t w hich w w
or e a er en s n a on o a e no

att a ch t
it It d
o t d w iv
. f c d y g d
en o e ch as es o a s e on ar ra e , su

w H g
er e B ilh h d Zilp h i G i Th i child
a ar , a ,
an a n en e s s . e r r en

w l gitim t d th m lv h
er e e a e an d b tl th
e th f ll
se es o n o ur e ,
u e ss so an e u

w if w h m l
e, th h b
o d d w d wi th ll h i w ldly g d
a on e e us an en o e a s or oo s.

Th p c t ic w
e ra c mm t Ch i ti
e as o w ll J w on
(S o r s a ns as e as e s. ee

Sp w
a rro C mm P y ) on o on ra er .

Of c
2
ll w o u rs ecc t d Ch i ti wh w
a er e a t b ou n e r s a ns o ere no o rn

J w e s N w J wi b
. o d by hi l w t ci c m ci h i l v
a e s o un s a o r u se s s a e as

w lle hi w as
( G s o xvii n s on d t d h d t y
en . t b . an o o so a no e een

f bidd by th l w f th l d ; th f if thi
or en e a o ct m t w
e an er e or e s e na en as

t Op
o t t
e ra ep ctiv ly th t ki g w y ch l v w
r e ro s e e ,
e a n a a su a s a e as so

m ch l
u t o th J w
oss d ff c t d by
e xp
e t faoto l gi l ti
, a
n e e e an e os e s a on .

11
5 89 ] IN S P AI N AN D P O R T U GAL . 63

1
to be allowed n o r beating of the breast
, But I .

wo ul d n o t have y o u ign o r ant brethren concern , ,

i n g them which are asleep that ye sorrow n o t ,

as th o se which have no M o reover the

Lord did not weep for the dea th o f Lazarus but ,

rather o n accou n t of hi s resto rati o n t o the cares

o f thi s li fe So it behoves C h ristians all over
.

”
the wo rld .

This enactment is to be take n in c o nnexion

with the fo llo wi n g o n e of the council of N arbo n ne
in the same year and under the same ki n g and
,

governme n t .

CAN ON IX .

T his
above all is decreed that Jews shall ,

not be suffered t o bear the bo di es of their dead

with the S inging of psalms ; but to Obser ve their
ancie n t custo m of carryin g and depositing them .

And in penalty for tran sgression o f this decree ,

s ix ounces (of gold shall be paid to the count

)
of the city .

H ence we learn that the Jews were desirous

1
A J e w i sh p ra c t ic e, ( S e e J er .ix 2 0 2 1 N h m
.
,
b t a u II . u

g th m
a mo n ef th p pl
as s o e eo e a re lict f Ph ici h bit
o f
oen an a s, o r o

theC ltic d th i d ti fi
e ,
an us n en e d wi t h t h (34 0 11d f th i
e o e r

b th C l ts in I l d
ro er e re an .
64 H I S T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D.

to imitate the Christian custom at bur ials but 1

,

that the ecclesiastics were res o lved to draw a

b r o ad di sti n ction between the cheerful h Op e of
the Christian in his death and the prospect of ,

such as can have n o porti o n in Chr ist s resur ’

rection It is pai n ful t o reflect that th is people

.

wo ul d n o t feel the restricti o n as a penalty .

Such was the third council of Toledo a con ,

S i cu o u s lan d mark in Church hi story

p A t its con .

c lu si o n the Jews endeavoured to bribe the ki n g

fo r a mi tigation Of its severi t y, by a large s um of

money but i n vain
,
2
R ecar e d di spatched ambas.

sa d o r s to R ome announcing the tran sactio n to

,

Pope Greg o ry the Great The accompanying .

resents o f g o ld and j ewels were graci o u sly ac

p
c e t e d and i n return the n o w Catholi c monarch
p ,

received a c o mpli mentary ep istle , an d some 2

trumpery as relics o f the saints among whi ch ,

was a key having in its comp o sition s o me p ar

t i cles of iron filed from St Peter s chains
’
. .

H encefo rward the publi c instituti o n s o f Church

an d State acquired progres sive stability In the .

latter the Gothic freedom was preserved amid

,

man y storm s (compatible however with the tenure

1
A bo ut A .D . 420, v l t ily
th e J e ws at P o i ti ers o un ar san g
He b w ch nt t th f er l f g d bi h p Hil y
re au s a e un a o oo s o ar .

2
D G g i i Epi tol Hi p ni Bib li th c by P g i
. re or s ae . s a ae o e a, er e r n us .
58 9 ] IN S PA I N AN D P OR T U GA L . 65

of p r aedial serfs and of the still lower do mestic

Slaves ) ; and in the they acknowledged
the nomin al supremacy of the R omans but ap ,

poin ted their o w n bishops an d used their own

,

national liturgy.
66 HI S T ORY OF T HE J E WS [
A . D .

CH APT E R VI .

B AP T I S MA L P E R S E C U T I ON O F T HE J E WS BY

K I N G S I S E B UT .

A FT E R more than twe n ty years of civil discord,

and the assassin atio n of two s o vereign s we fi n d ,

S i seb u t a vig o rous and ambiti o us pri n ce up o n the

, ,

th r one H e held the rein s with a firm hand ; an d

.

after the establishme n t of security an d u n io n he ,

began t o fo rm armaments at s e a fo r the protection

o f his coasts and also as an i n strument o f African
,

” “
i n vasi o n ; for it is certain says Mar ian a that
, ,

the land always succumbs t o the master of the s ea ,

”
as Themistocles was aware .

In A D 6 14 thi s kin g had an embassy at Con

. .
,

st an t i n O le fo r a n e o c i at i o n t o uchi n g certain
p g
towns i n Spain and Lusitan ia which the O rie n tal
,

R o mans possessed in rec o mpense fo r services

rendered above sixty years befo re i n a con
tested succession to the Gothic crown The .

emperor H eraclius was much addi cted to the

68 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

ment of all Jews fr om the Pen insula demoun e ,

i n g at the same time his utm o st vengean ce

upon those implacable foes of the human race ;
and it is kn o wn that some years afterwards o n ,

hi s triumphal entry into Jer usalem bear in g with ,

him the accredited wood o f the cross o f C alvary ,

he amply redeemed his threat t o retaliate upon

the Jews .

The o do ric returned to Toledo where his ,

sover eign was but too ready to ful fil the imperial

desir e ; an d a pro clamation was issued whi ch is ,

thus preserved in the F uero Ju z go

“

Whereas tru th itself i n structs u s to a sk and ,

to knock assuring us that th e ki ng dom of h eav en

,

suffereth violen ce : it can n o t be do ubted that

wh o soever fails to appr o ach it with an ardent
desire is a despiser o f the pro ffered grace
,
.

W herefore if any Of those Jews as yet u n b ap

,

t i z e d shall delay to be himself baptized or neglect

, ,

to send his children and Slaves to the priest for

baptism while it is o ffere d thus abiding without ‘
,

the grace of baptism fo r the space of one year ,

from the issue of thi s decree : every such trans

g r e sso r wherever
,
fo und shall be stripped and , ,

shall suffer one hundred lashes as like wise the ,

due pen alty of exile : hi s goods S hall be forfeit to

1 Thi s of c i v lv d th
o u r se n o e e r e n un ci ti
a on of ci cr u mcisi on an d

th e wh l o e J d ic y t m
u a s s e .
6 14 ] IN S PA I N AND P O R T U GAL . 69

the king ; a n d i n o rder that his life may be the

more pai n ful if u n am en ded such go o ds Shall
, ,

become the perpetual property of those on whom

”
the ki n g shall bestow them .

N o w besides regardi n g this pr o ceedi n g as indi

cative o f a barbarian s ign orance it w as a vi o lent
’
,

invasio n of Jewish rights guaranteed to them in

Spain thr ee hu n dred years befo re the G o ths had
,

invaded the land ; for by rescript o f An to n inus ,

Pius they were allowed full t o le ra tio n o f religion

, ,

—
and freedom o f circumcisi o n priv ileges which n o ,

c o un cil o r ki n g had as yet ve n tured to i n fri n ge

, , .

S i s ebu t has also i n curred the censure o f eccle

s i a st i c al writers fo r havi n g n o t merely overpassed
,

his royal duties but eve n the divin e c o mm i ss i on

,

of the Church St Isido re of Seville wh o lived at

. .
,

“
the time writes thus in his Chro n icle o f the
,

”
Goths s o me years aft erwards
S i s eb u t reigned six ye ar s and s i x mo n ths aft er
h i s call t o the r o y alty : wh o i n the commence ,

ment of h i s reign by urgi n g the Jews i n to Chr is

,

t i an i t y had indeed a zeal fo r God but n o t a cc o rd

, ,

in g to k n o wle dge (R o m x ) .F or he fo rcibly

’
. .

c o mpelled those whom he should rather have per

”
s u a d e d by argume n t of the fai th .

And i n later times the Jesuit Mariana records

, ,

the eve n t with this remark

“
S i seb u t not only banished the Jews
70 H I ST ORY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

from Spain an d all the Gothic territo ry as the ,

empero r had requested but wi th threats and fo rce

,

he compelled them t o be b aptized : which is a

thing unlawfu l and fo rbidden that C h ristian s ,

shoul d employ vi o lence upon the will o f an y A n d .

,

moreover this rash determination of S i s eb ut was

,

contrary to the advice o f the more prude n t at the

time as St I s ido re testifies A m o ng the Gothic
,
. . .

”
law s c alle d th e F uero J u z go there are two to this
,
“
,

effect decreed by S i seb u t i n the fo urth year o f his

,

reign But as thin gs were begun at the wro n g

.

end we need n o t w o nder that he erred ; fo r the

,

kin g made himself judge of what should have

been decided by the prelates The ki n gly Office .

is to rul e in secular matters but all that pertains ,

to religion a n d spiritual government is the charge ,

of ecclesiastics Y et alas ! the self will and o b

.
,
-

st i n ac of princes are very great a n d frequently

y ,

are bishops obliged to di ssemble i n what they

”
cannot remedy .

1
The Jewish hi s tory of the eve n t is as foll o ws ;
but it is pro per to remark that it was written ,

about n in e hun dred years aft erwards

The most powerful of the R o man s [i e Chris . .

tians] wa s S i seb u t H e comman ded all the Jews

.

in Spain to be baptized ; o ffering to make them

1
S c pt
e re o f J ud a h , p . 93 .
6 1 4] IN S PA IN AND P OR T U GA L . 71

equal with Christian s in every re s pect if they ,

would co n sent The Jews assembled from eve ry .

city within the capital ; where fasti n g an d afli ic t

,

i n g themselves they uttered l o ud wailings and ,

cries Th e Christi ans inqu ired the meaning of

.

this ; a n d whe n i n formed they bade them submit ,

to the ki n g s c o mman d for he is a vali ant king

’
,
‘
,

firm decided a n d immoveable by b ribes If ye

, , .

obey n o t he will c o mpel you and your fasting

, ,

will p r o fit y o u n o thin g They a nswer ed The .

’

precept o f circumcision i s the hinge of all our

law : he asks but one compliance but we kn ow
’
,

that he requires the whole ; and it is better for us .

all to di e than t o omit the slightest o f o u r pre

c e t s lest we
p , p luck up the hi n ge of all our reli

gion .

“
They the n approached th e king and S howed ,

how he had decreed the death o f them all ; fo r

they would not transgress an y precept o f the law ,

much less that which is the hi n ge o f all The .

king replied : Y e wretch ed and fo olish pe o ple ! it

‘

i s by God s ordin an ce that ye are gr o an in g in

’

afflicti o n ; the re alm shall speedily be freed from

that obstinacy by which ye are haste n ing yo ur
own ruin aimin g to usurp and to retain by force
, , ,

1 Ci c r u mci i s on is e q iv l
u a en t to a ll th e c om man dm en t s in th e

la w . Ras hi N,
a d ar i m fo l 3 1 C0 11 2
. . . . .
72 H I ST O R Y O F THE J E WS [ A . D .

the d o mi n io n of this lan d I swear that unless

.
,

ye accept C hrist s baptism ye will drive me to

’
,

enfo rce y o ur aban do nme n t of all the law o f M o ses .

’

Then he p r o claimed that except they submitted

within a m o n th to the Christian baptism he w o uld ,

make them ren oun ce the wh o le law o r put them ,

to death The Jews supplicated the n o bles pre

.
,

senti n g gold and silver that they would induc e

,

the ki n g t o leave them their reli gion though he ,

S h o ul d deprive them of all their wealth w hich ,

he might employ i n war The king added : In

.

that case I co ul d not uphold my character fo r

piety among my fellow ki n gs ; they w o uld suppose
that I o nly made this decree as a mean s of ext o r
tion from my Jews a n d not from the urgent
,

necessity of baptism : besides I d o n o t co n str ain ,

these wretches o f the law to emb r ace our faith for ,

the sake o f their riches s o much as from the con

,

sideration that they would d o the same t o u s, were

they to beco me our masters .
’

“
Then answered Robert the W ise : 0 ki n g ,

our Master Moses an d hi s minister J o shua urge d

, ,

no people to receive the H ebrew law but o n ly the ,

seven p r ecepts o f N oah which are,

. 1 T o avoid idolatry .

. 2 N ot t o eat flesh cut from a living animal .

.3 T o av o id revili n g G o d .

. 4 To avoid adultery :
6 1 4] IN S PA I N AND P O R T U G A L .

5 . Toav o id rapi n e .

6 T o a v o i d murder
'

. .

7 T o app o in t magistrates
. .

These had bee n deliver ed a s precepts by A da m ,

the first man A n d whe n ever J o shua besieged

.

a city he first pro claim ed thus : W hosoever will

,

make peace let him d o s o but let him Observ e the

,

seve n p r ecepts o f N o ah : if n o t let him quit the ,

city ; or if he will fight let him come d o wn an d ,

’
try the c o n test .

“
The king r ejoin ed : Joshua acted as he
plea s ed a n d s o will I : I will select fro m his three
,

co n diti o ns that which best suits my design ; viz .

that i n stead o f the seve n p r ecept s o f N o ah which ,

J o shua o btruded o n the p r o fane he a the n ye shall ,

receive the Chr istian baptism Then he a dded .

’
,

I counsel you fo r your salvati o n s sake which

,
’
,

ye will assur edly forfeit by persisti n g t o refuse it

fo r I have been i n fo rmed by the bish o ps what I ,

have likew I s e he ar d from the po n tiff hi m self th a t ,

such as d o n o t expiate their guilt by Christian

baptism are to be acc o unted impure a n d will
, ,

pe r i sh everlasti n gly .
’

“
O n e o f the learned Jews then said It i s
w r itte n i n our law that I srael formerly d espised
,

the great gift o f God the l an d fl o wi n g with milk,

‘

a n d ho n ey — I a sk 0 ki n g wh a t should be the
’
, , ,

penalty of those w h o despise th e gift of God ? ’

E
 74 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

The ki n g replied That t o o is wisely stated in

,
‘

yo ur law ; the l o ss o f what they despise The .

’

speaker co n tin ued : See then 0 kin g t o what ‘

, ,

th o u hast said Thou hast o ffered us in baptism

.

a life everlastin g Be then the pen alty fo r its

.

neglect the l o ss o f that blessing

,
But the kin g .
’

answered Compulsion is unj ust in matters con

,
‘

cerni n g the b o dy a n d that go o dly land related t o

,

the body ; but in thi n gs S piritual it is pr o per j ust , ,

as a chil d is c o erced in his learn i n g .

’

I n stan tly he c o mm a n ded all the principal

Jews t o be put in chain s an d they passed i n ,

dar kness a life more wretched than death Man y .

sy n agogues in Spain overborn e by cruel p er s e c u

,

tions re n o unced the law o f Moses W hen the

,
.

kin g died a n d there was freedo m to leave the

,

cou n try many s o ught a n d fo un d securer settle

,

ments fo r their religi o n but man y sought and ,

‘

fo u n d n o t .

Several curi o us particulars might be gathered

from the above dial o gue if it c o uld be depe n ded ,

o n a s a n exact report made a ft er an i n terval of ,

ni n e cen turies .

Amo n g Cath o lic historian s J o hn the brother , ,

o f O lau s Mag n us is transp o rted with delight at

,

the gr eat piety of S i s eb u t The ki n g did not .

sa I will first care for my realm a n d secure my

y
,

throne and then restore the decaying c ause of

,
76 H I ST ORY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D.

i n to pl o ughshares a n d their spears i n t o prun i ng

,
”
h o o ks w hil e their brethr e n o f Syria E gypt
, , ,

Mauritania a n d Italy h a d take n their share in

, ,

the warfare o f the times T o make these su b .

s t it u t e o n e s e t of reli i o us o rdi n an ces fo r an o ther

g ,

was deemed co n versi o n by the already corr upted

,

C hur ch ; it bei n g the mai n err o r o f the age ,

fraught with serious evils i n this life as it must ,

ever be i nj ur i o us t o pra ctic al g o dlin ess that bap ,

t i s m is i n tri n sically the laver fr om original s i n

, ,

and p a st transgressio n A cc o r di n g t o this u n s c ri p

.

tur al do ctri n e it was i n the prese n t in stan ce n o t

,

o n ly a r uin o us i n fidelity to rej ect the i n itiatory s a

crament ; but c o nversely it w as advan tage o us t o

, ,

the s o uls o f pers o n s t o become un willin g

hyp o cr ites i n receivi n g it St Isid o r e and Mariana
. .

a re i n s in cere i n thr o wing the O dium up o n kin g

S i s eb u t ; the tr ansacti o n was that of the Church ;
fo r with all his perempt o ry vi o le n ce neither the ,

m o n arch nor his s o ldi ers c o ul d admin ister the

r ite o f baptis m a n d n o G o thic kin g was ever s o
,

much o f a despot as to e n trench up o n the Offices

o f the Churc h .

The c o n verts were of c o urse Jews in secret

, , ,

a n d fo rtu n ately fo r t h e m t h e I n quisiti o n w a s not

, _

yet inve n ted fo r inve s tigatin g their private life ,

a n d bringing them to the flames by thousan ds if ,

6 14] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GAL . 77

det ected i n hyp o c r isy But man y fl e d acro s s .

the Py r en n e e s an d there foun d that the Fran kish

,

kin g D ago bert had bee n likewise i n duced by

H er a clius t o u s e extreme mea s ur es with the
Jews 1
D ag o bert scor n in g t o yield i n p o int o f
,
’
religi o n t o the G o thic zeal chased aw a y n o t ,

o n ly the r ece n t refugees but al so the old settler s ,

in his re al m o fferin g the sin gle alternative o f bap

,

t i sm which ma n y accepted
,
.

The pe o ple thus o ppr essed we r e descendan ts

o f the Maccab ae an ar mies a n d c o u n trymen o f J O ,

sephus The Jews o f N aples h a d rece n tly fo ught

.

w ith desperatio n agai n st Belisariu s merely i n ,

defe n ce o f their native place whe n their deeply ,

imbued reli gi o n w as n o t called i n questi o n Th ese .

however were t o o far su n k u n der p r evious e n

cr o a c h m e n t s a n d s o ft e n ed by peaceful habits t o
, ,

Sh o w that i n a land ab o u n di n g with m o un tai n

passes a we althy p o p u lati o n of a n d m o re ,
,

c o uld n o t be crushed at the first bl o w eve n by ,

G o ths ; but could a fugitive obtai n n o r est fo r the

sole o f his fo o t t h o u gh he relin quished h i s pro perty
, ,

his h o me born ties an d c o n n ecti o n s ? H e c o uld n o t

-
, ,

fo r in passing from the l a n d which had hithert o

2 T p ur e au t e m v i d e b a t ur F ra n c o G o th is re ligi one cd
e e re .

B art oloc c i o , Bibl . Ra bb . iii .

70 9 .

E 3
78 H I ST ORY O F T HE J EW S , &c .
[ A . D .

proved his natio n s best asylum every such

’
,

vidual fo und acc o mplished in himself that ancient

pro phecy They shall go out from one fire and ,
1
another shall devour them

1
E z ki l xv
e e .
7 .
 CH A PT E R V I I .

—
F O U RTH C O U N C I L O F T O L E D O ST I S I D O R E O F .

SEVI LLE ON T HE J E WS .

N INETE E N years elapsed and the fo urth

,

council o f T o ledo w as summ o ned Th e occasi o n

.

was this
S i s e n an d, a dari n g soldi er had bribed the ki n g
,

Of the F ranks with ten pou n ds weight of g o ld to ,

aid in dep o sing the reign ing sovereign S u in t ila ,

and in the establishme n t of himself upo n the

throne to be thus vacated This was e ffected an d
.
,

the last descendant of Re car e d reduced to a pri

vate statio n .

Such o pportun ities are seldom passed o ver in

c o n stitutio n al mo n archies without the bi n di n g o f
s o me n ew c o n tract between the us u rper and the
subj ect ; or s o me remarkable concessi o n be in g
made t o p o pular feeli n g The clergy were on the
.

alert.

In the third year of this reign (A D there . .

E4
80 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EWS [ A . D.

were c o n vened at Toledo sixty t wo bishops o f ,

-

Spain an d of the pr o vi n ce bey o n d the Py r e n n e e s ,

fo ur presb yt ers a n d thr ee archdeacons wh o were

,

vicars fo r bish o p s The s e were headed by the

.

Ve n erable Isido r e o f Seville .

The busi n ess fo r di scussi o n lay i n four main

subj ects 1 The c o nfirmation o f the kin g s title
. .
’
.

2 T h e ado pti o n o f the F uero Juzg o fo r a code

.
,
i

o f laws the foundation o f which had bee n laid

,

by E u ri c an d had received addi ti o n s c o ntin u

,

ally sin ce 3 The sancti o n of a public Litu rgy

. .
,

which h a d been c o mpiled by Lean der the pre

’

cedi n g a n d I sidore the actu al bish o p o f Seville :

,

and 4 t o make regulatio n s concer ni n g the Jews

,
. .

S i se n a n d at the o pe n i n g o f the sessio n c a s t

, ,

hi ms elf On th e g r ound befo re the assembly and in ,

return the dynasty of his fam ily was thus sanc

t i o n ed by the seve n ty fi ft h Can o n W hosoever
- .

S h all resist this decree let him be A n athema ,

Maran atha that is to say Perditi o n till the

, , ,

c o min g o f the L o rd ; a n d may he have h i s lo t

with Judas Isc ari o t b o th he a n d h i s associates
‘

.
,

Amen The usur p er co ul d scarcely have desired

a m o re loyal ple dge of submissi o n than this v o te
affo rded .

The decisions regar din g the Jews ar e c o pious ,

1
Colle ct i o M xim a a &c . Ag ui rr e .
6 3 3] IN S PA I N A ND » P O R T U GA L . 81

a nd framed to meet the fo ll o wi n g eme rgen cy .

Sin ce the reign o f S i seb u t man y o f the exi led Jews

,

had returned and many of those baptized by c o n

,

s tr ai nt had re n o u n ced their n o vel v o ws and with

, ,

the rest were Ope n ly pro fessi n g the Judaic cr eed

a n d practices I n their an xiety to er a di cate e n tirely
.

that reprobate relig i o n the coun cil enacted

,

CANON 57 .

Concernin g Jews this h o ly syn od h as re

,

s o lved to co mpel n o o n e hereaft er t o accept o u r

faith F or G o d hath mer cy o n wh o m he will
.
‘

have mercy a n d wh o m he will he h ar d e n eth z

, ,
’

a n d such pers o n s are n o t saved with o ut consent

,

but willi n gly that the attribute of Justice may b e

,

kept secure Fo r as man by his o w n free w ill in

.
-
,

y iel di n g t o the serpent di d perish

, ; so whe n the
grace of G o d do th call each man is saved i n b e
,

lievi n g by the c o n versi o n of hi s own mi n d

, .

Therefo re they are not to be ur ged by c o n str ai n t ,

but persuaded through the free faculty o f the wi ll

into c o nversion .

R especting th o se alr eady fo rced i n to Chris

t i an ity as w a s do n e i n the time o f the m o st reli
,

g i o u s prince S i s e b u t since it is evide n t that they

,

have been partakers in the D ivi n e sacr ame n t s ,

have receive d the grace of baptism have bee n ,

E 5
 82 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EWS [
A . D .

anointed with the chr ism and have received t h e

b o dy a n d blood of our L ord it is right that these ,

be obliged t o retain the faith which although ,

under comp ul sio n an d n ecessity still they have ,

undertaken lest the name of God be blasphemed

, ,

a n d the faith which they have assumed be a c

c o unted worthless and despicable .

C A N O N 58 .

SO great is the cupidity o f some that through ,

covetousn ess as the apostle saith they have ,

erred fro m the faith Many o f b o th clergy and

.
’

laity have by accepting gift s fro m the Jews

, , ,

bestowed their patro n ag e o n i n fidelity an d d e s erv ,

e dl are such t o be disti n gu ished as belo n ging to

y
Antichrist w h o act against Christ W hosoever
,
.

therefo re from hencefo rth bishop priest or lay , , ,

m an S hall afford t o them his suffr age fo r rewar d

,

o r fav o ur in disparageme n t o f the Ch r istian faith

, ,

let him bec o me an alien fro m the Catholi c Church

and the kingdo m of God as a truly pr o fan e and ,

sacrilegious per son Fo r it is just that he should

.

be severed from the b o dy of C hrist w h o makes ,

himself a patron o f Christ s enemies ’

.

1
Em pl y d i b p ti m t g th wi th b thin g by th p i t
o e n a s ,
o e er r ea e r es

for th e exp l i Of vil pi i t ( J h xx 2 2 )

u s on e s d imm
r i t
s o n . an e rs o n, o
84 H I ST OR Y O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

faith, and thus instructed fo r the better may be ,

improved both in morals and belief .

CANON 61 .

Baptized Jews if aft erwards they re n o unce

,

C hrist and so bec o me ame n able to an y pe n alty

, ,

their believi n g childr e n shall not be excluded from

i n heritin g their pro perty for it is writte n The
, ,

s o n shall n o t bear the iniquity o f the father

’
.

C A N ON 6 2 .

The company of the wi cked doth freque n tly

c o rrupt even the good how much m o re th o se w h o
,

are i n clined t o vice ! Let there be therefore no

fu rther commu n i o n of Jews who have been tr a ns
C r i s t i an faith with such as adhere
f err ed t o t h e h '

t o their an cient rites lest perchance by mi nglin g

with them they be subverted W h o s o ever there
, .

fo re o f the baptized sh all n o t shun the s o ciety o f

u n believers these latter sh all be give n t o Chr is
,

ti a ns an d the fo rmer be delivered to publi c

1
,

sc o urgin g .

C A N ON 6 3 .

Jews having Christian wives ar e t o be a d ,

mo n ished by the bishop o f their di ocese, that if

they desire to abide with them they must bec o m e ,

1 A f
s s e r s or S a lv es .
63 3 ] IN S PAI N AN D P O R T U GA L . 85

C h ristians ; and if bein g so adm o n ished they

, ,

r efuse t o o bey they shall be separated Since an

, .

un b eliever cannot remain in wedlo ck with her

who has become a Christian and the o ffsp r ing of,

such perso n s are t o fo ll o w the faith of their

mother .Likewise those b o rn of u n beli evi n g
,

mo thers and believin g fathers are to fo llow the ,

Christian reli gio n n o t the Jewish super stition

, .

C A N ON 6 4 .

H e cannot be true t o man who is faithless

towards God Ther efo re Jews w h o were fo rmerly
.

Christi ans but are n o w de n iers of the faith in

,

Chri st are n o t t o be admitted i n evidence al

, ,

th o ugh they declare themselves Chr istian s F or .

if suspected to uchi n g faith i n Christ they are ,

i n secure fo r human testim o n y : no trust can be

placed in the testimony of such as ar e tr ai n ed
in the belief of fal seh o od n o r i s cre di t due to th o se
w h o rej ect the belief o f truth .

C A N ON 6 5 .

Thi s holy coun cil has decreed by command

o f the m o st excellent l o rd and ki n g Si se n a n d , ,

that Jews a n d their desce n dan ts are n o t to pursue

public empl o yme n ts because by such mean s a
,

scandal w o uld be given t o C hristian s W herefo re .

,

the pro vi n cial judges with the p r iests are t o

, ,

obstruct all fraudulent creeping into such empl o y

86 H I S T O RY O F T HE J EWS [
A . D.

ments, and preve n t their success But if an y .

j u dg e S hall t o lerate such procee di n gs he is to be ,

exc o mmunicated a s fo r sacrilege and he w h o shall ,

o btain the o ffice is to be publicly sc o urged .

C A N O N 66 .

By decree o f the most glorious prince this ,

coun cil has resolved That no Jews sh all have

-

Christian servan ts n o r purchase Christian slaves,

,

neither hold such by gift from a n y perso n Fo r .

it is shameful that the members o f Christ should

serve the ministers o f A ntichrist And if hence .
,

fo rward any Jews shall dare to retain C hristian

,

slaves of either s ex these shall be released and

,
”
restored to freedo m .

The first of these enactments is lauded fo r i t s

Christian cleme n cy and pro bably its formal r e
, ,

cogn ition of the right to v o luntary belief was

e ffected by the i n flue n ce o f St I sido re Y et if . .
,

so he g a i n ed but little ; fo r it is violated in the

,

Canon 60 a n d the provisi o n at its cl o se is both

,

foolish a n d cruel The real blasphemy o f G o d s

.
’

name an d h o ly faith lay i n the profane a dm i n i s

,

t ra t i o n O f the sacraments to improper subj ects,

and this was an a c t o f the clergy themselves but

°

fo r Christi a n priests to retract a previ o us error or

crime can never be sin ful ; yet S hielded by this
, ,

p retext they stoop n o t t o make the poor reparation

,
88 H I ST O RY O F T HE
’

JEWS [ A . D:

t iz e d [ Canon
. These slaves were p r incipally

h eathen captives fr o m the sw arms o f bar barian s

which then infested E uro pe The Fre n ch a n d .

Itali a n c o uncils as well as the papal epistles o f

,

the per i o d ab o un d i n complain ts o f Jews h o ld

,

i n g sl aves that p r o fessed Christianity By s o me .

regulatio n s they were c o mpelled t o sell their

‘

slaves fo r twelve s o lidi (shilli n gs ) each It c an .

n o t be easily determin ed n o w, whether o r n o t

this was a fair p rice fo r the blood and S i n ews
o f a m a n ; but the Can o n b efo r e us was in every

way u nj ust .

A n d what sh all be said i n regard to the 6 0t h

Ca n that fo ul ab o min ati o n e n acted by grave
n o ?

teachers of the Gospel Sur ely such barbarity .

c o uld n o t have been c o n ceived but in a c o n clave o f

1
celibates w h o had n ever a n y o n e o f them felt
, , ,

his Offspring cli n gin g ab o ut his n eck Sur ely .

such a res o luti o n was a deep o ffe n ce before the

watchful eye a n d to the tender heart of Jesus
,

Chr ist .

It is n o t n o w c o nsidered how far it may hav e

been j u s t o r politically urgen t (t o o o ft e n pe rversely
,

confo unded) t o p r o vide the 5 8th and 6 5th Canons .

1
vic f c lib cy h d l dy c p t i t th S p i h
Th e e o e a a a r ea re n o e an s

ch ch Ab t 6 0 y
ur . l t ki g Wi ti ff d d th cl gy by
ou ea rs a e r, n sa o en e e er

g ti g th m i d lg c t m y
r an n e n u en e o a rr .
633 ] IN S PAI N AN D P O R T U GA L . 89

They were n o t novelties but appear to have been ,

freque n tly evaded fo r m o n ey s sake The haughty ’

.

sensitive n ess o f the G o thic hidalgo o n this p o in t

is still S hared even by nati o ns who b o ast of p o pular
freedo m an d bro ad toleratio n .

St Isido r e was p r eside n t o f this coun cil ; but the

.

Can o n s thus p r o mulgated and his exclamati o n in ,

narratin g the v i o le n ce o f S i s eb u t I therein d o

rej o ice ; yea a n d will rej o ice
,
wo ul d lead to an
err o n e o us estim ate o f h i s wh o le character .

The fo ll o win g extr acts fro m his writin gs will

exhibit his deliberate sen timents respectin g the
Jews as a theol o gian i n freque n t co n tact with that
, ,

people In literary attain ments he has bee n eul o

.

g i z e d by his survivi n g frie n d St Ildefo ns o o f T O

,
.

led o fo r a delightful flo w o f el o que n ce which en

,

chan ted by its su avity a n d h i s b o o ks Show him to

have been well ve r sed in Latin literature a n d i n 1

the sacr ed Scripture .

COMMEN T ON G E N E S I S iv .

God inquired o f C ai n n o t as o n e i n ig n orance , ,

and needi n g i n fo rmati o n but as a judge when , ,

1
Hi s w ri ti gn s v l bl f th
ar e a ua m e xt ct th yor e nu er ou s e ra s e

c on ta n i f r om L ti b k w hich
a n oo s w l t Th w k f
ar e n o os e or s o

Is id o re wer e o f g t
rea i th
us e b q t g i w hich t h
n e su se u en a es , n e

a n ci e n ts we r e li ttl d —
e re a E fi ld Hi t y f P hil
.
”
n phye
’
s s or o oso ,
90 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

about to p u n ish a crimin al W here is thy .

br o ther ? H e replied that he knew not fo r he

’
, ,

was not his brother s keeper A n d to this day ’

.

what do the Jews reply whe n we i n terrogate them ,

in the v o ice o f G o d that is of H oly Scriptur e , , ,

concerning Christ They answer that they .

,

k n ow n o t But the ign o rance o f Cain was untrue

.
,

and the de n i al Of the Jews is a falsehood ; for

they might have been in a certai n se n se the
keepers of Christ had they accepted and retained
,

the Christian faith .

God said to Cain What hast th o u done ? ,

the voice o f thy brother s blood crieth unto me ’

fro m the grou n d And thus in Holy Scripture

.
’

doth the Voice D ivine plead with the Jews for the
blo o d of Christ has a l o ud v o ice up o n earth and
1
,

when received among all n atio n s they resp o nd to

it Amen Thi s is the clear v o ice of Christ s blood
,
’
,

uttered by the blood itself from the mouths o f the

faithful who are redeemed by that same bl o o d
, .

God said t o Cain Cursed art th o u from the ,

earth which hath opened her m o uth t o r eceive

,

thy brother s blo o d fr o m thy han d

’
H e said n o t .
’
,

Cursed is the earth but the earth whi ch hath ,

’

ope n ed fire a n d accursed i n deed are the faithless

,
’
.

’
people of the Jews from the earth i e fro m ,
. .

1
Th e sa me id ea o cc u rs in St . A gus t in
u e a gi a n st F a u st u s .
92 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

tian s that the Jewish nati o n has n o t perished but

, ,

h as o n ly deserved subj ecti o n and di spersi o n a c ,

c o r di n g t o the Scripture Slay them n o t lest they

, ,

fo rget thy law ; scatter them by thy power a n d ,

brin g them do w n .
(P’
S lix
.
) .

A n d the L o r d s et a mark up o n Cai n lest ,

fi n di ng him sh o uld kill him This i s indeed

’
an
y .

a surprisin g fa ct that whereas o ther n atio n s when

,

subdued by the R o man s embraced the R om ,

religi o n yet the Jewish people whether under

, ,

the Pagan o r the C hristian empero rs never ,

aban do n ed the ma r k of the law and cir cumcision;

by whi ch they are disti n guished fro m other na
t io n s

A nd he we n t out fro m the presence o f t h e

‘

L o r d an d dwelt in the land o f N od which is by

, ,
’

i n terpretati o n c o mm o ti o n o r in stability o r fl u c tu
, , ,

ation a n d o f uncertain home A g ain st such a cala

,
.

mity G o d i s entreated in PS lxvi Give n o t my feet

. .

to be mov ed — PS xxxvi . Let not the han d o f the

.
‘

W icked r emov e me — Ps xiii . And those that.

‘

tr o uble me rej o ice when I am moved — Ps xvi . .

G o d i s at my right han d I S h all n o t be mov ed But

,
.
’

n o w the Jews a n d all such as ar e co n tumaci o us in

,

resistin g the truth by their diver s erro rs d o r emov e ,

from the face of the L o rd that is fr o m his grace

,
’
, ,

a n d the participati o n o f hi s light a n d they dwell in ,

exile in the lan d o f re stle ss n e s s i n carnal uneasiness

, ,
6 33 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 93

fa r fr o m delight that i s E de n (o r pleasure)

, , in
”
w hich the paradise was placed .

This lo n g extract gives a fair specime n of the

mode o f i n terpretin g Scripture which prevailed
amo n g the ancie n t C hri stian F athers few o f wh o m ,

have bee n m o re successful i n tracin g all eg o ries

than S t Isido re h as p r o ved in thi s p a ra llelism o f
.

C ai n a n d the Jews Pe r h a ps h o wever the resem

.
, ,

bl a nce w o uld have acquir ed a deeper inte n sity from

the c o n side r atio n that the bl o o d which cried from
the earth again st Israel w as their o w n bro ther s ’

blo o d fo r it is evide n t that our Lord spran g o u t

,

”
of Judah .
(H eb v i i . His o wn
. breth r en

“ ” ”
acc o rdin g t o the flesh excl aimed Crucify hi m
, , ,

a n d th a t crime which is specified as c o mpleti n g

the me a sure of iniquity a t the firs t des o l ati o n o f

Jerusalem w as the sheddi n g o f i n n o ce n t bl o od,
,

which thin g the Lord w o uld n o t pardo n

Th e large acquai n tance which o ur auth o r e n
j o yed with H oly W rit i s still m o r e co n spicu o us in
,

”
his Tract O n the Calli n g o f the Gen tile s i n the ,

c o urse o f which there o ccur s an exclamatio n s o

alien t o a persecutin g spirit O i n feli c iu m Judae
,

”
o rum dementi a d e fl en d a l as to remind us o f the
)

1 2 Ki g xxiv
n s . 4
.
 94 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EW S ,
&c .
[ A . D.

apost o li c disp o sition t o war ds her etics expressed

i n Phil iii 1 8. . .

Lastly we may with o ut o ffe n ce smile at the

,

theolo gic al taste of th o se times as see n i n the fo l ,

lowi n g passage (o n Levit xi W hats o ever . .

parteth the h o o f an d is cloven footed an d cheweth

,
-
,

”
the cud amo n g the beasts that S hall ye eat
, , .

Thus the Jews r umi na te i n deed the w o rds of the , ,

law but p a r t no t th e h oof, since they d o n o t r e

,

c e iv e two testame n ts n o r t ake fo r bases o f faith

,

the F ather and the S o n ; therefore they are n u

”
clean .

O n the wh o le Bishop I sido re is a n estimable

,

character O ne other light s hi nes out from the

.

bigotry of the peri o d St Mau s o n a archbishop . .

,

o f Merida is described as usin g S O much bene

,

v o le n c e a n d amenity of man n e r s to Christians ,

Jews an d Pagan s that no language can su ffi

, ,

c i en tl
y endear his memory 1
.

These then are the only pers o ns in authority t o

, ,

wh o m we c an revert with satisfacti o n during the

long do mi n ion of the Goths in Spain .

1 Pa u l th e D ea c on —
quote d in H is toria d e M erid a p ,
. 1 49 .
96 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D.

'

no t fi
su er i ng th e f
r esi dence o a ny o ne i n th e la nd ,
wh o i s n o t a Ca th o li c Fo r which ze al we r e n der
.

than ks to the almighty Ki n g Of H eave n th a t H e

h as created a soul s o illustrious and e n dued it ,

with hi s wisdo m M ay H e be stow upo n him

.

long life in thi s w o rld a n d gl o ry everl a stin g in

,

the future .

W e do n o w therefo re dec r ee a corro boration

, ,

o f what has bee n heret o fo r e instituted in ge n e r al

Syn o d co n cern i n g the Jews seei n g that all thin gs

,

n ecessary for their salv a ti o n that c o uld have bee n

enacted we k n o w t o have been do n e a n d with

, ,

cir cumspection All such edicts we n o w declare

.

”
to be valid .

[ A nd i n a co di cil to this Cano n

]
we do deliberately res o lve that wh o s o ever i n ,

time to come sh all Obtain the r o yalty he sh all not ,

asce n d the thr o n e before h a ving pr o mised o n o ath ,

n ever t o allow the Jews t o i n fringe upon thi s

holy faith ; and that i n n o wise fav o uri n g their
e r fi d i o u s n e s s neither seduced by n egli gence or
p ,

c
The m o re evangeli cal and prudent views of
Is idore ought to have been fr esh i n the r ec o lle c
tio n o f these T o ledan cou n cill o r s U n der his .

guidance they had blamed S i seb u t s barbarian ’

c h ris t e n ing of Jews but immediately o n

,
6 38 ] IN S PA IN AND P O R T U G AL . 97

his decea s e the ecclesiastics decr ee an act of

,
'
“
equal o ppressi o n by not sufi er i ng the r esi dence of
”
a ny o ne i n th e la nd wh o i s n o t a Ca th o li c and ,

pr o ceed t o bi n d their ki n gs presen t a n d future , ,

to this determinatio n The n e w sovereign a c

. .

quiesced a n d thus gave pro of that he was not

,

ch o se n a n d app o inted by man but fro m G o d ,

M o dern R o mish writers are e n raptured with thi s

noble res o lve It is a most an cie n t an d peculiar
gl o ry of the Gothic kings in Spain that not o n ly ,

in the time o f this c o uncil under C h i n t ila but ,

even fr om the reig n of R ec are d i n the third ,

c o uncil o f T o ledo they endured none to remain

,

in their do min io n s alien t o the Catholic r eligi o n .

Thus have the Spanish monarchs ever preserved ,

a n d d o still lab o ur to sustai n their title o f M os t ,

Ca th o li c supe rlatively above all o ther ki n gs a n d

,

pri n ces in C h r i st en d o n 2

W e have here the express point avo wed towards ,

which the Church in Spain had bee n advan ci n g in

each successive cou n cil with fi rm a n d well con
sid e r ed steps To pause awhile fo r cool co n sider
.

atio n endeav o uri n g to understand the se n time n ts

,

of a devoted churchman in that age and c o untry ,

— is it not possible that some such may have

1 G ot h or um , & c H s t o r
. i i a, Joh . Mg a nu s, lib xvi c
. . . 18 .

2
Co lle c t i o M xim
a a, &c . Ag i u rr e .
98 H I ST O R Y O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

sanctioned thi s ultimate measure fr o m purely

religious th o ugh still mistake n motives ? Imag i n e
,

such a o n e musin g in h i s cell with the Bible o pe n ,

”
befo re him a n d Augustin e O n the C ity of G o d
, , ,

in his han d Ho w bright a n d peaceful a visi o n

.

he might fr ame t o his imaginati o n o f an i d e n t i

fi e d wo rld a n d church ; a reality predicted i n
gl o wi n g lan guage by the early pr o phets as the ,

temple o f the latter days the gr o win g st o n e cut

,

out with o ut han ds the kin gdom of heaven the

, ,

kin gdo m o f G o d ! I ssui n g fr o m a little s o urce

it h a s alr eady p o ured its tide over man y n atio n s ,

”
it flows a n d c a n n ot cease t o fl o w
,
This land .

o f Spain has received the bo o n a lan d fram ed ,

”
by n ature to be at unity with itself a n d must ,

n o t this cause extend till every heart that beat s

withi n o u r c o n fines shall co n fess its sway till every ,

h o mestead field an d hill shall be cheered with its

, ,

peace a n d p r o mise till the hallel uj ahs sung up o n;

,

the heights of A sturias be caught up a n d r ever

,

berated from pe a k to peak eve n t o the extr emity ,

:

Of the Sierr a N evada ?— A dve n iat reg n um tuum !

It is di fficult fo r us t o appreciate the feeling s

o f twelve hundred years g o n e by abstr acted from ,

the fever and agitati o ns o f o u r m o dern w o rldly

Christian ity ; but in the e ffo rt t o d o so it must ,

n o t be fo rg o tte n that the idea o f u n ity o r cath o licity

,

was in th o se times tenaciously cherished by all

1 00 H I ST O RY O F T HE JEws [
A . D .

There is a well k n own parable Of Abraham 1

drivin g the ido latr o us traveller o u t o f his te n t i n to

the wilderness at night merely from religious ,

zeal : whe n the Lo r d called t o Abraham an d said ,

O F riend I have supp o rted him through a life

,

of a hundred ye ar s and th o u hast c o n ceived an ,

abh o rre n ce of him at once If a m an pay a do .

ratio n t o fire sh o ul dest thou withhold the han d

,

of libe r ality O mittin g the pro spect of com

u lso r c o nversi o n which they in express terms
p y ,

re n o u n ced this parable exactly appli es t o th o se

,

who would have n o n e to soj o ur n in the lan d but

Catholics T o expel the Jews w o ul d indeed
.
,

secure their obj ect but at the expe n se o f the

,

principle which ought t o be of higher considera

,

tion Souls would thus be more e n dan gered ; for

.

the exiles would naturally seek r efuge among

H eathens or Mohammedans since the Franks ,

were not disposed to yield t o Goths i n reli gious

zeal . It is to be feared that these p o n t ifi c al
Oppressi o ns o f the Jews part o o k t o o largely of
that spirit which induced the first di sciples t o
request Heave n s fire upo n the Samar itan village
’
,

fo r not receiving their Lord : there was a prior

1 I n th e B o s t an o f S aa di ,
th e P er sia n p oe t , cit d i T yl
e n a or s
’

L ib e rt y o f P r o ph esyi ng ,
”
r en d er e di n to He b ic idi m by D
ra o r .

Fran klin a n d qu o t e d by G e o G en tius

, . in th P f c t hi
e re a e o s

t rans l a ti o n o f th e S c e p t r e o f J u da h
”
.
65 3] IN S PA I N AND P O R T U GAL . 1 01

si t craving to be gratified as well a s their

y ,

Master s cause t o be vindicated ; a n d in Spain

’

the pseudo theology on this point held the secular

-
,

power in the readiest obedi ence to accomplish its

di ctates . Y et all the severities it co ul d i n flict
,

were u n able to eradicate Judaism fro m their

reluctan t c o nverts and ign oran t indeed o f human
nature must those have bee n who could expect ,

success from the use of such means If the .

an cient miracles failed an d if the Jews shut their

,

eyes and c ar s from M o ses and the prophet s how ,

could i n v o lun tary baptism and other acts of

tyran ny convince the will and u n derstan di n g that ,

Jesus of N azareth is the Christ and that all that ,

is do n e i n His name is done by His sanction .

In A D 6 5 3 the Jewish p o pulatio n was alarmed

. .
,

by a threat o f in quiry i n to their Christian fi de

lity : to avert which they t o o k the first step ,

and prese n ted a ge n eral address to the king

(R e c ce s u i n th
) w h
,
o was know n fo r a vigilant de
”
fender o f the faith The do cument is thus pre
.

served by Car di n al A guirre if the Oopy be ge n u

ine the address n ever c o uld have been their spon
,

t an e o u s pr o duction but writte n under constrai n t

, .

T o the most elem en t a n d serene ,

O ur l o r d t h e king R ec c e su in th
W e H ebrews o f Toledo and all Spain ,

A s un der subscribed and sealed .

F 3
1 02 H I ST O RY O F T HE J Ew s
[ A . D .

W ell i n deed and j ustly do we remember to

, , ,

have been c o mpelled t o draw up an agreeme n t i n

the n ame of the mem o ry of kin g C h in t ila for the ,

o bservance o f the Cath o lic faith a n d this we di d .

But fo rasmuch as the p erfi dy of our obstinacy ,

and the in ve t e r acy o f o u r ancestral erro r have ,

impeded o u r true beli ef in the L o rd Jesus Christ ,

a n d sin cer e adhesi o n t o i —

the Cathol c faith w e ,

d o n o w freely a n d cheerft vow to your gl o ry ,

fo r o urselves o u r wives and o u r children by this

, , ,

o u r declaratio n that he n cefo rward we will retain

,

no marriage usages o r Observan ces agai n st the

rules of the Church .

W e will not associate with the ever t o b e - -

execrated c o mpan y of un baptized Jews .

W e wi ll n o t c o n tract marriages within the

sixth degree [o f affinity] as we have d o n e .

W e wi ll n o t c o n tract marriages with o ur o w n

nati o n either ourselves o u r s o ns o r p o sterity ;

, , ,

but in each s e x will i n termarry hereaft er with

Chr istian s .

W e will not practise circumcision o r cele ,

brate Passover Sabbath o r o ther festal days a o

, , ,

co rdin g t o Jewish rites .

W e will make n o di scrimin ation o f fo o d n o r ,

in any way o bserve the abomi n able usages cus ,

t o ms o r c o n versatio n o f Jews
, .

But with si n cere faith grateful mind and , ,

1 04 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

or his goods shall be perfo rmed ; not only by

,

virtue of your sovereign p o wer but also by the ,

ratificati o n of this our solemn agreement .

D o n e at Toledo 2 1 st of March in the sixth

, ,

year o f y o ur gl o ry In the name of God

. .

W ho can believe in the honesty of this declara

ti o n ? If n o t ext o rted by immediate fear it was ,

comp o sed with desig n i n g duplicity and attested ,

by the most awful of oaths ; an d if the subscribers

had by a n y possibility a v o lunt ary inte n ti o n of
bi n di ng themselves to its perfo rmance they dese rve ,

contempt for thus bargaini n g about swine s flesh ’

,

while they surrendered the weightier matters

”
o f their law . The ki n g however l a id the matter
, ,

befo re the eighth cou n cil of T o ledo and great ,

was the j o y o f the bishops to fi n d so much zeal in

the king ; they co n sulted as t o what should be
done and with o n e consent they decr eed twelve
,

can o n s in which they gave su fficient satisfaction

,

’
t o the ki n g s desir e

Thirty years more elapsed and E rvi gi o was ,

ki n g of Spain in 6 8 1 ; w h o on his accession

fo u n d the Jews openly professi n g their religi o n ,

and holdi n g public o ffices ; buying slaves even ,

fro m the clergy ; an d it is said maki n g c o nverts

, ,

1
Colle ct i o M xi m
a a, &c . Ag i u rre .
681 ] IN S PA I N A N D P O R T U G AL . 1 05

to their creed, an evide n t proof that the com

m er ci al be n efits had hold enough upon the p eo
ple to countervail all the can o nical prohibitio n s
a n d r oyal auth o ri t y the rig o ur had become doubly
relaxed by fo rce o f overstrai n in g and the str uggle
,

had to be renewed N ay it i s asserted by Julian

.
,

of Toledo and Paul of Burgos that in this reign

,

the Jews Offered to con vince the ki ng by argument

that Messiah was n o t c o me !
The twelfth council of Toledo aroused the
slumberi n g cause by the fo llowi n g summary en
a ct m e n t s
,
expressed in a most wretched j argon
o f Latin .

C A N ON 9 .

W e have read over with watchful scrutiny

those laws lately issued by our most glorious
prince in separate divisions up o n the execrable
, ,

p er fi di o u s n e s s of the Jews
. W e have al so approved

with discreet gravity all those regulations ; and

sin ce they were given with just reason and ap ,

proved by synodal ex aminati o n there shall be ,

maintained he n cefo rward i n an irrevocable course

of judicial proceedi n g again st the t ran sgr e s
sions of them ,

The laws in repetition of former laws against

F5
1 06 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

Jewish transgressi o n, and the recent ratificatio n of

t h e same z

Item — That Jews shall n o t wi thh o ld them

,

selves their childre n o r Slaves fr o m b aptism

, , , .

“
Item — That Jews S hall neither celebrate Pass
,

o ver as they are accustomed t o d o

,
n o r practise ,

circumcisio n nor dissuade a n y o n e fr o m the faith

,

i n Chr ist .

Item — That Jews presume not to celebrate

,

the Sabbath o r the o ther festivals of their ritual

, .

Item — Th a t all Jews shall cease fro m labour

,

o n the Lo r d s day a n d on o ther specified days

’
.
,

Item — That Jews n o l o nger make any selec

,

tion i n di et .

—
Item That Jews n o l o nger intermarry with
,

n ear relati o n s .

—
Item That Jews n o l o n ger presume to de
,

fend their sect to the di sparageme n t of o ur religi o n .

Also that they flee n o where to av o id the faith

, ,

and that none may receive such pers o n s thus

escapin g .

—
Item That n o Christian accept an y gift
,

whatever to the preju di ce o f the fai th i n Christ .

Item That Jews sh all r ead n o bo o ks which

,
-

the Christian faith abhors .

Item — That no C h ristian slave shall belong

,

or attach to Jews .
1 08 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EWS [ A . D .

Item — I n what m anner musters of the Jews

,
.

are to be made on stated days by the bish o ps .

Item — That whos o ever shall have a Jew

,

attached to his service S hall surrender him at the

,

deman d of any priest .

Item — That the whole o fli c e of di stinguishing

,

the Jews bel o n gs t o the priests alo ne

,
.

Item — On the penalties to which priests and

,

magistrates are liable fo r delaying to execute the

laws against Jews .

—
Item That magistrates shall not presume to
,

decide any matters of Jewish trans gression with

o u t the san cti o n O f the priests .

Item — That bishops are exempt from pen al

,

alt i e s when their presbyters have n o t fo rwarded

,

for their adjudicatio n what they have not them

selves c o rrected .

—
Item R especti n g the prerogative o f mercy
,

reserved to pri n ces in fav o ur of such as are truly

convert ed to Christ s faith
’
.

,
—
Item That CV CYY DISh Op shall furnish the
’

Jews in his di ocese with a book wr itten against

their errors, and shall lay up their p r ofessi ons o r
co nd i ti ons i n the archives of his church .

The gr ave promulgation of all which laws as ,

approved by syn o d al decision so by ge n eral con ,

sent o f us all shall be hereaft er en forced against

,
”
the transgression of them .
6 81 ] IN S PAI N AN D P OR T U G A L . 1 09

These decrees were elaborately Oppressive and

.

probably on t hat very account defeated their own

o bj ect F rom one o f the regulati o ns it appears
.

that there w as already an i ndex p r oh i bi tor i as in

existe n ce and the closin g o n e accou n ts for a
the o logical w o r k of that time by Juli an the me ,

tr o p o li t an archbishop at the express desire o f the

,

king t o demonstrate the vanity of still expectn

,

the Messiah who w as to have come In this .

he shows by an extensive scrutiny o f the p r o p h e

,

cies that the R edeemer must be already born

,
1
,

and then by the chr o nology of the Septuagint

, ,

he fixes the date of that adve n t within the sixth

m illen ar iu m viz A M 5 32 5
, . . . .

This chronology differs widely from that which

is deduced from the H ebrew text an d therefore it ,

was al so necessary for the author to co n tend for

the di vine inspirati o n of the L X X translation ; if .

it may be termed co n tending when the Jews ,

”
were fo rbidden to defend their own sect The .

Church upheld this point because it w as piously

beli eved that the Jews had corrupted the H e
brew text o n purpose t o defeat t h e evidence
deducible from chronology ; an d it has been Oft en
urged that because the L X X version wa s com
,
.

l t d a considerable time before the advent of

p e e

1 Bibl . Ra bb ; of B ar t oloc c i o, iii .

709 .
1 10 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

Christ it must be at least a n impartial witn ess

,

o n thi s p o i n t , an d that its ver a city as a sacr ed

1

text was authentic ated by the san ctio n a ffo rded

it whe n the a p o stle s a n d evan geli sts used it fo r
quo tati o n All this w o ul d be di sregar ded by a
.

Jew but in our age he w o uld be met in a differ

1
,
’
ent man n er
If it be true which Marian a a fli rm s that Julian , ,

was of Jewish pare n tag e it follo ws that he design ,

e dly prefe rr ed the Greek to the H ebrew Scripture ,

as supposi n g it the m o re fav o urable to h is scheme

o f argume n t It may be worth remark that he
.
,
’

states the Latin ver si o n comm o nly read b y t h e

church i n Spain t o be a translatio n fi o m the
LX X If s o the Vulgate was n o t yet ado pted
.
,

there But we have see n St I sidore markin g the

. .

variatio n s o f the L X X fr o m his Latin text in .

Ge n esis .

Juli an pro duced a few years afterwards a , ,

tract o n the processi o n o f pers o n s i n the G o dhead ,

a n d on the natur e o f C hrist in reply t o P o pe ,

1
A pp e n di xF .

2
W h e n P to l e my P hila d e lph u s c d th t l t i f t h
au s e e ran s a on o e

P e nta t e u ch k w th t ,
f th no n as a o e G k S p t gi t t b
r ee e ua n , o e nu

d er t k
a i t c ll d f t hi
en
,
m kia e or s re ar n t h T lm d ( M gill h )
e a u It e a

w as a d y f t l t I l th t
a as a a o s r ae as a on w hich t h g ld c lf w
e o en a as

ma de . H b w R vi w L d
-
e 1 8 34
re e e ,
on on, .

3 O ld P th by D M C l L d
a s,
”
r.
‘
au . on o n, 1 837
 C H A PT E R I X .

S IX TE ENTH C O U N C I L O F TO L E D O J EW I S H

C O RRE S P O N D E N C E WI T H A F R I C A —T O TA L R E
D U C T I O N O F T H E J E WS T O S L A V E RY .

IN 68 7 the crown was inherited by Flavius

E gi c a an d in 6 9 3 he summoned the S ixtee n th
,

Council of T o led o His letter royal fo r its con

.
,

v e n i n g contain s the fo llowing P r oj et d e lo i

, .

Thus too acc o rdi n g to our late p r oclamation

, , ,

n o ne of those Jews abi di ng in their obstinacy

S hall approach the trib u nal of justice (cat ablu m) ,

o n an
y business whatever nor S hall dare to ,
trans
act a n y busin ess whatever with Chr istians So , .

that ye may truly say with the prophet D o I ,

not hate them O L o rd that hate thee ? a n d am

, ,

I not grieved with them that rise up agai n st thee ? ’

(P S. cxxxix ) .

N o twithstandi n g if any fro m am o ng the said

,

H eb r ews their w ives or childre n shall hereaft er

, , ,

embra ce with e n tire devoti o n the Catholic r ule

, ,

o f faith ren o u n ci n g all the errors of base r ev ari

, p
A . D . 6 93] H I ST O RY O F T HE I E w s,
. &c . 113

catio n an d the ceremonies o f their ancestral

,

religion let him be freed from all y o ke of sub

,

j e c t io n to which he was c o n sign ed whi le in his

,

state of err o r a n d was accustomed to render to

,

the public service .

In co n fo rmity with this the loyal council e n ,

acted
C A N ON 1 .

Althou gh numerous writin gs of the ancient

F athers and promulgated laws are extant fo r the
, ,

co n demnatio n o f Jewish p erfi dy yet because as 1

,

the prophetic record declares The sin of Judah ,

i s writte n with a pen o f iron an d with the p o int ,

o f a diam o n d
’
(Jer xvii ) they still remain
,
upon a . .

r ock of yet harder substa nce in the bli n d n ess of

their obstin acy ; it is too clear that the wall of the

Catholic Church is frequently assailed by the
engi n es of their in fidelity And therefo re they .
, ,

must at length be either c o rrected unwi lli ng ly

, , ,

or be awfully crushed when perishin g under the ,

judgm ent o f G o d fo r ever !

It is the praiseworthy custom of s kilful physi
c ia n s to p r ess the more earnestly their art of heal

i n g on such as lab o ur under various maladies ,

1
T hi s t er m in th e c d
a n o n s, e n o te s s o me ti me s a vi l ti f th i
o a on o e r

vw
o s at o t h er s, a f l b li f
a se e e , R e p r ob a t e s ilv h ll m c ll
er , s a en a

th m J vi
”
e .
( er . .
1 14 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

until they accept the healthfu l remedy Since .

,

the n the fervent desire an d p r ompt devo ti o n o f

, , ,

our gl o r i o us an d Christ lovi n g King E gi c a ar e

-

eager to pro vide for them the virtue o f this

admir able medicin e that so they may either be
,

c o nverted t o the faith ; o r if persistin g i n their ,

fa ithless n ess be g o aded the m o re shar ply ; By

,

his exh o rt atio n a n d c o mmand o u r c o un cil has ,

unan im o u sly res o lved

That whatever provisio n s the decrees o r laws
,

of our predecessors in the Cath o lic faith are

kn o wn t o c o nt ai n fo r the dem o liti o n of their
,

e rfi d these shall be the more sedul o usly e n

p y,

fo rced by all p r iests an d by all i n j usticiary

,

o ffice ; and that what we n o w o r dai n be o bserved

with equally zealo us res o luti o n .

Thus n amely
,
that wh o soever o f them shall
-

with full purp o se o f heart be co n verted an d S hall ,

keep the Cath o lic fai th, with o ut any disguise o f

in fidelity they may rem a in secure with all the
,

g o o ds they p o ssess an d exempt fr o m all the

,

tribute which they have bee n used to pay t o the

m o st sacred treasury ; but that such as c o n tinue ,

in their in fidelity S hall p ay t o the publi c benefit

,

the utmost of their usual exacti o n .

Th o se w h o are refo rmed from their erro r

sh all o n ly pay t o the reve n ues as o ther freemen
(Ingenu i ) do ; and having full license in transact
1 16 H I ST O RY O F THE J E WS [ A . D .

It becomes natural to i n q u ire what was the ,

king s motive in this proceed ng

’
i — what cause had
he t o be i n creasingly graci o us to his H ebrew
Christian subj ects at this time yet severe as ever ,

to the unc o nverted ? It c o uld not have been the

hope of gain alth o ugh he is stigmatized as an
,

insatiable exacter fr om all classes o f his pe o ple ,

a n d accused o f fo rging wills a n d other documents

1
for the same purp o se for he w o ul d have lost
,

money by thus entici n g Jews within the Christian

”
fold N o r can we believe this w o rst of tyrants
.

to have been impelled by an xiety fo r their spiri

tual welfare N O ; the m o tive was fear A comi n g
. .

revolutio n had cast its shado w befo re which , ,

should it be successful w o uld c o n te n t the o p

,

pressed J ews with ample deliveran ce an d venge

ance .

E gi c a and his mi n isteri n g Cortes Council now -

affected t o claim a large r eturn of gratitude and ,

a rapid augmen tatio n o f the Church from the

ranks of the circumcised Span iards But it seems .

that their gener o sity had c o me too late Op p r es .

sive iniquities were n o w about t o produce their

fruit By repeated emigrations Jewish settle
.
,

me n ts had been fo rmed o n the African coast a ,

mercantile c o rrespondence had kept alive the

national sympathy an d intelligence w as thus com
,

1
. i
Go th oru m, & c H stor ia —J
. oh . M g a n us .
6 94] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U G AL . 117

with r api di ty a n d security The Arabs

m u n i c at e d .
,

half b r others o f Is r ael wer e o n the march a n d

, ,

year after year witn e s sed their irr esi s t ible advan ce
t o the W est Arabs had even visited Spain t o
.

place E rv igio o n the thro n e s o me years befo re .

Arab and G o th ic fleets had encoun ter ed at s ea .

The Jews we r e n umero us an d sufferi n g with the ,

sea p o rts c o n sider ably u n der their i n fluence a n d

-
,

which the go vern me n t o ught t o suppose they

w o ul d cheerfully deliver up t o the first M o ham
medan invader .

It was i n the very next year that the m o narch

hastily co n vened the seventeenth Cou n cil o f
Toledo The letter o f c o n vo catio n which is pro lix
.
,

and bombas tic comme n ces by describing the

,

Cath o lici t y o f Sp ai n and the vile n ess of the Jews ;

,

the more vile si n ce he has rece n tly learned fro m

“
an Ope n avo wal that these Hebrews have pl o tted
,

”
with other s bey o nd the s e a to e ffect the ruin o f
,

Christendo m ; a conduct the m o re u n pardo nable

because o f his exceedin g le n ie n cy o f late in the
attempt to bri n g them to the b o s o m of o u r mo
”
ther the Church as ado pted chi ldren At length .

he p r op o ses to employ the utm o st rigour ; t h e

choice betwee n c o mplete Chri stian izati o n o r t o be ,

cut o ff by the s cy the of j us ti ce exempting however 1

, ,

1
Colle ct io M xim
a
'

a, &c . Ag u i rr e .
1 18 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

fo r the p r esen t th o se Jews r esi di n g in the ultra

,

Pyre n ean p r o vi n ce .

The eighth can o n was that pr o duced t o meet

the eme r ge n cy Passi n g over its lengthy a n d
.

i n fl at ed in tr odu cti o n these we r e its stri n ge n t

,

e n actme n ts . By c o mman d o f o u r m o st piou s

and religi o us ki n g E gi c a (w h o bur n in g with ze al
fo r t h e L o r d a n d impelled by ar d o u r o f h o ly faith
, ,

n o t merely desir es t o ave n ge the i n sult O ffered t o

C hrist s cr o ss but als o t o obviate with severity

’
, , ,

the de s tructi o n which they savagely e n gaged t o

bri n g up o n hi s pe o ple an d c o u n try) — that bei n g
deprived o f all they p o ssess an d these p o ssessi o n s
, ,

b o th o f the perj ure r s themselves a n d their p o s

t e r i ty bein g co n fiscated t o the nati o n al tr easury ;
,

they be di spersed fro m their h o mes thr o ughout

the provin ces o f Sp a in a n d be subj ected t o p e rp e
,

tual slavery u n der th o se t o wh o m he may assign

them and remain so fo r ever N eithe r by a n y
,
.

c o n n ivan ce while they abide i n the obstin acy of

,

their u n belief sh all an y o pp o rtunity be affo r ded

,

o f recovering the conditio n o f freedom for those ,

wh o by n umberless tran sgr essi o n s are b r an ded .

Likewise we ordain that certain C hristian

,

slaves o f such Jews shall be ch o sen acc o rdi n g t o

,

t h e kin g s selectio n w h o S hall either r eceive o u t

’
,

o f their masters pro perty so much as the o ft e n

’

mentioned lord the king shall in the co u rs e of his ,

11
1 20 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

and the C o rtes met it with firm n ess for they ,

”
wielded u n flin ch i n gly the scythe of j ustice .

But h o w would the chr iste n in g o f the n ew Slaves

preserve the ki n gdo m ? That accursed decree for
the di sposal of childr e n w a s expected t o yield ,

advantage in the next generati o n It was n o t new .

,

for it had a precedent in the four th Toleda n

Council (Can o n
. But in the short S pace o f ,

sixtee n years from this date the battle of Xeres ,

was fo ught R oderic the last ki n g of the Goths

, , ,

had his head fixed o ver the gates of D amascus 1

,

a n d the Jews welc o med the so n s of Ishmael into

the royal city of T o ledo .

Y et durin g this in terval had these Slaves

, , ,

though sons o f Ab r aham n o mental refuge — had ,

the daughters o f Jerusalem n o cheeri n g h o p e P— the

i n fan ts bereaved o f par e n ts had they n o p r o spect ,

but to be fo r ever tro dde n d o wn of the Ge n tiles

A t the first crush o f the Oppressio n they could ,

have had n o well d efi n e d vision of emancipation

-

before them a n d were fain t o submit i n silence

, ,

yet clingi n g in the dark to an expectati o n of s o me

unkn o wn rev o lutio n in the p r o gr ess of time ; and 2

their separatio n precluded as had been designed , ,

all chance of mutu al c o mbination .

1 C d Hi t i d
on e, s or a e lo s A b
ra es e n Es p a na , i c
. . 10 .

2
Qd m g
uo un u ur en t i u m ma lo r um su ffu
gi u m in t em pu s e r at .

Ta cit A iv 6 6
. nn . . .
 IN S PA I N AND P O R T U GAL . 1 21

Te ars fr o m the gran ite a n d pity from the ,

Gothic Chr istian s ! Y et the Jews laid it n o t t o

heart . I s Israel a servant ? I s he a h o me b o r n -

slave ? why is he spoiled ? Hast th o u ,

n o t pr o cured this unt o thyself in that th o u hast ,

fo rsaken the Lord thy God when he led thee by

I g»

1
J e re m . ll . 1 4 17
. .
 CH APT E R X .

W IT I SA — RE T R O S P E C T O F G O T H I C D O M IN I ON
— —
O V E R T H E J E WS I C ON O LAT RY O N P E R S E
C UT I O N O F J E WS .

Mancha the river Guadi ana is absorbed

IN La
’
into a m o rass of near ly thirty miles extent upon ,

which there is pasture fo r numero us flocks ; 1

emerging thence in freedom it flows at consider ,

able le n gth communicating with large C ities

, ,

and fin ally forms a b o undary betwee n two na

tions So the Jews were now a people in abey
.

an ce yet their unseen industry was not u n

profitable and like that beaute ous river they
, , ,

afterwards resumed their w o n ted o ffice o f mercan

tile correspondence an d became a thi rd in the
,

”
land betwee n two riv al nati o ns
,
.

The next monarch Wit i sa has been compared , ,

t o Caligula or D omitian
’
,
His reign was opened .

1
Y ear in S p i ii
73
a n, . .

2
Goth or um Su e non umqu e Histor ia . J oh . Mg
a n us .
1 24 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

’
the narrow se a Ki n g R oderic s celebrated out S
.
-

rage was but the last drop t o the brimmin g cup ,

which the n run o ver W hat aid the Jews affo rded
.

i n the invasi o n from Africa is not easily a sc er ,

t ai n e d ; the wonder is, that their services were

n ot so man ifest as t o leave n o d o ub t o f their

,

c o— Opera ti o n at every step Some affirm what .

,

o thers de n y that the Jews made a pr elimin ary

,

bar gain wi t h the M o hammedan s ; and o thers that ,

they Ope n ed the gates of Toledo itself to the

army of Taric Much however of important
.
, ,

in fo rmati o n the latter might have procured from

them such as the state of the co n ten di n g part ies
,

in Spain the positio n relative v alue a n d means

, , ,

of access to the several cities O n the l o west su p .

p o sition the Jews could n o t have wished well t o

,

the cause o f G o thic do mini o n in its time of trial ,

S ince it was clearly an usurpation of fo reign ers ,

and had been tyr an n ically exercised N either .

would this cause be recommended to them by

its connexi o n with the cath o li c d o ctri n e since
ki n g R ec ar e d such as it had proved in relati o n
,

to th em ; for it is o f little m o me n t to set o ff

s o me occasi o n al remissions of cruelty against the
p r o gres s ive course of h ardships They had n o .

'

secur ity i n the benevolence o f S t Isido r e and St . .

Mansona or in the policy of ki n g Witi sa : and

,
7 00 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T UGAL . 1 25

where the possib ility o f o ppression is impendin g ,

what is this but a state of slavery too ?

The Goths had aimed ope n ly at t h e eradicati o n
of all that a Jew holds dearest —his H ebraism , ,

hi s religion a n d the perpetuation of these in his

,

childre n . I n gen uity was racked to devise r e

strain ts penalties an d m o des o f viole n ce sho r t
, ,

of mas sacr e fo r this o bj ect ; the res ul t has bee n

,

”
left fo r our instruction Many e di cts says
.
,

Aguirre ,
were made by the G o thic ki n gs ,

against the Jews but i n v a i n for the worst weeds

, ,
”
always stri ke the deepest roots .

It is truly frightful to retrace the clim ax o f

these enactments in their unrelentin g c o nsiste n cy .

Public o fii c es and emoluments proscribed ; Je wish

evidence in admissible (xv i th c o uncil) H ebrew fes
t iv al s and cir cumcision prohibited (xiit h council )

H ebrew bo o ks destro yed (ibid) ; slaves e n ticed

from their owners by eman cipation at baptism
,

i h cou n cil ; wives to be di vorced on the same

( v t )
account (ibid) ; infants stolen away to be reared ,

by zealous C h ristians (ibid) ; themselves to be

e n rolled an d mustered on certain days by the
bishop ; besides when in travelling to report
, ,

themselves at every town for inspection A ll this .

,

o n acc o un t of reli gio n as Jews, from the Goths as

catholics The early E li b eri t an canons were mild

.

G 3
1 26 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A D . .

in comparison ; and from Gothic Arianism they

had received n o serious molestati o n .

D uri n g the o peration of such laws with all ,

their atte n dant min o r degradations what c o uld ,

have preserved t o the Israelite his self respect -

fro m utter extinction ? N othin g but his trust in

a revealed religi o n F rom this he drew promises
.

“
o f as surance that it is the time o f Jac o b s
,
’

tro uble but he sh all be saved out o f it

,
And 1

unwarranted as may have been s o me hopes which

he built up o n that rock there is a subli mity in ,

the very stubbornness of those days stron gly ,

c o n trasted with the vile infidelity of D eism i n to ,

whi ch s o many Jews amid the liberality of our ,

times have plunged themselves Slaves and ex

,
.

iles pining for their E astern home they lame n ted

, ,

its desolation with the incomparable pathos of

the Scripture fo r that the Lord had not re
,

membered his fo otstool in the day o f his anger

W ith the ackn o wledgm ent of guilty deserving ,

acc o mpan ied by recollecti o n of that loving kind -

ness which had pardoned the nati o n befo re they ,

learned to e n dure and hope A cloud upon the .

mind obstructed i n deed the percepti o n of the

, ,

o riginal and continued causes o f thi s calamity ;

1 J er . xxx .
7 .
2 Lam . 11 . 1 .
128 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

guage almost adored as the gift (even its alphabet) ,

o f the Lord God upon Sinai if not of the E lohim in ,

E den : an d this had fo r them an influence i n c om

prehensible to the rude Latin ists of the Church ,

whose most authentic text of the Bible was the

Greek Septuagint tran slatio n They were a p eo .

ple wh o se very diet and the form o f wh o se gar ,

ments conveyed lessons in theology

,
And let 1
.

u s co n ceive as well as we can what might have

, ,

been the feeli ngs if not the utterance of a Jew , , ,

when a barbarian in ir on armour accompanied by ,

his priest with a countenance rigid as a marble

,

mask proffered hi m the choice between his o w n

,

compan ionship and the most abj ect servitude '

depending upon the accep tance or refusal of h i s

creed ? Y et such was the catholi c mode of evan
,

eli z in the Jews : and strange to s a there is not

g g y , ,

one lin k i n the chain of these ecclesi astical o p

pressio n s which has not been repeated on a larger ,

scale and even sur passed by the Spanish Church

, ,

in ages much more recent .

But the most e ffectu al impediment remains

behind This was the sin of ic o nolatry if we
.
,

may not style it idolatry as i t w o uld und o ubtedly ,

appear to the Jew D uri n g the earlier times .

,

Spain had honourably kept herself fro m idols .

1
L e vi t . xi . 45 & c
. . N um b xv. . 37 & c
. .
 700 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 1 29

While the Greek and L atin sections of Christ

endo m were fightin g bloody wars in E ur o pe A sia , ,

d A frica for and against the u se o f images in

,

public worshi p the council o f E lvira had reso ,

lu t ely forbid den in the thirty sixth and fo rty fi r st,

- -

cano n s the in troduction of even pictures : the

,
1

liturgy of St Isidore had guarded her fi o m the .

infecti o n of th e Ital ian Breviary ; an d the frequent

councils had kept her in closer discipline than
any o ther natio nal Church in E urope .

The xii of Toledo (A D . ordai ned that . .

,

nobles [i e freemen] guilty of idolatry were t o be

. .
,

p unished with perpetual excommunicatio n an d

the straitest e xile Also if they n eglected to .
,

p u rge away this crime from their slaves they were ,

to lose the serv ice of such slaves ; and slaves if ,

guilty without their lords c o gn izance were t o be ’

,

s courged and delivered to the di scretion of their

,
”
lords .

The xv i of Toledo (A D . enacted as . .

follows cap 2 : ,
The enemy like a roaring lion
.
, ,

”
goeth about seeking whom he may devour Ido l .

worshi ppers venerators of particular stones bu rners

, ,

of torches adorers of fountains and trees augurs

, , ,

or enchanters &c E xhorti n g bishops curates , .

, ,

1
Pla cu i t, p i ctur as i n e ccl i a es ess e n o n d eb ere ,
ne q d lit uo co ur

a u t a do ra t u r in
p a r i e ti b us d e p in ga tu r .
”
Th e Gr e e k Ch ch ur

a ll o ws p inting
a s, b ut an a t h e ma t iz es th e sta tu es .

G 5
1 30 H I ST O RY O F T HE .IEw s [ A . D .

and magistrates to watch par ticularly in order to , ,

seize for the Church s benefit whatever is offered ’

in idolatry And if they neglect to search out

.

and pun ish they are to be deprived of their

,

Office and to abide in a state of penitence fo r a

,
’
year ; and then o n ly to be reinstated at the kin g s
pleasure : so that the king may like Phinehas , ,

zealously cleanse the people from the wrath of

God A n d whos o ever shall impede the c o urse of
.

this law let hi m be anathema before the i n di v i

,

sible Tri n ity If a n o ble he shall pay three

.
,

p o un ds of gold t o the sacred treasury ; or if an

i n ferior perso n he sh all be shamefully stripped, ,

and receive one hundred lashes : half of his pro

perty being given to t h e sacred treasury .

Similar paganish customs to those here enu

m er at e d are li kewise condemned in E lvira an d ,

T o ledo I I I as burning tapers women watchin g in

.
, ,

burial places funer al cries and beating the breasts

-
, , .

F or Goths though they were they knew that these ,

were part and parcel of idolatry and refused to ,

act with the R oman Church in ado pting the same

p r actices imperceptibly and adr oitly under Chris
, ,

tian names Y et pictures and statues did creep

.
,

into churches ; the worship of the blessed Virgin

1
Mary if not sanctione d in form was t o lerated ;
, ,

1
A ll g en erat ons S i h ll c ll
a a me bl e sse d —Luk e i
.
”
. 48 .
1 32 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

property and finally reduced them to a state in

, , ,

which the acqui sition of property was imp o ssible .

Th e Jews expected no more than an immunity

fro m i njury but this was never granted
, .

Again the clerical rulers o f the lan d (and it

, ,

may be added Christendo m in general thro ugh

, ,

many ages ) were not aware of the crimin ality ,

'

according to the Bible of mal treatin g the people ,

-

Israel It is wro n g to do injur y to an y nation

. .

It is wro ng t o persecute any religion It w as a .

hein o us S in in the an cient nat ions to effect t h o se

calamities whi ch God de n oun ced agai n st his peo
ple ; fo r the penalty was not only in fli cted by
r epro bate agents but that very act was an accu
,

mu la t i o n of their guilt and deeply avenged as , ,

may be seen in I sa x 1 2 1 3 xvi i 1 4 a n d xxix

. .
,
. . . .

7,
It was an d is a crime to rej oice at the
, ,

depression of I srael as in E zek xxv O badi ah,

. .
,

1 0— 1 5 ; and Micah iv 1 1 And it is at all

, . .

times a peril o us error i n any populace or ruling

power to imagine that they are either commis
,

s i o n e d or at liberty to o ppress the Jews during

t h eir p en al exile “
Their adversaries said W e o ffend
.
,

not ,
because they have sinned against the Lord ,

the habitation of Justice even the hope o f their ,

fathers W h ereas the written word declares ,

1 J er . l .
7 .
7 00 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U G AL . 1 33

“
that A ll that devour him sh all Offend evil shall ,

come upon them and All that dev o ur ,

thee shall be devoured F or it is the dearly

”
bel o ved of my s o ul that is given i n to the han d
of her enemies
Y et on the other hand lest a stubborn and
, ,

unrighte o us people should presume to boast we ,

are als o assur ed I have wr o ught with you fo r

,

my name s sake n o t according to your wicked

’
,

ways nor acc o rding to your corrupt d o ings O

, ,
‘
ye house o f Israel saith the Lord N ay that
,
’

the vineyard in its best estate when rich with ,

clustering fruit h a s a timber more worthless than

,

any other tree and has no in trinsic merit ; much

5
,

less is there occasion of pride when the wrath o f

heaven is man i festly sh o wn .

1
J er . n . 3 .
2
J er . xxx . 16 .
3 J er . xu .
7 .

4
E zk
e . xx . 44 .
5 E z k xv
e . . 1, & c .
 C H A PT E R X I .

M O H A M M E D A N I N V A S I ON — T O L E R ATI ON O F A L L
R E L I G ION s — S E R E N U S T H E FA L S E M E S S I A H

GE NE RAL R EMARK S .

IN the year A D 7 10 of the era of C ae sar 7 48

. .
, ,

of the H eg ira 88 and of Jewish recko n ing 447 0,

,

the Mohammedans under Taric entered Spain ,

near Gibraltar o verthrew the whole r o yal fo rces

,

in one battle at Xeres and speedily t o ok the ,

metropolis Toledo as well as Seville Cordova

, , ,

and Granada Muza his superior in command

.
, ,

followed with another army fi o m Africa gained ,

Merida an d aft er a brave resistance Zaragoza

, , ,
.

Thence crossing the Pyrenees he captured N ar ,

bonne where he found immense b o oty ; and en

, ,

c o u ra e d by success
g proclaimed his future
,
i n

tenti o n to subj ect the whole of E urope to the faith

of his prophet .

Th eo do mir a Gothic general in Murcia, having

,
1 36 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

the Christians aft er endu ring a siege of some

,

mo n ths walk ed o u t in the usual procession on

,

Palm—Sun day to t h e church of Sta Leocadia i n .

the suburbs of the royal city to hear the word 1

, ,

in reveren ce t o so great a solemn ity : but the

Jews givi n g a treacherous sign al to the Sarace n s ,

threw o pen the gates and the Toledan s being,

without the walls were thus devoured by the

,

”
sword . San doval records It is said that ’

the Moors through treachery of the Jews g ai ned

, ,

possessio n of the first wall ; [two others remained ,

but] the Christian s of Toledo seein g themselves ,

thus far in the power of the enemy beto ok ,

themselves to surrender on the best term s they

”
could obtain .

These three accounts have only one point of

agreeme n t ; but whether the Jews had any share ,

or had not (as they themselves affirm ) it seems ,

that the citize n s were utterly dispirited by the

loss of their kin g and nobles with the p r i n cip al ,

town s when they thus gave up their metrop o lis

, ,

strongly fo rtified o n a rock and nearly sur ,

rounded by the Tagu s The conditions granted, .

W CI C
’

1
N e ar ly l g di t
a ea u e s an t .
( B asn age )
2
No ta ci ac das d
on e s s a e es r c itu ras ant ig
uas .
7 1 0] IN S PA I N A ND . P OR T U G A L . 1 37

1 . A llwho ch o se t o depart might do so with

.
, ,

their g o ods in perfect safety

,
.

2 Those who preferred to remain were to have

.
,

freedom of religi o n secured The Christian s .

received seven of their churches but no n ew ones ,

were t o be erected The rest were perverted into

.

mosques .

3 The taxation was to continue the same as

.

under the Gothic reigns .

4 The Christian s and Jews were to have j ustice

.

dispensed by their own magistrates under their ,

o w n laws .

Mariana info rm s u s respecting Cordo va that , ,

the Mo o rs at the conquest had gr anted full

li berty to the Christian religion ; and that ,

especially in that city were to be seen publi cly ,

the priests mo n ks and nuns i n their several

, , ,

habits . W ithin the walls were m o nasteries o f

A c i s clu s the martyr St Zo y lu s and S t s F austus
, .
,
.
,

Januarius and Marti al ; besides churches of St

,
.

Cyprian St Gines a n d Sta O lalla ; beyo n d the

, .
,
.

”
walls were eight monasteries H e adds that the .
,

be lls wer e r ung fo r di vi n e service they lived by ,

their o wn laws and the counts were allowed

,
.

their titles and dign ities, o n ly it w a s fo rbidden

to blaspheme the pro phet of Mecca or to enter ,

the m o sques ; an d this was a very endurable

”
kind of subj ection Such a state of things he
.
1 38 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EWS [ A . D .

describes as existing generally almost a centur y ,

and a half later 1

.

The chronicle of archbishop R oderic states ,

that the Moorish general g arrisoned the cities of

Toledo Cordova Seville Beia & c with Jews and
, , , , .

Arabs equa lly while his army proceeded to over

,

run the c o untry .

A b d alu s i s so n of Muza entered that part of

, ,

Spain n o w called Portugal with a third army , ,

where he gai n ed abundan t S poils ; and as long as ,

this source o f wealth invited the strangers in one

directi o n and France i n another they cared little
, ,

to disturb the insurgen ts of A sturias : who had ,

however soon captured O vied o and extended their

, ,

kingdom over the rugged di stricts of Biscay ,

Guipuzc o a and Alava , .

Towards the E ast it is said that they pene ,

t rat e d a s far as Toulouse an d Lyons ; but they

never entered T o ulouse although the Jews in ,

that city were for ages afterwards amerced i n an

an n ual fine of thirteen pounds of pure wax and ,

buffetted on the face at a church do or three -

,

times a year for havi n g betrayed the place to

,

the Mohammedan s Still repeated inroads were .

,

made into F rance (which they denominat ed

A fran c) until in 7 33 they were met at Po i c t i ers
, , ,

1
A D 85 0
. . .
1 40 H I S T O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A . D.

dissensions reduced considerably the general

,

population ; an d for a remedy the emirs called ,

over from Afr ica an d Syria large numbers o f agri

culturists whom they located in di stricts as nearly
,

as p o ssible resembli n g their native homes those

fr o m D amascus in the l o vely Vega o f Granada ;
and th o se from Palestin e in the lands of Me di na
Sido nia and so of others 1
.

The emirs appear to have proved good and

evil govern o r s in nearly an alternate succession
, ,

until the period whe n the Om ei a d caliphs of

D amascus were cut o ff by the Abbassides and
Spain being also in an u n settled conditio n a ,

council of elders (sheikhs ) assembled in A D 7 5 5 . .

n d pr o claiming themselves i n de
(H egira a

pendent o f the O rientals elected the y o un g ,

Abderrahman s o le survivor of the O mei a d s t o be

, ,

their own caliph of the W est !

Amid these convu lsions of fo rty fi v e years it -
,

may be believed that the previ o us literature o f

Spain such as it was must have suffered loss
, ,

the monastic libraries were of c o urse bro ken up , , ,

and in many ways injured ; an d the Ar abic

language was accepted with such surprising
rapidity by the s o uthern Christians that in 7 34 , , ,

John bishop o f Seville found it necessary to

, ,

1 M d z —G
en o a u e rra de G ran a da .
7 55 ] IN S PA I N AND P O R T U GAL . 1 41

tran slate the Bible i n to their fav o urite t o n gue .

But as the mo n ks ide n tify Latin with learning ,

they natur ally lame n t this un christi a n chan ge ,

a n d enumerate but few stars i n the darkn ess o f

that n ight the b rightest o f these bei n g Julian
the deacon at T o ledo a G r eek by birth , .

In 7 36 the emir c a had fo u n ded scho o ls fo r

,

his own pe o ple and encouraged those of the Jews

,

and Christians .

To the latter pop ulati o n the Arabian co n quest

has ever bee n a theme of melan ch o ly r eflection .

Mariana regards it as a visitation upon the iniqui

ties o f the Gothi c ki n gs and people in ge n eral St , . .

F Xime n es declares that the archan gel Michael

.

had previously de n o unced the calamity S an "

doval relates that the intellige n ce o f this i n vasi o n

3
,

w as first published i n R ome by a d aem o n duri n g ,

his exorcism from a y o u n g girl da ug h ter of a ,

holy bishop : on the applicati o n o f the relics of

St A nastasius the unclean spirit came out Of
.
,

her but shouted fo r j o y at the car nage he had

,

just witnessed in Spai n A n d the chronicle .

‘

compiled l o n g afterwards by o rder of Alo n so the ,

wise breaks away from its dry narrative at this

,

1 M i ar ana .
2 De an g li v
e s, . 38 .

3
N o taci o n e s sa a cd as , &c .

4 Las 4p ar t e s d e la C ro n ic a d e Es p a na .
1 42 H I ST O R Y O F T HE J E WS [
A . D.

event into a wild lament representin g the very

, ,

earth as Ope n in g her mouth and sayi n g , All ,

ye who pass by the way stay and s ee if there

, ,

be an y sorrow like un to my s o rro w 0 that my .

head were waters and my eyes fo untains of tears

, ,

that I might weep a n d lament the death o f my

”
Span iards ; the misery and terror o f my G o ths .

It was a strange Pr o vidence whi ch thus r e

united the W est with the E ast aft er s o l o n g a ,

cessation o f familiar interc o urse ; a n d to the J e w

the deli verance was i n estimable H e was at o n ce .

s et on an equali ty with his an cient Oppress o r ,

having full license to pursue his o wn occupatio n s ,

with the franchise o f the Mediterran ean i n sured

to him by the M o hammedan conquests Thus the .

interchange through Jewish hands o f E gyptian

, ,

and Syrian produce for that of Spai n and Mauri

,

tania became rapidly more ex tensive than any

,

previous age had witnessed .

But ab o ve all his religion was protected The

, , .

synagogues had their trumpets blown at the n e w

year min gli ng gratitude for present good with
, ,

hope of a pro spective restoratio n as they sang , ,

O ur G o d an d the God of our fathers 0 sound

, ,

the gr eat trumpet fo r o u r freed o m an d lift up ,

thine e n sign to collect our captivity so that ,

we may altogether be speedily gathered from

the four corners of the earth unto o ur own
1 44 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS , &c .
[
A . D .

still i n their churches as of o ld ; and that by the

‘

, ,

r emoval of prior an imosities the min d would

,

have become more fr ee to embrace or av o id what

it perceived to be truth or error (so far as their
national p r ejudi ces w o uld suffer the investigatio n )
it may admit of doubt whether a less number
,

o f Jews than befo re were at this time or likely,

to become in a salvable con dition thr ough the

, ,

only R edeemer .
 CH A PT E R X I I .

T HE OM E I A D C A L I P H AT E , —
E P I S TL E O F B A R
H HA S D A I — R M
. O S E S I N S L A V E R Y — J EWI S H
INFLU ENCE C O U N C I L O F L E ON
-
S PA N I S H
L I T E R AT U RE — M O Z A R A B I C C H R I ST I A N S .

W E now enter upon the bright peri o d of the

Span ish c aliphate whe n the cities wer e ado rn ed
,

wit h richer edifices by the e n c o ur agement give n t o

,

arts and science s a n d the landscapes embellished

,

with t o weri n g palm trees -

.

How stran gely must have s o u n ded there the

Muezzi n s tuneful call to prayer in the t o n gue
’

o f the Ishm aeli te ! There is n o G o d but G o d ,

”
and M o hammed is His pro phet that s o lem n ,

admixture of purest truth with a lie And what .

a marvello us visio n is the wh o le Ar abic epis o de

of the peninsular histo ry fo r the m i n d t o muse
upo n after it is passed aw a y ! I S it tr ue th a t
,

the very ro ads bridges mills houses a n d eve n

, , , ,

the existing dec o rati o n o f apartments, (as may be

H
1 46 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EWS [ A . D .

seen in Valencia and other southern cities were

o nce possessed by O rient al s speaki n g the n o ble ,

lan guage which fo r twenty fi v e ce n tu r ies had -

been peculi ar to a remote and burn in g desert ,

until the b o un ds were overpassed and the in u n ,

dati o n traversin g the breadth of A fric a had settled

there ? W ere d erv i s es fakirs har ems tur ban s , , , ,

and camels at a ny time familiar obj ects o n a Latin

,

territo ry ? The Christian s few and struggli n g o n

the hills and the I sraelite i n his silks an d
?
,

j ewels walki n g c o n fidently abroad u n der the

,

guar di an ship o f the curved sabre fr o m D amas

cus ? Y et all this is certain : there are still i n
s c r i t i o n s upon the walls gilding up o n palace
p ,

chambers and r olls o f E astern lear n in g i n the

,

libraries t o tell that such events have been F oun

,
.

tai n s a n d cedars yet remain which have them ,

‘“

selves yielded refreshin g c o oln ess to the A r ab an d

the Hebrew .

The arrival of A b derr ah h m an was fo llo wed by a

course of prosperity till then u n kn o wn and poli ,

tic al o pera tions were conducted on a larger scale .

E ach pro vince had n o w i t s emir and the practice ,

was now c o mme n ced which fo r ages they main ,

t ai n e d that every caliph should at least o n ce in

, ,

his reig n make an aggressive camp ai gn (called

,

1
In gli ’
s s S p i
a n in 1 83 0 . Vol . II . p . 330 .

11
1 48 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [A . D .

do ms A decisi o n which a ffo r ds great gri ef t o

.

Mariana th o ugh he h o nestly c o n fesses th a t t h e

, ,

usu al t o ken s of san ctity were w an tin g t o the

c o rpses of the sl ai n ; such as the sheddi n g o f
celestial fragrance an d the perfo rmance o f mi ,

racles .

The scenery and p o pulati o n of Spai n must at

this time have bee n i n tensely A siatic ; a n d as ,

a ccess o rie s t o the ge n eral features we r e a d o f a ,

large flight o f l o custs which in 8 5 2 di d in c alc u , , ,

l able mischief ; a n d Arabian tribes wan deri n g

with te n ts and fl o cks as in their o w n pe n in sula ; ,

fo r n o twithst a n di ng the exuberan t fertility o f the

,

S o uth t w o thir ds o f Sp ai n c o nsists o f r o cks an d

,
-

san dy plains ; the C ast ille s are still destitute of

t r ees .

In the r eign o f A b d err a h h m an the sec o n d (the ,

third caliph ) h i s c o n fide n tial minister o r Hagib

, , ,

was the Jew Hh a s d ai bar I saac ren o wned a m o n g ,

his pe o ple fo r the epist le which he wro te fr o m

that c o urt t o J o seph kin g o f C o zar a n ati o n b o r , ,

derin g o n the Caspian Sea : descr ibin g the c o n 1

1
hi ki gd m c i t d f p mi c
T s n o c l y f ll ti
ons s e o a ro s uo us o on o a na on s

an d c d it d f th dv t g f c mm c F b t
r ee s, un e or e a an a e o o er e . or a ou a

c t y a d h lf b gi i g t
e n ur n a 7 40 t h ma ch w
,
e nn n a A . D .
,
e on a r s ere

J w
e w th m j
s , as it y f t h p p l t i t l t p i d
er e e a or o e o u a on a a a er er o .

Th f c t f
e ch p pl
a o xi t c h b t t d
su a meo
’
e s e s en e as e en r ea e as a er e

f bl
a b t it i
e, “
t i f c t ily
u t bli h d by D
s ,
G ig
sa d
s a or es a s e es u n es, an
900 ] IN S PA IN AN D P OR T U GAL . 1 49

ditio n o f the H ebrews i n Spain an d i n quirin g int o ,

t hat o f h i s Jewish subj ects The auth o r had l o n g .

heard o f the C o z ari m with o ut fi n din g an y means o f ,

c o mmunicati o n thither un til fr o m the Spani sh , ,

embas sy at C o nstan ti n ople he learn ed that s o me ,

o f thi s pe o ple we r e freque n tly seen there i n the ,

baz aars with fu rs fo r sale Bar Hh as dai d e s

, .

p a tched an envoy t o the E ast with this epistle ,

w h o h o wever returned aft er six m o n ths reside n ce

’
, ,

a n d i n quiry in C o n stan ti n o ple without meeti n g ,

with any o f the C o z ari m an d reportin g that the ,

di fficulties o f p r o ceedi n g t o their kingdom were

a bs o lutely i n s u rm o untable At le n gth it w a s .
,

transmitted by mean s o f two ambas s ado rs fr o m

s o me A siatic pe o ple called Ga bli m w h o had arrived ,

at Cordo va Th e epistle c o mme n ces with I B ar

.
,

Hh as d ai b en Isaac ben E zra o n e o f the di spersed

, , ,

o f Jerus alem dwelli n g in Spai n & c ,

Be it kn o w n ,
.

t o the kin g that the n am e o f the l an d we i n habit

,
.

is in the h o ly language S ep h a r a d but in that o

, , ,

the Ishmaelites A l A n da lus ; the n ame o f the

,
-
‘

capital city is Cor to ba ”

R abbinical writers o f
. .

later date have fu rni shed the an swer o f king

'
'
,

J o seph fro m their o wn imaginati o n ; an d in the

twelft h century R Judah the Levite published ,
.
, ,

c Russ ia n di c v i —F a mily
th e re en t s o er es .
-
( Hi s to r y of th e J e ws .

H 3
1 50 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

in Arabic unde r the title of Coz ar i a c o pious

, ,

conversati o nal di scussi o n of all the points o f

Jewish theolo gy as c o ntr asted with Gen tile phi
,

lo so p h y The idea was derive d fi o m this origi n al

.
'

letter .

R Bar Hh as d ai w a s on one occasion required

.
, ,

by the caliph to hold a conversation with the

ambassadors who had ar rived from the banks of
German y previ o us to their receptio n at c o urt ;
,

in the course o f which he gave the stran ger s ,

some useful hints o n the peculiar cust o ms an d

r eligion of the country and advice respecting ,

their obj ect in coming 1

.

It was s o o n after this time that o n e sabbath , ,

day in the chief synagogue of C o r dova R N athan

, , .
,

the ruler w as so much astonished at the pr ofo und

,

Talmudical kn o wledge evinced by a p o o r slave in

sackcloth who had entered for worship in com
,

pan y with his s o n an d had fou n d s o me occasion

,

o f addressin g the co n gr egatio n that he abdicated ,

his chair and requested to S it humbly at the feet

,

o f the slave for in struction U pon i n qui ry the .

,

s t r anger was found to be a celebrated teacher

fr om Babylon named Moses who with his s o n
, , ,

E n och had been taken on the sea by pirates and

, ,

brought i n to Spain for sale The c o ngregati o n .

1
F leu r y ,
His to ir e Ecol to me
. xn . liv . 55 .
( P ar i s ,
152 H I S T O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

extendi n g from the Mediterranean southwards t o

the p o in t Opposite the C an ary islands I n this
i
.

territ o ry w h ic h b elo n g e d to Spain we r e numer

, ,

o u s Is r aelite reside n ts The pr o ducts were furs .

,

plumes a n d ivo ry from the i n terior c o untr y go ld

, ,

dust from the rive r s c o ral an d amber fr o m the ,

'

sea ; the lan d aboun ded i n co r n cattle and h o rses ; , ,

its sol di ers were valiant and husban dm e n lab o ,

r i o us ; the capital was F ez .

In the Christian states too the Jews were hi ghly , ,

prized si n ce they c o uld best supply the sinews o f

,

war D r Aldrete is S O muc h sh o cked at the fo l

. .

lowing asserti o n o f Paul of Bur go s that in his

1
, ,

”
b o ok on Varias an t igu e d a de s he does n o t ven ,

ture to qu o te it in the vernacular Spanish (R o

mance ) but preserves its o rigin al Lati n
,
They
the Jews o btai n ed great o ffi ces in the h o uses of
( )
kings a n d nobles ; o n which acc o un t all the s u b
th o ugh fa ithful (Christians ) held them in
j ect s , ,

reverence a n d fear which was a cause o f n o small

,

s cand al a n d spiritual dan ger to the simple— fo r

such might be easily seduced into the e rr o rs o f
their rulers The un believi n g Jews to ok occasio n
.

fr o m this to persist in their err o r s a n d declare

. .

that the predictio n of Jac o b which s ays th at the ,

sceptre shall n o t d ep art fr o m Ju dah

' '

wa s '

1
De S c i
r ut n . Sc r ipt p . ar t n . d . 6 . c . 10 .
10 1 2 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 1 53

he rein verified that the Jews i n Spain actu ally

,

held its do minio n a n d g o vernme n t i n the man n er

”
aforesaid .

Per haps Paul o f Burgo s exaggerated a little ; fo r ,

alth o ugh a c o n verted Jew he lived 400 year s after ,

the cali phate But the fo ll o wi n g decr ee of the

.

council o f Le o n A D 1 0 1 2 c an be depe n ded, . .

,

on a s sh o wi n g i n directly the respect i n which

,

they we r e n o w held eve n in the C a th o li c N orth .

The lan guage is a miserable middl e L a tin and ,

abounds i n A r abic terms an d idi o m .

W h o s o eve r hath a c o ttage in the field o f

an other m a n with o ut p o ssessin g a h o r se or an as s
, ,

le t him give o n ce a year t o the o wn er of the s o il ,

ten wheaten lo aves a n d h alf a measure (can n ate ,

lam) o f wi n e and o n e g o o d haun ch (unum lum

,

bum b o n um ) a n d the n he may have an y ma ste r

,

whatever ; the o ther may n o t sell his c o tta ge n o r ,

exact his lab o ur by c o mpulsion But if he be .

willin g o n his o w n acc o un t to s ell his c o ttage ,

’

his lab o ur shall be valued by two Chr i s ti a ns a nd

two J ews ; a n d if the p r o prietor of the l a n d c o n

se n t t o give the price thus fixed let him give it , ,

with the alv o ro c h but if n o t let the o wn e r o f ‘

,

1
A lv o r o c h , q
a lb o ro qu e , o r o c mmi i f giv t u e, a o ss o n ee en o on e

wh o b gi
ar a ns in l f l d lik wi
a sa e o ci l d i ki g t th
an e s e a so a r n n a e

t im e o f ch su a sa e l —P i d D ict i y
. ne
’
a s o n ar .

H 5
1 54 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [ A D . .

the la bour sell his labour to whomsoever he

Wiu
1 ) 3
.

This is merely cited to Sh o w the equ ality of

the Christian a n d the Jew recog n ized by the
episcop al council in matters of ge n eral busi n ess ,

o r rather the superior considerati o n o f the latter ,

fr o m bein g mentioned at all by such authority .

W e may also remark the differe n ce in to ne from

the o ld T o ledan councils .

Jewish learnin g was now pursued with eager

ness ; the usu al result Of peace and a competence
of wealth
Fo r w id
s o m is a p ear l w ith m os t su cc e ss

S ou gh t i n st ill w a t ers, a n d b e n ea t h cl
e ar s ki es

It has since been made a matter o f boasting ,

that un der the caliphate there was n o t o n e Jewish

family i n Spain without a C opy of the law and ,

all co ul d read it They attained to particular .

eminence in the colleges of Cordo va To ledo, ,

Seville and Granada at a time when the pro

, ,

fe s sors of Cordova obtained the appellati o n o f

”
Sapie n tissimi by the common v o te o f E ur o pe
,
’
.

1
D t t hi ctm t v m g i m bl th r f ct
oe s n o s ena en s er e, a on nnu e ra e o e a s,

t p
o v t h t i th m iddl g i t w
ro e a , n t p l lv y b t
e e a e s, as n o er so n a s a er ,
u

th te t f d ty f l b o which w tt ch d t th
’
en an s , o r s e r s
,
’
u o a ur , as a a e o e

l d n d b gh t
an , a ld 2 ou or so

2
C wp o er .

3
Bibli t c E p fi la o e a s a o .
156 ‘

H I ST O RY O F T H E ‘

IEws
.
[
A . D .

A b d err ah h m an
’

the fi rst o n his s ettlement at ,

C ord o va p r ocu r ed s o me p alms fr o m A sia and

,
.

addressed pathetic ver ses t o the o n e pl a n ted i n

his pal a ce garde n - The n ext c aliph M o ham
.
,

med wrote a te n der poem on leavi n g h i s fav o urite

,

wife fo r the w a rs Hh akam w a s a p o et an d

.
,

despised astr o l o gy ; an d Abdall ah comp o sed a n

elegy o n his m o t her s death Besides th ese A l
’
.
,

Hh ake m kept agents travelli n g t h r o ugh A sia t o

c o llect bo o ks an d m aintain ed several Co pyists
,

employed i n the great library at B a gdad The .

catal o gue o f his C o r d o v e s e library to which all

‘

the learned had access filled fo rtv fo ur v o lume s,

-

o f fifty fo lios each .

Am o n g the p rivate writin gs of A bd errah h m an

the t h ird di sc o v er e d after his de a th w a s fo u n d
,
'

this celeb r ated me m o r a n dum : I have n o w

r eign ed above fifty years i n victo ry o r pe a ce ,

beloved by my s u bj e c t s d re a d e d by my e n emies
’

,
‘

a n d respected by my allies R iches a n d h o n ours .

,

power a n d pleasure s have waited o n my Call ; n o r

does an y earthly blessi n g seem t o have been wan t
i n g t o c o mplete my felicity In this situati o n I .

have di lige n tly numbered the days of pure a n d

perfect happi n ess which have fall en to my lo t ,

they a m o un t t o fo urteen — O man place n o t thy ,

”
co n fidence in this pre s ent world .

This summ ary o f e arthly glory will be bette r

1 02 0 ] IN S PAI N AN D P O R T U GAL . 157

appreciated aft er an estimate of h i s wealth an d

acts The r o yal revenue of this m o narch i s sup
.

p o sed to have amo un ted t o six m i lli o n s sterli n g ,

pro bably equ alling that o f all E urope beside s at ,

the time H e built the p alace o f A z ahr a n ear

1
.

C o rdo va i t s walls were lined with j aspe r i ts ,

column s were o f j asper an d marble ; the jasper

fo untain with the water thr o wn by a go lde n swan
, ,

w as surm o unted by a do me fr o m whi ch hun g ,

the w o ndrous pearl prese n ted by the Gr eek

emperor I n the pavili o n o f the garde n s was
.

a fo u n tain of quicksilver instead of water In , .

the garde n s we r e baths o f marble wi th scr ee n s Of ,

silk a n d gold tissue surr o un ded by laurels a n d

,

2
myrtles Fo r a n a cc o mpanimen t t o this palace he ,

fo unded a city with a m o sque t o rival the gor

,

ge o n s o n e o f C o rdo va Here he s e t up a mint .

,

whence were issued the first caliphate c o in s o f

Spain ; fo r the Arabs had till the n used the cur
re n ey o f D a mascus This min t was c o n ducted
.

by Jews fo r several ce n turies ; n o t o n ly because

,

of their superior w o rkman ship but al s o i n c on ,

sideratio n o f their merc an tile facilities o f circula

tio n It was to this caliph that Bar Hh a s d ai w a s
.

the Ha gib .

1
C lyl
ar
’
e s tr an s l ti
a ons fro m A bic p 1 33
th e ra , . .

2
G d
ar onn e , Hist i
o re d e la D mi ti d A b
o na on es ra e s, t i p 334
. . . .
1 58 HI ST ORY O F J E WS
T HE
[
A . D .

Meanwhi le the Christians resi di ng under the

,

Mohammedan dominion man ifested a decided par

t i ali ty fo r the Arabic literature Alvaro of C o rdova
.

c o mplained i n the tenth century that scarcely one

Christian in a thousand could write a letter in L atin ,

but that they applied themselves to H ebrew and

A r abic comp o siti o n 1
H e himself and two friends
.

were able to comp o se Latin verses but the L atin ,

of that period was strangely deteriorated B o oks .

were so scarce that o n e and the same Bible with

, ,

St Jerome s E pistles appen ded was i n u se by

.
’
,

several m o nasteries alternately John Gorz a .

,

m o n kish envo y fro m O tho of Germany to Cor

d o va about A D 9 60 repro ached the Christian
, . .
,

clergy with havi n g s o far compli ed with Moham

medan prejudi ces as to practise circumcision and
, ,

to abstain fro m wine and p o rk T hese excused .

themselves by pleading the necessity of the times

under Arab constrai n t ; that their fathers had do n e
the same ; that by eati n g with the Arabs they
gai ned more esteem than di d the Jews ; that the
Ap o stle forbids resistan ce to the powers that be ;
that this w as a temporary con dition to which they
were reduced fo r their sins ; an d they c o n cluded
by entreating the embassy t o desist from their
pr o posed attempt to convert the caliph an d t o ,

1
i
Sarm ento an d A ldrete .
 CH A PT E R X II I .

O R I E N TA L I S M I N —
S PA I N C O U N C I L
O F C OY A C A
—E P I STL E O F P O P E A L E X A N D E R I I — M A S .

S A C R E A T G R A N A D A— E P I STL E O F P O P E G R E
G O R Y — T H E A LM O R A V I D E S — D E AT H O F R .

I S AA C A L F E S — H E B RE W A U T H O R S
-
.

W H E N the sun shi nes the ants are busy their , an d

ste a dy occupati o n is b r ought befo re our n o tice .

W he n peace a n d freed o m ar e secured there is ,

sun shi n e fo r Je wish industry and enviable must

have been the lot o f those r esidi n g between the
Pyrenees and the Atlan tic in the eleve n th ce n tury ,

even with o ut a n atio n al in depe n de n ce c o mpared ,

with that Of past ages a n d the actu al c o n ditio n

,

o f m o st of their brethre n elsewhere Together .

with reli gio us t o lerati o n there was withi n their

,

reach a diffusi o n of the elegant arts a n d lite r ature .

A dd t o these the O rien tal custo ms dr esses and , ,

dialects the very presence o f which must at all

, ,

times make a Jew feel doubly that he is a Jew

,

by creatin g impressio n s which harmo n ize with his

own peculiar ities and enhance the e ffect o f his
,

reli gion and lan gu a ge There w as moreover the

.
, ,
A . D . 1 040 ] IN S PA IN AN D P O R T U G A L . 161

brotherly congeniality which he might feel fo r t h e

Ar ab i n asmuch as b o th were s o n s o f Ab r aham ;
,

b o th held t o the c o ven an t of circumcisi o n as fro m ,

di vi n e precept ; a n d b o th were remarkable fo r a

zeal o us abho r rence o f aught that c o uld i n fringe
o n the pure uni t y of the Obj ect o f w o rship The .

M o slem p r o claimed There is n o G o d but God ,

an d the H ebrew rej o i n ed Hear O Israel the , ,

L o rd o u r G o d is O n e
An I sraelite co n te n ted with his s oj o urn i n
Spain w o uld be able t o trace s everal resemblance s
,

i n particular obj ects o f that c o u n try with those of

the Holy Land Gran ada with her envir o ns might .

remin d him o f the good lan d : a land o f bro o ks o f

water a n d fo untain s an d depths that sprin g o u t
, , ,

o f the valleys and hill s : a lan d o f wheat and

b arley and vines a n d fi g—trees and p omeg r a na tes
, , ,

a land of o il o live a n d h o n ey : a lan d wherei n

-

thou S hall eat bread with o ut scarce n e s s thou

shalt n o t lack any thin g i n it : a lan d whose sto n es
are ir o n an d out o f wh o se hills th o u mayest di g
,

brass i n G ra n a d a s i lv er a n d qui cksilver )

(or , , ,
.

That di strict which the Sp a niar ds designate .

1 I t ish t i t hi p i t th y w
n ot m e an t t a n s o n e er e c ct i
m or e orr e n
'

th y t h t h C th lic Ch ch w hich w
eo r an e a o ur ,
as g d d by th
u ar e e

N ic C d b t t h t th l tt w
en e r ee t u a e a er ere n o so sc r up l th y
u o u s as e

w t
er e v id v y pp
o c f vil
a o e er a e a ra n e o e .
”

2
D t viii 7 &en . .
,
c .
1 62 H I S T ORY O F T HE J E WS [A . D .

Campo de D io s would by its very name recal

1
, , ,

their own J e zr e el ; the Sierra N evada the snowy ,

Leban on ; M o nserrat the m o u nt Tab o r ; E lche , ,

”
the city o f dates n ear Alic an t w o uld represent ,

”
Jericho i n its appellation of city of palm trees -
.

Betwixt Sevi lle a n d San Lucar there exists a ,

strong mi r ag e in the sand a coun terpart to such

delusi o n s in A sia The very rocks and m o u n tain
.

ous chain s o f central Spain would c o nfirm the ,

resemblan ce to Judae a ; and the sea which laves

the coast is the self same Medi terranean A ll
,
-
.

thi s is fanciful enough ; but t ri fle s have p o wer t o

strengthen an attachment already formed A n d .

the two sons of R Hezekiah escaping fi o m Baby .

lo n at the o verth r o w o f the college of the G ao n i m ,

and the mur der of their father its presiden t they ,

and their companions arrivi n g at C o rdova must ,

have welc o med as tenderly the view o f the stately

palms as did their planter the first A b d err ah h m an
, ,
.

This dispersion occurred in 1 0 39 ; a n d thus the

who le learning of that l o n g and j ustly celebrated
college was transferred from the E uphrates t o the
happier Guadalquivir .

At the schism of the Mohammedan territ o ry

into the petty independent r oyalties of C o rdova ,

1
Ric e y d y d wh t to m w A p v b
es te r a ,
an ea -
or r o . ro er u se dt o

i dic
n a te th e xt di y f tility Of thi pl in
e rao r na r er s a .

2 In gli ’
s s S p in i 1 830 ii 9 1
a n , . .
1 64 H I ST O RY O F T HE rE w s
[ A . D .

hallowing a di fferent seventh day Th e Moham .

m e d a n s kept Friday the Jews sanctified Saturday

, ,

a n d the C h r istian s Su n day T o c o mme n ce the

.

Sabbath with the p r ecedi n g su n set was comm o n ,

to all the thr ee T o p r o ceed with the C o y a c a

.

can o n
Let n o Christian dwell in the same house
with a Jew n o r share fo od with them : Whos o
,

ever tran sgresses this comman d he shall do ,

'

pe n an ce fo r seve n days : o r r efusing t o do s o ,

s h all ,
if he be a n o bleman (m aj o r pers o n a) be ,

exco mmunic ated fo r o n e year ; if an infe r i o r per

”
so n receive o n e hu n dr ed lashes
, (The pe
. n alty

den o un ced a gai n st this e n ormity by the c o un cil

o f E lvi r a 7 2 6 years befo r e was less p r eci s e
, ,
He
is to abstain fr o m o u r c o mmu n ion that he may ,
”
learn t o amen d )
There we r e W ester n crusades earlier than th o se
di rected towards Palesti n e ; a n d D i eu v eult was
felt if n o t uttered befo re the coun cil o f Cle r;
, ,

m o n t in 1 095 : for i n 1 06 6 the foll o wi n g e n c y cli

, ,

cal letter from P o pe Alexander II t o the bish o ps .

o f Spai n is fou n d referri n g to pri o r t r an sactio n s

,
.

o f that nature

The rep o rt lately received co n cerni n g y o u ,

was gr atify i n g i n that ye have pr o tected the

,

Jews who s oj o urn with you fro m bei n g massa

cred by th o se who were marching into Spain
1 066 ] IN S PA IN AN D P O R T U GA L . 1 65

aga i n st the Sarace n s a n d w h o i n flue n ced by fo ol

, ,

ish ign o ran ce o r perchan ce by blin d rapacity

, ,

de s ir ed to rush t o t h e slaughter o f th o se wh o m
D ivine g o o dn ess may have p r edestined to s alva
ti o n
.

F or thu s did St Gregory withstan d such as

.

bur n ed t o extirp a te them : de n oun cin g as impiety

the wish t o destro y th o se wh o by t h e mercy o f
G o d ar e still pre s erved i n o r der that although
, ,

condem n ed through their fo r efa thers crime i n

,
’

’
shedding the S a viour s bl o od to the l o ss o f ,

c o untry an d fr eedom an d to a lo n g p r o tr acted

,

misery they may yet exist i n di spe r sio n over all

,

the w o rld .

Mo r eover the case o f the Jews is widely dif

,

fe re n t fi o m that o f the Sarace n s It is lawful t o .

fi g ht again st such as persecute Christi a ns by dri v ,

i n g them fr o m their cities and h o mes but these

[the Jews ] are every whe r e ready t o serve

[r ather

than to per secute ] .

And he restrai n ed every bish o p that was i n

c li n e d t o destr o y their sy n ag o gue s

This epistle c o uld h ardly arrive t o o so o n if we ,

may judge the temper o f the age fro m the nu

m er o u s i n sta n ces o f vi o le n ce i n aft er t imes com
,
-
,

m it t e d by Christian mail clad warri o rs upon the -

1 66 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

unarmed Jews ; an d it is far m o r e cre di table t o “

the human ity an d the do ctri n al dictatio n o f the

p o n tiff th an was the s avage G o thic r es o lve that
,

n o ne sh o uld dwell in the lan d nisi C a th o licus ,

”
sit. But i n the seventh century the pope
, ,

w o uld n o t have presumed to direct the Toledan

prelates .

About the year A D 1 0 6 8 At Gran ada that

. .
,
1
,

gr e a t city a c o n spir acy w as formed against R

,
.

Joseph the Levite wh o m they slew together , ,

with 1 5 00 families ; a n d whoever is ign orant of

their former S ple n d o ur felicity an d gl o ry h a s , , ,

n ever hear d any o f fame s rep o rts S i n ce they were

’
,

emi n e n t i n wisdo m a n d religi o n N o t o n ly the .

neighbours b u t th o se from afar afflicted them

,
'

b o th because they k n ew them t o be illustri o us ,

and als o because they feared that the same mis

'

fo rtun e w o uld occur to themselves [if they did

not assist] And this calamity b efel o n the n inth
.

o f —
day D ecember a d ay that had bee n s et apart
,

by our an cest o rs fo r a s o lemn fast and is e n tered in ,

the calendar of fasts alth o ugh the o r iginal reas o n

,

of it is [n o w ] un kn o wn But it is p r obable that .

this fearful day w as mar ked o u t by D ivi n e in spir a

tion a s R Abraham is of o pinio n i n his book o n
, .
,

”
Traditio n .

1
S c pt
e re o f J u da h , p .
7 .
‘

1 68 H I ST O R Y O F T HE J E WS [ A . D .

the Cath o lic b o un dary no w re s ted upo n the natural

defe n ce o f the Tagus I t w a s o n thi s o ccasi o n
.

that the Jews o f that city made the pretensi o n s

described i n o u r sec o n d ch apter an d r eceived ,

s o me un expected c o n cessi o n s ; for which ho w ever , ,

the c o n queror w a s s o o n rebuked by the b o ld p o pe

Hildebra n d the succes s o r in the chair o f St
, , .

Pete r t o the A l exan der w h o lately addr essed the

,

bishops of Sp ai n A fter an n ulli n g Al o n so s mar

.
’

r i ag e
,
a n d thrusti n g the R o man liturgy i n to the

chur che s the P o n tiff pr o ceeds i n his di ctati o n

,

But b o und as we are t o co n gratulate thee o n

thy go o d deserts we are n o t the less compelled
,

t o lame n t a n d fo rbid what is wro n g W e do .

c o u n sel thee t o suffer no long er the Jews to h o ld

do minio n o r auth o rity over Christian s Fo r what .

is the subj ectio n o f C hristian s to Jewish rule but ,

t o depress the C hurch of God and ex a lt the syn a

,

ogue o f Satan ? and what is the de s ire t o fav o ur

g
t h e fo es o f C hrist but the contempt o f Chr ist
,

Himself Beware my so n of actin g t o war ds thy

?
, ,

Lo r d and Creat o r as thou wouldst n o t endure

,

t o have do n e to thee by a n serva n t of thi n e

y .

C all t o mind the h o n o ur an d p r a ise which

the go o dn ess of Chri s t has v o uch s afed t o thee
a bove all the kin g s o f Spain ; a n d study t o repay
Him by exhi bitin g in all thy acti o n s as it were
, , ,

a counterp ar t of His will ; a n d so remember t o

1 086 ] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 1 69

submit thyself i n all thin gs as t o mer it exalta ,

tio n her e a n d i n the life t o c o me Fo r it is i n

,
.

deed m o st j ust th a t o n e m a n even thyself sh o uld , ,

be subj ect t o Him w h o has give n ab o ve a thousan d

thousands o f men t o thy sceptr e
Fo r six years more the cities al o ng the Tagu s
were captured o n e by o n e u n til Aben Abed the , ,

Mo o rish ki n g o f Seville hithert o the firm ally of

,

the C a st illi a n s was so al arm ed at these repeated

,

inroads exte n din g on o n e o ccasio n a s far as Me

,

di n a Sido n ia that he wro te t o exp o stulate with the

,

Christian fa ith breaker Al o n s o i n retur n de

-
.
, ,

s at c h e d hi s Jewish treasurer with 5 00 soldie r s t o

p
demand tribute from Seville an d m o reove r t o ,

claim certain towns an d castle s said to belo n g t o ,

T o ledo ! The e n vo y fo und Abe n Abed at C o r do va ,

and n o s o o ner had he enunciated his message than ,

the e n raged kin g o r dered his eyes t o be put o u t ,

and the military escort to be cut t o pieces But .

in the war which e n sued he fo u n d himself u n able

,

to c o pe with the larger and c o n ce n trated fo r ce o f

the Christian s ; he therefore i n vited to his su c
cour A l moravide Mo o rs u n der t heir ,

popular chief Yusuf (J o s eph ) fr o m M o rocc o ; a ,

desperate remedy fo r the check which these gave

,

to Alo ns o in the great battle o f X alac a was p u r

, ,

1
S an dvl
o a , Hi st or ia d e los re y es de C till y d L
as a e e on .
1 70 . H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

ch a s ed at the price o f the liberty o f all the Ar a b

i
pr in cip alit es wh o m thi s c o arse illiter ate race the n
, ,

s ubdued a n d pl u ndered carryi n g their b o o ty ,

beyo n d se a an d occasio n ally returnin g fo r fresh

,

a n d galli n g extorti o n s Zarago za h o w ever s u s

.
, ,

t a i n e d its i n depe n de n ce .

Abdallah ki n g o f Gran a da was styled the mathe

, ,

m a t i c i a n fr o m his p r edilecti o n fo r studies o f that

,

n a tu r e .D urin g twe n ty years he r etain ed at h i s

c o urt R Isaac b en Baruch a be n A lc aliah fo r his
.

i n structo r A n d of this rabbi it is related that

.
1
, ,

whe n dyin g (in and sc a rcely able t o

s pe a k he summo n ed his s o n a n d whispe r ed
, Go , ,

to R. Isaac A l—fes and tell hi m I am dyi n g an d ,

I forg ive him all the bitter and i njurious wo rds

that he h as used regardi n g me either in speech or ,

writi n g an d I humbly beg him to pardo n me on

,
'

the s ame acc o u n t A n d d o thou rem a in under

.

his care fo r I assure thee that he will profit thee

,
‘

r eatly a n d teach thee with a ll h i s p o wer R ’

g ,
.
. .

Baruch did s o after perfo r ming the fun eral dutie s

,

fo r his fa ther A n d whe n R I saa c A l fes heard

. .
-

these w o rds he aro se a n d r ent his garments and

, , ,

wept with a great weepin g W he n he had a p .

peased h i s grief a n d was c o n s o led he called R ,

.

Baruch the s o n o f the dece a s ed Isaac and i n

,
.

,
”
structed hi m all the days o f his life .

1
Th e J uh h ass in .
2 Or A l-Fe z .
1 72 H I ST ORY O F T HE J E WS

by B u xt o rf Plan t av it iu s B art o lo c c i o Pla c c i o N

, , , , .

An to n i o Wo lfi u s & c This ki n d Of v er si fi c a t i o n
, , .

the C hristians assert t o have been borrowed fr o m

the Ar abs They however tr ace their use o f
.
, ,

rhymes to the time o f the second Temple if n o t ,

earlier ; a n d Sarmie n t o believes them B u xt o rf 1

.

qu o tes a rabbinical proverb which i s itself in ,

rhyme
W h at sa i th t h e art of mu s ic am on g th Ch i ti e r s an s 2

1 w as assu r e dly sto enl f

ro m th e l d f th H b
an o e e r e ws

(The music comprised poetical c o mp o si

a rt o f e

ti o n i n Jewish phrase o l o gy just as their term

, ,

grammar i n cluded r hetoric criticism & c ) S o me , , .

authors have labo r iously detected r hym es in the

song of Moses (D eut xxxii in the Psalms and . .
,

in the Proverbs : but the instances they adduce

are but vague and occasi o nal asso n an ces a n d ,

sometimes n o t that when the acce n tual pauses are

,

heeded .

The pri n cipal Hebrew p o ets of this time were

I R I saac aben G h e at h o f Lucen a who died
. .
,

in 1089 skilled i n Greek as well as Arabic and

,

H ebrew H e wr ote
.

1 Hym n s includi n g the Chaldee

.
,
Hymn o f
”
Pleas an tn ess still chau n ted at Purim previous
, ,

to unrolling the Megillah (v o lume of E sther) .

1
Ob ras p o sth u mas .
2
S ee App dix en G .
 IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GAL . 1 73

2 Comment o n E cclesiaste s
. .

H e was nephew to three celebrated r abbi s

Samuel Jac o b a n d Isaac s o n s o f R Meir ben
, , , .

Samuel W e have seen that he received the s o n

.

of R J o seph the Levite when escaping fr o m the

.

massacre of Gran ada .

II R Moses G ikat ila o f Cordo va cited by

. .
,

Abe n E zra u n der the name of M o ses C o he n (the

p r iest) Besides p o ems he wrote
.
,

”
1
. B o o k o f W o rds a vocabulary of H ebrew , .

2 Tr a n slati o n o f J o b i n to Arabic
. .

3 Vari o us other tran slatio n s from Hebrew t o

.

A rabic .

III . R Solom o n G ab ir o l of Malaga, c o n cerni n g

.

wh o m C h a ri z i affirms that he surpassed all ,

H eb r ew poets befo r e him a n d that all sin ce h i s ,

time have taken his w o r ks for their m o dels

”
1
. A z ar o t h the 6 1 3 precepts of the Law II
,

v e r se .

2
. M o ral Instructi o n for the So ul .

”
3
. The R oy al C r own still u s ed i n the Spanish ,

Litur gy o n the eve o f the ato n eme n t .

”
4
. The F o untai n o f Life (Pro v xiii . .

5 Vari o us hym n s some still i n use

.
,
.

IV R Moses a be n E z r a
. . of Gran ada di ed
,
A . D.

I 3
1 74 H I S T O RY O F T HE J E WS

1 100 C o mme n ded i n R Abraham ben D avid s

. .
’

”
Bo o k o f Tra di tio n for his kn o wledge of Scrip
,

tur e an d Greek li teratur e as well as n obility o f

, ,

birth H e wrote
.

”
1 .
“ Ch
ai n s of G o ld (Prov i Sacred . . .

poetry .

2 . The Place of Spices or prayers fo r the ,

festivals .

3 . Tarshi sh a p o em ,
.

4 O n E l o que n ce a n d Poetry with a n

.
,

p a r aphrase .

5 C o m m e n t o n the bo o k of Ps alms
. .

”
6 . M o r al I n structio n .

7 A Phil o s o phical T r eatise mentio n ed by Wo l

.

fi u s but still u n printed

,
.

O ther H ebrew writers

the period were of

1 Samuel N a gh i d o f C ord o va a n excellent

.
,

scholar in Arabic and as they say i n every , , ,

science H e was empl o yed as secretary to the

.

ki n g of Gran ada an d died at a n advanced age

,

i n 1 05 5 It was the s o n o f this author w h o w a s

.

r u ler o f the synag o ue at the time of the massacre

g .

His writin gs are

1 Th e
. B o o k o f Riches .

2 Pr eface to the Talmud

. .

4 D efe n ce o f his precept o r R Chi n g agai n st

.
, .
,

R J o n ah abe n G an ah h
. .
1 76 H I ST ORY O F T HE J EWS

to R Isaac . Al -
fes
this agai n a r eply was
. To -

m a de by R abb en u E phraim .

Th o ugh a n ative o f Lan gued o c he is d e sig ,

n ated Sp a ni a r d by Jewish write r s either because ,

his n ative pl a ce bel o n g ed then t o Spai n or o n ,

accou n t o f his lo n g re s idence in Spai n .

IV R Isaac ben R euben of Barcelona ; ab o ut

. .

1 078
1 . O n legal d o cumen ts, and on the Talmudic
m arriage c o n tr acts .

2 O n buyi n g a n d selli n g b o rrowi n g a n d le n d

.
, ,

i n g fo r mi n g o f c o n tr acts & c
, , .

”
3 .A z aro th the 6 1 3 precepts i n verse
, ,
.

V R Joseph Bar Meir the Levite fr o m 1 0 7 7 t o

. .
, ,

1 141
1 . N o tices on the various C o dices of the Tal
mud .

2 Legal C o n stituti o ns
. .

3 R eply t o Questi o n s
. .

”
4 .The Glory of G o d (PS xix o n the , . .

T o rah (written law) H e had the h o n o ur fo r s o me

.
,

t i me t o impart in s tructio n t o M o s es bar Maim o n

, ,

w h o g r atefully rec o r ds his me m o ry i n the p r eface

t o the Mish n a .

VI R Judah . . b e n B ar z ili of Barcel o na

 '

IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GAL . 1 77

1 . O n the R ites D uties o f W o me n

an d .

”
2 . Bo o k o f Seas o n s o n the festival s , .

”
3 . O r di n ances o f C o n tr a cts .

4 . A D iffu se C o mme n t o n the Talmud .

V I I R J o n ah aben G an ah h was an emin e n t

. .
,

physici an at C o rdova a n d wrote esteemed gram ,

m at i c al treatises i n A rabic besides a Hebr ew ,

grammar an d lexic o n in Arabic which is named ,

”
The Book o f E mbelli sh m e n t .

V I I I R B eh h ai (the j udge ) b en Joseph Peku d a

. .
,

“
flourished about 1 1 00 a n d wrote The O bligatio n ,

”
o f the H eart a moral w o rk of rather an ascetic
, ,

tenden cy ; si nce tra n slated from Arabic t o Heb r ew

by R Judah abe n T ibb o n
. .

IX R Moses Ha dd arsh an (i e the preach e r )

. . . .
,

o f N ar bo n n e His w o rks Often referred to by

.
,

R ashi an d o thers are n o w lost ,

.

X R Jo seph K imh h i o f N ar bonne father o f

. .
,

the celebrated D avid ; he wr o te

”
1 Th e B o o k o f Memory a grammatical wo r k
.
,

o fte n quoted by his s o n .

2 Hym n o n the rea di n g o f E sther

. .

3 The . B o o k o f the F aith

Controvers i al
4 The . Bo o k o f H o li n ess .

W 0 11 ? 8 2 1 11 5 13
5 The . R eve al ed B o o k 2 1 .

C h rl stran rt y
6 The , W ars o f the Lord .
.

I 5
1 78 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS ,
&c .

7 . C omme n tthe writte n Law

on .

8 C o mme n t o n the Pr o phecie s

. .

9 C o mme n t o n the B o o k o f Proverbs

. .

1 0 Comme n t o n the C an ticles

. .

1 1 C o mme n t o n E ccle s iaste s R uth a n d E sther

.
, , .

1 2 The
. Shekel o f H oli n ess parables a n d
maxims .

At this peri o d it was fo u n d requisite to tran slat e

the E cclesiastical can o ns in t o Arabic fo r the u se ,

o f s uch Christians as dwelt withi n the Moham

medan territo ry ; and even i n C astille learn ing ,

was at so lo w a n ebb that it is recorded with

, ,

especi al praise that king F erdinan d I had all h i s

,
.

childre n carefully i n structed i n useful pur suits ;

these however i n cluded very little of what w o uld
, ,

n o w be termed useful o r lite r ary His so n the .

,

c o n quero r o f To led o o n o n e o ccasi o n S h o rtly b e

, ,

fo re a battle c o n ve n ed the C hristian bi s hops a n d

,

priests also the rabbis Of the Jews his vassals

, ,

t o i n terp r et a dream which tr o ubled him A nd .

n ine year s aft erwar ds the clergy of T o ledo had

,

r ec o ur se t o the fier y o rdeal t o decide which,

liturgy Should be used in public w o r ship the ,

-

M o z ar abic o f St Isid o r e t o which they had al

.
,

w a y s been accust o med ; o r the R o mish litur gy ,

n ewly c o mman ded by p o pe Hildebrand (Gre

g ory
1 80 H I S T O RY OF T HE J E WS [
A . D .

ro pe as a mean s o f prepari n g the rest o ration o f

I srael : an eve n t that w o uld n o t a ppe ar le s s th a n a
”
d ig n u s vi n dice n o du s to be tr an sacted o n a
,

igantic scale si n ce thei r n ation h a d i n o ld time

g ,

been delivered by the u n likely circumstan ce o f

b o th themselves a n d their B abyl o n ish masters
bei n g c o n quered by Cyrus And in the veiled .

c o u n sels o f the Almighty the s e crusades might ,

have acco mplished the return o f the redeemed

o f the L o rd with si n gi n g u n t o Zi o n with e v e rla s t
, ,

i n g j o y upo n their heads But they did n o t

the o ccupati o n o f Je r us alem by the Latin religion
i st s was emi n e n tly subve r sive o f Jewish hopes ;
a n d that te r rit o ry is t o this day the pr o perty Of

v o taries t o the M o hammedan imp o sture .

Thr ough o u t E uro pe (am o n g o ther c o untr ies the

”
- B r an ch o f D avid exp r e s sly me n tio n s Spai n ) the
march o f the red cro ss ar mies was pi o u sly sig
-
2

n ali z e d by as s aul ts up o n the Jews S O invar iably .

was this the custom that St B e r n ar d foun d it

, .

necessar y t o direct thus The Jews are n o t t o

be pe r secuted slaughtered n o r eve n put t o flight ;
, ,

fo r they are di spe r sed fo r this pu r p o se that wh ile ,

they are paying the just pen alty o f s o gre a t a

1
i h li
I sa a . 11 .

2
C t lan o
’
ar me pi e to s e , & c G er Lib
. .
 1 107] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U GA L . 1 8]

c rime, they c o n tinue t o be witn esses of our r e ~

dempti o n
A n o table c o n ver s ion t o C hristian ity is rec o r ded
by Mari a n a a n d Zurita under the date o f 1 1 0 6
, .
2
, .

Ki n g Al o ns o I o f Arag o n a n d V I I o f C astille.
, .
,

bei n g at his capital o f Huesc a (rece n tly t aken fro m

the M o hammed an s ) fo r the cerem o nies Of c o r o n a
ti o n a n d investitur e of k n ighthood o n the feast 3
,

o f St Peter he stood g o dfather at the baptism o f

.
,

a learned Jew who i n ren o u n ci n g his patern al

, ,

fai th chan ged his name fro m M o se s Tsadik t o

,

Peter Al o ns o i n h o n o ur of the s a in t a n d the

,

monarch This sacrame n t was admin istered by

.

the bish o p o f the city ; a n d s o me attr ibute the c o n

versi o n to the reli gi o us argume n tati o n of Al o ns o
”
himself O n such a p o int
. says M ar i a n a let , ,

”
e v ery o n e believe what he thi n ks most pro bable .

“ ”
The eruditi o n o f this n e w s o ldier o f Christ was ,

s o o n di rected t o compili n g a treatise against

Judaism which is said to have had co n sider able
,

e ffect H e likewise wrote again st the Moslem

.

religi o n .

A D 1 1 0 7 the Almoravide tyrant Y usuf paid

. .
,

1
E pi tl s e to S pi re s, a p d
u W a ge n s e il in p fc
re a e to T l ig
e a ne a

”
Sa ta n ae .

2
A fi a le s d e A ra g on .

3
A yn sa yY r ia r t e , A nti
gu e da d e s d e Hu e s c a .
1 82 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

his last visit from Moro cco into Spai n for he died ,

i n a short time aged one hu n dred ,

H e succeeded .

i n exto rtin g mo n ey fr o m the Jews u n der pre ,

tence of having fo u n d at C o r do va a bo n d o n their

part to embrace M o hammedan ism if Messiah did ,

n o t come befo re that p r eci s e year T o this fo rged .

docume n t (fo r the Jews had never bee n so

reduced by the A r abs as t o have such a declara ,

tio n exacted) he n o w held them e n gaged but ,

accepted i n lieu of its pen alty a pecun iary c o n

, ,

t rib u t i o n .

On a Sunday i n August 1 108 a m assacre of ,

Jews t o o k place i n T o ledo which San doval di s ,

misses without stateme n t Of i t s cause o r extent ,

by merely sayi n g wherein many lives were

,

l o st
The m o vemen ts of natio n al transacti o ns may
be thus c o mpressed
I n 1 1 2 6 the M o ors gai n ed a great victory and
, ,

made a dreadful slaughte r Leon a n d C astille .

carried o n a war o f successi o n t o the thr o n e .

Arag o n and N avarre suffered from the same

c alamity Th e o rigi n al A rabs were disposed t o
.

r ev o lt fr o m the Alm o ravide M o o rs but besides the , ,

usual alarms fro m the Chr istian quarter they ,

were i n c o n stan t expectation o f a new in vasion

1
C ro n ic
a de Al o n so VI I .
( A dici ones .
)
1 84 H I S T ORY O F T HE J EWS [A . D .

and to the later Almo ravides : these last after a ,

rule of eighty years succumbed t o the A l m o hads

, ,

wh o se supremacy pro ved much m o re favourable

t o peace a n d the fi n e arts .

Ab o ut this time the e mperor of Castille to o k

C o rdo va which h o wever he was unable to retain
, , , ,

havin g n o str o n g places fo r his support within

easy reach : but he succeeded in stabling h i s horses
withi n the m agn ifice n t m o sque of A b d err ah h m an .

A n edifice o f s ix hun dred feet by t w o hundred and

fi ft y with a minaret of t wo hun dred a n d fo rty
,

thr ee feet i n height ; the i n teri o r was fo rmed

1

i n t o thirty eight aisles traversed with n ineteen by

-
,

o n e hu n d red and ni n e pillars o f jasper a n d mar ble

alternately ; there were nin eteen gates of wrought

b r o nze the centr al o n e bei n g covered with plates
,

of gold fo r eve n i n g prayer there were four thou

san d S ix hu n dred lamps consumi n g o n e hundr ed ,

and twe n ty pounds annually of ambergris a n d

al o es t o perfume their o il ; an d the lamp o f the
Mihrab o r niche in the wall se r vi n g to indicate
,

the directi o n o f Mecca was o f exquisitely wro ught ,

gold In the o uter courts were fo u n tains oran g e

.
,

trees a n d p alms
,
s o as t o put t h o se w h o came
,
”
t o p r ay in mi n d o f paradise A very hands o me .

st able fo r the Christian m o nar ch .

D u ring the minority of Alo n so V I I I is placed .

1
M or e t h an f ty f
or ee t high er t h an th e monu men t o f L on do n .
 1 1 6 0] IN S PA I N AN D P O R T U G AL . 1 85

”
by the Sceptre o f Judah the fo llo wi n g i n
eident
The r o yal tr easurer was a Jew J o seph ben ,

E phraim gran ds o n o f A b ib o s e t the Levite han d

,

s o me prude n t skilled in music a n d trustwor thy

, , ,

he had so ns o f n obles fo r attendants a ch ar i o t ,

with h o rses a n d a guard of fift y Martin G o n

,
.

sal o a warrior w a s subordinate to th is J o seph

, , ,

but un der the i n flue n ce of anger and e n vy he ,

withdrew a n d laboured t o prejudice the min d o f

,

the youthfu l ki n g against the Jews He o ffered to .

purchase o f the cr o wn the vas s alage o f J o seph 1

the tre a sur e r Samuel b en W aker the physician

, ,

r ece n tly appointe d c o uncillor and ten o ther pri n

,

c i al Jews with all their families fo r a S pecified

p , ,

s u m o f m o ney The ki n g co n se n ted an d J o seph

.
,

was so ill treated by h i s n e w lord as t o die unde r

-
,

h i s su fferi n gs O n hearing t his A l o n s o was

.
,

highly i n di g n an t a n d gave his late fav o urit e an

,

h o n o urable buri al at C o r do va atte n ded by a p r o ,

cessio n of cavalry s o ldiers ; and he releas ed his

family a n d g o o d s .

The persec utor then impris o ned Samuel W ake r ,

1
Th e C as t illi a n iddl g w v l imm
Je ws of th e m e a es er e assa s e

di t ly f th c w
a e ot h f d l y t m c ld
e ro ig th m
n , as e eu a s s e ou as s n e no

oth p iti
er d t hi p ivil g w
os on Oft t h i p t c ti f m
an s r e e as en e r ro e on ro

t g
o u ra th i pp l b i g m d t th ki g i c cil
e
,
e r a ea s e n a e o e n n o un .
1 86 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

his two bro thers a n d h i s childre n ; seized his p ro

,

perty t o rtured him t o death a n d kept hi m n u

, ,

buried fo r a year until his death was disc o v ered

,

by a n a s tr o log er .

The yo uthful min d o f the king w as di verted an d

kept o ccupied by G o n s alo wh o m he raised t o the
,

n o b ility o f A l can tar a Thi s fav o u r ite pursued his

.

unrele n tin g p r oj ect of destro yi n g the Jews re ,

m o ving a t fi r st the p r i n cipal m en fr om court one ,

’
at a time so as n o t to al ar m the kin g s suspici o ns
,
.

Se n din g fo r Samuel b en J eh a si a n d R M o ses , .

A b o ri el he reque s ted a sum o f m o ney as a l o an t o

,

t h e cro w n t o o large to be p r o cured a n d then

, ,

O ffe r ed his mediati o n t o c o n ciliate the king with

whatever sum they c o uld affo rd But this scheme .

was fr u s tr ated by the Jews carryi n g their co n tri

b u t io n themselves the n ext day ; and the king
was pleased to retai n R M o ses as his p r in cipal
.

secretar y .

A Mo o r ish w ar gave a n ew occasi o n to G o n salo

for pr o cee di n g i n his o bj ect H e p r o p o sed t o .

banish the Jews an d make use o f their p o ssessio n s

,

to meet the exigencies of the army : o ffer i n g to

purchase the right o f maki n g this seizur e fo r a
lar ge am o un t of re a dy mo n ey ; but this p r o posi
ti o n the n o bles withst o o d par ticul arly the arch
,

bishop Giles ; an d when R Moses heard thi s .

1 88 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

occurre n ce s : t h e co n tract of selli n g the vass alage

was sought o u t a n d c a n celled an d the relatives o f
G o n s alo s o ld i n the same m a n ner to the Jews .

The r o yal S ign et which had been taken from the

hand o f t h e rebel was best o wed o n R Moses the .

se cr et a ry ; a n d all the Jews in the kingdo m o f

C astille had great gladn ess for s o many blessi n gs
”
from G o d .

Ab o ut 1 1 88 N avarre a n d C astille laid their

,

dispute before He n ry I I o f E n gland fo r his arbi

.
,

t rat io n The p r eli minary sec u rity te n der ed by

.

Castille co n sisted o f four fo rtresses tw o o f these

,

fo rtresses be s ides the o n e Offered by N avarre are

, ,

stated t o be t o w n s of the J ews .

I n the same year the le a der o f the A l mohads

,

was killed a t the siege o f San tarem ; a n d seven

years after was fo ught the battle o f A l ar c o s where ,

the Christians sustai n ed defeat an d a dr e a dfu l l o ss

,

o f life T e n years tr uce was the result

. .

D uring the heat o f these imp o rtan t war s was ,

preci s ely the g o lde n age of Ju d a Span ish litera -

tur e as the fo llo wi n g list o f auth o rs a n d their

,

writi n gs will Show ; the greatest names will occur

last

I R J o seph Ha dd a ian (th e ju dg e ) ben Jac o b

. .
 IN S P A IN AND P O R T U GA L . 1 89

aben Sahal a disciple o f R Isaac a be n G h e ath

,
.
.

Besides his verses which are esteemed he wr o te a

, ,

w o rk o n the Ten C o mmandments He w a s elected .

rab o f C o r dova in 1 1 1 3 .

I I R D avid ben Peku d a author of the A nthem

. .
,

in Syn ag o gue service Fo r thy sake O my , ,

God .

I II Ab r aham b ar Hh iia the astro n o mer

. R .
, ,

o r the pri n ce was livi n g in 1 1 3 6

, His w ritings .

are highly v alued

1 A lar ge work o n astronomy
. .

2 O n the E mbolismic Calculati o n s

. .

”
3 On
. The F igure Of the E arth .

4 O n circles a n d trian gles

. .

”
5
. Volume o f the R evealer o n the redemptio n ,

o f I srael the resurrecti o n of the dead and the

, ,

adve n t o f Messiah the date o f whi ch he ventured

,

to pre di ct by an astro n o mical c o mput a tio n .

”
6
. Meditatio n o f a R epentant S o ul i n fo ur ,

part s — 1 O n man s o rigin a n d wo n dr ous nature

.
’
.

—2 O n the duties of life — 3 O n the return t o

. . .

God by penitence — 4 O n dying well a n d o n the

. .
,

cl o se of this life .

IV R Jud a h the Levite brother

. .
,
-
i n -law of
Aben E zra as they married two sisters
,
1 90 H I ST O RY O F T HE J E WS

1 A dissertati o n o n the i n e ffable n ame of G o d

. .

”
2 P o ems b o th i n H eb r ew a n d Arabic ; o n e
.
,

o f the fo rmer i s a Pur im hym n c o mme n ci n g with , ,

”
L o r d thy mer cy & c ; an o ther is a lam e n t o n the
,
.

des o lati o n o f Zio n H e h as bee n styled by C h a.

”
rizi a prince o f p o ets .

”
3 The C o z ari a n argume n t a tive dial o gue
.
,

based o n the mere n ame a n d ide a o f Bar Hh a s

dai s letter t o the ki n g of Cozar thr ee centuries
’
,

befo re Its o bj ect is to exhibit the errors of the

.

Gentiles in relig io n and the false Opin i o n s o f ,

philos o phers ; t o pro ve the truth o f tr aditi o n al

law i n o pp o s iti o n to the Kar aim ; als o t o S h o w
,

by reas o n the p o ssibility that God sh o uld reveal

His will to m a n a n d that H e should p r escribe,

o n e par ticular s e t of p r ecepts and form o f w o rship ;

co n clu di n g with a m a s t erlv and elegan t declarati o n

of the most seri o us subj ects i n religi o n
This rabbi at the age o f fi ft y u n dert o o k a pil
grimage t o Jerus al em at the time when the Latin ,

kingdom was on the verge o f extincti o n On .

beh o lding the city he r ent his cl o the s and walked, ,

t owar ds it barefo o t i n c o mplian ce with E x o d ii i

‘

, . .

5 ; hi s heart year n in g with the se n time n t of

Lam ii 1 But while chaunting aloud the pathetic
. . .

lament o f his o w n comp o sitio n a train of brutal ,

1 A b e n da n a , cit d i e n D izi i
o n a r o sto r ic d gli A
o e ut or i Eb i
re e

d ll l
e e o ro o p er e .
” — B y De Ros s i ‘
.
 1 92 H I ST O RY O F THE J E WS

3 . dar k pl a ces i n the Talmud

E lucidati o n of .

4 A D icti o n ary of phil o s o phical te r ms and

.
,

exotic w o rds i n troduced i n to the R abbinic al

H ebrew .

V I I R Abraham b en D avid Of Pes qu i era i n

. .

Castille di ed 1 1 9 8 high in r epute as a Talmudic

, ,

Judge
1 An imadversio n s on Bar M ai m o n s Mighty ’
.

hand and o n R Isaac A l—

”
,
fes . .

2 N ew Observations o n various
. Talmudic
tracts .

3 An n otati o ns o n S i p h r é or the
. L a w of the
”
Priests .

4 Legal decisions
. .

5 . An imated Creati o n .

6 . Annotati o ns o n J e t sir ah

V I I I R Isaac bar Abba though Of Marseilles

. .
,

he resided nearly all his li fe in Leon and wr o te ,

1 O n Judicial rites
. .

2 O n the D ecalogue
. .

3
. The Crowned B o ok of the Scribes .

”
4
. The Hundred fo ld (Gen xxvi which -
, . .

is an an notation on R I saac A l fes .

- .

1
A C b li tic w k c ib d to th p t i ch Ab ah
a a s or as r e e a r ar r m
a .
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 1 93

I X R Meir b e n T o dr o s o f Bur g o s wh o
. .
, re

m o ved t o T o led o an d published ,

1 A Cab ali stic W o rk

. .

2 Ann o tati o n o n
. Chapte r s o f the F athers .

X R Ab r ah a m abe n D avid o r D a o r the L e

. .
, ,

vite , auth o r o f
“ ”
1 .The B o o k o f Tr aditi o n i n 1 1 6 1 agai n s t , ,

Abu A lp h ar ag the Sadducee who s e sect i s s ai d t o ,

have abou n ded i n Le o n a n d Castille t o dem o n

strate the u n in terrupted o r al deli ve r y of d o ctri n e

fro m M o ses thro ugh the Pr o phets Phari s ees a n d , ,

rabbis t o t h a t very peri o d ; showi n g at the same

,

time the heresy o f his o pp o n e n ts ‘

.

”
2 .R eplies t o Abu A lp h ara g o n the secti o n
,

“ ”
of the L a w named The J o urneyi n gs i e ,
. .

Numbers Xxxiii &c . .

”
3 E x alted F a ith in Arabic o n the eleme n ts
.
, ,

o f n ature a n d their capability o f leadi n g t o ele

,

me n ts o f r eli gio us fa ith ; o n these eleme n ts o f

fai th a n d o n the medicin e for the s o ul in its
,
‘

i n fir m it i e s .

4 . A stro n omical N otices .

1
'

Up o n t h i s, B a rt o loc e i o i d lg
n u es in a t i ra d e a g
ai n s t th e Pr o
t e s ta n t se c t wh
s, ose wa n t o f unan im ity b t y th i li e ra s e r a i
ena t o n

fro m th e ev c i
er ons s tent t ra di tio n of th C t h li c Ch ch
e a o ur .

K
 194 .
‘

HIS T O RY or T HE J EW S

X I R Ab raham aben Hh au m
. .

1 O n the mode o f prep aring colours and gild

.

ing for the illumi n ation of MSS .

2 O n the initial orname n ted letters of MS S of

. .

the law .

X II R Abraham bar Hh as dai arch rabbi of

. .
-

Barcelo n a H e translated from Arabic to He

.

brew
1 The. Pomegranate or moral sayings of ,

the wise .

”
2 The. Book o f the Soul ; a dialog ue on
morals .

3 The. Just Balances a moral work by ,

A lg az ali .

“
4 The Kin g s S o n a n d t h e Naz arene a ’
, ,

dialo gue on manners an d custom s; an d the fear of

God ; originally written in Greek .

”
5 .The F oundati o n s or E lements by R , , .

Is aac bar Solomon Israeli .

—He also t o o k a part in the celebrated c o ntro

v ers
y on the works of Moses bar Maimon .

XI II R M o ses Ki mh h i brother of R D avid

. .
, .

1 . R o ad t o Knowledge on Grammar , .

2 Comment on Job
. .

3 Comment on Proverbs
. .
1 96 HI ST ORY or T HE J EW S

Ca ba lis ti c .

2 . Th e Secrets o f the Law , writte n in Ro me ,

A . D . 1167 .

3 . Th e F o u n dati o n o f F ear .

4 . O n the N ame (o f God ) .

”
5 . Mystery o n the H ebrew alphabet .

P o eti ca l .

6 . S o ng of the Soul .

7 . Vari o us p o ems .

8 . O n Chess .

9 . O n the Soul s R eward or Pu n ishme n t

’
.

A ri th meti ca l .

10 Book of Arithmetic
. .

”
11 The B o o k o f O n e o n the p o wer
. of the
s i n gle n umerals i e fr o m o n e to ten
, . . .

Gr a mma ti ca l .

12 . E nigma o f the Quiescent L etters , an obscure

w o rk .

The Life o f Purity

13 . .

14 The Life of E xcelle n cy

. .

15 Balan ce of the Holy Lan guage a m o st

.
,

perfect grammar .

”
16 Meditati o n of Skill a small and elega n t
.
,

tract on pronunciation of the alphabet .

 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 1 97

A s tr o no mi c a l a nd A s tr o log ica l .

17 . Bo o k o f the W o rld .

18 . Begin n in g o f W isdom ,
a translati o n fro m
Arabic .

O n A str o n o my, and the E mbolismic Years

19 .
.

20 R eplies to A s tron o mical Questions o f R

.
.

Joseph o f N arb o n ne .

21 . On the A stro labe or A str o n o my

, .

22 . O n the I n strume n t of Brass i e the ,

. . as

t r o lab e .

B o ok of N ativities
23 . .

2 4 Pr actice of the A stronomical Tables

. of Al “

matani .

Va ri ous .

”
25 . A cute n ess o f Th o ught o n the s oul , .

”
25 . The G o o d N ame (Pr o v xxii . .

”
27 . E pistle o f the Sabbath writte n in L o n ,

do n, 1 2 60 .

The p o em chess is published by Hyde de

on ,

”
lu d i s o ri e n t ali b u s with a Latin versi o n
,
The .

game is played o u t in r hymes the moves bein g ,

frequently atte n ded with m o ral r eflectio n s c o n ,

cludi n g with ID? (check ma te) ; a n d fo r h i s sake

i e the ki ng s all his tro o ps a r e slai n an d the
’
( . .
) ,

redempti o n of h i s life is equival en t to theirs the ,

glo ry is go n e a n d they are n o more hi s subj ects

, ,

fo r their l o r d is sl a in ; but nevertheles s they m ay

, ,

fight an o ther battle and th o se w h o ar e slai n m ay

,

K 3
1 98 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S
”
be revived . The poem commences with a hist o ry
o f the rise a n d pr o gr ess o f chess

XV R D avid ben Jo seph K i mh hi called R a

. .
,

d ak, fro m the i n itials gener ally said to be from ,

N ar b o n ne ; but he always p r efa ced his writin gs

”
with R D avid & c the Span iard
,
.
,
. .

His family had fo r ages previ o usly given rulers

o f synag o gues a n d chief o f a c a d em i c s t o Ar a go n

a n d C a s tille By the Jews he is c o mm o n ly d e sig

.

“
n at e d the pri n ce of grammarian s an d so highly
are his syn t actic al an d analytic al elucidati o n s o f
pur e Scriptur e v alued that they have a pr overb , ,

If n o K i mhh i n o T o r a h H o weve r hi s i n , ,

v ec t iv e s again st Christi a n ity (such as it came

under his n o tice ) are excessively virulent .

Besides his valuable c o mme n tary o n the He

brew Bible he al s o wr o te ,

I n th e sa me c ll ct i
o e f m th on by Hyd e, t h er e is an e xt rac t ro e

C i i f v
o z ar , n a
( S h t
our o
gi i A f ch
bic ) b i g g m
es s , a ra n ,
n ra ,
as e n a a e

i w hich f t
n mi f t
o r u n e or h v c c th w h l p s o r un e a e no on ern e o e ro

c d p di g
es s e en kill d p d c Th i l
n on s H b w an ru en e. er e s a so a e re

p m ch
oe on c ll d Th Ki g D ligh t ( th
ess , a e k w ) e n
’
s e ,
”
au or un no n

which mm co w i th pi p l gy f div t i g h i t di
e nc e s a o us a o o or er n s s u es

f m th h ly l w b t ddi g t h t h i bj ct w t
ro e o a ,
c cil
u a n a s o e as o re on e

tw b th by m m t ft t h i f t h th i t y h d
’
o ro ers an a u se en , a er e r a er s au or a

f il d h c mm d ch
a e e o th ly g m th t l d t i t
en s e ss
,
as e on a e a ea s no n o

i
s n , and t c p i t hi t y
ra e s u s s or .

2
Ad p t d o
p e f m Pi ké A b th iii 1 7
as a un ro r o ,
. .
2 00 H I ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

A n E pi stle o n M o rals
1 .

2 E pistle o n Matrim o n y to be undertaken

.
,

in the fear of God .

”
The Square Table o n courteousness at ,

ta ble .

4 Bo o k o f the Man n er o f M e n (2 S am
.
, .

V II
. o n visiti n g the S ick a n d the dead .

Ca ba lis ti c .

5 . E lucidation o f the Law .

”
6 The O rchard of Pomegranates, (Can t iv . .

Q The Tr easure o f Life .

”
O
O The Garden of G o d s D elight ’
.

O
Q O n Some Verses i n the P salms .

10 B o o k ofthe Secr ets of the Law

. .

11 E pistle o f D esir e
. .

12 B o ok o f R edempti o n
. .

1 3 E xpositi o n o f the B o o k J et sir ah

. .

14 The Lily o f Secrets or whole art

.
,

Cab ala .

Th eo log i ca l .

E xplanatio n s o n Gemara .

O n F aith an d C o n fide n ce .

”
B o o k o f W ar s i n defe n ce o f R A l fe s
,
.
-
.

Questions and Answer s on the L aw .

 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 2 01

The Levitical Min istry o n the 6 1 3 precepts

19 .
, .

2 0 C o mme n t o n J o b
. .

“ ”
21 The B o o k o f the E n d i e o f the w o rld
.
,
. .
,

a n d the c o mi n g o f Messiah
1

2 2 Animadver si o n s o n the
. Bo o k o f Precepts ,

by Moses bar Maim o n .

”
23 B o o k o f Purificati o n cer emo n i al
. .

Besides a Lament o ver the H o ly Temple .

XVI I R M o ses bar Maimo n called M o ses the

. .
,

E gyptian by the C hristians Maim o n ides and

, ,

Rambam fr o m the i n itials o f his n ames was

, ,

b o rn at C o r dova o n Pass o ver eve A D 1 1 31 at

, ,
. .
,

the expense of his mo ther s life Wh o died in ’

,

givi n g him birth S a id t o be desce n ded fro m

.

R Judah the H o ly (c o mpiler of the Mish n a )

.
, ,

and therefo r e by a fem ale lin e fi o m kin g D avid '

.

B u xt o r f qu o tes this h i s o wn stateme n t of h o n our

a ble pedigree I M o ses so n of Maimo n the
°

, ,

j udge so n o f J o seph the sage so n o f Isaac the

, ,

j udg e so n of Joseph the judge so n o f Obadiah

, ,

the judge so n of S o l o mo n s o n o f Obadi a h the

, ,

”
judge Y et the re n ow n he him self a cquired h as
.

eclipsed all these ; fo r the well kn o w n pr o verb de -

clare s From M o ses t o Moses was n o n e like

, ,

1
Th e m i d n of a New T e s ta m en t re a d er w ill e as ily r e ur c to

M a tt . xxiv 3 . .
20 2 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S
”
to Mose s, i e from the great lawgiver
. . to this

”
The Chai n of Traditi o n relates that in early ,

li fe he was remarkably in do le n t and u n p r o misin g

’
i n genius u n til r o used by his father s repr o aches
, ,

when he left his h o me and r epaired to the S y ,

n a o u e fo r the study o f the law rem ai n ing there

g g ,

day an d n ight eve n sleepi n g within its wall s

, .

That he pro ceeded to the city of R Joseph aben .

Megas u n der whom he made a rapid progress ;

,

that returning in disgui se t o C o rdov a he delivered ,

so el o que n t a discourse i n that Syn ag o gue as t o ,

astonish the co n gregation ; an d that when made

known he was received with rapture by his father
, .

The same work records a traditi on that the father

and so n retired to a cave fo r the advantage o f
un i n terrupted study during twelve years The .

”
J u hh a ssin o mits these rom an tic tales and ,

ascribe s the c ulture of his virtues a n d tale n ts t o

the care of h i s fa ther an d R Megas . .

At an ear ly age fo r his reputatio n he withdrew ,

fr o m Spain t o war d s the E ast : the cause is said 1

to have been a decr ee from the Almohad m o narch

l
C i i p d D R i Al D H b l t
A b ulfara gi o and as r a u e o ss . so
’
er e o ,

R mb m (M i m
a a
) J i f E
a ep g l tif d C d
o un n lq l s a n o , na e or oue
,
e ue

d m
e Mhmt p f c
e ura a o e anE p g t q i vi t
ar or it
e en s a ne, e u n e n su e en

y
Egyp t n il fi t p f
e o i v t d J d i m —Bibl O i t
ro e ss on ou er e u u a s e .
”
. r en ,

5 38 .
204 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

regular at ten dance every morn in g If th ere be .

n othi n g required at c o urt I return hom e t o ,

ward s n o o n a n d alm o st famished fo r wan t of fo o d

,
.

I find t h e app ro a ches t o my h o use thr o n ged with

b o th Jews a n d Ge n tiles men o f all ra n ks impa, ,

t i e n tly waiti n g my arrival A S s o o n as I have .

t ake n some refr eshme n t I exami n e my p a tie n t s, ,

u n til I bec o me so o verp o wered with the fatigue

of speaki n g a n d prescribing that my speech ,

”
alm o st fails me befo re I c o nclude Y et he .

fo u n d time fo r n umerous writi n gs s o pro fo u n d

an d o rigin al as t o co n stitute a n e w e r a in his
,

n ati o n s r eligio n an d literature b o th in the

’
,

A rabic lan guage a n d a H eb r ew nearly approach

,

i n g the purity o f Bibli cal c o mp o siti o n .

O n his death i n 1 2 0 5 the i n tellige n ce w as c o n

,

v e e d t o Jerus al em in seve n d a ys and a fast was

y ,

pro clai med fo r every syn ag o gue with Scr iptural ,

porti o n s fo r the day s readi n g : Levit xxvi 3— 2 7

’
. . .

and 1 Sam iv 1 t o the w o r ds the ar k o f t h e

. . .
,

L o r d is taken The M o hammedans al s o fasted

a n d bewailed his l o ss and acc o mpan ied hi s bier
,

in large cr o wds fo r t w o d ays o f its p r o gr ess t o the

H o ly Lan d He w as interred a t Tiberi a s o r as
.
,

s o me say at H ebro n S o emin ent a m an may

,
.

have mir acles attributed t o him aft er death as well ,

a s the popish sai n ts ; acc o rdingly it is said that 1

,

Sc pt f J d h
1 ”
e re o u a .
 IN S P A I N A N D P O RT U G A L . 205

the pro cessi o n was att a cked by robber s that the ,

‘
beare r s fo r s o o k their ch ar ge an d the thieve s fi n d , ,

i n g it t o be o n ly a fun e r al par ty were fo r th r o wi n g ,

the c o rpse i n t o the sea ; but sudde n ly the c o ffi n

bec a me s o he a vy that thirty m e n were n o t su ffi
,

cien t to lift it ; hereup o n they c o n te n ted them

selves w ith s trippin g the b o dy o f its phy lacte ries
a n d garme n t o f fr i n g es ; a n d eve n the s e they
aft e r war ds besto wed o n a p a ssin g s tran ger .

The w o r ks of M o ses b ar M ai m o n are these

M edi ca l .

1 Aphorisms o f Hipp o cr ates and Gale n with

.
,

h is o w n a n n o tati o ns .

2 O n R egime n o f Health
. .

fi eo log i ca l .

”
3 The
. Moreh N eb u c h i m (Guide o f the
perplexed ) writte n at the a g e of fi ft y a n d c o n
, ,

s id ere d hi ghly usefu l t o Christian the o l o gia n s

1
.

4 .M a dd a a (k n o wledge )
”
,
.

5 “
.
—
J a d h a h h a z a ka h
”
(the “
mighty ha nd
, ,

”
E xo d iii . .o r the do uble law ; a c o mplete
pan dect o f Judaic civil a n d c o mm o n law i n ,

fo urtee n b o o ks the w o r k o f twelve ye ar s

,
.

6 The Bo o k o n C a usati o n
. .

7 O n the K n o wledge o f G o d
. .

8 O n the Thirtee n Articles o f F aith

. .

1
Re n d er e di n to L atin by B u xt or f, j i un o r . B l
- as e 1 62 9 .
206 HI S T O R Y OF T HE J EW S

9Comme n t o n the Mishna (I n A r a bi c )

. . .

1 0 Comme n t o n the Gema ra

. D
( )O . .

1 1 B o o k o f the Precepts
. D
( ) o . .

1 2 E pistle o n the R esurrecti o n of the D e ad ;

.

written at the age o f fifty fi v e (D O ) -

. .

1 3 Book of L o gic
. .

1 4 To the R abbis o f M o n tp elli er on A strology

.
, .

1 5 E pistle to the Ju dg e i n A l exandria

. .

1 6 An swers t o vari o us Questi o ns

. .

1 7 R eplies to various E pi stles .

1 8 W ords of E ru di tion and h i s will

.
, .

”
The Moreh N eb u ch im was first published
i n Arabic a n d presently tr a n slated int o g o o d He
,

b r ew by R S T ibb o n Its doctrines threw all

,
. . .

the syn ag o gues i n to c o nsternation a n d division .

Such a n expurgatio n o f Judai sm fro m the lege n ds

o f the Talmud a n d such an e ffo r t to i n duce his
,

people to use the c o mm o n sense of general m a n

ki n d i n c o n n exio n with revealed truth c o uld n o t ,

fail t o arouse the bigotry of the o ld sch o o l o f

rabbinists At Mo n tpellier R S o l o mo n a n d h i s
.
1
,
.

frie n d s excommu n icated all wh o sh o ul d read the

Mor eh a n d the Ma dd aa much m o re their
”
,
”
,

auth o r an d burn ed the bo o ks i n the mar ket p lace

,
-
.

1 B l gi g t A g
e on n o ra on u nt il ba ou t 1 340 .
2 08 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S ‘

N azarenes ; an d fact up o n thi s account the

in , ,
”
M o reh w as n o t pro hibited by the E cclesiastic al
ce n sor ship a s a ppears fr o m K i mh hi s c o rr esp o n
,
’

de n ce with R Judah o f T o ledo

. .

The an im o sity was at first so vi o le n t that the ,

M o n tpellier an tag o n ists pur sued the corpse t o its

s epulchre ,
a n d er a si n g the simple in scripti o n
”
The gr e a test o f men they substituted The
,

exc o mmu n icate a n d heretic They relented aft er

a time an d had the mo r e fav o urable epitaph re
,

sto r ed
.

The refo r mati o n thus far extended by R Mose s .

b ar Maim o n is practic ally felt t o the present day

,

his n ame is revered by the Jews an d highly ,

respected by H ebrew readi n g C hristians

-
An .

o ther such a str ide w o uld ema n cipate the pe o ple

fr o m m o st o f the r a bbin ic sh a ckles by which free ,

i n ve stig atio n is i m peded o r pu n ished But neither .

the liberal e r uditi o n o f Me n delsohn n o r the deli ,

r i u m of the Parisian Sa n hedrin h as yet availed ,

for s o de s irable a n o bj ect .

”
Y et the H e a rer a n d An swerer of pra ye r will
her e aft er o pen a medium o f tr ue light fo r His
a n cie n t a n d u n forsake n pe o ple : the kinsme n o f

”
Je su s Christ ,
acco r di n g to the fle sh shall n o t ,

be everlasti n g slaves t o the me n daci o us Talmud ;

t h e r ep r o ach S h a ll yet be roll ed away fi o m the '

n at ur al compat r i o ts o f our A postles those be s t o f

,
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 209

human be n efa ct o rs ; a n d the C hur ch o f Isr ael i n ,

h e r r ej o ici n g shall n o m o re c all up o n the L o rd a s

,

Baali but a s I s hi
,
1
W he n that day shall daw n
.
,

it will be l a me n ted the m o r e that M o ses b ar

Maim o n a n d his admir e r s did n o t fur ther exert
th a t high privilege o f their tale n ts t o bless an d ,

t o receive blessi n gs in return .

1 Ho s e a n . 16 .
 C HA P TE R XV .

B EN J A M I N O F T U D E L A .

A T this period lived a n d travelled R Benj amin .

”
o f Tudela . Hi s H ebrew Iti n erary h a s been
translated int o Latin by Arias M o ntanus i n 1 5 7 5 ,

a n d by C o n st a nti n e L E m e r e u r i n 1 6 33 I n to
’
p .

F r e n ch by the y o uthful J P Baratier i n 1 7 33 ;

. .

and i n t o E n glish by the R ev B G arran s in 1 7 83

. . .

The Jews commem o rate him thus

I n the J u h h assi n R Be nj amin travelled
.

much a n d di ed i n the year 933 (A D

,
He, . .

was a great luminary a n d his light aro se upon all

,

I srael .

I n the Bran ch of D avid R Be nj amin

:
.
,

s o n o f Jo n ah o f Tudela who tra velled much

,
.

Settin g o u t fr o m N avarre by c o ntinued travellin g

,

he visited all the shores of the w o rld E urope , ,

A sia a n d Africa : and wherever he came he noted

, ,
212 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

have induced every one of hi s translators to

believe that he n ever quitted Spai n but made a ,

compilation o f all the travellers tal es he c o uld ’

gather respectin g fo r eig n l an ds D r E Clarke . . .

1
,

and B a s n age a r e o f the same o pi n i o n O n the .

o ther h a n d Gibb o n r em ar ks (chap

,
The .

e rr o r s a n d ficti o n s o f the Jewish rabbi are n o t

sufficie n t gro u n ds t o de n y the reality o f his
”
tra vels S o me believe it t o be a fo rgery because
.
,

it makes n o me n ti o n o f Bar Maim o n the n resi di ng ,

at C air o ; or o f Abe n E zra then at Rh o des But ,

.

these n a mes may have bee n design e dly o mitted ,

as D avid K imh hi i s scarcely menti o n ed by the

”
Jewish histo rians The Branch o f D avid .

merely states that R D avid K i mh h i c o mp o sed

,
.

grammatical w o r ks ab o ut the year 6 50 (A D 1 1 90) ,

. .

”
a n d the J u h h as si n says n ext t o n o thi n g The .

”
Itin er ary w o uld pr o bably have met a kinder
fate eve n as a piece o f curi o sity had n o t the
, ,

r elati o n ab o u t B a gdad p r o v o ked the Church t o

c o n dem n its dissemi n atio n an d the bigo try o f ,

after times to j oi n in the S hout o f r epro bati o n ;

-

1
T v l l p 5 1 4 ( t ) Th t i t i p ibl t d
ra e s, v o . II . . no e . a s o ss e o o so ,

w i th t l bl cc i p v d by th x mpl f Th v t wh
o e ra e su e ss , s ro e e e a e o e en o ,
o

ne v q itt d E p b t y t i t m d by Gibb f h i p
er u e ur o e, u e s es ee e on or s su

p d cc cy
o se d S
a
y T v
ur a l i U:pp Eangyp t w hicha v ar
’
s ra e s n er , ,

acc di g t S i i h v
or n wo ( W hi t
o nn n E gy p t i p
,
e ne e r sa .
’
e s a ca , .

S i J h M d vill i
r o n th ch th
an e e s an o e r su au or .
 IN SP A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 2 13

fo r all who have exami n ed the bo o k ar e willi n g t o ,

ack n o wledge that man y in cide n t al allusi o n s t o

,

an cie n t man n ers a n d glimpse s o f true histo r y

, ,

m ay be c o llected fro m it th o ugh n o t fo r mi n g ,

the a uth o r s chief s ubj ect

’
.

O f the w o r k itself the fo ll o wi n g specime n s may

,

n o t be u n accept a ble :

Travels of R Be nj ami n
.
,
&c .

[ A t Lunel i n L a n gued o c
] H e r e is a sacred .

c o llege of Isra elites w h o s t udy the Law day a n d

, ,

n ight All Jews c o mi n g t o thi s place t o be

i n structed i n the Law fr o m the m o s t di stan t
c o un tries are kin dly r eceived an d s upplied with
,

fo o d clothes & c at the public char ge a s l o n g a s

, ,
.
,

they r em a in ther e This place c o n tai n s a b o ut

.

three hundr ed Jews wh o m m ay the R o ck a n d ,

”
R edeemer of Israel pre s erve !
[R o m a
] The mi g hty R o me which is the ,

metr o p o li s o f the E d o mites Ab o ut 2 00 Jews 1

.

reside i n this ci ty h o n o urable m e n w h o pay tr i

, ,

bute t o n o p o we r wh a tever Several ar e i n t h e .

service of pope Alexan der w h o i s a very gre a t ,

p r i n ce a n d chief of the E do mitish religi o n He r e

,
.

are t o be met s o me very wise m en the p ri n c Ip al o f ,

wh o m a re the gr eat R D a n iel a n d R J eh i el the

,
.
,
.

p o pe s minister a hands o me youn g m an wise an d

’
, ,

1 Ch i ti
r s a ns .
2 14 HI ST ORY O F T HE J E WS L A . D.

prudent freque n tin g the pal a ce as fir s t stewar d o r

, ,

manager of the pope s affair s H e is desce n ded ’

.

fro m R N athan t h e auth o r o f A ruch a n d the

.
, ,
’

C o mme n taries The r e is t o be seen with o ut R o me

.
’

the palace o f Titus w h o w a s r ej ected by 3 00 ,

se n at o r s fo r his di s o be di ence havin g spen t three ,

year s m o re in the siege o f Jer usalem than they

”
had decreed fo r that p u rpose [The n foll o ws .

a cro wd o f such idle falseh o o d whi ch S h o ws that ,

B e nj am in was no reader of Josephu s ] There

I s likewise a cave whe r ein Titus so n o f Vespa ,

sian l a id up the vessels o f the h o ly temple which

, ,

he bro ught fr o m Jerusalem .

[ H h arr an
] I n which place w a s in deed the
.

h o me o f o u r father Abraham but n o edifice n o w ,

r emai n s Twenty miles fr om Babyl o n reside

Jews w h o w o r ship in syn ago gues o r in
, ,

that high chamber which D ani el the p r o phet built

for himself of hewn sto nes and brick ; there is
also a syn ag o gue an d the p alace o f N eb u ch ad ,

n e z z ar a n d the
, furnace into which were cast
Anan ias, Misael a n d A zarias Thi s valley is re , .

n o w n e d thr o ugh o ut the w o rld .

e ru sale m
[ J ] H ere is moreover. that great , ,

h ig h p la ce called the sepulchre of the MA N

1

1
Ch ch ur .

3
1m mfl a p “ ‘
fl p fl sw . Th e l g g
an ua e is c i
au t o u s ly g ua r dd e , y e t
e xp r e ss iv e.
216 HI ST ORY O F THE J EW S [
A . D .

so n D avid ] He h o lds exte n sive do mi n i o n

of .

over the assembli es of Israelites li vi n g i n the

empir e o f t h e c o mm an d er o f the fa ithful the l o r d ,

o f the I s hmaelites A n d the l a tte r has o r dain ed

.

t o his p o ste r ity a n d h a s give n t o the p r ince o f the

,

c aptivi ty a seal t o c o n fi r m h i s auth o rity o ver all

the assemblies o f I sr a el i n his empire H e h as .

a ls o c o mm a n ded all pe o ple u n de r his sway b o th ,

Jew s an d Ishm a elites t o stan d up i n his prese n ce

, ,

a n d s alute him u n der pe n alty o f a hundred la shes

, .

E very time that he visits the great ki n g to s al ute

him he is accompan ied by man y Jewish a n d
,

Ge n tile h o r seme n cryi n g befo r e him Make way

, ,

fo r o u r lord the s o n of D avid as is very suitable

’
.
,

T hey express it i n their l a n gu a ge by these wo r ds

O mulu tarik le S a e dn a b e n D aw o ud He i s on .
’

h o rseback w ith vestme n t s o f embro ider ed silk

, ,

his head covered with a larg e tiara o n which is a ,

large white veil a n d o ver the veil a di adem

,
.

The pr i n ce o f the c a ptivity lice n tiates the

r abbis a n d si n ge r s i n all the s yn a ogues o f the
g
l a n d o f S in ar o r Chaldaea o f Persia o f Kh o r a s , ,

s a n o f Sheba o r Ar a bia F elix

,
o f Mes o potamia , ,

o f Kut about M o u n t Ar ar a t o f the cou n try o f ,

Alan ia wh ich is surr o unded by m o u n tai n s so as t o

, ,

have no issue but by the I r on g a tes which Alex -

1

1
He r e th e T k ur s w er e df
e ea t e di n 1 31 5 .
 IN : S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 217

a n der c o n structed there ; also the Syn ago gues o f

S i c a r i a a s far a s the m o u n ta in s o f A san a i n the
, ,

la n d o f the Ge o r gia n s w h o a r e o f the N azar e n e

‘

religi o n ; a s far a s the river Gih o n ; as far as the

extremi tie s of the pro vi n ces an d c o un try o f .

All these syna

'

Thib et ; a n d a s far as I n di a .

o u e s h o ld fr o m the Pri n ce o f the Captivity thei r

g g
per m issi o n to have r abbi s a n d si n gers ; a n d these
rabbis and S in gers repair t o Bagdad t o be installed
i n their o ffice a n d t o r eceive auth o r ity and layi n g
, ,

o n o f han ds from the Pri n ce o f the Captivity t o

, ,

wh o m they carry gift s and p r ese n ts fro m the ends

of the earth H e p o ssesses a t Babyl o n h o uses
.
, ,

garde n s o r chards an d lar ge estates of lan d which

, , ,

he in herit s fr o m his fathers a n d n o n e can take ,

from him H e has als o places o f entert ai n me n t

.

fo r the Jews H e has a t rib ute a ss igned him

.

an nually o n the fai r s and o n the lan d tr affic , ,

besides what is br o ught h im fro m distan t countrie s ,

s o that he is very rich and mighty H e is als o

.
.

very learned a n d c o n ve r s an t i n the Scr ipture an d

,

the T almud H e h as always many I sra elites e u

.

t ert ai n e d at his table .

O n the day of creati n g the Prince o f the Cap

t iv i ty that is to s ay when the kin g in st al s him t o
, ,

his o ffice by the layi n g o n of hands this pri n ce o f ,

o u r natio n makes lar ge prese n ts to the ki n g t o ,

the princes and to hi s o fficers They place h im

,
.
2 18 - HIS T O RY O F T HE J E WS [A . D .

in the chariot of the ki n g s fi r st mini s ter and ’

,

convey hi m from the p alace o f the great kin g t o

h is own p al ace with the s o u n d of drums a n d flutes ,

where he confirms the members o f his c o u n cil by

t h e layi ng o n o f han d s .

The Jews o f that city are fo llowers of the

!
wise and are very rich There are twe n ty eight -
,

syn agogues o f Jews in Bagd a d and A lp h ar e k ,

which is acro ss the Tigris fo r this river di vides ,

the city i n to t w o parts .

The great synagogue of the Prince o f the

Captivity has marble columns of all c o lo urs ,

adorn ed with go ld and silver ; on these c o lumns

are written in g o lden letters various passages fr o m
, ,

the Ps alms In front o f the ark are about ten

.

s t eps of marble o n the hi ghest of whi ch S its the

,
"

Prin ce o f the Captivity with all the pri n ces o f th e ,

'

”
house of D avid .

Such is the narration whi ch has excited th e

choler of our theol o gians In reply th ey cite .

Jewish auth o rs of that ag e t o corr o b o rate the

divine prediction that the Jews sh o uld fo r their
sins be deprived of a n ati o n al governme n t ; but
‘

ch th c mm t t h chi ld
.

1
Su as eH ii i 4
o F e n s on f o se a . . or e r en o

Is rael h ll bid m y d y with t ki g d wi th t p i c

s a a e an a s ou a n an ou a r n e,
”

wi th i t Ch ld
s p ph
a eeM y d y h ll th I li t
a ra r as e , an a s s a e sra e es r e

m i wi t h t ki g f t h f mi ly f D vid
a n ou a n ith h ll th
o e a o a ,
ne er s a er e

be an y I li t t x ci d mini
srae e I R K i mhh i
o e er seTh s o on .
”
. . e e
2 20 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

i sm and slavery o f Persia where every h o n o rar y

,

di sti n cti o n is ve n al that a supremacy n o t i n t erfe r

,

i n g wit h that o f the C o mman der o f the F ai thful an d ,

s ustained by its o w n str e n gt h t o its o w n exte n t ,

might be perpetuated fo r m o n ey a n d that s u n ,

dry marks o f dign ity might be tolerated which to ,

the chief Jew w o uld be all i n all a n d pro ve n o d etri

,

ment t o the Mu s su lm au n The cer em o n ial p ro

.

cessi o n acc o rdi n g to this b o ok seems quite agree

, ,

a ble t o the accou n ts o f E ur o pean travellers t o

Per sia in o u r days E very m a n o f o fficial rank
.

a pp r o aching the court is p r eceded by s h a ti rs o r

r u n n i n g fo o tme n
, S h o uti n g his title with the most
fuls o me c o mpliments a n d extrav agant adulati o n ,

best o win g at the same time a sh o wer of bl o ws

with their sticks up o n the thro n gi n g pop ul ace ,

mer ely to S h o w their activity i n the great man s ’

s ervice . O n extra o r di n ary occasi o n s the Persians

fo r m a b r illian t cav alcade have a n acc o m pan iment
,

o f n o isy music and have sugar throw n under the

,

’
h o rse s feet of the pri n cipal pers o n age as he
passes ; the floggi n g of the cr o wd a n d the l a vish
1

p r aises fro m the sh a ti rs always keepin g due pro

p o rtion to his di gn ity It appear s therefo re that
.
, ,

if the true O riental cust o ms had bee n better u n de r

sto o d by these learn ed co n tr o versialists we should ,

1
Hajji Bb a a .
 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 22 1

hav e been spared a large mas s of H ebrew and

L a ti n u n der which they th o ught t o crush R .

Be nj amin in that po rti o n o f his b o o k which

seemed the m o st o pen t o attack .

The great p o ssessio n s o f the Prin ce o f the Capt i

v it are n o t i n credible fo r a d n asty of its ki n d
y y ( )
which we k n o w t o have subsisted at least eleven
ce n tur ies ; a n d the tr ibute c o llected at the fairs
may h ave bee n a t o ll exclusively o n his o w n
n ati o n . The E ur o pean patriarch in the declin e ,

o f the R oman empi r e e nj o yed a jurisdicti o n an d

,

r eve n ue quite as a mple as this And thus it .

bec o mes i dl e t o fear that the Bible will be i n va

lid a t e d by o u r R abbi s report o f Bagdad or by
’
,

the r ule o f the W estern patriarchate or by the ,

partial ro yalty o f t h e C o z a r im .

I n s u m the tr avelle r had evide n tly but o n e

,

o bj ect in view : t o this he generally adhered with

H ebraic plain ness ; a n d whe n ever he stepped

aside t o me n ti o n eve n ts bel o n gin g t o Gentile h i s
t ory (as at R o me N in eveh
, ,
he was quite as
ill info rmed a s any Chr istian traveller o f that ag e
-

w o uld have bee n and as credul o us t o rec o u n t as

, ,

facts the legends which were t o ld to him fo r

,

fa cts H i s tra n slato rs have n o t sufficiently b o rne

.

i n mind that they we r e deali n g with a w o rk n o t ,

o f the sixtee n th ,
seve n tee n th o r eightee n th b u t
, ,

o f the twel ft h ce n tury .

2 22 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S &c .

It is to be regrette d that R ashi and Aben

have n o t furnished us with itineraries o f the same
peri od in additi o n to this o f R Benjamin of
,
.

Tudela .
2 24 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

as might be expected o f comments o n Scripture

, ,

elucidatio n s of the Talmud an d legal decisi o ns

, .

To a pe o ple u n der the peculiar di spe n satio n t o

which they believed themselves still subj ect these ,

must and ought to fo rm the body o f their learn

ing The errors of their fun damental do ctrines
.

were still perpetuated but their religio us writing

,

between the seven th and the thi rtee n th ce n tu

ries di splayed a degree o f research a n d tale n t far
s u erI o r t o th o se o f the Chri stian Church of the
p
same peri o d .

They were particularly di stinguished by their

a tte n ti o n t o grammatic a l impr o veme n t of langua e
g
for its own sake ; n o pe o ple have ever surpassed
the Spanish Jews in the refinement o f their
grammars the accuracy o f their lexic o ns o r the
, ,

perfectio n manifest in their standard editions o f

esteemed b o o ks .

H ebrew li terature has at all times main tained

a rigid gravity as if the t ale n t o f langua g e were
,

a donation which inv o lves t o o deep a resp o n si

b ilit y in its u se to be in any wise t rifle d with ;
a n d as if the very alphabet which G o d c o n de
sce n ded t o empl o y up o n the tables of sto ne were
a benefit too sacred for levity t o appro ach M o st .

A siatic n ations are s o ber i n their di sc o urse but ,

pre emine n tly so the Jews : they were a seri o us

-

pe o ple when at home and their later writers

,
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 22 5

have c o nstan tly ab s tained fro m t o pics which d o

not ,
i n their o pin io n lead to happi n ess here and
,

hereaft er . In this we se e a wide c o ntr ast t o

the p r evale n t habits o f Christen do m The Jews .

were ever a rea di n g an d a writin g pe o ple but ,

their b o o ks ha ve n o enervating te n den cy F a ir ies, .

gh o sts ge n ii a n d that di sregard o f he ave n ly p ro

, ,

v i d e n ce a n d struggling vi rtue which fo rms the

staple o f modern n o vels are all un k n o wn wi thi n

,

the pale o f the H ebrew alphabet True it i s .

,

that grievous mis takes and fo llie s have fo un d their

way i n t o Jewish wr itin gs but they we r e beli eved ,

by their auth o rs t o be ser i o us truth W he n they .

t r i fl ed with the Bible they we r e gravely deluded ;

,

an d when they to uched up o n u n e arthly c o n tem

la t i o n s their obj ects were burn i n g se r aphs a n d

p ,

min istering a n gels .

The i n her e n t S pirit of Heb r ew instructi o n is

that o f all E as te r n people didactic fr o m fat her t o
,

s o n fr o m tea cher t o pupil n o t I n u I s i t i v e which

, q ,

I s the char ac t e r istic featu r e o f the o ld G r ecia n ,

a n d o f the m o dern i n ductive wisd m o — l o o ki n g ever

backwards it hangs up o n the past Whatever
,
.

earli er s ages have writte n o n the min d o r m o rals , ,

o r divi n e w o r s hip must be the best ; s o that a

,

c o m p r ehe n sive r ec o llecti o n o f pr o verb s adages , ,

a n d poems supplie s the pl a ce o f i n di vidu al r e

,

search . Thi s arises fr o m the patriarch al reve

L 5
226 H IS T O RY O F THE J EW S

rence for ag e a n d the prepo n deran ce which all ,

O rie n tals assign to S pecula tive o ver r ati o ci n ative

studies ; yet it is certain that si n ce the sealing
1

o f prophecy a n d their mi n gli n g with the nati o ns

,

a t large there has been n o time in which there

,

were n o t Jews equal to the Gentiles of their r e

s e c t i v e centuries in the practical business of
p
life a n d what are called utilitarian sciences : i n
,

these they have o ft en led the way for l o ng before ,

the birth of the Baco n ian aph o rism K n o wledge ,

”
is power they had read in their sacred text that
,

a wise man is stro n g and had p r oved it s

veracity .

In histo ry there have been Judaic Chro n icles

compiled i n the fi ft eenth ce n tury but there has ,

n eve r been a repetition of Josephus : yet what

1
di ti cti f th A i t ic t m di t t
I t is th e s n t on o e s a o e a e, a s o r e aso n

and t t i t h gl y f t h E
o ac s p eT wi th d w th
or o l e ur o ean . o ra e so u

f m th
ro t div c t h
e se n se s, xt i f m t h i o m or t e e e e r or ro e nn er a n, o

d t i th pi it wi th i i t w ci cl
e a n e s r d t cc t m i t th t n s o n r e, an o a us o er e o

fi d i t b li
n ; ts p t t th d p th d c
ss o lm t f th
e n e ra e e e s an o n ce a en s o e

h t t p d i g l g th d p i d p
e ar , o re o se ur n i gl id en en e er o s u on a s n e e a,

wi th t wi h f
ou p g i
a sch g t b
or k w yf m
ro r e ss on or an e , or o re a a a ro

th i mp f c t i
e f th vi ibl w ld t clim b t h i fi i t
er e on s o e t s e or o e n n e, o

h ld c v
o wi t h
on p l b ty d xc ll c t h
e rse su th
e rn a ea u an e e en e e se a re e

p g tiv
r e ro d pl
a f t h i t ll c t li t f A i
es an d t hi
e asu re s o e n e e ua s o s a an s

i s h ppi a aw hi ch h j y i
n ess p f cti l t g th e en o s n a er e on a o e er un

k w t th b y
no n o v d f igid p pl
e us f th
,
n erth o u s, an r eo e o e n or .
”

( N t l Hi t y f E t h i m ) a u ra s or o n us as .

P o v b x x iv 5 D i) ? 131
1 "

r er s . .
2 28 HIS T O RY or T HE J EW S

lo n i u s, Hipp o cr ates G alen a n d E ucli d derive d , , ,

fr o m the Arabic o f the M o o r s wh o had co n veyed

them from Greece a n d E gypt a n d i n comm o n ‘
,

w ith these they wr o te up o n them dissertati o ns

and contro ver sial argume n ts H e n ce the o ld .

cla ssics were actively dissemin ated am o n g the

Latin c o lleges o f Christe n do m H o wever it i s .
,

t o be o bserved that neither by Jews n o r A r ab s

were the Greek poets a n d hist o r i ans read The .

ge n ius o f H o mer Thucydides a n d Xe n o ph o n , , ,

w o uld fi n d no sympathy in an o r ie n ta l c o n sti

t u t i o n o f mi n d o r ide a o f p o litical g o vern me n t
,
.

Pure science has i n all ages thrive n well beneath

a despot ; but n o t so the So n g o f Harm o di u s
“
,

o r the narrative o f the T e n Th o usa n d .

O f mathematics the Je w s held the p r in cipal ,

c hairs in the Mohammedan c o lleges of C o r d o va

a n d Seville ; but unlike the latter pe o ple they

’
, ,

1
Th e ear li e st c li ph
h y c ld t b li h th
a s had d one a ll t e ou o a o s e

G k l g g b t A lm
r ee an ua th c d f th A bb id
e, u a n s ur , e se on o e a ss e s,

h d ll t h G
a a k b k h c ld p c
e ree d d i t Sy i c
oo s e ou ro u r e ren er e n o r a ,

th ev c l t g
e r na f B gd d by Ch i t i
u ar on ch l Hi
ue o a a ,
r s an s o ar s . s

su cc Ha
e sso r , R hid c t i d t hi g d w k
r o un - er - d th as , on nue s oo or an e

ne xt c li ph A l m m h d t h m f th t l t d i t A bic
a ,
- a on, a e ur er r an s a e n o ra

by t w Ch i ti A b c v t f m th M h mm d
o r s an ra viz s, on er s ro e o a e a n s, .
,

J h M e f D m c
o n es n d H mi b
,
o I c Th w h l
a as u s, an o a n en sa a . e o e

li f th A bb id g v th i p t g t th w iti g f t h
ne o e as s es a e e r a r ona e o e r n s o e

G r ee k th t w i
s, ti I Sp i
a th A b A v
se na dvtd on .
’
n a n, e ra er r oe s e o e

h i lif t
s C mm t A i t tl
e o a o en on r s o e .

R t p c tiv R vi w iii 2 08
2
e r os e e e e , . .
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 22 9

b rought themselves i n t o c o ntact with Christi an

s o ciety an d
,
s p r eadin g themselves in t o various
c o u n tries they t aught the ge o metry the alg eb r a
, , ,

t h e logic a n d the chemistry o f Spain i n the u n i

,

v e rs i t i es o f O xfo r d a n d P ar is whi le C h ristian ,

‘

s tuden t s fro m all part s o f E ur o pe repaired t o

A ndalusia fo r such i n str ucti o n ‘
.

A n d the n astr o n o my the C h aldean science I n , .

t his they we r e te a che r s o f the M o o r s W he n the .

G a o n i m left the E uphrates fo r the Guadalquivir

'

o r Moses b a r M ai m o n r em o ved the n ce t o C ai ro

,

each o f these Jews had as bri ght a fi rm am e n t t o

”
survey with all its n umbered sta r s a s h a d
, ,

their pro phet D aniel in Babylo n wher e he was ,

”
Master o f the astro lo ger s a n d Chaldean s with ,

the t o wer o f N imr o d fo r his o bservat o ry That .

i n such climates whe r e the planets b r imful o f, ,

b r illian ce s eem ru n n i n g o ver with excess the

, ,

Jews c o ul d neglect their c o n templati o n is an i n ,

c r e di ble supp o s iti o n an d false in fact Go d

”—
said Let them be for sig n s a n d fo r seas o n s
,
this
i s fo u n d i n the first page o f the Heb r ew Sc r ip
ture s a n d we a r e assur ed by them selves th a t a t
no time have they neglected the adm o niti o n .

1
Sar mi e n to , O b ras
i Am g t h p o s th u mas , v ol . . on e se m ay b e
m ti
en d Ab l d
on e E gli h m k i th
,
ig f
e ar ,
an n s on n e re n o Henr y I .
,

D vid M l y f N f lk t d t f b t h O xf d
a or e ,
o or o ,
a s u en o o or an d P ar i s ,

and th f m G b t
e a ft w d P p Sylv t I I
o us er cr , a er ar s o e es er .
2 30 HIS T O RY O F T HE JEws

H ere di tary astr o n omers they prete n ded to h o l d

,

tra di ti o n al secrets brought by Abraham fro m the

land of Hh arran and they appealed t o the H ebrew
,

names o f c o nstellations in the bo o ks o f J o b and

Am o s for the an tiquity o f their observations .

The J u dae o Span ish astronomic al system w as

-

substantially that o f Ptolemy ; not the simple and

far mo r e accur ate p r in ciples recogniz ed in the
,

Biblic al ages by which their annua l festivals were

,

so surely fixed as to bring the Passover and feast

o f weeks ever to the same p o in ts of the ann u al

orbit without the least a dvance or retrogression

from the days of E xodus to the R o man di sp er
sion ; principles which pri o r to the fall o f the
,

fi r st Temple must have been independent of

,

Babylonish co n tact : but however must have

, ,

been c o rr o borated by that eve n t as D aniel was

,

chief astronomer in Chaldae a when Pyth agoras

arrived to pick up the scie n ce of the E ast and ,

whence he car ried to E urope the doctrine of a

heliocentric system and daily rotation on the axis
,

o f the gl o be
; and whe n Alexander t o ok Babylon ,

he fo un d there c o mputati o ns of eclipses past and ,

future rec o rded of man y centuries That Ar ab

, .

writin g the b o o k o f J o b was i n co rp o rated with

, ,

the can o n ical Bible lo n g befo re the c o n n ecti o n

with Ch alde a a n d bears within it the remarkable
,

“
passage, H e stretcheth out the north over the
2 32 HIS T O RY O F THE J EW S

may be recogn ised is n o t t o be met in scientific ,

w o r ks o f the ni n etee n th ce n tury Prefa ce — I n

1 . .

the n ame o f the L o r d G o d is sum med up the

begi n n ing o f ever y thin g It is writte n , O L o r d .
,

o u r L o r d h o w w o n derful i s thy name i n all the

,

earth w h o hast se t up thyself ab o ve the heave n s

,
’
.

Abrah am s a id the so n o f R Hh aii m Sephar di

,
.

(may his rep o se be i n P ar a dise Blessed be the

G o d of Is r ael the great a n d terrible God the
, ,

G o d o f s tr e n gth a n d beauty who r uleth i n h i s ,

o w n n am e thr o ugh o ut the earth & c A nd I pray , .

’

a n d i m pl o r e Him w h o b r i n geth help t o the n eedy ,

and s tr e n gth e n e th the weak that H e will d irect ,

m e i n the right w a y in which I S h o uld walk ; and

that H e will affo r d to me a n d t o all w h o fear ,

Him as I d o the fu lfilme n t o f what is written

, ,

I will cause thee t o u n derstan d a n d will p ro ,

vide thee light i n the way i n which th o u sh o uld s t

walk an d will keep my eye s up o n thee with
,

c o un sel & c ,
A n d may He he ar my c ry a cc o rd
.
’
,

i n g t o Hi s l o vi n g ki n d n ess and fulfil my petiti o n

-
, ,

s i n ce all thi n gs ar e in His p o wer n eithe r i s there ,

an o d beside Him Prai s ed a n d gl o ri o u s be

y g .

Hi s n ame fo r eve r I will n o w be g i n the busi n ess

.

o f this w o r k a n d s a
y A stro
,
n omy is di vided i n t o
,

”
t w o p ar ts &c &c, . .

1
S ph er e o f th e W o r ld ,
by R . A br . Hh a i i m .
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 2 33

But rabbi n ical a stro n omers tr ansgressed the

legitimate b o un ds o f experience and deductio n
fr o m facts or a rithmetical calculations
,
By .

mi n glin g r apturous feeli n gs a n d O rie n tal fan cies

with this wilderi n g yet rigid study they str ayed ,

in to A strol o gy : and pro bably ther e ar e fe w w h o

re ally l o ve t o g a ze up o n th os e li ghts which are a
”
beauty a n d a mys te ry but have felt a strange ,

witchery in the unearthly contemplatio n .

T ll m
e e,
ye hi i g h t
s n n os s

Th a t na vig t a e a se a whi ch k w
no t s n o s or ms ,
B e n ea th v lt
a au u nsu lli d by cl d !
e a ou
”

exclaims the affecti o n ate poet in quest o f sympathy

fo r his te n derness : an d far more than he might
the Israeli te i n Shina r Judma Memphi s o r , , ,

C o r do va i n dulge in that mental voluptu o us n ess

,

which is a pr o duct o f mi n d alm o st as p r ope r

t o A sia as are the ar o matics o f Arabia o r the
, ,

spices o f India
In Chaldaea the Jews had witnessed a wealthy
,

a n d p o mpous priesth o o d pr o fessi n g this pseudo

scie n ce as the m o st ve n e r ated arcan a o f religio us

r evelatio n Havi n g acquired a kn o wledge o f its
.

mysteri o us l o re the Talmud i n vested it with a,

Judaic character a n d fr o m the i n flue n ce which

2

1
Na t H s t En t
. i . h i m us as .

2
I t is s tr a n g th t ith
e a ne er in t h e N e w T e s ta m e n t, n or in J o se
2 34 HIS T O RY OF T HE J EW S

they fo und its practice to affo rd them in succeed

ing ages by a well kn o wn pro cess of the mind its
,
-
,

pro fess o rs became dupes o f their o wn imposture

and c o mbi n ing with it as they did some really , ,

useful scie n ce hi gh m o ral reputation abstine n ce

, ,

from common i n dulgences retirement fro m the ,

busy pursuits of l ife and a glo wi n g phrase o l o gy ,

in t heir b o o ks : this mysticism p o ssessed a charm

nearly irresistible to a people of ardent tempera
ment in the time prec edi ng the Baconian in duc
,

tive phil o s o phy Theirs w a s not the degrading ‘

.

super stiti o n which it is o ft en misreprese n ted to

have bee n T o make every event depe n d upon
.

the twi n klin g o f a star is an absur dity equal t o ,

that of the Laplan d witches who reg ul ate the ,

co u r se of the wi n ds by tying knots i n a stri n g

This is true a n d may perhaps be applied t o Kepler

, ,

usually de n o minated the fo un der of modern astr o

’

nom fo r he believed that the stars act upon

y , ,

terrestrial things in the same manner as light acts

up o n the eye s o und upon the ear or heat a n d, ,
”
cold up o n the sense and feeling Such h o wever, .
,

p h u s, f d y ll i t t l gy lth gh i t m t
can be oun an a u s ons o as ro o ,
a ou us

h v b d iv d f m B byl
a e e en d i
er t
e gly c ti d i
ro a on
,
an s so s r on sa n one n

th T lm d f th
e a c d t hi d d f th c t i
u o e se on ,
r ,
an ou r en ur e s .

St A g ti
1
d M l
. uth i us ly l if d K pl
n e an m id e an c on n e ar e , an e er a

all h i phil phy

s m ll d p o th id f t l gy
oso ,
a r e na es e n r o e u n e s e o as ro o .

B 2
y tl A t my
o nn cas e s
’
s ro n o .
2 36 HI S T O RY O F T HE J EW S

A ri st o t elo ma n i a t o
such excess as did the Lati n '

colleges : never S plit themselves into Rati o n alists ,

N omi n alists R e alists Sciolists O ccamites o r

, , , ,

A qu i n as it e s . They re a d a n d l o ved the acume n o f

the Grecian but n ever c alled in his aid t o me n d
,

or establish their religi o us creed ; besides that ,

in othe r matters their qui bbles of logic w o uld

always be m o dified by their mathematical studies ,

in which the Christian s were co n te n te dly i n ferio r s,

but which two p u rsui ts have never yet been made
t o harm o ni ze .

Ho w t o u n ite the defere n ce fo r Aristotle with the

old j ealousy o f Greek phi losophy w a s a curi o us ,

C o r d o v e se pr o blem : but s o lved with the fiction

that he h a d go t hi s i n structi o n fi o m the high
priest of Jerus alem Simeon the Just : or as some
, ,

said tha t he w a s a H ebrew o f th e fa mily o f

, ,

K o li ah o f the tribe o f Be njami n

,
The Jews.

h o wever adapted rather the spirit o f these di ale c

,

tics to their own system than became express

,

disciples ; and the mischiev o us e ffect o f the

subtleties a n d l o go machies thus enge n der e d is far
fro m extin ct at the present day th o ugh rapi dly,

yieldi n g t o the practical r easoning which a c o n tact

with Pr o testan t freedo m o f th o ught an d the ,

o pe n in g t o them o f the Germ a n unive r sities h as ,

to some exte n t pl a ced within their r each .

But min gle as they might in commerce and

,
 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 2 37

Scie n ce with Chr istian pe o ple the Isr aelites yet ,

dwelt much alo n e : a n d the w o r ld h a s n eve r

witn essed a m o re surpri s i n g example o f u n c o mb i n
i n g c o ntiguity fo r s o l o n g a peri o d a s these h ave
exhibited . C h ri s te n d o m w a s u s ually n o t m o r e
surpri s ed t han vexed to fi n d a shr ewd pe o ple ,

desce n da n ts o f the auth o rs of the Bible t o diffe r ,

so widely fr o m them i n the p r edisp o s i t i o n fo r

c o n side ra ti o n o f matters imp o rt a n t t o b o th partie s .

I n literatu r e an d ge n eral cust o ms alm o s t a s much ,

as in r eligi o n each l o o ked at the same o bj ect s

,

fr o m differ e n t di s tances a n d a t di ffere n t an gles

, .

W hat appeared a cir cular di sk t o o n e was a n oval ,

to the o ther or eve n a n arr o w line yet that o bj ect

, ,

might be r eally a disk n o twithst a n di n g A n d .

,

thus ar o se a freque n t di sc o very o f h o w small was

the c o mmu n ity o f sentime n t betwee n them .

This was mai n ly attributable (o mitti n g r eli gi o us

—
c o n siderati o n s ) t o l Their nati o n al ge n ius
. .

Ho w a n ati o n s co n stituti o n o f mind may be

’

fo r med by tr ials o f peculi ar circumstan ces an d by ,

surro un di n g impressi o ns i s a very i n ter estin g

,

subj ect o f speculati o n The c o n tra st o f the effe

.

mi n ate flue n t a n d i n si n cere Persian with the

, , ,

R ed Amer ic a n I n dian i n his t a citurn ity a n d

,

endurance o f pai n will p r ese n t the very an tip o de s

,

t o each o ther : a n d t o trace the divar icati o n o f

these tw o conditi o ns from a patriarch al origin al

.
2 38 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

of both w o uld be a study r eplete w ith i n tellectual

,

pleasur e : but n o t m o r e so than t o pur sue the

,

gra dual developme n t o r mutati o n o f the H ebrai c

mi n d sin ce the passage o f the R ed Sea up to the ,

p r ese n t m o ment 2 Their A siatic o rigin which

. .
,

i n deed is a n eleme n t in the o ther co n curren c e o f

causes The li n ks are clearly t o be traced fro m
.

the jurisprudence learni n g an d superstitio n s of

, ,

old R o me t o th o se o f m o dern E uro pe ; m o di fied

,

h o wever by Christian instituti o ns mo r e o r less , ,

accordi n g as these can or are allowed to come ,

into exercise But just as is the c o nnecti o n

.
,

betwee n the R oman disciplin e a n d sentimen ts and ,

such as yet linger o n c o ntine n tal E uro pe ; so was

the c o n n ectio n o f Judaism in o ur middle ag es , ,

with the deep an tiquity and arde n t O ri ent ali sm o f

E gypt an d C haldae a The t w o fo rms of men tal
.

di sposition were as di scordant as c an well be

imagi n ed an d their tendencies (exhibited amo n g
,

o ther ways i n the p o p ul ar customs ) were as much

misplaced as the Ph oenician wailin gs o f the native

Irish when heard in the squalid lan es of o u r cities ,

o r as w o uld be a Hind o o o fferi n g of flowers upon

the stream o f the Thames .

I n Spain as elsewhere the H ebrew libraries ,

were frequen tly c o ndem n ed to p ublic flames by

ecclesi astical edict : but still the b o oks were
m ultiplie d from an innate sense of the elevatio n
,
24 0 HI ST ORY O F THE J E w s, &c .

fa shi o n o f Christian sch o lar s (bette r ver sed i n

,

L a ti n decretal s o r i n the writi n g s o f G r eek a n d

,

Latin heathe n s than i n the l a n g uag e o f M o s es

,

a n d the Prophets ) to despise the lite r atur e o f the

rabbi s with which they are ge n er ally u n acqu ai n ted ,

o r merely t o pick o u t p a ss ag e s fo r the pur p o se o f

c o ntroversy : yet th o se wh o are c o mpetent t o

j udge their w o r ks as a literatur e are the m o st
,

ready t o ack n o wledge that th e se h ave bee n exceed

i n gly u n derr a ted Th e great in flue n ce which
.

Jews o btai n ed despit e a u n ivers al j ealousy w ill

, ,

testify to the amou n t o f their bo o k learni n g mo r e

-
,

disti n ctly th an declamatory asserti o ns can do fo r

o r against it .
 C HAP TE R X V II .

ON T HE CABALA A ND T A L M UD .

THE last chapter refers to studies which the

Jews S hared i n c o mm o n with the rest o f the
w o rld But the Cabala a n d Talmud pertain t o
.

them s elves exclusively fo rmin g as the latter ‘

,

especially d o es a c o n stitue n t p art of that d et eri

,

orated reli gi o n rabbin ical Judaism

, .

It c o mm o n ly o ccurs that when a Christia n ,

s ch o lar presses har d s o me text of H eb r ew Scrip

tur e i n argume n t with a Jew ; the latter rather

, ,

tha n surre n der his point yet preservin g the ,

auth o r ity o f the Bible e n tire will exclaim that the ,

w o rds are t o be interpreted by Cabal a a n d are ,

1 Th e A b h
ra s ow e v er had a S p i u r ou s Cb l
a a a, an d e x mpl
a es of

ea ch so r t may b e se en in Ki ch
r er s
’
(E di p u s ZE gyp t ia c u s, v ol. ii .

cl a ss e s 4, 5 .
2 42 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

therefo re unintelligible t o such as are not i miti

ated W hat then is Cab ala ? It is an esoteric
1
.

doctri n e o r mode o f explai n in g Scripture kn own

, ,

but to few an d was at first i n culcated u n der the

,

seve r est anathema in case of div ulgati o n It is .

beli eved to c o mprise the m o st pro fo u n d arcana o f

angelic science An tecede n t to the Mosaic Law .
,

it was c o mmu n icated to A dam in Paradise by the

angel R asiel and when other an gels requested to
learn fro m him these secrets he r efused to gratify ,

their desire Aft er the F all the C abala was

.
,

kn o wn o nly in the higher courts of heave n until ,

at the o ffe n der s tears of repentance it w as revealed

’
,

to him again A dam instructed Seth but in the

.
,

i n terval from Seth to Abraham it was lost, a n d

the father of the fai thful committed it t o writ
”
'

i n g i n the bo o k J e t s ir a I t was impart ed t o

“ 1

Moses along with the o ral law A gain l o st dur .

-

ing the seve n ty years captivity but r ec o m mu n I ,

c a t e d to E z r a ; a n d si n ce his days the gr eatest ,

doctors in its profundity have bee n R Sime o n .

ben J o h h a i a n d R A k iba who lived soo n after

,
.
,

the fall o f the second temple To the latter of .

these it is said that the L o rd revealed what he

, ,

had not declared u n to M o ses The former was .

”
auth o r o f Zohar which like another book since , ,

1
Enfi e ld ’
H is t P hil o sophy Gal e s C G en t il e s,
’
s . of , an d o u rt o f th e

p a rt iii b k i ch
. oo . . 4 .
2 44 HIS T ORY O F THE J EW S

variously m o dified by concomitan t circumstances

a n d di versified stages o f lear n i n g especially by ,

the Aristotelian Sch o lastics a n d w o uld per haps ,

h ave pa s sed entir ely away fro m E uro pe but fo r ,

the freque n t i n vigo rati o n which it r eceived in

Spain fro m B abyl o n The study is a purely .

passive me di tati o n capable o f amusin g an Atheist, ,

referrin g t o n othin g of a m o ral nature as r igh t e ,

o u sn e s s guilt & c and le a di n g t o n o l o ve fo r G o d

, ,
.

o r m an It is n o t therefo re that which an gels

.
, ,

desire t o lo o k int o nor a doctri n e of Ab r aham , ,

E z r a o r E lij ah a n d can not have c o me fro m

, ,

heaven S o me rabbis (as Manasseh b e n Israel

.
,

S o l o m o n ben Virga a n d othe r s ) have believed ,

t hat the prophets o f the Bible acqui r ed their

c apacity for pre di cting events a n d the interpr eta ,

ti o n of dr eams (as Joseph an d D an iel ) from the

depths o f their penetrati o n into Cabalistic a n d
natur al scie n ce : a n d mo r eover that the s a me de , ,

gree o f applicatio n would pro duce the same e ffects

n o w as the n They lame n t their o w n deficiency
.
,

whi ch arises fro m the harassin g car es peculi ar t o

a state of dispersi o n : compari n g the an cie n t ex
tent o f such scie n ces to a blaze of fire fo r e n

f
a r e r e e rr e dt o i n th e E pi tl
s es to Tim thy b t th ly n anp
o ,
u e on
‘
or

T t Ch i t i i d c ib d i 1 T i m i
’
cu ro do xfi, for a Ne w- es ta m e n r s an , s es r e n

1 5 —( G l
. .

. a e s
’
C o ur t o f th e G en t il )
es .
 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L .

lig htening the w o rld ; a n d the m o der n attempts ,

to the str iki n g of a fli n t and steel by which mean s ,

a few Sparks are elicited s o me o f whi ch fly up ,

wards a n d ar e lo st in the air but o thers fall t o

, ,

the gr o u n d a n d are speedily extin guished

E n ig m atic Cabala t reats o f secret pote n cies
ascribed t o lette r s of the alphabet i n H o ly Scrip
ture symb o lic al or e ff ective a cc o rdin g to their
,

p o s iti o n s o r c o mbinations ; a wicked trifling with

God s W o r d by degr adi n g it t o a level with the
’
,

R un ic witchcr aft ; fo r as the chaun t o f a N o rse

Saga was believed t o be able t o arrest the c o urse
o f a ship at s e a o r an arrow i n its fli ght s o the
, ,

Cabali stic r abbis affirm that whe n a wave i s ,

goi n g to o ver whelm a shi p sparkles o f white ligh t ,

are see n o n its head But if we smite it with a ~ .

staff o n which are writte n the w o rds I am that ,

I am Jah L o rd o f H o sts Ame n Amen Selah

, , , , , ,
’

it subsides 2

They als o prescribe amul ets ch arms and mm , , ?

catio n o f demons But it is t o be observed that .

the R u n ic imp o stu res h ad their o r igin i n a time o f

prevailin g darkness ; whereas the C abala is i n ex
e n sable as a pe rversi o n o f actual light i n t o dark

H E SS
.

1 c pt
S e re of Ju da h .

2 Bv B
a a a th ra , fo l 7 3
. . l p d
. a u O ld P a th s ,
”
p . 99 .

M 3
246 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

Practical Cabala is Magic R abba create d a .

man and sent him t o R Zira : he sp o ke with him .

,

but when the o ther did not answer he said Thou , ,

—
art from the magicians return t o thy dust R av ’
.

Hh an i n a and R a v O sh i a used to sit every Sab

bath eve a n d study the book J e t sir ah a n d create
, ,

fo r themselves a three year o ld c alf and eat it - -

,

In the Sceptre of Juda we are told that when ,

in the fi ft eenth century a Christian child had

been killed and placed in the house of a Jew
,

in o r der t o give pretext for a persecution of that

people the e nd was defeated by R Solom o n the
, .

Levite wh o resuscitated the child by placin g under

,

his t ongue the ineffable name o f God and caused ,

him t o declare the names of his murderers A n .

o ther miracle was rep orted as wrought by R .

Judah ben Virga o f Seville ; by which three

monkish accuse rs of the Jews were exp o sed a n d ,

their whole scheme portrayed on a sheet of parch

ment fo lded in the pri n ce s bosom Th e masters ’
.

o f thi s extent o f Cabalistic p o wer were styled

Baal e She m because their feats were a c
”
,

complished by invokin g certain combi nati o ns of

the mysterious name of G o d 2
.

1 h d i m f l 6 5 2 p d O ld P th p
San e r ,
o . . . a u
“ a s,
”
. 1 03 .

2
T t hi m d
o f p
s tioth J w e of o e ra on e e s r e er a ll th e mir ac l e s of

ou r L dJ
or es u s.
2 48 HI ST O RY O F T HE JEws

on the ritu al Observan ces declared by our wise

,

m e n as han ded down t o us by M o ses who r e

, ,

c e i v e d them fro m the m o uth o f G o d m a n ot be

y ,

increased n o r di min ished But in fere n ces drawn

.

fro m passages o f Scrip t ure as they happen t o ,

o ffe r themselves to the mi n d and pe n etr ati o n of

the various exp o sitors are merely received where

,

they agr ee with our i n dividual views : but the

r est have n o auth o rity This seems fair e n ough
.
,

but is u n happily c o n tradicted by the Talmud

itself ; an d alth o ugh the latter half o f this quota
tio n must allude t o the wh o le o f the Talmud ex
c lu si v e of the d eci si o ns the description acco r ds s o
,

little with the reali ty as t o defy rec o gniti o n p er s e .

O n e of the latest champi o ns o f the T almud

has said truly that besides the decisions that
, ,

”
imme n se compilati o n co n tai n s histo r ical an d
biographical n o tices lege n ds astro n omy accord
, ,

i n g to the then prev ai li n g system sympathetic ,

medicin e aph o risms parables a p o l o gues ser mo n s

, , , , ,

”
ethics a n d rules o f p r actical wisdo m
,
These are .

the Agadoth PaSsin g by therefor e the D ini m

.
, , ,

and the the o logical poin ts we have remai n i n g

, ,

a c o n gest of various mater i al s which n either ,

in the shape it now bears neither in their worth ,

n o r in their c o ntents have an y affi n ity and this

,

1 He b r e w Re vi e w, N o 1 . .
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 2 49

special pleadi n g is co n cluded with The w o r st ,

that c a n be s a id i s th a t the c o mp iler s m ay n o t

, ,

have displayed so c o rrect a taste i n their selecti o n ,

as c o m p ile r s o f the present day w o uld n o t fail

to d o
Y et Christian sch o lars regard the c o llectio n o f
,

Agadoth as o n e of the most trashy a n d cumb r o u s

imp o sitio n s that ever depraved a natio n s i n tellect ’
,

o r undermined their m o r al prin ciples n o t supe ,

ri o r if equal t o the K o ran and only o n e step

, ,

above the legends of Hin do o Brahmins ; c o n t ai n

i n g in deed a fe w sp a n gles o f g o ld the relics o f a ,

pur er tra ditio n but the gr eater part bein g o f

,

base metal and encrusted with a p o ison o us o xide .

It may be freely c o nceded that No rthern E uro

peans i n the bustli n g ni n etee n th ce n tury are i n
, ,

many ways u n able t o feel the S pir it which p er

vades the Mishna an d Gemara we have n o t 2

the same habi tual a ss o ciatio n s o f climate c u s ,

t o ms l a n guage and c o nditi o n of the civili zed

, ,

arts ; but were the T almud a fit ass o ciate o f

the Bible we should perceive its be a uties and
,

useful te n dency with i n fi n itely greate r ease than

we d o .

1
He b r e w R e v i e w .

2
So O r i e n ta l i s th e T lm d t h t t h
a u ,
a e Jew s d it i ch
r ea n a aun t,

like th e p y ra e rs , an d asth Hi de n o os an d M h mm d
o a e an s r e a d
th i
e r sa c db k
re oo s.
2 50 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

This pseudo sacre d book relates with the utmost

-
,

gr avity such fiction s as appear written o nly fi o m

,
'

a childish exuberan ce o f ridiculous invention .

R S ip h r é says
. O n ce when I w as in a ship
, ,

we s a w a fish with elegant horns and upon them ,

t his inscription I am a very small specimen of

,

the creatures that i n habit the deep This fi sh ’

.

measured thr ee hundred leagues but was sw al ,

”
lowed u p in one mouthful by leviathan .

Bar J u ch n é is a bird whose exte n ded wings

invariably o ccasi o n total eclipses of the su n .

O nce a choice egg fell fr o m her nest and de ,

stro yed three hundred and fi ft een n o ble cedars ,

”
an d inundated s ixty ni n e popul o us villages
-
.

They that go down to the sea have t o ld me ,

that the distan ce between one wave and an o ther

is three hun dred miles It happe n ed once that
.
,

we were making a vo yage and we raised a wave ,

until we saw the resting place of the least of all -

the stars It w as large en o ugh to s o w forty

.

bushels of mustard seed and if we raised it m o re

-
,

we S hould have been burn ed by the vapour of the

”
star Ra bbah bar Bar Hh a n n a says O nce up o n
.
,

a time we were saili n g in a ship and we s aw that ,

fi sh u p O n wh o se back the san d remai n s and the ,

ru shes grow : we thought it w a s dry l a nd an d ,

lan ded an d remained there and c o o ked But

, ,
.

w hen the fish s back grew warm he turne d r o u n d

’
,

11
2 52 HIS T ORY O F T HE I E ws
.

king A l onso and a certain rabbi Th e fo rmer (

.

said I have hear d you cite fro m the Talmud at

,

a former c o n fere n ce that there was a frog as lar ge

,

a s sixty h o uses : but it was swall o wed up by a

s erpe n t ; this again was devo ur ed by a crow ,

which flew up with it in to a tr ee A gain th a t a .

,

p i ece of iro n fell in to the s e a a n d was seve n years ,

r eachi n g the b o ttom A gai n that a m an s aw the

.
,

sea with such m o nstrous billows as t o have i n ter

‘

”
v als o f three hun dred miles The Jew replied .

S o me Of o u r learned m en tell us that the ancients ,

used t o sing o n musical instruments the m o ral s o f

life but that our fathers being u n skilled in music
, ,

used to instru ct by festive narrati o ns a n d fictiti o us

im agery : these tw o modes are referred t o in Psalm
xlix 4 . I will i n cli n e mi n e ear u n t o a para
.

ble : 1 will o pen my dark sayi n g up o n the

h arp .
’

This fable o f the frog de n otes the scie n ce of

natur al histo r y which celeb r ates the divin e w o r k
,

man ship with a loud and so n o r o us v o ice the size

o f sixty h o uses are the sixty pa r ts o f n ature the
,

s erpe n t devou r i n g the fr o g is astr o n o my o u ao

,
'

c o u n t o f its circles &c The cro w is the o l o gy

,
.
,

a cco r di n g t o Ca n ticles i 5 I am bl a ck but

. .
,

c o mely The tree is the law w ith its man y

.
’
,

branches So the fable o f the billows signifie s

.
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 25 3

the vast desires o f human n a ture which have ,

neither b o und n o r me a sure The fable o f the ir o n .

falling in t o the s ea de n o tes the human mind ,

which resembles iro n i n its cap a city fo r Sh arp n ess

the seven ye a r s are the seven liber al scie n ces ,

whi ch the mo st acute per ceptio n can not s o un d in

.

”
a wh o le life .

Such then are the sublime meani n gs given t o

”
pas s ages apparently the m o st in c o ngru o us But .

i s the r e any a bsur dity o f a n y pagan supe r stiti o n

that could n o t be a n d is n o t glossed i n the same
, ,

man n er by i t s priesth o o d as s o o n as the daylight o f

,

Chr istianity bri n gs them into n o tice ? H o wever it ,

must be ackn o wledged that parts o f the Agadoth

are cap able o f s o me such interpretatio n ; fo r exam
ple : aft er the waves with intervals of t hr ee h u n
dred mile s there immedi ately fo ll o ws
,
On e
wave r aised i t s v o ice a n d called t o it s c o mp a n i o n,
,

Has t th o u le ft a n y thin g in the w o rld which th o u

‘

hast n o t o v e rfl o w e d ? C o me a n d let u s destro y

it But it replied C o me an d see the p o wer o f t h y
.
,
’
Lord I c o uld n o t o verpas s the s an d o n e hair s
,

b r eadth ; fo r it is writte n F e ar ye n o t me saith

, ,

the L o rd will ye n o t tremble at my presence

?
,

which have placed the sand fo r the b o u n d o f the

s e a by a e r e t u al decree that it can n o t pass it
, p p ,

J This is clea rly par ab o lical but t h e

( er v . .
,

prior part about the reaching the r estin g place o f

,
-
2 54 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

the stars i s as clearly not s o And a people must

, .

be mentally enfeebled and o n the high road to ,

ruin when it admires the bearded sages fo r deli

,

v er i n such wisd o m as the best of this

g .

There are some p o rti o n s of the Agadoth con ,

sistin g o f c o n ver s ational guesses at great truths,

which bear peculiar i n terest considering the cir ,

c u m stan c es of their occurrence Tr adition of .

—
the sch o ol of E lia s The world subsists fo r six
thousand year s : t w o thousan d in confusio n : two
thousand fo r the law ; and t w o thousand for the
days of Messiah But on account of our S ins .
,

which are multiplied there are excepted from ,

them such years as shall be excepted E lias said .

to R J e h u d ah brother of R Salah the pious

.
, .
,

The world will not subsist less than eighty fi v e -

j ubilees an d in the last j ubilee will c o me the Son

,

o f D avid To which he replied At the beginning

’ ‘
.
, ,

o r at the end H e said I know n o t A t the ,

.
’ ‘

’ ’
end o r just before the end ?
,
I ca n not tell R af .

A sh é says that he answered : U p to that time do

,

not expect him but thenceforward you may ,

expect him
R af said The world was created solely on
,
‘

acc o unt of D avi d Samuel replied O n account .

’
,

1
Do hi v g
e s not d d cid d t chi g by th high t
t s a u e an un e e ea n e es

au th i t i
or livi g b t th tim f
es S vi
n xpl i t h w d
a ou e e o o ur a o u r, e a n e or s

o f M tth vii 2 8 2 9 1
a . .
,
2 56 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

R Joshua,
. of Levi sai d His n ame is th e
so n , ,

Bran ch ! fo r we fi n d i n Zachar i ah Behold the ,

m an wh o se name is the B r an ch a n d he shall gr o w ,

up o u t of his pl a ce R J o d a n s a id, i n the name

.
’
.

o f R Aibu
. Hi s name is Me n ah h e n , as it is s aid,
,

The C o mfo rte r is far from me R Hh an in a .

’
.

replied This makes n o di ffere n ce si n ce the nume

, ,

ral v alue o f the o n e is equal t o that o f the o ther 1

the lette r s b o th of B r anch an d Comforter denote

, ,

the n umber
A hist o ry I t happened to a m an plo u ghi n g
.
-
,

that o n e o f his o xe n bellowed A certain Arab was .

passi n g an d said W ho art th o u H e rep lied I am

?
,
‘ ’
,
‘

a Jew H e said L o ose the yoke o f thine o x H e

.
’
,
.
’

inquired wherefo r e ? The Arab an swered Because ,

the hou s e o f the Jewish san ctuary is destro yed .

’

Ho w k n ewest th o u this ? H e said I u n de r st o o d it ’

,

from thine o x In loosin g the ox the an imal

.
’
,

bell o wed a sec o nd time Bind thi n e o x ; bi n d the .

y o ke, said the Arab fo r the R edeemer o f the Jews

’
,

is b o rn H e asked W hat is h i s n ame and what

.
’
, ,

is his father s name ? ’

Me n a hh e m a n d h i s ’

father H ezeki ah
,
W here d o they reside ?
.
’
In
’

the street o f Bir at Arba i n Bethlehem Judah So .

’

he s o ld h i s o xe n a n d the y o ke a n d getti n g a stock ,

o f children s dresses fo r sale he wan de r ed t h r ough

’
,

man y cities a n d c o un tr ies till he arrived there .

The n came the pe o ple from the villages t o b u y o f _

 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 25 7

hi m, but the m o ther o f that child bought n o thin g

t o wh o m he said W hy h a st th o u b o ught n o
,
‘

dress ? She an swered Because the omen o f my

’
,

child s birth is grievo us

’
Ho w s o ? Because o n .
’ ’

t hat acc o u n t the temple is o verthr o w n He said ’

.
,

W e tru st in the Cre a to r o f the world tha t th o ugh ,

dem o li shed o n his accoun t the san ctuary m ay be ,

rebuilt un der him But take this garme n t an d .

,

after s o me days I will c o me again fo r it s pr ice .

’

So S h e t o o k it a n d we n t her way Aft er s o me .

days the m an th o ught withi n himself a n d said I ,

will g o a n d s ee what the child is do i n g S o he .

came a n d said t o the m o ther What i s the child ,

doi n g ? She answered D id I n o t say that the

’
,
‘

omen o f his birth w a s griev o us ? fo r i n the same

h o ur the wi n d s c a me a n d the sto rm s car r ied him
, ,

away The Jew said A n d I have t o ld thee th a t

.
’
,

as by him the temple had been o verthr o w n so by ,

him it S hall be built agai n .

’

The s a me tale i s given in a n o ther place with

( ,

t his a ddi ti o n ) Must we lear n fi o m a n Ar ab

.
'

that at the fall o f the temple Messiah w a s to be ,

b o rn ? Is n o t the wh o le Scr iptur e fu ll o f it ?

as ked R Abe n I s it n o t written
. . Leban o n ,

shall fall by a mighty o n e ? and immedi a tely after ’

,

The r e S h all c o me fo r th a r o d o u t o f the stem o f

Jesse a n d a b r an ch o u t o f his r o o ts
,
? ’

Such are the Agad o th the delight o f the ,

25 8 HIS T O RY O F THE J EW S

rabbinical Jews upon these they lavish the most

endearing epithets : the words of the Scribes
are more lovely than the w o rds of the Law : for
the words of the Law are some weighty and
others li ght : but the w o r ds o f the Scribes are all
”
weighty .The Law is as water ; the words of
”
the Scribes are as wi n e Thus with all the fo lly
.

and erro r the Gemara c o ntains and e n genders ,

“
The pe o ple love to have it so ; and what will ye
” ‘
do i n the end thereof P for whatever may have
been the virtuous e fforts of a few superi o r rabbi s
in later times the T almud itself pro n oun ces that
, ,

those w h o rej ect the Agadoth as did Sadok and ,

B ai th o s are deniers o f the Law a n d as such are

, ,

co n demned on account of the greatn ess o f their

wickedn ess an d S in fo r ever even fo r ever an d
, ,

»
ever 21 This I s sur ely one o f the D ecisi o n s .

N evertheless Moses bar Maimon seems to

,

have wish ed the wh o le Agadoth ab olished H e .

“
wr ote to R J o seph Beware of wastin g time in
.
,

the expositi o n and lab o ri o us pori n g over the

Gemara ; fo r I have read much therein and ,

dr awn from it but little profit And in his

“
Guide to the Perplexed I have said in my
c o mme n t on the Mishna that I would explain
the p arables proverbs and tales o f the whol e
, ,

1
J er . v . 31 .
2 Hilc h o th T sh u v ah ,
’
iii . 8 .
2 60 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

of R Moses b ar Maimo n , he
. still like oth er w as
m e n biassed by ear ly prep o ssessi o n s a n d habitual
,

ass o ciati o n s W hat el s e than this natural di sp o

.

siti o u o f man c o uld have in duced him o r such ,

as hi s fr iends t o uph o ld a religi o n which if i t

, ,

h a d a n e ffective c o n tr ol w o uld sever the wh o le ,

Jewish n ati o n i n t o the t w o castes o f R abbis and

A m— h a ar et sin c o rresp o n di ng to B r ahmi n s and
,

“
P ari a hs with lice n se given to the fo rm er t o
,

”
rend the a m h aa r et s like a fish and which fo r
-
'
,

bids all allian ce with the u n learned fo r they ,

are an ab o mi n ati o n a n d their wives are vermi n , ,

a n d o f their da ughters it is said Cur sed is he ‘

,

that lieth with any beast A system which

’
has supplanted the Levites app o in ted by M o ses ,

law t o be j udges o f the pe o ple by a n e w u n au ,

t h o r i z e d o r der the Ph arisee rabbis ,

A system -
.

which degrades w o men t o the level o f children

and i di ots pro hibits their study o f the la w makes
, ,

their testim o n y illegal and leaves them wit h n o ,

r eli gi o n but three meagre ce r em o nies A sys t em .

which c ommands to c o n vert the n a ti o n s o f the

w o rld by fire and sw o rd t o o bey the seve n pre ,

c e t s o f N o ah ; and which w o uld t o lerate n o

p
“
unpr o s elyted Ge n tile in the holy land n o t eve n ,

”
fo r an h o ur a n d which limits the love of neigh
,

bour in the law to a be n evo lence towards circum

1
Pesa ch in , x1ix . 2, a p d
u O ld P at hs .
”
See John vu . 49 .
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 26 1

c i se d pr o selyt es A system which gives di sp en

.

sati o n fo r i n c o n ve n ie n t o aths a n d w o uld c o un ,

t e n a n c e p o lygamy A relig io n if it may be so

.
,

termed which by its excessive mi n ute n ess a n d

, ,

san guin ary pe n alties w o uld surpass the Span ish ,

Inquisitio n itself But than k G o d the Talmud

.
, ,

never was a n d n ever will be exerted i n u n chal

,

lenged desp o tism The tradi ti o n s wer e in deed

.
, ,

sufficiently o ppressive whe n Jesus of N a zareth

“
den o un ced their admin istr ators as bindin g heav y
burdens a n d grievous t o be b o rne a n d l ayi n g
, ,

them o n me n s sh o ulders ; but they themselves

’

will n o t m o ve them with o n e o f their

but they were n o t then a fo rmal code virtu ally
supersedi n g the Law of Moses U nder the di s .

e r s i o n (the misery o f which may be fairly charged

p
up o n this false and usurped legislati o n i n Is r ael )
the system has acquir ed additi o nal fo rce but h a s ,

always bee n checked by the law s o f the sever al

c o un tries where the Jews are s oj o u r n ers a n d s till ,

mor e by the natur al fee lin gs whi ch will h av e p lay ‘

mor e o r less u n der a n y r ule less o ppr essive than

a T alm u di c Sanhedr i n o r h o ly o ffice of the I n qui ,

s it i o n : fee lings o f frie n dli n es s sympathy o r gra , ,

t i t u d e as occ a s i o n s c a lled them i n t o exe r cise The

,
.

di sti n cti o n cann o t be t o o pl ainly made between

1 M a tt . xxiii . 4 .
2 62 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

the Jews and the Jewish legislation ; and to s ay

that any o r every ami able sentiment of civilized
humanity may find coun te n ance i n s o me di sj ointed
phrase or t w o of the Talmud is o nl y to S h o w the ,

book t o be self contradi ctory which indeed is the

-
,

case an unavo idable consequence of bein g a col

,

lectio n of numberless opin i o ns framed at vari o us ,

times an d in different circumstances

,
1
.

Those w h o value the religion of the O ld Testa

ment whether b elieving or not believi n g them
,

to be accomplished in Jesus of Bethleh e m Judah -

,

may fi nd it pro fitabl e to meditate upo n these fo l

lowing theses
1 An authentic C opy of the Talmud never ex
.

i st e d .

2The Talmud was never declared closed or

.

complete .

3 The Mish n a is an incomplete work

. .

4 The Gemar a is a n incomplete wo r k

. .

5 The T almud co n tains o nly a small number

.

of tradi ti o nal laws .

6 Th e non tr a di tion al part of the T almud i s

.
-

declared by the authors themselves to be of human

inventio n .

1
Thi s re ma r k d o e s n ot a l u l d e to t h e et hic l t t i c ll d th
a r ea se a e e

Ch p t
a e rs o f th e F a th er s ,
”
b u t to t h e S pi i t f th D cisi
r o e e o ns .

2
J e wis h M e ss e n g e r, J uly 1 837 .
2 64 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

persuaded of these statement s as tr ue they w o uld ,

i

s o o n sweep away their Talmud a n d it s rabbis :

a n d a H eb r ew wisdo m more s o lem n a n d illus

,

“
tr i o n s would i n a short time eclipse the Tradi
,
”
tio n s of the E lder s with the happiest results fo r
thi s li fe an d the next .

Mean whi le the Jews li ke the Papists are

, ,

anxio u s t o attribut e the same standi n g t o their

o ral law as t o the commo n law o f E n gland ; but -

there is this differen ce to be o bserved — l st The .

E nglish c o mm o n law is o lder than the statute

-

b o ok ; an d 2 n d Th e tw o c o n s titutio n s are n ot
, .
“

r epugna n t the one t o the o ther where a s in

b o t h these poin ts their traditi o n s ar e defective ,

—they must be classed with the Mohammedan

sun n a .

These digr essive chapters o n the middle age ,

-

li t e r atur e of Span ish Jews an d o n the pec uliar

,

religio n of Jews in gen eral as it exists i n ad di tio n

,

t o that of Moses a n d the pr o phets may be app r o ,

r i a t el closed with the Creed as drawn up by

p y
Moses bar Maim o n a n d kept i n daily repetiti o n
,
.

R evertin g t o the c o ur se of their hi story we S hall ,

have o pp o rtun ities t o entert ain feelings o f admira

ti o n or pity and to regr et that all are not Israel
,

”
who are of Isr ael .
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 2 65

THE CR E E D .

1 .I believe with a pe rfect faith that God ,

(blessed be His n ame

) is the Creat o r and G o ver nor

o f a ll c r eated bei n gs ; a n d that H e alo ne has

made do es make and ever will make every pro

, , ,

ducti o n .

2 I believe with a perfect faith that the Creator

.
,

(blessed be His name ) is O ne G o d a n d that there ,

is n o un ity whateve r like u n t o Him and th a t H e ,

al o n e is our God who was i s and will be eter

, , ,

n ally .

3 I believe with a perfe ct faith that the

.
,

Creat o r (blessed be His n ame ) is i n c o rp o real ,

and that H e i s not subj ect t o a n y o f th o se

ch anges that are incident to matter : an d that
H e h a s n o t any S im ilitude whatever .

4 I believe with a perfect faith th a t the

.
,

Creato r (blessed be His n ame ) is both the first

an d the las t of all thi ngs .

5 I believe with a pe r fect faith that t o the

.
,

Creator (blesse d be His n ame ) yea to Him

, ,

o n ly is it proper t o address our prayers ; and

,

that it i s n o t pro per t o pray t o any o ther bei n g .

6 I believe with a perfect faith that all t h e

.
,

words o f the prophets are true .

2 66 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

7 .I believe with a perfect faith that the p ro ,

h o f M o se s o u r teacher (may h i s s o ul rest

p ec
y
in peace ) w as true : a n d that he excelled all the
s ages that preceded him o r that may succeed ,

8 . I believe with a perfect faith that the law ,

whi ch we have n o w in our p o ssessi o n i s the same

law that was give n t o M o ses o u r teacher .

9 I believe with a pe r fect fa ith that this law

.
,

will never be cha n ged ; and that the Creat o r

(blessed be His name ) will n ever give us an o ther
law
1 0 I believe with a perfect fa ith that t h e
.
,

C r e a t o r (blessed be His name) k n oweth all the

a cti o n s a n d th o ughts o f mankind a s it is said, ,

:
H e fashioneth all their hearts and is fully a c ,
-t

”
u a i n t e d with a ll their w o rks
q .

1 1 I believe w ith a perfect faith that the

‘
.
,

Creato r (blessed be His name ) rewardeth th o se

w h o o bserve His commandm ents and p u n i sh et h ,

those w h o transgr ess them .

1 2 I believe with a pe r fect faith that the M e s

.
,

siah will c o m e ; and alth o ugh his coming be

delayed I will still patiently await hi s speedy
,

appearance .

1
C o n se
q en t
u ly th e r e ca n be no Ne w T esta me nt o r Cv
o e n an t .
 C HA PTE R X V III .

E V E NTS O F T HE T H I RT E E NTH A ND FO UR T E EN T H
C E NT U RI E S .

D U R I N G this period the Jews held high o ffices

a n d enj oyed gr eat privileges in Spai n The Mo .

h amm e dan domi n i o n was decidedly o n the wane

but the C hristian p o wers at least the political
,

rulers were sensible o f the benefit whi ch this

,

pe o ple imparted t o the c o un try n o t only a s ,

te a chers of scien ce physician s a n d minister s of

, ,

fi n an ce but als o by the vi go ur they excited in

,

fo r eign and domestic trade It is true that in

.

both o f these they wer e much shackled : in the

fo rmer by t h e possession of Syria by the Turks
, ,

a n d by the N orman and other pir a tes i n festing

the Me di terranean ; in the latter by restrictions,

of the cortes and by corporation privileges in

,
A . D . HI ST ORY O F T HE J E w s, &c . 2 69

the tow n s ; and thus they were to a great exten t

thrown up o n the resource o f money le n di n g but -
,

with m o re honour than elsewhe r e The r ate o f .

—
interest was fixed by law they first invented bills ,

of exch an ge a n d became ge n e r al b ankers Their

, .

evide n ce w as received in courts o f law They .

were themselves exempt from impriso n me n t for

debt an d held co n siderable lan ded pro perty— at
,

one time t o the amount it has bee n said o f , ,

one third o f the Spanish s o il ; a n d in the principal

cities they exercised their o wn j udi cature b o th in ,

civil an d crimin al causes .

The n atural effect of these immu n ities was s een

i n an elevati o n o f character far ab o ve the level t o
which they were degraded i n other lan ds fo r t h e
man wh o is suffered to l o ok his fellows in the face
with cheerfuln ess will ge n erally assimilate his,

m o rals t o their stan dard a n d they i n return will ,

the more esteem him The Jews h o wever gave 1

.

o ffence by in dulgin g in luxuri o us appar el at greater

c o st th a n the Chr istian n o bles u n til a proclama ,

ti o n w a s made again st Jews weari n g silk ro bes an d

orname n ts of go ld Fo r some time after this .
,

their w o men main tain ed their usu al lo ve o f j ewel

lery o n the plea that the pr o clamati o n Specified
,

J ews but not J ew e s s es The Christian s were n o .

1 Ad e o v ir t u t es u s d e m p ib Op time
te m or us aes ti man t ur , q ibu us

fac illim e gi gn un tur .

”
T cit A g ic l
- a . r o a.

N 3
2 70 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

les s scan dalized at the feastin g a n d the pomp o us

p r o cessio n s in the streets made at the freque n t
circumcisi o n s They complain ed als o o f the Jews
.

wear i n g arms which they n ever used in defe n ce

,

o f the c o u n try and o f instructi n g their chi l dr en

,

t o excel i n music It was affirmed that i n T O

.

ledo they had o n s o me o ccasi o ns ventured t o

str ike Chr istian s but their o w n rabbis interfer ed
,

t o check this audacity ; the clergy me a nwhile

qu o ti n g fro m Scripture Fo r three thi n gs the ,

l a n d is disquieted an d fo r four which it cannot

,

bear fo r a Slave when he r e ign et &c .

It is said‘
,
that o n a certain o ccasio n king ,

Al o nso exp o stulated with s o me o f their leadi n g

m e n up o n the extravag a n t habits o f the pe o ple ;
but one of the court gave his Opin i o n that their
rich a ttire redo un ded rather t o the ki n g s h o nour ’
,

a n d was excusable i n pers o ns t r aci n g their ge n e

a l o gy t o king D avid ; for let a lio n h e never s o

disea s ed o r afflicted he still r emember s that he

,

is a lion This b o ld c o mp arison seem s n o t t o

.

have held g o od with the Jews i n poi n t o f per

s o n al c o urage fo r R Sol o m o n ben Virga r e
,
.

ea t e dl charges his nation o f this peri o d with

p y
e ffemi n ate timidity which he ascribes to long
,

habits o f submissio n and the being debarred ,

1
S c pte re of J u dah .
2 72 HIS T O RY O F T HE J Ews
[
A . D .

was fo llowed by a greater in the same place .

I n F ebruary 1 2 1 2 an immense h o st was e n

,

camped in the r o yal park s o n the banks o f the

Tagus These were Crusaders of the W est ; and
.

c o n ceivin g that the fi r st fruits of their valour

-

wo u ld be an acceptable o ffering t o heaven if ,

waged up o n t h e unarmed Jews they pr o ceeded ,

m o st religiously to plu n der that race o f i n fi d els .

There was n o massacre fo r the n o bles of C a s

,

tille armed themselves to defend the synago g ues

fro m fo reign aggressi o n ; but the terr o r i n spired
i n the vi ctims was so great as to cause the emi ,

r a t i o n of imme n se numbers A b b l says 1

g .
ar a n e .
,

t hat m o re o f his people deserted Spain at this

time than Moses led up from the land o f E gypt ;

,

but this phr a se is s o o ften employed by the

r abbis to de n ote merely a large number that it ,

n eed n o t be un de r st o o d liter ally .

Y et they h a d bee n fo rewarned of some impend

i n g calamity by R Moses de Cozzi (of Italian
.
,

family but born in Spain ) one emi n ent fo r his

, ,

eru di tion and talents ; wh o had lately fulmi n ated

denun ciatio n in every syn ago gue of signal ve n ge ,

an ce o n the growi n g v ice o f takin g Mohammed an

wives S o great an evil aroused in him the zeal
.

1
C o mmen t on I sa . xlvi .
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 2 73

of E zra, and er lo n g persever an ce he succeeded

a ft

in a great degree in o btai n in g the dismissal o f

these fo reign ers
They had likewise been visited by an e n thu siast
from Ge r man y R Baruch b en R Isaac G armi sa
,
. .
,

who came t o rebuke the impi o us i n n ovati o n s made

by the Sephardi m in the shape or sewi n g o r , ,

fl o urishes o f writin g in their phylacteries 2

.

In 1 2 6 3 the Aragonese r aised a n aval armame n t

,

to protect their c o ast agai n st a fleet of Africans

who had come t o assist the An dalusian sheikhs i n
their revo lt from Castille ; and fully garris o n ed
Vale n cia e n tir ely fr o m the pecuniary aid o f a
,

Jew named J ah u d an o who was fi sc al— gen eral

, ,

a n d treasurer o f the ki n gdo m and whom the ,

s o vereign entrusted with alm o st all state n ego cia

tion s : he w as of s o excelle n t a reputatio n that
Zurita can o nly regret his religion
3
.

Ab o ut 1 2 8 1 while A l o n s o the Wise was ab

,

sorbed in astronomical scie n ce his warlike so n , ,

D o n San ch o led an expe di ti o n again st the M o o r s

, ,

and was defeated b o th by s e a an d l an d at Alge

ziras This unexpected i n cide n t aro used t h e
ki n g ; but un willi n g to pu n ish the prin ce h e
, ,

wreaked his fury upo n the Jewish receiver ge n eral -

1
B asn a ge .
2 I bid .

3
A ri ale s d e
’

A g
ra on .

N O
2 74 HI ST ORY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

of the ki n gd o m D o n Zag de la M alea for having

, ,

fur nished his so n with supplies i n the expediti o n .

The Jew w a s han ged befo r e the Pri n ce s windo ws ’

,

and as the latter e n deav o ur ed t o escape fr om the

s pectacle he was detained there by his t w o bro
,

t h er s yet revili n g his mean spirited semi in fi d el - -

father all the time an d swearing t o reve n ge a n

,

i n sult s o pers o n al t o himself H e had but t o o .

g o o d an o pp o rtunity o f doi n g s o
; fo r the n o bles ,

di sgusted with a stu di ous mo n ar ch fo und abun ,

dan t cause of c o mplain t and the populace were ,

disc o nte n ted with the new laws o f the Siete

”
Partidas Thus the remaining three year s of
.

A l o n s o s life were S pent by father a n d s o n in

’

p r epar in g for civi l war .

Messiah the u n fo r go tten hope of Israel w as

, ,

p r o claimed t o be at han d by Zachariah the Levite , ,

—a r abbi wh o by his austeri t y o f life had acquired

n o c o mmon i n flu e n c e— but up o n o n e easy c o ndi

ti o n namely that all the Jews i n Spain sh o uld

, , ,

up o n o n e stated day learn by heart a cabalistic,

char m which he had di sc o ver ed i n the i n e ffable

n ame . Prepari n g themselves by fastin g and
almsgivi n g they were to r epair to the syn ago gues
, ,

and await his c o min g : but n o mentio n was made

o f whether Messiah was t o arrive o n ly in Spai n
,

o r what share their A shkenazim brethren bey o nd

the Rhine or the O riental Jews were to have in

, ,

11
2 76 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

To rtosa was highly incensed again st the civic

,

auth o rities of Barcel o n a fo r n o t pu n ishin g as sh e ,

c o mm an ded the p r esumptio n o f the Jews : but

,

upo n the kin g s arrival he had her wishes exe

’
,

o uted and she died in a few days afterwar ds

,
.

Charles IV o f F ran ce had been king o f N a

.

varre but died in 1 32 7 leavin g n o heir male

, ,
.

The N avarrese therefo re un der the san ction of

, ,

their republic an fuer os wer e unrestrai n ed by any ,

e fficie n t g o vernment an d a slaughter was made ,

o f ten th o usand Jews i n the city of E stell a al o n e

1
,

o n the first sabbath in March (p r obably Passover ) .

Many t o o k r efuge in the fo rtresses of St A drian .

,

F unes M ar z illa and Vian a as well as the house

, , ,

o f C o r t e v i e n t o and o ther places ; but seldom with

success for the blo od thirsty m o b pursued and

,
-

”
murder ed them there The Sceptre of Judah .

describes an eve n t o f about the same time whi ch ,

seems scarcely possible t o be c o nfo un ded (alth o ugh

B asn ag e has d o n e s o ) with the above A r abble .

crusade was preached am o n g the shepherds in 2

the S o uth o f F rance by one R o ar likewise a , ,

shephe r d ; who gave o u t th a t he had received

revelati o n s from a d o ve which chan ged itself i n to ,

1
Ifc ll cti d
re om l e on an nu e ra s do not er r . —M a r i an a ;
Z it A fi l d A g
ur a, a es e ra on .

I t h t w lfth c t y
2 n e c d e en u r a r u sa e of b o
y s w as ra s e i di Fn ra n e , c
fo r t h e Eas t .
 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 277

a beautiful vi r gin chargin g him t o extirpate the

,

i n fid els and fo r a toke n , wr o te the terms o f hi s

,

‘
c o mmissi o n
(o r the fo rm o f a cr o ss as s o me said
) , ,

up o n his arm Th o usan ds fl o cked t o the n o vel

.

champi o n a n d p r op o sed to mar ch immediately t o

,

Gr an a da ; but o n e m o re prude n t than the r est

, ,

rep r esented the di fficulty of o verc o min g well

trai n ed a n d well armed warri o rs , o r walled towns
-
,

with a n undiscipli n ed multitude in wan t o f arms

and was of o pin i o n that the c o mm i s sro n would at
fi r st be sufficie n tly o beyed by assaulti n g the Jews .

Thi s advice w a s a do pted ; a n d after a massacr e of

o n e hu n dred a n d t we n ty sy n ag o gues in L an
u e d o c despite the royal pr o clamati o n the ar mi n g
g , ,

o f the b ar o n s and the p o pe s exc o mmu n icati o n ,

’
,

they cr o ssed the Pyrenees i n to Arago n but were ,

repulsed by the kin g with supplies b r o ught by

his s o n the bisho p of To ulouse just in t ime t o ,

rescue the city o f Huesca They marched i n to .

N avarre e n tered Pampl o na but at Monre al three

, ,

le a gues di stant were drive n back by the Jews

,

th emselves A t length i n a gener al e n gag eme n t

.
,

with a r o yal ar my the leader w a s killed an d the

, ,

wh o le multitude di spersed The destr uctio n o f .

Jewish pro perty was in part compens ated by the

subscripti o n s o f rich Jews into a c o mm o n fun d ;
but the l o ss of life c o uld n ever be r eplaced .

Alo n so X I o f Castille was ki n g in his m i n o rI

.
2 78 .
'

HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

and at the age o f fo urtee n h avin g bee n rem o ved ,

fr o m his guardi a n s by a knot o f frien ds p ar ti c u ,

larly G ar cila s so de la Vega a n d Alvaro N u ii e z ,

O s o rio aided by the wealth o f D o n Yusuf

,

J seph the Jew o f E ci a these c alled up o n the

( o
) j ,

chancell o r of the ki n gd o m to acc o unt fo r the

empty treas u ry This o ffice had been for ages
.

attached t o t h e see o f T o ledo ; but as the arch

bish o p r efu sed to submit h i s book s to the new
C amarilla he was deprived o f the charge and i n
, ,

di sgust he exchan ged his metrop o litan mitre for

an o ther a n d the Jew succeeded the prim a te o f all
,

Spain as chancell o r of the exchequer of Castille

,
1
.

This post he held fo r fi v e ye ars : but it was a

perilous emin e n ce for a Jew At length came the .

deputatio n t o hi m as t o his predecessor request ,

i n g the i n specti o n o f his ledger the sure sig n al ,

fo r r ui n a n d he was dep o sed aft er the o bj ect had

, ,

bee n gained of retrievi n g the r egal exchequer by

his means A decree w a s also made that for the
.
,

future that fun cti o n should never be entrusted t o

,

o n e n o t o f the C h risti a n fa ith : a n d its A rabic

name Almoxarife was t o be superseded by that o f

treasurer gen eral -
.

An other tumult at Barcel o n a in 1 348 fo r the , ,

plu n der or slaughter of the Jews w as with dif ,

1 M i
a r ana.
 280 HI S T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

girdle which, unknown t o herself always appeared

, ,

to the king as a livi n g serpent and fro m which he ,

natur ally recoiled in abh o rre n ce .

D uring the di s tracti o ns o f the civil war between

Peter and his b r other s the Jews we r e Oppressed
,

by each party O n the entry o f the fo rmer into

.

T o ledo i n 1 354 the Jewry was plun dered and

, , ,

a ft er the murder of o n e th o usan d victims the king

arrested the pro ceedi ngs Six years aft er this he
.
,

gained the p r operty of Samuel L evi w h o had been ,

fo r several years his chief treasure r and cou n cillor .

A fo r m of accusation was dr awn o u t a n d the ,

su fferer expired un der the torme n ts of the rack .

This c o nfiscati o n brought in t o the king about

ducats besides furnitur e j ewels and
, , ,

cloth of gold a n d silver The same year at

1
.
,

N aj ar a the Infan tes br o thers of Peter p u t all

, , ,

the Jews t o death .

In 1 36 2 Abu Said the usurper of Granada

, , ,

( ca ll ed the Sca r let Ki n g

) came to Seville to c o n ci
li a t e the favour of Peter with large p r ese n ts , .

He and h i s fo llo wers were lodged in the Jewr y .

O n the third day s interview duri n g a ban quet

’
, ,

the Castili an s seized them and their property a n d ,

the next mor n ing beheaded them all o n a risi n g

gro und named the Tablada : a spot still m o r e

1 M ia ar na .
 IN SP A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 2 81

desecrated in aft er times by the fir es of the In

u i si t i o n
q .

Burg o s w a s in 1 3 6 6 surprised a n d e n tered by

He n ry o f Tr a st am ar a wh o had himself c r o wned ,

there a n d durin g the cerem o nial he a ccep ted large

,

c o n tributi o n s fro m the Jews These had p r o .

bably hear d o f N aj ar a .

At length the wretched Pe t er was ch a sed to his

last refuge the t o wer of E s tr ella ; o n e n ter ing
,

w hi ch he suddenly rec o llect ed that an astr o l o ger

,

had long befo re pre di c t ed that he S h o uld die i n a

”
tower of th a t n ame But says M a ri an a we
.
, ,

k n o w h o w idle are all such sto ries a n d that thin gs ,

related i n aft er time are s aid to have been p r e

”
di cted ; and he gives a bett er n arratio n o f that
day s as trol o gy
’
The m o n arch was atte n ded by
.

a Jewish physician who had previ o u sly a s sur ed

,

him that he S h o ul d obtai n new domi n io n s a n d

amass gr eat riches In his h o ur o f extremity .

he repro ached the Jew wit h his fal s eho o d ; but

the latter r ej oined Tho ugh the natural weather
,

be frosty yet a m an i n a v ap o u r bath will per spire

,

with heat Thus givin g him to u n derstan d th a t

.
’

the acts o f a m a n s wi ll are m o r e p o te n t than the

’

”
i n flue n ce o f star s .

Up o n the death o f Peter He n ry r eturned to ,

Bur gos ; but thi s time the Jews havin g had m o r e , ,

leis u re fo r preparatio n actually fortified their ,

2 82 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

quarter h o ldi n g out still fo r the cause o f Peter

, .

Their fidelity ple a sed the co n que r o r an d he gai ned ,

them to h i s side by ho n ourable c o n ditio n s Thus

termi n ated the w ar i n which D e G u e s clin on o n e
,

s id e and the E n glish Black Prince o n the o ther

, ,

had witnessed e n o rmities u n kn o wn i n their r e sp ec

tive cou n tr ies .

A t the cl o se o f 1 3 7 0 king Henry of Portugal

,

hel d a c o rtes at Toro where a ft er the di spatch o f

, ,

p o litic al affairs it was resolved th a t the Jews and

,

M o o rs o f that ki n gdom who were exceedin gly ,

n umer o us (u n a muchedumbre gran di ssima S hould

)
be distinguished by a peculiar dr ess a s in Castille ,
.

The king of Arag o n in cortes at Mo n zo n (A D

, . .

levied a tax up o n the Jews a n d M o ors su f

fi c i e n t fo r the expected war with F ran ce with o ut ,

the least exacti o n fi o m his Chr istian subj ects .

This must have been extremely o ppressive .

Ab o ut this time man y lives were sacrificed in a

tumult at Granada The kin g s phys ician Isaac
.
’
,

H am o ui was passing thro ugh a street richly

, ,

apparelled an d in his chari o t ; but the place was

o bstructed by a c r o wd ar o u n d t w o m e n quarrellin g .

A pe r s o n i n the thro n g entreated o n e of the c o mbat

ants in the n ame o f the pro phet t o refrain a n d
, , ,

let the other go ; b u t with o ut success Presently .

1
C d
ar oso , E xc l ci
e en as d e lo s He b r eo s .
2 84 HI ST ORY O F T HE JEws
[ A . D .

on to C o rdova wher e the same h o rrors were r e

,

newed O n that identical d ay o f the next year

.
1
,

all this w a s repeated in To ledo L o gr o ii o Valen , ,

cia an d B ar cel o n a N umberless Jews were put to

,
.

the k n ife i n o r der t o thin the number of the

2
,

“
v o taries t o that cur sed religion far ms a n d
rural h o mes wer e burned a n d man y o f the suf
,

fe r er s we r e gl a d t o escape int o Afr ica Italy or , ,

Turkey a n d it is asser ted that accepted

baptism i n Vale n cia al o ne ) rather than ,

incur the l o ss o f life and go o ds Gl o ri o us t ri .

umph ! let it n o t be referr ed to a popul ar com

m o ti o n— the ecclesiastical p o wers are en titled t o
all the reward that may be reaped fr o m the
tran sactio n ; fo r it was c o mmenced by a n eccle
s i as t i c of r an k san cti o n ed by the p r i o r example
,

o f a primate o f all Spai n R deric ab o ut A D

( o ,
. .

u n checked by the c o n servators of the peo

ple s religio n ; an d the fr uit of the wh o le was
’

p r ecisely what the C hurch had m o st at heart ,

a n d m o st tenaciously retained a n i n flux o f c o n

,

verts by a n y mean s N either priest bish o p n o r

.
, ,

archbish o p pro te s ted again st the butchery al ,

tho u gh m o r e than fell i n the fi r st o u

slau h t ; a n d alth o ugh a ft e r twelve m o n ths i ’
n
g ,

terv el o n the same fi fth of August ( as though

,
“

1
Ma ir an a .
2
Z itur a.
 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 2 85

they had c o n cer ted the d ay the unrebuked

deed was rec o mme n ced a n d carried i n t o the o ther
ki n gdom .

The C a stilian regen cy was a dm in i stered by a

mere cabal ; and in Ar ag o n th e r e was i n deed an
army bei n g ra ised for the Sicilian expediti o n which
might have suppressed the outr ages but di d n o t , .

— A n d while in hi s palace the o ld ki n g was pro

bably liste n i n g as usual t o s o me lays o f h i s tin k
ling tr o ubadours h i s pe o ple s ,
’

S igh s , an d g r o a n s, a n d s h i k th
r e s, at r e n d th e ai r ,

W e r e ma d e ,
not mar k d’
.
”

But at a n early h o u r o f dayli ght when the ,

streets are sile n t except with the c ry of the fli t

,

ti n g quail should some stran ger fr o m a far o ff

,
-

lan d unprep ared for such a sce n e fi n d the thr esh

, ,

olds o f those southern cities stain ed wi th dark

ened g o r e a n d pe r ceive ab o ut the br o ken d o or s
,

o f rifled houses whole families of c o rpses with ,

gaspi n g gashes o n their b o dies and lim bs stiffe n ed ,

—
in every c o nvulsive p o sture w o uld he supp o se ,

that all this had bee n do ne i n the n ame o f God by ,

neighbours up on neighbour s ? Or amid the ,

breathin g o r ange groves where rustic homestead s

-
,

lay p r ostr ate i n blacken ed ashes with their sl augh ,

t er e d o w n ers t o ssed upon the heaps imagine thi s ,

1 Ma ia r na .
2 86 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

visitor t o be u n acquai n ted with Christianity ,

w o uld he n o t shudder a t the detestable religi o n o f

the c o un try if he learn ed th a t these deeds had
,

bee n do n e by its i n flue n ce ? A n d h o w coul d he

ever be taught that such a religio n was styled a
go spel o f g o o d—will to man ? ”

Pai n ful must have been the next celebrati o n o f

Purim t o the survivors Passin g al o ng the se
.

cluded lanes o f the J ew ri e s every teneme n t i n ,

which had witnessed the blo o dy tr agedy and ,

broo di n g over the th o ught that i n Spai n there h a d

been no E sther t o s h ield them ; c an we w o n der
that i n the liturgy of the syn ag o gue S hould be
fo und such a prayer as the fo ll o wi n g ?
“
O Lord G o d to whom ve n g ean ce belo n geth
, ,

O God to wh o m ve n geance belongeth shine

, ,

fo rth ! E xalt thyself 0 Judge o f the e ar th ren der

, ,

a reward to the p r o ud H o w l o n g 0 Lord shall

.
, ,

the wicked h o w lo n g shall the wicked triumph ?

,

How lo n g Shall they utter an d spe a k reproachful

thin gs a n d all the workers o f i n iquity exalt them
,

selves ? Thy pe o ple O Lord they Oppress and

, , ,

afflict thy heritage They sl ay the wid o w a n d the

.

str an ger a n d murder the fatherless : yet they say

, ,

the L o rd do t h n o t s ee neither d o th the God o f

,

Jacob regard it Wherefore sho u ld the nati o n s

.

sa
y
, W here is their G o d ? 0 let him be k n o wn

among the nations in our S ight, by revenging the

2 88 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

have seen attacked the Jews i n T o ledo met the

, ,

M o or s in the Plain s o f T o losa The ar my reck .

o n e d seven p r el a tes u n der arms am o n g whom was ,

co n spicuo us the A r chbish o p R o deric bran dishi n g ,

a n imme n se i r o n cr o s s at the head o f the fo r ces

he had pro cur ed in F ran ce Their adversaries .

wer e led o n by Moh a mmed the Gree n so called ,

fro m the c o l o ur of his turban as a Shereef but

the Christia n s animated by visions i n the ai r
, ,

gave them a terrible defeat and fo llowi n g up the

, ,

advantage murdered all the i n fi d els without di s

, ,

ti n ction in U beda and at B a eza they burned

, ,

alive such as t o ok refuge i n the m o sque F or .

rec o mpen se they were absolved fro m all their

,

si n s by the Chur ch whi ch holds the keys of Peter .

The fruits of this victo ry were the reduction o f all

Spai n t o the true faith except the cities o f Se v ille
, ,

C o rd o va Valen cia and the ki n gdoms o f Gran ada

, ,

and Murcia .

I n 1 2 1 7 the crowns o f Leo n a n d Castille we r e

,

finally un ited by F erdin and I II ; and dur in g the .

,

cessatio n of Moorish warfare this ki n g was em ,

pl o yed i n b u rnin g Albigenses at the i n stiga ti o n of

,

St D o min ic : the royal han ds even cast logs into

.

a fi r e which was consumi n g a victim H e has .

since been can o nized .

Cord o va was recovered by Castille in 1 2 34 ; and

the bells of Santiago which fo r n early two hun
,
1 2 38 ] IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 2 89

dred a n d fo rty years had served a s lamps in the

m o sque wer e n o w se n t back up o n the Sh o ulder s
,

o f c a ptive M o o r s The city an d te rr it o ry wer e

.

di spe o pled t o a gr eat exte n t o f the M o h am m e

, ,
~

dans a n d Jews a n d their pl a ce sup p l i ed by c o l o n

,

i st s fr o m Fr a n ce, wh o m the c o n que r o r i n vited by

the lure o f peculiar p r ivileges .

Vale n cia w a s take n by J a mes I o f Ar ag o n i n .

,

”
1 2 37 . The C r o n ica de E sp a fi a tells us that ,

du ri n g the S iege a n Im a um asce n ded the highe st

,

n in ar o f the city a n d p o u r ed fo rth lame n tati o n s

,

over Vale n cia ! Valencia ! A n d when the v icto r

expelle d fi ft y thous a n d M o o r s a n d Jews fi o m thi s
e xquisite paradise s a d a n d pai n ful was the march
,

to leave the bright Guadalaviar .

Gran ada still subsisted under the ramparts o f

the Sierra N evada ; a n d the Alm o hads havin g n o w
aban doned Spa m fo r their n ative A fii c a a n ew ,

and i n depe n dent m o n archy was fo u n ded t here by

A l ah m ar w h o in 1 238 was i n a ugur ated with the
,

ancie n t cerem o ni es o f prayer betwee n fo ur ban n er s

placed t o wards the car di n al p o in ts the h o mag e o f ,

1
n o bles and public p r o cl amatio n
,
This small but
c o mpact do mi n io n gave to the M o o r s a fi ee do m
unk n o wn fo r a hun dred an d fifty year s pa s t ,

and it prospered fo r m o re than two ce n tur ies a n d

a h alf .

G 1
d G d p D D i g M d za
u e rr a e ra na a,
”
or . e o en o .

O
2 90 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

I n 1 248, Seville an d in 1 2 6 4 Murcia we r e r e

, , ,

cl a imed t o Chr i s te n d o m by C astille F o ur hun dred .

thousand of all ages i n cludi n g a large n umber of

,

Jews either vo lun tarily resign ed o r wer e expelled

, ,

from these distr icts A n d kin g F e r di n an d bein g

.
,

n o w s o vereig n from the Guadalquivir to the St r aits ,

pro posed to j oin a crusade t o the H o ly Lan d bu t ,

was detai n ed by a dr opsy which ended i n death .

The fo ur ki n gdoms o f the Penin sula viz Cas ,

.

tille Aragon P o rtugal an d Gran ada remained

, , , ,

at rest ; but a few petty sheikhs wh o se territo ries ,

h a d been reserved t o them i n A n d alusia u n der ,

tr ibute to Castille were co n tin u ally i n a state

,

of rev o lt ; and as the kin g o f Gran ada had b o und

hi m self to aid again st all e n emies of that cro wn ,

he was thus u n der the frequent n ecessity o f fi gh t

i n g fo r the Christians against people of his own

King James of A r ago n died in a brave 1 2 7 6, —

e n thusiastic old m an an d much respected H e
,
.

had however enc o uraged the i n quisiti o n s fo r Albi

e n si a n heresy ; an d while his n eighb o u r Al o n so of
g
C a stille t r an slated the Scriptur es i n t o the verna
c u la r t o n gue he had i n his mistake n ze al decreed ,
, ,

th a t wh o s o ever p o ssessed a Sp a n ish Bible an d di d

n o t give it up t o be bu r ned should be suspected o f
,

her esy T here was a c o nside r able stir ab o ut thi s

.

peri o d co n cernin g the Albigenses whose doctrines

, ,

11
2 92 HIS T O RY OF T HE J E w s, &c .

"

victory remain ed with the Christian s a n d the ,

'

s p o il of g o ld an d silver was s o p r o digious as t o

alter the relative value o f current c o in a n d p r o vi

sio n s.

Then ensued the war o f successio n betwee n

Peter the Cruel and H e n ry o f T r a st am ar a Aft e r
,
.

which a co n stant s e a warfare with the M o o r s ; a

,

war with Portugal ; a n d another with E n gland ,

a risi n g from J o hn of Gaunt s claiming Castille fo r

’

his wife C o nstance .

 C HAP TE R X I X .

L I T E RA T U R E O F T HE TH I RTE E NTH A ND FOUR

TEENTH C E NTU RI E S .

AL ON S O X succeeded hi s father Sai n t F erdi

.

n an d A D 1 2 5 0 ; a n d from his l o ve o f learn i n g

. .

h a s been denomi n ated the W ise W ith the laud .

'

able desire to refi n e a n d dign ify t h e v ern ac u lar

to n gue ; seei n g that Lati n was certain ly a dead
‘
lan gu ag e a n d A rabic t o which the pe o ple we r e
, ,

very parti al was that of a declinin g i n fidel

,

cause ; he issued proclamatio n s i n C a stili an com ,

man di n g its adopti o n i n legal documen ts He 2

.

c o mpleted his father s undertakin g o f a code o f ’

laws i n the same language to be called the ,

1
I n 1 2 20, G on zalo B c w
er e o r ote i n Sp a n ih
s ,
n ot bi g
e n ,
he sa id ,

l e arn e d gh t w
en o u o r it L ti
e a n .

2
Fo r 2 00 y lt e a rs a er th e i
n o ta r e s s ig d p blic d c
ne u o um en t s in
2 94 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S
”
Siete Partidas o r seve n secti o n s ; based upon
,

the primitive F uero J u z go a n d the irregular

F uero o f the early Christian c o mmun ities H e .

had a chro n icle o f Span ish hist o ry dr awn up i n

the same and fin ally the Bible tran slated fo r
1
,

p o p ular use A ll this form al di scoun te n ance o f

.

“
Latin Marian a c o nsiders an occasi o n of great
,

ignoran ce i n literature whi ch spread o ver our n a ,

”
ti o n as well the ecclesiastics as s e c ular s
,
But z
.

this kin g is most spoken of as an astr o n omer from ,

the profession of whi ch science the Jews acquired

high favour at court F or the c o mpilatio n of .

”
the A str o n o mic al Tables which were l o ng aft er ,

wards held i n great estimation Alons o summ o n ed ,

to his p alace ab o ve fifty ofthe most reputable astro

n o m e r s ; some from Paris four from the M o o rs , ,

and man y fro m among the Jews The ki n g pre .

sided o ccasio n a lly a t the c o n ferences a n d it was ,

probably duri n g the perplexity occasi o n ed by some

’
o f Pto lemy s

Cycl es a n d e picycl e s, or b s on o r b s,

that he rashly excl ai med that the u n iverse was ,

very clu msily arra n ged and if the Creat o r had ,

cons ulted him at the begi n ni n g he c o ul d have ,

1
Las 4 p a r t e s e n te r as , &c .
2
Hi st ori a , sub a n n o 1 28 4 .
2 96 HI ST O RY O F T HE J Ew s

'

mical w o rks o f Avice n n a fro m Arabic to Castilian

a n d wr o te t w o b o o ks o f h i s o w n o n the fixed stars ,

which he di vided i n to fo rty eight constellatio ns -

.

I I R Isaac abe n L at ip h wrote o n

. .
,

1 The figure o f the w o rld and c o n stitutio n of

.
,

the heave n s .

2 Phil o s o phical tracts

. .

”
3 Que sti o n s and A nswe r s on Jewish law
.
, .

”
4 Bun dle o f Myrrh (Can t i
. probably ,
. .

”
5 Gate o f H eaven (Gen xxviii
. a very , . .

large wo rk in three parts : 1 O n the Being of

, .

G o d and Spirits ; 2 O n Pr o phecy a n d s o me .

,

passages in Ge n esis ; 3 O n the F igure o f the .

W o rld W ritte n i n 1 2 44
. .

I II R Ferets b e n Isaac the priest o f Gerona

. .
, ,

flouri shed i n 1 2 4 1 auth o r o f ,

”
1 D isp o siti o ns o f D iv m ity z Subtle and C a
.

b ali s t i c .

A dditional n o tices o n the T almud a n d o n

2 .
,

”
the B o ok of Pr ecepts by R Isaac o f Co rbeil ,
. .

IV R J o n ah o f Ge r o n a
. .
,
ben Samuel ; a
R .

disciple o f M o ses bar Maim o n ,

di ed in 1 2 6 4 o r as ,

s o me s a 1 3 0 4 H e wr o te
y , .

1 . The Gate o f Pen ite n ce .

 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 297

2 . Boun d and L o o s e .

3 . Annotati o n s o n R Isaa c A l—
fes . .

4 . An n o tati o n s o n the Chapters of the Fa

t h e rs .

V R J o n ah whom the ki n g o f Aragon c o m

. .
,

missio n ed to c o mp o se a w o rk o n the duties o f

religi o n This aft er c o nsultati o n with R J o nah
.
, .

o f Ger o n a was accomplished under the n ame o f

,

”
Treatise on the F ear of G o d and tran slated by ,

R D avid C o he n from H ebrew t o Span ish : S ince

.
,

then it has been re n dered in to German 1

.

VI R Shem T o b bar Isaac o f Tortosa I n the

. .
,

thirtee n th century .

”
1 O r chard o f Po megranates (Cant I v
.
,
. .

o n the Agadoth .

2 Su n dr y H ebrew tran slations from Arabic

. .

VII R Abraham bar Judah o f Barcel o n a

. . .

”
About 1 2 5 2 he published the F our O rders o n, , ,

1 Th e E xisten ce of G o d ; 2 D ivi n e Pr o vide n ce ;

. .

3 The fi n al cause o f the Mos ai c Prec epts ; 4

'

.
.

’
The asserted cessation of that law s o bligati o n .

VII I R Mah h m a d aben Isaac p h y src ran at

. .
,

Toledo W r o te on medicine in 1 2 6 5
.
.

1 B a sn a ge .
298 HI ST O RY O F THE J EW S

IX Joseph b en Isaac w h o wrote i n the v er

.
, ,

n a c u lar Spanish a b o o k o n me di ci n e T o ledo,

.
,

1 26 7 .

X R Gershom bar Sol o mon of Catalo n ia

. . .

”
Ab o ut 1 2 7 2 Author o f The Gate o f H eaven
.
,

upon all created thin gs and the scie n ces o f Theo ,

l o gy an d A str o n omy H e was father o f the cele .

b rat e d Levi ben Gershom who is to be reck o ned ,

amo n g the Fren ch Jews .

X I R Solomon aben Job of Gran ada

. . .

1 Translati o n from the Arabic of R ambam s

.
’

”
B o o k o f the Precepts .

2 Tran slati o n from the Arabic of Averroes

.
’

Ar ist o tle o n H eave n and the W o rld .

3 O n H aemorrhoids still un printed

.
, .

XII R Judah Cohe n o f Toledo Auth o r of

. . .

”
the E xposition of W isdom besides various ,

treatises o n Mathematics A str o n omy a n d Scrip , ,

t ure written duri n g hi s travels in F ran ce a n d Italy

,
.

XIII R M o ses aben T ibb o n maintained the

. .
,

peculiar reputati o n of hi s fam ily by translating

fro m Arabic to H ebrew ,

1 E uclid s E lements fift een b o o ks ; still pre

’
.
,

served in R o me .
3 00
‘

HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

XVI R A aron Levi b en J o seph B env en i sta ;

. .
,

died 1 293 .

1 .B o o k o f I n str uctio n o n the 6 1 3 precepts , .

”
2 The
. F ixture o f t h e H o use a suppl emen t ,

” '

t o the Law o f the H o use by Solom o n b en ,

A dd e re t h .

XVII R Shem T o b o f Leo n ; died 1 293

. . .

”
1 . The Tabernacle of the Testim o n y (E x o d . .

xxxviii .

2 Se r m o ns
. .

3 . B o ok of W eight .

”
4 . Book o f the F aith This last was written .

with the o bj ect of recallin g a yo u n g c o n vert to

Chr istian ity who had repaired to the P o pe at
,

Avign o n .

XVIII R Isaac Israeli ben J o seph of T o ledo

. .
,

died 1 3 1 2 .

1 . The Gate o f Heave n in twe n ty t w o chap ,

-

ters o n the positions a n d c o urses of the planets

”

, ,

a ccordi n g to Pt o lemy s Almagest

’
.

”
2 The
. F oun dati o n of the Wo rld a fi rs t rate ,
-

wo r k o n astr o n omy which t w o years befo r e his

, ,

de ath; he dedic a ted t o his o ld preceptor R A sher , . .

Its c o n tents a r e : 1 O n Geometry ; 2 O n the . .

F igur e o f the W o rld the N umber and M o tio n of ,

the Spheres and Celestial B o dies the D ivisi o n s o f ,

 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 30 1

the E arth a n d the D iversity o f D ay and N ight

,

i n vari o us pl a ces ; 3 O n the S o lar a n d Lu n ar

.

Moveme n ts S o lstices N ew M o o n s an d E clipses

, , ,

4 The ar t o f I n terc alati o n an d an E xplicatio n o f

.
,

s o me Talmudic difficulties o n this subj ect .

5 A stro n o mical Tables a n d a Perpetual Alma

.
,

n ack .

XIX R Isaac . . b ar J o seph b en Israel ; died

1 31 2 .

1 . The Chain o f Tr aditi o n a C hro n icle of ,

J u d aeo -
Span ish writers a n d occurren ces down to ,

1 31 0 .

2 . F o un datio n s o f E mb o li smic R ecko n in g .

”
3 . A stronomical Tables perhaps a selecti o n ,

fr o m .

”
4 . Th e E verlastin g F ou n dation, (Pr ov x . .

A stro n omy
on .

5 Suppleme n t to the above

. .

Th er e had been another writer o f the same

name m o r e th an three hundred years before and
t h e two ar e freque n tly s o confo u n ded that the

w o r ks o f o n e are attributed to the other .

XX R Solom o n b e n A d de r et h c alled Har

. .
,

r i sb a a disciple of Mose s b ar N ahh m an an d

,

J o n ah o f Ger o n a an d a n in str uct o r o f R a shi H e

,
.

wr o te on legal questio n s an d the Gemar a parti ,

302 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S
”
c ularl the Law of the H o use on domestic
y ,

reli g ious rites ; to whi ch have bee n appended ,

”
The F ixture of the House by R A aron Levi ,
.
,
”
an d The Serv an t of the House by s o me author ,

unkn o wn This r abbi as pre sident of Bar cel o n a

.
, ,

in conj uncti o n with R A sher published a fo rmal .

,

decree t o pr o hibit the study of any Gentile phil o

S o phy o r science befo re the age o f twenty fo u r -

a resolutio n which gave rise imme di ately a n d fo r

a long time afterwards to co n tro versial epistles , ,

(the pamphlets o f t h e time

) a few i n i t s defence ,

but far m o re in its c o n demnatio n .

XXI R Abba Mori ben M o ses M o ri author

. .
,

”
1 . The O fferi n g of Jealousy (N u m v in , . .

the fo rm of letters agai n st the Barcel o na decree

, ,

i n defence of ear ly st u dy o f philos o phy .

2 R emarks o n the Purim Hym n o f R Isaac

. .

aben G h e ath .

3 O n A stronomy
. .

XXII R Jede di ah ben Abraham Hap p en in i

. .
,

o f Barcel o n a frequently named A n b o n e t Abraham

, .

The fo llowin g his works are celebrated fo r ele

, ,

gance of style and expression

1 O n the Van ity o f the W orld
.
'
.

“
2 . The W edg e of Gold (Josh v u A n . .
3 04 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

fo r the supp o rt of his family H e produced some .

Cabalis t ic writin gs whi ch he a sserted to be ,

rece n tly di scovered fr agme n ts o f Sime o n b e n

J o h h ai i n the seco n d century The fo rgery w a s
,
.

however detected .

XXIV R Hh an m bar R Samuel B er ab b i

. . .

D avid o f T o ledo ; wrote ab o ut 1 2 9 1

,

“ The Bu dle ”
1 . n o f Life (1 Sam xxv ,
. .

s erm o n s .

“ l
2 . The Bun dle of Mo n ey ( Gen x u a . .

book of m o rals .

XXV R B eh h ai ben A sher, of Zaragoza di s

. .
,

c i le of S o l o mo n b e n A d d ere t h
p
“ ”
1 . The Barrel o f Me al (1 Ki n gs xvii . .

“ ”
2 . The Square Table legal decisio n s , .

3 Considerations o n the Law o f M o se s — 1 Li

. .

t erally ; 2 Allegorically ; 3 Cab alistically

. . .

XXVI R J o seph aben J ah h u a lived to above

. .
,

ni n ety years and r an ked high am o n g his pe o ple

,

as a p o et and grammarian His w o rks which r e .

main are
1 An E legy o n R Solom o n b en A d d er et h his
. .
,

teacher a n d fii e n d w ith several o ther p o ems , .

2 Talmudic D ecisi o ns an d An n o tati o n s — But

.

the rest o f his writings a n d all the b o oks o f his ,

 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 305

c o llege were burned by the Papal C o mmissi o n in

,

1 41 4 .

XXVII R J o seph of Toledo ; wrote

. The
.
,
”
Ruler o f the W o rld upon the o rigi n and mean ,

i n g o f the synagogue rites in E ur o pe .

XXVI I I R D avid o f E stella . .

“
1 The T o wer of D avid
.
( Cant iv Ser . .

mo n s o n the Law .

“ ”
2 The H o u se of God
.
(G e n xu . . .

“ ”
3 K i ri ath S ep h er (the city of the b o o k Josh
.
-
, , .

xv .

XXIX R Meir Mith ri do s s o n o f Theodo re

. .
, ,

chief o f the Levites i n Burgo s a b right star ,

a n d his sacred r o o t fl o urished at T o led o r aisi n g ,

up m an y o ffsh o ots

XXX R Meir o f N arb o n n e b o rn at T o ledo

. .
, , ,

wrote
l E pistles aga
. inst M o s e s bar N ahh man
”
2 Befo re an d Behin d a famous Cabalistic
.
,

wo rk .

XXXI R D avid aben Gedaliah aben J ah h u a ;

. .

1 B ra n ch éf D vid
a .
”
30 6 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

w as livi n g in Castille in 1 32 5 but removed to ,

Lisbo n i n his o ld age

1 D ecisi o n s o n the Law
. .

2 O n Clean and U n clean F ood

. .

XXXI I R Isaac o f D ura ; about 1 334 he com

. .
,

”
piled the “
Sessions o f D ura or D ecisi o n s o n ,

Thin gs Lawful .

XXX II I R Joseph ben Caspi of Barcel o na

. .
, .

In 1 331 he withdrew t o Provence v o wi n g n ever ,

to revisit Spain till he had written s o methi n g to

pro cure him a reputati o n for learn in g H e pub .

li sh ed twenty small b o o ks o n Sc ripture besides ,

1 R emarks on the Grammar of R J o n ah abe n

. .

G an ahh .

2 . the Grammar of Aben E zra

R emarks on .

3 Compen di um of L o gic
. .

4 Illustrati o n o f Ar istotle s E thics and Plato

’
.
,

upon Governme n t .

XXXIV Messer Vidal of N arb o nne ; died 1 3 7 5

. .

Author o f
”
1 D eclaring D ouble ; (Zech ix
. in t h e . .

c o urse o f which he impug n s s o me p a ssages in

”
R Isaac A l fes an d the Mighty H and o f Moses
.
-
,

b ar Maim o n .

“ ”
2 R emarks on the
. Book of Logic by Abu ,
308 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S
”
1 .The O rchar d o f Pomegran ates (C ant iv , . .

his pri n cipal w o rk .

2 The E leme n t a ry a n d S ublunary W orld

. .

3 The W o r ld o f Sphe r es
. .

4 The W o rld of An gels

. .

5 The W o rld Ab o ve
. .

6 The W o r ld i n Mi n iature i 8 Man

.
,
. . .

7 The Plan t of D eborah

. .

8 C o mme n t on the Canticles

. .

9 C o mment o n the Lame n tati o ns

. .

1 0 C omme n t o n the B o o k o f the Law

. .

”
1 1 C o m m e n t o n the
. J e t si r ah .

”
12 Preci o us Light a C o mme n t on Zohar (a
.
, ,

C abalistic work o f the sec o nd o r third century ) in ,

S ixtee n folio volumes .

XXXVII Zachariah the false prophet

.
,
.

1 .G o o dly W ords (Gen xlix ”

up o n . .

1 M o dern k n o wledge ; 2 The wisd o m of the

. .

prophets ; 3 The wisdom of Israel s sages ; con

.
’

clu di n g with a cabalistic explanati o n o f v ar i o us

questi o ns con n ected with Scriptur e .

XXXVI II R Shem T o b Sh ip ru t : in herited h i s

. .

fa ther s hatr ed for Chr istianity agai n st w h ich i h e

’
,
- .

“
published The ,

inveighi ng bitterly ag ai n st the doctrines of t h e

‘

.
 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 309

Tri n ity I n carn a ti o n Tra n substan tiatio n &c On e

, , , .

porti o n o f the b o o k c o n sists o f a tr an slatio n o f

’
St Matthew s G o spel i n to Heb r ew s a id t o be s o
.
,

unfairly perfo rmed that am o n g o the r faults the

, , ,

n ames i n the ge n ea lo gy are gr o ssly m i s spelt a n d -

,

are ther efo re o f n o a vail fo r c o mparis o n with the

O ld Testame n t T o each ch apter ar e subj o i n ed
.

questio n s fo r Christian s t o an swer An appen dix t o .

the work is called R eplies t o Alfo n s o the Ap o s

,

”
tate (a per s o n u n k n o wn ) The MS is still in . .

R ome a n d dated at T u r i a s s o O ld C a stille 1 340

, , , .

”
Thi s rabbi wro te also his R emarks o n Abe n
“

E zra s C o mment o n the Law

’
.

XXXIX R D avid A b u dr ah an ; ab o ut 1 340

. . .

1 E xplanati o n of the D aily Prayer s thr o ugh

.

o u t the year .

2 The O rder o f I n tercalatio n i n the Cale n dar

.
.

3 A stro n o mical T a bles

. .

4 O n the Solstices a n d E qui n o xes

.
.

XL R Judah bar A sher who slew his o wn

. .
,

fa mily in the mass a cre o f T o ledo Auth o r o f : .

”
1 . The O r di n an ce o f the Law (N um xix . . .

”
2 . The O rdin ances o f Heave n (J o b xxxv i ii 33 ) . . .

XLI R Jac o b bar A sher : compiled the F o ur

’

. .
31 0 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

O rders, upo n all t h e Jewish customs a n d c er e mo

n ies un der the dispersion The p o nde r o us v o lume .

is thus divided — 1 .
”
The Path o f Life o n the ,

”
an n ual festivals ; 2 The Teacher o f W i s do m
.
,

”
o n the o cc a si o n a l rites ; 3 The E ben E zer .
-

sto n e o f help ) on the laws o f marriage and w o

( ,

”
men S dutie s & c ; 4 The Breastplate ofJustice
’
,
. .
,

on all civil and j uridi cal matters .

XLII R S o lomon bar E n och ; rem o ved from

. .

C o n stan tin o ple t o Burgos and wrote The D epths ,

”
o f the Law i n elucidation of di fficul t passages
,
.

XLI I I R Meir A ld abi nephe w o f R A sher

. .
,
. .

”
His W ay of the F aith w a s composed ab o ut
1 360 and treats of the world ; the S pheres a n d
,

their moti o n man and his formati o n befo re birth ;

,

the b o dy the soul ; rewards punishmen ts ; r e

, ,

dempti o n o f I srael r esurrecti o n of the body the ,

life t o come a n d the F irst Cause

, .

XLIV R Jom T o b bar Abraham of Seville ;

. .

ab o ut 1 3 7 0 : author of sun dry comme n ts on the

“
Scriptures a n d the Talmud also the Tower o f ,

”
Strength (Psalm lxi,
on Moses bar Maim o n . .

XLV . R D avid C ohen of Sevi lle, in

. 1 386 .
3 12 HI ST O RY O F T HE JEWS

4 . the T almud
N ew E xplan atio n s of -
.

5 A i
n ma
. dversi o n s o n R I saac A l—fes . .

6 An imadve r si o n s on Zachariah the Levi t e

.

w h o i n the 1 2 th ce n tury had c r itici s ed the L iv

”
i n g m en o n matr im o n y by a n ear lier Ab r aham ,

the Levite .

H e died o n the eve o f c o mmemoratin g the dedi

”
cati o n o f the temple The Sceptr e of Judah .

states that he was han ged by the ki n g after a vai n

, ,

attempt t o c o n vert him T o which B art o lo c c i o .

i n di gn an tly rej o ins that the ki n gs o f Spain n ever , .

acted s o t o wards the Jews o n ly they Used t o burn ,

alive such as havi n g in fo rm embra ced C hris

“
t i an i t y were fo u n d t o turn ag a in to their
”
vomit .

XLIX R Moses the H oly believed t o have

. .
,

been also a physician t o the c o u r t of C astille .

H e wrote i n Span ish a m o r al p o em o f str an ge

”
character c alled The Ge n e r al D an ce
,
It is i n .

”
fa ct the D an ce o f D eath which w a s a p o pular ,

theme of p o etry an d pai n ti n g l o n g befo r e the

time o f H olbein Aft er beauty r iches talent ‘
.
, , ,

1
P a in t in g s hi bj c t b d d i th middl g
on t s su e a oun e n e e a es,

t h gh
r ou ou t S w it z l d G m y th N t h l d F c
e r an ,
er an ,
e e er an s, ra n e
,
an d

En gl dan p b i dg cl i t
u on r d th
e s,t w ll f ch ch
o s er s , a n e ou e r a s o ur es ;
w ll ill mi t d m i l ( S Dib d i B ibli g ’
as e asi th n e u na e s sa s . ee n s o ra

p hi ca l De cm a S c d d y p
er on . e on a , .
 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 31 3

&c have been dan ced i n to the grave by their

.

partner D eath the p o em is thus c o ncluded : ,

A s ing y i d t t th h w k m y b b d
ra ru n
’
ur r e s e a a e re
,

Wh fligh t giv y p tim b d i t h fi ld

o se es ou as e a r oa n e e
,

So th i f J d h wh c gl y i fl d
e ru ns o u a en e or s e

G d m l wi t h p fit d pl
oo ora s m y y i ld ro an e as ur e a e

L R Hh a s dai ben Abraham bar Hh as d ai bar

. .

J udah bar Hh as d ai K ri skas He wrote .

”
1 The Light o f the L o rd (Isa ii
. o n the , . .

di vine law its di g n ity a n d perpetuity als o o n G o d

, ,

and His pr o vi de n ce ; i n twe n ty fo ur sectio n s -

.

2 A relati o n o f the su fferi n gs o f the Jews when

.

charged with poiso n in g the wells .

Anill ustri o us convert t o C hristianity i n the

1 4t h century was S o lom o n the Levite of Burgo s .

At b a ptism he assumed the n ame o f Paul o f

Santa Maria ; but is more c o mm o n ly de n ominated
Pau l o f Burgo s He wr o te agai n st Judaism On .
,

”
the scrutin y o f the Scrip t ures and b ecame ,

1 O b ras q ti g f m t h M q i
p o sth u m as
”
d e S a rm i en t o , uo n ro e ar u s

d S t ill
e an w h pl c thi M
an a , m g th m t mi
o atT es s os es a on e os e n en ro u

b d
a Th
o u rs Bibli t c E p n l f R d iq z d C t
. e o e a s a o a
”
o o r ue e as r o r e

f t h i p m d th
e rs s oe m d th H m it Vi i
,
an t
an o er n a e e er
’
s s on,
”
o on e

R Sh m T b f C i
. e c v td J w T D M
o o th
a r r on , a on er e e . o on o s e s, e

phy ici f l t ki g f C til h c ib

s an o a a er d f n o as e, e as r es an o e o c on

g t l ti
ra u a t h bi t h f
on onpi c e r o a r n e.
31 4 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S ,
&c .

bishop of Carthage n a A c o n temp o rary p o et .

says that he possessed all human learning all

, ,

the secrets of high phil o s o phy ; he was a masterly

l o gician a sweet o rat o r an admirable histo rian a
, , ,

subtle p o et a clear a n d veracious narrator an ex

, ,

c elle n t ministe r and one of whom every body

,

”
spoke well H e co n tin ues
.
,

’
Twas my d ligh t t it with h im
e o s

B th th l m ivy t
en e a e so e n re e ,

T hid m f m th
o e yb m
e ro e s un n ea

B th t h l l h d
e n ea de a u re
’
s s a e , an s ee

T h li tt l ilv
e t m l t fl w i g
e s e r s re a e o n

W hil f m h i lip e ich t m

ro s s a r er s r e a

F ll wi th th ligh t f w i d m gl w i g
e e o s o o n

H w w t t l k m y t hi t wi t h h im
o s ee o s a e rs 1”

1
Re tr o sp ec tiv e R e vi e w, iii . 2 13 .
31 6 HI S T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

the above regulation his body ,

an d goods shall be
”
at the di sposal of the king .

Ibid .
— Law 2 .

W e strictly fo rbid that an y Jew S hall seduce

a Chr istian t o embrace his religi o n a n d be cir
c u m c i se d W hosoever does so shall die for it and
1
.
,
”
hi s goods belong to the ki ng .

—
Ibid Law 3 . .

If a Jew shall utter any revili n g against

God or h o ly Mary or o ther Saints he shall
, , ,

forfeit ten maravedis to the kin g fo r each o ffence ,

and the king will se n tence him to a hundred

”
lashes .

Ibid — Law . 4 .

N o Jew or J ew e s s sh all presume to rear up

the child o f an y Christian : n either give his or
her child t o a Christian to be reared W h o so .

ever shall do so shall forfeit a hundred maravedis

”
to the kin g .

Ibid — Law 5 . .

N o Jew shall lend on usury or in ,

an
y other
1 cl gy i S p i ( d l i th c t i i m ch la t
Th e er n a n an a so n o er ou n r es , n u er

tim ) h ves lw y t t i d d d f t hi cc
a e a a c s t
e n er a n e a rea o s o u rr e n e no

k w i g b li vi g t h t th J w bh p ly ti m d ing th i
no n or e e n a e e sa or r os e s ur e r

e xil f m th H ly L d
e ro e o an .
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . . 31 7

man ner s o as t o have the pers o n o f a C hristian in

,

constr ai n t H e that do e s s o Shall l o se all that is

.
,

thus le n t a n d the Chr isti a n sh all go free when he

,

pleases and n o law suit o r decisio n shall have fo r ce

,
-

”
to the c o n trary .

Ibid —Law 6 . .

No Jew that le n ds o n inte r est S h all do so

at a higher rate than three per ce n t fo r the wh o le .

year ; n o higher r ate is legal If m o re be take n .

,

he shall return d o uble the wh o le to the b o rro we r ,

and n o law suit shall ava il t o the c o n trary M o re

-
.

over we fo rbid that h e make use of any pledge o r ,

all o w an o ther t o use it : wh o soever d o es s o shall ,

pay to its ow n er half the value o f the pledge a n d ,

no law suit shall avail to the c o ntrary M o reover

-
.

we ordai n that whe n the i n ter e st shall equal the

,

capital n o more i n terest S hall be cl ai med o n that

,

acc o un t till the year be e n ded a n d n o law suit ,

-

fo r gai n i n g m o re by c r aft y means shall be avail

able But if by chan ce a n y m o re be take n th an
.

is here all o wed it sh all be all resto r ed a s afo re

,

said This law S h all a pply t o M o ors Jews an d

.
, ,
”
Chr istians t o eve ry o n e that len ds o n i n terest
,
.

—
Ibid Law
. 7 .

W e d o not fo rbid the Jews t o observe their

Sabbaths or o ther festivals n o r ab r o gate the ,

privileges granted by h o ly Chur ch, o r fo rmer

P3
31 8 HI S T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

kin gs ] N o one shall gai nsay or dimi n ish these ;

and they shall n o t be o bliged to app e ar in law
suits o n the abo ve days ; nor be held to any
bo n d so as t o violate their religion n either shall ,

they summon others to j udgment on the above

”
days .

S I E T E PAR T I DA STH E
of Alons o X between 1 2 50 and 1 2 80 .

(N o di fference made in the laws of creditor and

debtor on account of religion ) .

( Chr istians are not t o assize the price of articles

which are exclusively sold and bought by Jews ) .

Partida IV — Title vi . .
-
Law 6 .

“
But if any bein g Moors or Jews shall , ,

marry acc o rdi n g to their religi o n with relations or , ,

foster brothers or fo ster sisters an d after that shall

- -
,

become Christians n o such marriages shall be ao ,

c o unte d unlawful t o them although the relati o n ,

ship be within the fourth degree ; Holy Church

1
D ur in g this in t er v a l o f a c en tur y b e t w e en th e Fu e ro Rea l ,

and th e S i ete P ar t ida s

i h d b g t ly ,
”
th e s ta te o f a ffa r s a e en r ea

ch g d Th c w f L
an e . d C t il w
e ro it d Th
ns o eo n an as e er e un e . e

M w
oo rs d iv f m t h g t citi
er e r d t
en it i f C
ro e r ea e s an er r or es o or

d v V l ci S vill
o a, a en d M ci d t h i wh l p p l t i
a, e e , an ur a, an e r o e o u a on

exp ll d e ch ; t h f w h M
e as su w m ti di
er e o r e , en o o rs ar e no en on e n

Ch i t i la w th y m t b c id d li
r s an s, i i g i fi c n t in
e us e ons ere a e n s, ns n a

n mbu t d t v ll
e r, a s vi it ra e rs , ra e ers , o r s o rs .
32 0 HI ST O RY O F T HE J E WS [
A . D .

not lo se all the price that he may have given for

him but the slave shall be bound t o give fo r him
,

self o r there sh all be given for him by the person

,

w h o causes him t o tur n Christian twelve mara ,

°
vedis of the c o in curre n t in the place ; a n d if he
have n o t wherewith to pay this he is to do service ,

t o that am o unt not as a Slave but as a free m a n till

, , ,

he has earned the s u m If he be n o t s o ld within

.

three m o nths and aft erw ards turn Christian

, ,

the o wner shall have no recompense o r right i n

”
him .

P artida VI I .
-
Title xxiv — Law . 2 .

Jews are to reside am o ng Christian s meekly , ,

a n d without any evil design keeping to their o wn,

r eligi o n and n o t S peaki n g ill o f the faith o f our

,

L o rd Jesus Chr ist t o which we bel o n g More o ver, .

they ar e especially to beware o f s o disc o ursing as t o

turn aside a n y Christian t o be a Jew by p r aisi n g ,

the ir o w n religion and vilifyi n g o urs E very o n e .

s o o ffe n di n g shall be put t o death and his g o ods ,

be co n fiscated A nd fo rasmuch as we hear that

.

i n s o me places the Jews have o bserved a n d d o still

o bserve Good F riday by commemorat i ng the pas
,

s i o n o f o u r L o rd Jesus C hrist with m o ckery ,

s te ali n g children a n d crucifying them o r making ,

im ages o f wax a n d crucifyi n g them w hen children

can n o t he had, we do ordain that if report b e
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 321

made again o f such an act i n any place within ,

our domi n i o ns and it be verified ; all w h o ar e

,

foun d c o ncern ed the r ein, Shall be taken imp ri ,

so n e d a n d b r o ught befo re the ki n g, who whe n he

shall ascertain its reali ty, will have them disgra ce

fully executed how man y soever they be M o re
, .

o ver we prohi bit every Jew fr o m passi n g bey o n d

,

h i s own do or o n Go o d Friday but he is t o r e

1
,

main at h o me till Saturday mornin g If this ru le .

be tr ansgressed n o appeal Shall be all o wed o n a c

,

c o un t o f loss or i n sult received from C hristian s o n

”
that day .

Ibid — Law 3
. .

That Jew S hall h o ld any o ffice or di gnity by

( n o

virtue o f which a penalty may be in flicted o n

Christians ) .

Ibid — L aw
. 4 .

A synagogue is a place fo r Jewish prayer ;

an d such may not be built i n any new S itu a tio n o f

o ur re alm with o ut our special permi s si o n Y et .

such a s have been o f old time if they bec o me ,

decayed may be repaired o r rebuilt o n the same

,

1
Th e w d
or i b i Th
s y w
a rr o .
t ye t li m i t d
er e n o t c tei e o a er a n

q u ar t e r i
n ea ch t w t h t
o li m i t m
n, or igh ta b h i t d d Thi e er e n en e . s

e na c tm en t w p b bly b fi ci l to th J w
as ro a en e a e e s.

P5
32 2 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

sp o t yet neither t o be enlarged nor raised higher

, , ,

nor dec o rated E very syn ag o gue i n which this

.

law is transgressed shall be fo rfeited by the Jews ,

and perta in to the p r incipal church of the town

where it stan d s Again fo r asmuch a s a synagogue
.
,

is erected to the praise of God we for bid that any ,

Christi an should dare t o burn or pillage it o r take ,

an
y thi n g from it by vi o lence unless whe n a n
y ,

criminal takes refuge there for in such case he ,

may be seized for the purposes of justice Also .

we forbid that Christians sh o ul d bring brute beasts

i n t o the syn agogues or otherwise di sturb the Jews
,

while there engaged in prayer accor di n g to their

”
religion .

Ibid — Law
. 5 .

(That Jews are not to be amerced on the Sab

bath day an d what j udges may take cog n izance of
,

Jews ) .

Ibid — Law
. 6 .

N o force ppression is in an y wise to be

or o

empl o yed fo r urgin g a Jew to be co n verted ; but

with go o d examples the holy Scriptur es, and mild
,

i n ducements they are to be converted t o the faith

,

o f o u r Lord Jesus Christ ; for our Lord God desire s

no Slavery under the influence o f violence More .

over we command, that whereas some Jews have

32 4 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D.

gress this law the Christian is to bec o me fr ee,

,

and repay n o par t o f the price given fo r him,

although the Jew k n e w n o t when he b o ught ,

him that he w a s a Chri stian But if he did

, .

know it when he b o ught him the Jew is t o ,

be put t o death M o reover we forbid that any

.
,

Jew should dare t o make his Slave turn Jew,

a lthough the slave be a M o or o r of a n other
y ,

barbar o us pe o ple : but sh o uld it be do n e the ,

slave wh o has been made a Jew o r J ew e s s shall

bec o me free and be withdrawn from the o wn er
,
.

A nd if by chan ce any Moors being Slaves o f Jews ,

,

shall turn Christians they are t o bec o me free ,

ther efo re as S hown i n the fo urt h Partida o f this

,

bo o k in the title O n F reedo m and the laws

, ,
’

upon that subj ect .

Ibid — Law
. 11 .

Many mistakes and grievan ces do occur

among C hristian a n d Jewish men an d women ,

fro m living and abidi n g in o n e m an n er withi n the

towns a n d fro m being dressed alike T o o bviate
,
.

which we h o ld fo r g o o d an d d o c o mman d that

, , ,

all a n d every of Jewish m en a n d wome n shall ,

wear s ome certain mark o f disti n ction o n the

head such as shall manifestly design ate the di ffe
,

r e n t pe o ple And if a n y Jew wear not this mark

.

o f disti n ction he sh ell fo r every appearan c e in

,
 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 32 5

public w ithout it be fi n ed ten mar ave di s o f gold

,

and sho ul d he n o t p o ssess sufficie n t to pay it ,

”
shall receive publi cly o n e hun dr ed lashes .

Ibid — Title xxix — Law

. . 6 .

Although it be not lawful t o compel Jews or

Moo r s t o turn C h ristian s nevertheless these ,

shall n o t presume to revile G o d o r the sain ts , ,

or the Cath o li c faith whi ch is so holy so go o d

, , ,

”
a n d so true .

These e n actme n ts seem t o be framed purposely

b o th t o meet the ki n g s liber ality a n d the big o try
’

o f the cler y The o rdi n ance t o wear a badge

g .
,

would in o u r days be acc o u n ted an extr eme a ct

of tyran n y ; but i n the middl e ages C rusaders
an d Templars wer e k n own by their c o l o ured
cro sses as the m o n ks an d nu n s by their peculiar
,

habits Still t o affi x a mark up o n a n y cl a ss o f

.

men a lr ea dy h a ted was t o exp o se them t o certain

,

o pp r essi o n especi ally in a c o un try like Spai n

, ,

whe r e the i n vari able char acteristic o f the pe o pl e

1

is the pr actice o f priva te reve n ge where the p r o ,

c lam a t i o n s o f ki n gs are o beyed but at a S h o r t

sta ce beyond their w superinte dence nd

di n o n n a ,

1 F on d u en b z —Ch
ro n e .
”
at eau b i nd~
r a
32 6 -
HI ST O RY O F T HE JEw s
[ A . D .

where popular o utrages have never been dimi

nished by an y degree o f stre n gth in the nati o n al
governme n t : as we S hall hereaft er find by abun
dant examples .

A council was held at Vallado li d in 1 322, and

these regulati o n s were adopted respectin g the
Jews .

1 That n o i n fidel sho u ld be suffered in a Chris

.

tian church durin g di vi n e service but i m m e di

, ,

ately a t the c o mme n ceme n t (especi a lly o f Mass )

they were to be exp elled or locked up in some
,

c o ntigu o us and private place by the sacristan till ,

the service S h o uld be e n ded .

2 That Christian s were to be ip s o fa cto exc o m

.

mu n i c at e d fo r bein g present at Jewish or Moorish

weddin gs o r fun erals .

3 F ulmi n atio n s repeated against the app o int

.

ment of Jews t o public o ffices .

4 Christi a n s were forbidden t o empl o y Jews

.

’
in the medical surgical or apothecaries arts ; or
, ,

to take a n y o f their me dicin es : sin ce by do i n g s o ,

they incur a n immin ent dan ger of death .

5 A pro vi s i o n est ablished fo r the mai n te n ance

.

of converts from the Jewish or M o orish religion .

They were to be received in to m o nasteries o r ,

o ther pi o us places Such as were n o t o f han di craft

.

trades were to be taught them and money a d

, ,

11
 32 8 T O RY O F J EW S
HIS T HE
[ A . D.

any corresponde n ce i n writin g with an unbeli ever .

The penalty of each o f these crimes is e xc o mmu n i

cation .

2 T o e n close the Jews of every town within

.

an a pp o in ted qu arter t o be called a Jewry : a res o lu

ti o n falsely gr oun ded o n the precept of M o ses upon
a special o ccasi o n that the i n noce n t were n o t to
,

appro ach the tents of the ung o dly Jews were .

n o t to dwell i n the vicin ity o f any church or

chur ch yar d : a n d all Christian s w h o should let to
-

them the h o uses in such situatio n s incurred ex ,

c o mmun icatio n .

A council at Pale n cia (Leon ) in 1 388 made ,

s o me additi o ns t o the decisions o f Salam an ca on ,

the subj ect o f Christian an d Jewish i n tercourse ,

fr om which we k n o w by experie n ce that man y ,

i njuries to the bodi es a n d perils t o the s o uls of

,
”
faithful pe o ple have resulted They c o n fi r m t h e
.

separatio n i n to J e wri e s but i n exceptio n provide

, ,

that Jewish a n d Sar acen trader s or merchan t s , ,

or mechan ical art i fi c er s may fo r their empl o y

, ,

me n t or merchan dise have w o r ksh o ps b o o ths

, , ,

stalls o r sh o ps in the streets o r other public

, , ,

pl a ces o f the cities a n d t o wns o f their reside n ce ;

pro vided that within the quarters s et apart ,

o r thereafter to be s e t apart they Should have

,
1 38 8 ] IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 329

their h o uses o r chief dwelling fo r their wives

or ch ildre n unto which they were t o r eturn at
,

night .

But Christians that S hall presume t o dwell

within the limitati o n assigned o r t o be assig n ed
, ,

fo r Jews a n d Sarace n s ; if withi n t w o m o n ths

fro m the publi cati o n o f the present decree bein g
made in the cathedral church of the di o cese in
whi ch they r eside they fail t o rem o ve fro m livin g
,

am o n g Christians they are t o be c o mpelled by

,

”
ecclesiastical ce n sure .

Th e enclosure of the Jews was a step beyo nd

the tyr an n y which imposed the red b adge ; the
next w as the I n quisitio n with irresp o n sible p o p u
,

lar massacr es t o drive them within its jur isdictio n .

It must be expected that such a p r o gres sio n wo uld

arrive at some term in atio n in less than a ce n t ury
to c o me The Chur ch w o uld n atur ally desire
.

Christian physician s t o a tte n d up o n the S ick a n d

dyi n g But why di d they declar e an in si n cere
.

reason (as i n the ab o ve cou n cil s) fo r their i nj u n c

ti o n ? If H eb r ew medicin es had ever p o is o n ed
the sick while p r ete n di n g t o heal them i t w o ul d ,

be speedily kn own a n d avenged ; but a m o n g all

the c alumn ies p r o pagated am o n g that excitable
p o pulati o n, there i s n o i n stan ce of a tumult created
330 HI S T O RY O F THE J EW S [ A . D.

on such a charge : but on the co n trary despite , ,

the se c o mman ds the Jewish physicians were in ,

1
general r equest .

The M o o rs were n o w c o llected withi n Granada

without admixture of Christian s a n d the Jews ,

were drive n into corners O n all S ides there w as .

big o try knittin g every brow The Church a d .

v a n c e d her li n es against the misbelievers like

those leade n chambers o f the later Inqui sition in ,

which the victim beheld every day the fo ur w all s

approach an inch near er to his perso n in o rder to ,

crush him at the last— a n d the Jew as he found ,

himself hun ted by subtle encro achmen ts on his

previ o us fran chises naturally loved less a n d less ,

the gigan tic and gr o wing power which ruled his

desti n y ; a n d a badged race always clin g the closer
to each other fo r bein g so There was no lo n ger .

a ge n er al co n ver se am o n g men o f differi n g creeds ,

but still men— n o r a li beral c o mpetiti o n o f ge n ius

among all E ach class of Span iards w as broadly
.

stigm a tized by the rest E very one s aw himself .

and his neighbour whi te o r black ; an d whatever

1
I t is re mar k abl e h o w
v g i th l g g f th c cil i a ue s e an ua e o e o un s n

givi g n f t h i p hibi t i
a r e as o n thor b di c f th p pl
e r ro on e o e en e o e eo e

w q lly l x B th P t th C l d h i b th H y
as e ua a . o e er e ru e , a n s ro er enr ,

k p t J wi h phy ici I 1 4 7 D A lv d E t g p id
5
e e s s a ns n . ar o e s un a a
.
,

tw h od d d t w ty m v di t R S l m th
un re an en g ar a e s o . o o on e s ur eo n

an d in L i b R Ab Zs t w
on phy ici t th C t
. r. ac u as s an o e ou r .
 C HA PTE R XX I .

CALUMNI ES OF T HE THI RTE E NTH A ND FOU R

TEENTH C EN T U R I E S .

THE sprin gs by which the clergy were able to

rouse the san guin ary multitudes fo r persecuting
the Jews were fo u n d in the u n tiri n g p r opagati o n
,

of falsehoods to the detriment of their character .

Besides the theolo gical enmity which was their ,

o w n c o n cern ,
and the legislative arran gements ,

which they caused t o be abun dan tly o ppressive ,

they could keep the p o p ulace i n a ferme n t by such

unfo u n ded representati o ns as that the Jews by
,

their in ge n uity i n mechan ic al tra des were r o bbi n g

the true Chur ch o f their liveli ho o d an d by their ,

numbers were c o nsuming the n ecessary fo o d an d ,

thus enhanci n g its price t o the i nj u ry of Chris

tians a n d the more these tales a n d their marvel
,

lous lege n ds with the same o bj ect wer e preached

, , ,

the mor e hearty became the h o stilit y o f both nar

 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S ,
&c . 333

rato r and hearer 1

M o n str o us ficti o n s o f di ab o
.

li c al cruelty were cir cul a ted a m o n g all cla s ses o f

so ciety A huge c o ntr o versial bo o k termed th e
.
,
”
“
F ortress o f the F aith i n the fi ft ee n th ce n tury , ,

teems with narr ati o n s calculated t o excite h o rr o r

a n d dre a d of the Jews : fo r ex a mple D o n Mehir , ,

aft er bei n g phy sician to He n ry I II o f Castille .

,

was k n o wn i n the n ext r eign t o purchase a h osti a

s acrame n t al wafer fr o m the Sac r istan o f Seg o vi a
( ) ,

an d the n i n compa n y with his frie n ds

,
to cast it ,

from S heer malice into a b o ilin g cauldr o n ; but ,

from its inherent vitality the tra n substan tiated ,

w a fer leaped o u t which so affrighted the crimi,

nals that they wrapped it i n a cl o th an d carried

, ,

it t o the pri o r o f the D o minican s an d related the ,

wh o l e affair The prior t o ld the bish o p an d Do n

.
,

Mehir co n fessed n o t o n ly this e n o rmity but , ,

more o ver th a t the late king s death was caused

,
’

by hi s havi n g p o is o ned him I n refutati o n of all .

thi s Car d o s o l o n g aft e rwards argues the glari n g

,
1
, ,

impro babili ties o f the st o ry a n d the t o tally di f ,

’
fe r e n t a cc o unt given of Ki n g He n ry s death by
the historians Y et n otwithstandi n g the Jewish
.
, ,

1 A lyi g t
n on
g ue h a tet h th e m wh o ar e af flict d by it
e .
”
( P r ov .

xxvi .
P r o p r iu m h u man ig i
e n e r s e st o di q m
s se ue lae s er is .
”

— Ta c .A g ic l
r o a .

2
L xc l ci
as e e en as d e los He b reo s .
334 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D.

physician an d his c o mpanions were put to death

1
and quartered i n Seg o via .

A J e w blacksmith at Tav o ra had his s o n exe

o uted fo r s o me crime : i n co n sequence he wen t '

mad or feign ed it and in reve n ge upo n Chr is

, , ,

tian s u s ed t o strew n ails a n d c althr o p s in the

,

fi elds a n d roads so as t o i njure men and cattle or

, ,

n a il up pe o ple s do o r s i n the night and throw

’
,

fire in at the windows But compl aint being .

,

made to the king an o rder was made that no Jew

,

S hould, the n cefo r ward reside in Tavora ; and a ,

brazen magical head which was kept in the c a s ,

tle would o n the approach of o n e of the for bid

, ,
”
den race exclaim ,
“
A Jew in Tavora ; and at
, ,

”
hi s departure The Jew is o u t o f Tav o ra
,
.

These are related in a grave w o rk which o b

t a i n e d a high reputation There was also a p o p u .

lar b elief i n later times that all Jews had a n here

di t ary bad smell to whi ch they had been c o n
,

d e m n e d ever S in ce the crucifixi o n of our Savi o ur ,

and which could only be r emoved by baptism .

Cardo s o in reply to this argues their cleanly

, ,

habits an d well known healthy temperan ce of liv

-

ing — that if the char ge were true it is in duced

, ,

by the Christians depriving them of pursuits

which require strong exercise and confining them ,

1 Gar ib a y .
—
C mp di
o en o Historal .
336 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D.

aft erwards repented and was baptized Th e .

murder w a s reve al ed to the city guards appointed

‘
to watch the b o ats o n t h e river by night They .

observed a li ght shi n i n g over a p ar ticular S p o t of

the bea ch and gave i n fo rmatio n t o a p r iest who
, ,

rec o gn ized the lambe n t gl o ry as t h e t o ken o f a

sai n t bei n g there deposited The gr o und w as .

ope n ed an d the body of you n g D o mi n ic being

,

disc o vered was conveyed to St Giles church : a

, .
’

visi o n however of the child procured his r e

, , ,

m o val to the cathedr al where he has ever S inc e ,

been revered as the martyr St D o min ic de Val .

,

and gr eat miracles have been attributed to his

e fficacy The acts o f his martyrdo m are pre
.

served i n the archives while poems an d orati o ns ,

have commemorated the glori o us event By one .

of these he has been compared t o our Saviour ,

because o n e is D omin us in Lati n a n d the other ,

D o min icus ; b o th wer e put t o death by Jews &c , .

At Valladolid in 1 4 54 two Jews seized a child

, ,

i n the fields a n d killed him t o o k out the heart

, , ,

and buried the b o dy ; but some shepherd do gs -

passing by scented a bout a n d scr atched up the

,

child dr aggi n g i t al o ng to their masters by the leg

,

a n d arm Luys de A l man za was preaching in

.

the city and made i n quisition : he detected one

,

1 B zov u A l
nn a es, a p dB
u asn a
ge .
 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 33 7

of the culprits who had a red bear d and h ai r 1

this man bein g t o rtured o n the r a ck c o n fessed

, ,

the h o rrid deed als o that they had burn t t h e

,

’
child s hear t to powder an d dru n k it in wi n e .

The Jews h o wever appealed t o the ki n g again st

, ,

the evide n ce that was elicited by to rtur e — the ,

p r o ceedings were suspen de d a n d t h e m an ulti ,

mately freed The F o rtress o f the F aith attri

.
”

butes his rescue to bribes give n t o the ki n g an d

the thr ee j udges but appeals t o the l a st gr eat,

d a y whe n th o se judges wi ll be judged .

A l s o in T o r o 1 45 7 t w o ch ildren o f ab o ut
, ,

seve n years o f age bein g i n the fields were pur , ,

sued by t wo Jews : but fearin g they Sh o uld n o t

have time t o kill b o th they o n ly caught o n e , ,

a n d cutti n g out a piece o f his leg fled with it ,

to Z a m o ra ; but what th ev did with it is u m

k n o wn .

An o ther child is said by Sepulveda to have bee n

killed i n 1 45 8 a n d the cr imin al s were punished by
,

the b ish o p D o n Juan Arias .

A tragical t ale is related of the year 1 49 1 .

At La Guar dia n in e leagues h o m Toledo s o me

,
'

Jews o f th at place o f Quintan ar an d Tem , ,

1
On th e C i
p pl
on t n ent, t ght by th i ch ch pict
th e eo e ar e au e r ur ur e s

th t J
a u d I c i t w di ti g i h d f m th
as s ar o as t f th p tl s n u s e ro e res o e a os es

by h i s re d b d dh i
ear an a r.
3 38 HI S T O RY O F THE J EW S [
A . D .

bleque agreed t o make up a witch spell with a

,
-

h os ti a a n d the heart o f a child fo r the pur p o se ,

o f p o is o n i n g C hristi a n pe o ple but e s pecially t h e

,

i n quisito rs o f the h o ly o ffice s o as t o make them

,

die ravi n g m a d They stru ck down a child of

.

three or fo ur ye ar s o ld a n d dragged hi m t o a
,

cavern n ear L a Guardi a where they fl o gged him

,

with five o r si x th o usan d stripes the n crucified ,

him a n d buried the body in a vi n eyar d at a

,

quarter of a league di stan ce They pur chased .

a h os ti a fr o m the sacristan of La Gu ar dia and ,

this t o gether with the heart was p o un ded i n to

, ,

a powder which they fo rwarded t o the fam o us

,

syn agogue of Zam o ra a n d o n e Ben edict de las

,

Mesuras placed some o f it betwee n the l eave s

o f a prayer b o o k in
-
the but a per s o n
appro achin g that bo o k o n a festival d ay was as ~ ,

t o n i sh e d at beholdi n g an irradiati o n ar o u n d it ,

lik e a rai n bow or the c o lour s o f the eve n in g sky

, .

N otice being given to the inquisito r s their o ffi ,

c i als di sc o vered the detestable pl o t : all th o se ac

c u s e d of the attempt were t o rtured c o n demned , ,

and burned at Avila N either the b o dy n o r.

heart of the chil d was fo un d ; but the h os ti a

was (this is i n consiste n t with the r est of the
s t ory
)
, and b o rne i n s o lemn p r ocessi o n t o the
m o n astery o f St Th o mas O ne of the murderer s
. .
,

F ern ando de R ibera of Tembleque w a s not ap ,

340 HI ST O RY O F THE JEws

bl o o d to dri n k ; but at le n gth the ki n g got them

to ack n owledge that they had placed the c o rpse
the r e in o r de r t o r aise an i n surrecti o n which
,

might take ve n gean ce fo r the death o f Christ 1

I n the four th ye ar o f the same o r an o ther

Al o n so the alarm was S p r ead at O ssu n a n ear
,

Seville o f a C hr istian c o rpse bein g fo un d i n the

,

h o use o f a Jew : the mob ar o se a n d the Jew s fled ,

fo r refuge t o such frie n dly Chr istian s a s would

receive them in their h o uses ; but even ther e were
liable t o di e o f hun ger as the seaso n w as pa ssover
, ,

a n d their pr o tect o r s had n o n e but leavened b r ead .

The same t o o k place at Palma an d the syn ag o gue ,

deputed three o f their leaders t o appeal t o the

kin g . These were Abraham ben B e n v en i st a ,

J o seph ru ler o f San he dri m an d R S a muel ben

, ,
.

Shushan l ately the super i n te n dan t o f syn ag o gues

,

in E gypt but r ece n tly arrived in Castille with t h e

,

h o n our able appellati o n o f Chief o f o u r Cap

”
t iv i t y. These tr a velled a s secr etly as p o ssible
thr o ugh w o o ds an d bye r oads by which they were
-
,

so much delayed that the accuse r s arrived first at

c o urt .

W he n the r abbis appeared some proposed t o ,

apply the questi o n by t o rture b u t R J o seph who .

,

sp o ke fo r the r est declar ed that in that case they

, , ,

1
S c pt
e re of Ju d ah .
 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 34 1

w o uld certai n ly c o n fess themselve s guilty o f an y

c r im e la id t o their charg e O n e p r e s e n t affir m ed
.
,

that by the an cie n t l aws of the c o u n try all to rtur e ,

up o n tri al w a s pro hibited ; a n d the ki n g related

how a t the begi n n in g o f his r eign he h a d lo s t t w o
vessels o f g o ld a n d the theft w a s laid t o tw o
,

Jewish br o the r s Judas a n d Samuel O n ko a w h o

, , ,

bein g put t o the questi o n ackn o wledged the crime

, ,

a n d were ha n ged ; yet three d a ys aft erwards th o se

vessel s were fo un d in posse s si o n o f o n e o f h i s

c o u rtier s W he n ce he said it i s clear that m e n
.
, ,

will make any declaratio n be the c o nsequen ce s ,

what they may t o gain relief fr o m exce s sive p ai n

,
.

S o the ki n g pr o p o sed t o empl o y a m o re e ffectu al

instr ume n t fo r ascertain i n g the truth a rewar d o f ,

s o m a n y pieces o f g o ld ; whe n it was fo u n d that

o n e J u a n de la Vera with s o me fri e n ds had d i s

, ,

i n terr ed this b o dy substituti n g a large sto n e in

,

the grave t o preve n t the si n kin g o f the e arth a n d ,

cas t it into the h o use o f the Jew t o wh o m he o wed ,

m o n ey which he c o ul d n o t repay
An o ther such i n stan ce w a s defeated by the
king s interfere n ce The cr o wd assembled befo r e
’
.

the palace win do ws deman din g justice Acc o r d

,
.

”
i n g to the Sceptre o f Juda h the m o n ar ch ,

summ o n ed s o me Jews an d asked their in t erp r e

,

1
S c pte re of J ud a h .
’

Q3
342 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

t at i o n of Psalm cxxi 4 They s ai d that it was . .

,

generally u n der s to o d t o mean H e S hall not ,

sleep much less shall he slumber that keepeth

, ,

”
Is r ael ; but the ki n g re n de r ed it H e S hall ,

neither Slumber n o r su ffer him t o sleep that keep

, ,

eth I srael a n d t o pr o ve the c o rr ectness o f hi s

versi o n he r elated that the p r ev i o us night he had

, ,

o t n o rest but ar o se a n d lo o ked out o f the w i n

g ,

do w by m o o n light whe n he s aw s o me men carry

,

i n g a bur de n like the body of a man ; that he

dispatched th ree serv a nts t o w atch their proceed
i n gs a n d that these perceived fro m a dark corner
, ,

that the obj ect was a c o r pse a n d they rec o gn ized ,

the features o f the m en The servan ts were p r o .

du c e d and gave as reaso n s for n o t apprehending

,

the parties : 1 That they h a d n o c o mman d to d o

.

so ; 2 That they were u n armed ; 3 That the

. .

b o dy was hastily thrown i n to the h o use o f a Jew .

S o j udgme n t was give n a n d the pe o ple retired , .

In the time o f g o o d king Alo n so the G r eat ,

s o me men reported that they had seen a Chris

tian enter a Jew s h o use o n the fi r st day o f pass
’

o ver a n d pre s e n tly afterwards heard a cry fo r

,

help The m agistr ates sent to exami n e the place

.
,

but fo un d n o Christian there ; they therefo re

blamed the pe o ple fo r bri n gi n g such i dl e tales
befo r e them Appeal was made t o the kin g ; he
.

s ummo n ed the accused Jew w h o de n ied all kn o w

,
344 HIS T OR Y O F THE J EW S

day o f pass o ver he had see n him alive yester day

,

in a suburb a n vill age A party was se n t t o b r i n g

.

him fo r war d i n clu di n g o n e Jew lest the o ther s o f

, ,

the party S hould i n duce G u zman t o absc o n d ;

a n d the m a n w a s pr o duced ali ve The kin g w a s .

sur pri s ed that the Jew S h o uld have cr im i n ated

him self s o a s t o i n cur the pe n alty o f death ; but
,

the latter declared th a t he h a d d o n e s o that a n ,

e n d might be made t o the t o rtu r es by which he

was treated w o rse than a mur der er 1

.

Fo r a few year s befo r e a n d after 1 400 a pesti ,

le n ce r aged thr o ugh o ut E uro pe s o fearful i n its ,

e ffects a s t o be c o mm o n ly de n o min ated the

,

”
black death . D urin g the gen er al pan ic a n o tion ,

was r apidly pr o pag ated th a t the m o rtali ty was

caused b v the Jews p o is o n i n g the spr in gs a n d
fo un ta in s o ther s averred that they h a d wit n es s ed
the Jews by m o o n light mutter in g i n c an tati o ns
,

a n d c a sti n g delete ri o us drugs i n t o t h e r ive r s a n d

run n i n g streams Th o u sa n ds of lives we r e s acr i

.

fi c e d t o this cruel ficti o n as well in Cata l o n ia as

, ,

i n German y an d F ran ce .

Thus were the fa ithful pe o ple taught t o shud

der at Jewish s o ciety as i n v o lvi n g eve r y thin g
,

that is l o athsome a n d in hum an N o deeds c o uld .

be m o re inconsi ste n t with their reli gi o us feelin g s

1 S c pt
e r e of J u d ah .
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 345

and practices than the sanguinary p a ss o ver s thu s

,

ascribed t o them by m o n ks bish o ps judges an d

, , ,

in quisitor s n ay even referred t o i n the r o yal c o de

,

o f the Siete Partida s (vii 2 4 .but the r e.

cital o f such wilful and barbar o u s calu m n ies ,

detestable as they may appear th o ugh fo rg ed i n ,

what are called dark ages will hardly prepare o u r

,

min ds fo r their repetitio n in the n in etee n th c en

tury o r fo r the h o r ri fyin g events o f the present
,

d ay in R h o des and D amascus The early C hr i s

.

tian s were accused o f similar atr o cities T ert u l .

lian Justin Martyr and O rige n assure us that

, , ,

the heathen public believed the Christian s t o kill

childre n at their eucharistical a s semblies whe n ,

every person prese n t di pped his bread i n the

blo o d Christian ity has by its asce n dan cy hap
.

pily dem o nstrated the wickedness o f these char g e s ,

but the Je ws have yet scarcely attai n ed s o high a

sta n di ng as from it to co n foun d their calumn iato r s .
 C HAP TE R XX II .

M EAN S F OR C O N V E R S I ON O F J EW S U S E D I N
T HE T H I R T E EN T H A ND FO U R T E E N T H C E N
T UR I E S .

To a mind deeply convinced of the reality of

the Gospel s claim and i n flue n ced by its s anc
’
,

tions it must have been p ainful to witness the

,

fact o f s o great a pop ulation denying the Lord

”
w h o b o ught them A haughty clergy must have
.

also foun d it a serious an n oyance t o have their

authority checked and defied to s o wide a n exten t .

Per s o n s i n either o f these classes reflecti n g o n

,

t h e m ultitudinous c o nve r sio n s in the ap o stoli c

g
a e,
and the more r ece n t christeni n gs o f whole

heathen nations simultane o usly w o ul d wish and

,

expect to gain similar results from preachi ng to

t h e Jews backed by o ther modes of argume n t :
,

but they overlooked the di fference betwee n a bar

348 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

he returned appar e n tly v exed at some ill usage

,
-

rece n tly r eceived an d e n tr eati n g the ki n g t o judge

,

his cause . My n eighb o u r said he departin g

‘
,
’
,
‘

o n a j o ur n ey about a m o n th si n ce gave t o each ,

o f his t w o s o n s a rich j ewel t o c o n s o le them fo r

h i s abse n ce The br o ther s came t o me wi th their

.

'

tr easures to decide their dispute as t o which was

,

the most v aluable I referred them t o the p r a c

.

t i se d S kill of their o w n father up o n this p o i n t ;

but the y o uths became an gry at my moderate

c o u n sel which favo ured n either side an d p r o
, ,

c ee d e d to r evile a n d strike me The ki n g sym ’

.

a t h i z e d with the old m a n a n d pr o mised him

p ,

r edre s s. But he then repli ed Beware O king ,

‘
, ,

lest thou slay thy s elf with thin e o w n sword E sau .

a n d Jac o b we r e breth r en ; a j ewel was give n to

each a n d thou has t i n quired o f me which of these

,

j ewels is the m o st precious I refer thee t o our .

heave n ly Pare n t the great Giver o f tr easu res w h o

, ,

will s urely a n d exactly determin e the val u e o f the

respective gems The ki n g was pleased with hi s
.
’

i n g e n ious parable : but the se n timen t o f n eutral

e u ah t i n matters o f everlasti n g mome n t b e
q y
c o mes n either a dev o tio n al Jew n o r a practical ,
”
C hri s tian .

Ab o ut the middl e o f the next reign i n Arago n

was published the fo llowing
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 349

PR I V I L E G I U M .

Be it k n o wn un t o all m e n that we J am es by , ,

the grace o f G o d kin g o f Ar ago n V ale n cia &c

, , , .

fo r o u r selves a n d o u r succe s s o r s i n Ar ag o n C at a ,

l o n ia Maj o r ca an d M o n tpellie r a s well a s t h e

, , ,

ki n gdo m o f V al e n cia a n d all o ur do mi n i o n a n d

,

jur i s dicti o n which we n o w an ywher e p o s s ess o r ,

hereaft er we o r o u r succe s so r s by the help o f ,

G o d shall o btai n , d o he r eby fo r the l o ve o f o u r

,

L o rd Jesus C hr ist a n d his gl o r i o us Virgin m o ther

, ,

a n d fo r our s alvati o n decr ee fo r ever that wh at, ,

s o ever Jew o r Saracen by the grace o f the H o ly ,

Spirit shall desire t o accept the o rth o do x fait h

, ,

and washi n g o f savi n g b apti sm he m ay d o S O ,

freely an d with o ut any c o nditi o n s o ever a n y s t a ,

tute o f our pr edecess o rs o r o f a n y o ther per s o n ,

n o twithsta n di n g o r a n y p r o hibiti o n
,
o r c o ve n ant, ,

o r cu s t o m hithert o held s o a s t o be a l o s e r up o n ,

th a t a cc o unt i n an y o f h i s go o d s m o ve able im ,

m o veable o r p o rt able by him self : b u t he may

,

have h o ld o r p o ss e s s by o u r a u th o r it y t o g ethe r
, , ,

with the legal r ight o f the childr e n a n d r elative s

of the sai d c o n vert i n such man n er n am ely th at , ,

the said childre n o r relatives s h all cl a im n o thi n g

fr o m the pro perty o f the said c o n vert during his
life time a n d at his death Sh all claim t o that
,

amount and no more which they might reason

, ,
350 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

ably claim if he had ap o st a tized t o Judaism o r

Pagan ism ; that like as th o se wh o are withdraw n
fr o m such religi o n s are partakers of di vi n e gr ace ,

S O they may par take o f o urs which we o ught t o ,

co n fo rm to the will an d be n ev o le n ce o f G o d .

Given at Lerida 1 5 th March , ,

Strange that such a proclamatio n should be

needed ; but i t w as evide n tly a p r eparat o ry step
t o fur ther measures The co n fessor o f this m o narch
.

was R aymo n d de Pe nn afo rt e Gen eral o f the D o ,

m i n i c a n s a perso n o f sufficient imp o r tan ce t o

,

have been fr equently entrusted with missi o ns to

the c o urt o f R o me Hi s i n flue n ce he n o w em
.

ployed i n rem o n stratin g against all such pr o ceed

in gs as tended rather to har ass (and s o t o harden )
the Jews than to c o n vert them H e rec o mme n ded .

rather
By wi i g w d t c q h m n h t
nn n or s o on u er u a e a r s,

A d m k p
n a ei d th w k f f
e r s u a s on o e or o e ar
1

Fo r this obj ect he advised t o train a certain num

ber o f stude n ts in the H ebrew and Ar abic lan
guages an d that Th o mas A quin as should com
,

p o se a treatise for the especial cause of Jewish

instructi o n All this was done ; and i n further
.

1 P a ra dise Re ga ine d .
35 2 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

wh o had conducted the d ispute a n d the ki n g fo r ,

the cou n ten an ce a ffo r ded .

R aym o nd Mar ti n w h o had taken a S har e i n the

,

tran s a cti o n was as s o ci a ted t h e n ext ye a r with

,

R aym o n d de Pe n n a fo rt e a n d the Bishop o f Bar

cel o n a t o sear ch fo r blasphemies i n the Jewish
,

bo o ks : a n d s o o n appeared The D agge r o f the

“

”
F aith the mightiest c o n tr o vers ial w o r k up o n
,

H eb r ew r eligio n that had ever b een pro duced It .

h a s S i n ce been l o st fo r n ear ly three ce n turies but ,

when recover ed it was still r egarded a s a r espect

,

able perfo r man ce fo r its time a n d man y wr iters ,

have borr o wed from it b o th R oman Catholic and

,

Pro testan t The argume n ts ar e threefo ld

. .

1 A gain st th o se with o ut law— as the heathe n

. .

2 A gai n st the Jews u n der the law

.
, .

3 T o pr o ve that all the C hri s tian peculiarities

.

are fo un d in M o ses a n d the pr o phets .

H ebrew qu o tati o n s aboun d in it ; but B a sn age

c o n siders the w o r k u n fit fo r c o nvicti o n o f the u n
d e r s ta n di n g si n ce it charges the Jews with what
,

they d o n o t h o ld and i t s reas o n in g is feeble a n d

,

exaggerated .

R aym o n d de Pen n afo rt e is all o wed by all t o ,

have gai n ed the esteem o f the Jews by his ki n dl y

c o n duct ; but n o calculati o n is made o f his success
in convertin g them alth o ugh fr om among the Mo
,
th o u sa n d besides that the A frican M o o r s t estified
their willi n gn es s to fo ll o w the g o o d exam ple The .

mir a cles r elated o f him ar e a sto n i shin g b o th fo r,

their n umber a n d p o wer ; a n d he h a s S in ce been

can o n ized as a sain t .

James I I of Ar ago n c o n ti n ued the missi o n ary

.

e fforts made by his fathe r a n d in 1 2 9 7 a n ew

, ,

invitati o n w a s made t o the Jews a n d S arace n s ,

assur in g t o them the free p o ssessi o n o f g o o ds and ,

de n ou n cing severe pun ishme n ts to every per s o n ,

of what religi o n r an k o r degree s o eve r that

, , ,

should revile a convert as a tur n c o at re n egade , ,

&c .

W e als o desire an d o r dai n th at the b r ethre n

,

o f the o rder o f preache r s

(the D o mi n ic a n s ) d o

o ffer the w o rd of G o d t o the Jews a n d S ar ace n s

o f b o th s exes ,
by p r eachi n g argum e n t s co n ver
, ,

sati o n o r declarat i o n o f the C h ristian fa ith

,
.

These sh all as s emble at their c all an d listen wi th

,

out i n terr uptio n t o t h e p r eachi n g Al so t o av o id

.
,

the p o ssibility of the ir supp r e s si n g the c o n victi o n

of tr uth by stubborn sile n ce they sh all r evere n tly
,

an swer to the i n terro gati o n s o r obj ecti o n s o f the

s a id brethre n they shall als o be c o mpelled whe n ,

desired t o give access to their bo o k s fo r the i n v e s

,

t ig at i o n o f a n y matte r s th a t so the tr uth may be

,

the better S ifted bv a mutual exhibition an d col

3 54 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

latio n of writin gs an d thus be bro ught t o more

,

o pe n light .

W e desire m o r eover that if a n y new c o n ,

verts sh all r efuse o r n eglect t o atte n d the preach

i n gs adm o n iti o n s o r c o rrecti o n s o f t h e said
, ,

b r ethre n they are t o be pun ished as may be

,

n ecessary by magistrates c o nstables o r an o ther

, y , ,

of o ur o fficers the n prese n t acc o r di n g to the ,

sentence o f the s a id b r ethr e n with c o r p o real o r ,

an o ther pu ni shme n t
y .

Give n at Valencia 1 8th D ec 1 2 9 7 , . .

How inge n i o us was the Span ish Ch u rch i n

co n trivan ces t o leave the least possible degree o f
r eality with the n o minal freed o m of the will ! The

D o min ican o rder expressly a society of p r eachers

, ,

had bee n called i n t o existe n ce for the suppressi o n

o f A lbige n sian he r esy but the tran siti o n was easily
,

made to all o ther impugn ers o f the do mi n an t

Church The pr oceedi n gs ab o ve p r escribed fo rmed
.

but a sin gle step beyo n d the late ki n g s di sputa ’

tion in the pal a ce B ut imagi n e t w o o r th r ee o f

.

these black fri ars atte n ded by a p o sse c o mitatus

,
-

a n d a r med with sc o u r ges p r o cl a i mi n g their arrival

,

at the m ar ket cross o f a t o wn by s o u n d o f bell

-
,

as St F ras Xavier used to d o i n I n di a ; summ o n

. .

i n g the parish priests t o pr o duce the re g ister o f

Jews there r eside n t an d the n that o f all the n e w
,
35 6 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

do somethin g i n the p a p al style ; fo r he assembled

a s o lem n co n v o c ati o n o f the chief Span ish rabbi s
o n o n e S ide a n d o f C hristian s versed i n Hebrew
,

o n the other o ste n sibly to he ar o n e Jer ome o f

,

h o ly faith (pr evi o usly n amed J o shua L o rki ) a

, ,

c o nverted Jew o f high r eputati o n dem o n s t r ate ,

to the r abbis from the T almud itself that the

, ,

Messiah was alr eady come The learn ed Jews .

were t o be permitted to reply This enc o u n ter .

the latter dreaded s o much as t o bribe several o f ,

the bishops t o induce the an tipope to chan ge his

purpose ; fo r in depende n t of the merits of the
,

c o ntroversy they kn ew too well that ther e was

,

danger i n the c o llisi o n o f Jews with ecclesiastical

p o wer But Be n edict persevered for his di gn ity s
.
’

s ake .

The Christian champio n was aided by Gar ci

Alvarez o f Alarco n o n e w h o had already di sti n ,

u i sh e d himself i n the same c a reer ; and A n drew

g
Belt r an D D the almoner t o Benedict also a c o n
,
. .
,

vert fr o m Judaism who fo r his piety as well as ,

acquireme n ts was made bish o p o f Barcel o n a T o .

his knowle dge o f H ebrew a n d C haldee all refer

cn ces of disputed meani n gs were t o be su b
m itt ed .

The Jewish respondents were

 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 35 7

Fr om Z a r ag oz a .

Z a chariah the Levite 1

.

D o n Vid a l b e n B en v en i st a .

Fr o m A lcoj a
(
or A lca ves) .

Joseph b e n A d der eth .

D o n Meir G alig o n .

Fr om M onz on .

Joseph the L evite .

J o m T o b C ar c o sa .

Fr om M a li eset (or Velesa ) .

Joseph A lb al egh .

Hh a c h am B o n go z a
T o d r o s b en J eh h n a ,
of Gero n a .

Fr om Hues ca — T o dro s o f C o nstan tin o ple .

Fr om D a r o ca Abu N e str o k
.
-
.

Fr o m M o nr ea l — J o seph Alb o
. .

Fr om M o nta lba n — Abu Gan da . .

Samuel the Levit e .

M o s e s b e n M o ses .

M a ta t h i as I z ah ari Mac alti o b the chief o r , ,

These assembli n g at R o me (a s they style

1 Not t o b e c f on oun d d with

e on e of th e sa me n a me i n th e

lv
e e e nt h c e n tury .
35 8 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

the papal c o urt) were received wit h great t o ke n s

,

o f fii en d sh i a n d had l o dgi n gs with a bu n da n t

p , ,

p r o visi o n s such as their religi o n appr o ved p r e ,

par ed fo r them at the a n tip o pe s expe n se They ’

.

were s o mewh a t alarmed a t the very o utset by ,

o bse r vi n g a secret a ry write d o w n thei r name s a n d

pl a ces o f ab o de ; but Be n e di ct a ssur ed them th a t

his o n ly o bj ect i n h avin g this do n e was t o serve
fo r c o mpili n g the public registr a ti o n o f the p r o
c e e d in g s
. The Jews had p r evi o usly selected Vidal
ben B e n v e n i st a for a le a de r as well fo r his p r o
,

fo un d e r uditi o n as fo r his flue n cy in speakin g

,

Lati n and they had agr eed am o n g themselves t o

u se g r e a t m o der a ti o n o f lan guage n ot revili n g ,

eve n the m o st w o rthless o pp o n e n t o n ly t o exhort ,

him n o t t o r u in his o w n s o ul .

The meeti n gs we r e c o n ti n ued fo r several m o n ths ,

and whe n ever the an tip o pe was n o t himself p r e s e n t ,

h i s pl a ce was o ccupied by the ge n e r al o f the D omi

n i c an s
. A t the cl o se of all a report was drawn
,

up a n d publi s hed by auth o r ity asserti n g that the

,

r abbis were s o far vanquished th a t R A sm u t h

,
.

p r ese n ted t o car di n al An gel o a paper dis a vowin g ,

all the pa ss age s i n the T a lmud which they c o uld

n ot defe n d sign ed by all prese n t except R
,
.

Alb o an d R F err er B u t the Jewish acc o un t

. .

says nothi n g of this an d the n ame s o f A s mu t h

,

and F errer d o n o t o ccur in the list of resp o nde n ts .

3 60 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

s o lely by Jerome w h o h a s p r o mised t o dem o n

,

strate t o y o u that Messiah is c o me fr o m the

evide n ce of the Talmud which was c o m posed by
,

r abbis far s u rpassi n g y o urselves I n w 1 s d o m : there

fo re take heed t o yo ur argumen ts The n tur n .

3)
,

i n g t o Jer ome he bade him c o mme n ce which he

, ,

di d by r ea di n g fr o m the first chapter of Isaiah ,

C o m e n o w let us r easo n t o gether saith the

, ,

L o rd : but if ye refu se an d rebel ye S hall be ,

devour ed by the sw o r d fo r the mouth o f the ,

”
L o r d h a th sp o ken it At which B en v e n i st a
.

made a n eloque n t addr ess i n L atin t o dep r ecate ,

s o u n fa ir a n d cruel a begi n n i n g Be n e di ct c o n .

fessed that Jero me had behaved with gr eat i m

p r o priety but was to be excused i n a smuch as he
, ,

had acqui r ed his rude n ess fro m ear ly Jewish edu

catio n The n Samuel the Levite as a set o ff
.
,
-

agai n st Jer o me s text made use of PS lxxxv 7

’
,
. . .

Shew us thy mercy O L o r d and gran t us thy

, ,

salvati o n an d freque n tly duri n g the p r o gr e s s of

the disputati o n in times of special alar m they
, ,

cited this verse They e n treated t o be released

.

fro m further p r o ceedin gs as they we r e not accus ,

t o m e d t o sch o lastic logic but in vai n ; so they ,

spen t th at eve n i n g in public syn ag o gue p r ayi n g ,

the Lord to e n lighten their min ds that they ,

mi ght av o id p r o v o ki n g the li o n s an ge r : an d ’

Zachar iah the Levite preached a sermon so p ro

 IN S P A I N AND P OR T U G A L . 36 1

fo un d that n o n e c o uld keep up wit h his r ea so n in g

”
without c o n sultin g the speaker hi m self He .

e n ded with pr ayer .

I n the n ext d a y s argument they t o o k merit t o

’

themselves fo r r esistin g the seducti o n o f s o m uch

wealth a n d h o n o ur a s was lavi shed i n their sight ,

t o desert the la w which h a d bee n give n by G o d

himself amid gr eat mir acles t o six hun dred thou

san d per s o n s at o n ce ; a n d ve n tured t o s ay t hat ,

they had n o ambiti o n t o be m a de bish o ps On .

the fift h day they wer e ag ain in c o n ster n atio n o n ,

fi n ding that the secretar ie s wr o te do wn their r e

plies they were a pprehen sive o f their w o rds bein g
m i s stated a n d o n s o me future o ccasio n bei n g
-
,

p r oduced ag ain st them They agr eed ther efo r e

.

t o spe ak o n ly o n e pe r s o n t o each p o in t an d the n

, , ,

if h i s a n swer gave o ffe n ce they c o uld affirm th at

,

it was but his i n di vidual se n time n t n o t that o f ,

the wh o le b o dy The n ext day Jero m e stumbled

.
,

i n his ar gume n t and c o n ceded aga in st his will

, , ,

an imp o rtan t p o in t fo r which the Jew s had c o n

,

te n ded The latter emb ra ced this o pp o rtu n ity of

.

o fferi n g t o withdr aw fro m the debate alto gether ,

bu t Be n edict was o f o pi n i o n th a t Je r o m e w a s
n o w m o r e than eve r b o u n d t o persist i n h i s o bj ect .

O n the sev e n th day o f meetin g the p o r ti o n o f

,

the Law a pp o in ted t o be read w a s D e u t xxv 1 7

,
. . .

t o the e n d : a n d it may have been u n de r the fo rce

R
 362 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

of its a pplicati o n t o p r esen t cir cumstan ce s that

Abu N e str o k i n reply to the an tip o pe himself
, ,

u n guardedly exclaimed th a t while C h ristians

,

believed so man y absurdities r e spectin g the pe r s o n

and o ffices o f Messiah they might be all o wed t o
,

e n tert ai n o n e Opin i o n o n th a t subj ect which to ,

their o pp o n en ts seemed absurd This excited .

great an ger i n the court which the rabbis had

,

t o all a y by disclai m ing all S har e in the speaker s

’

erro r a n d plea di n g fo r t hat kin dn ess which at

, ,

the begi n n in g had o ffered them free leave of

,

S peech : but returnin g h o me they blamed their

imprude n t champi o n with much severity .

The n ext day they met wi th u n usual favour ,

an d co n tested from the Talmud Jer o me s next ,

’

p o in t that Messi a h was n o t o n ly b o rn but als o

,

revealed But here the rep o rt is b r o ught to a

.

”
cl o se in the Sceptre o f J u dah as the r est o f ,

the epistle was said t o be t o rn o ff and lost .

W he n the affair w a s ter min ated the D omin ican ,

m issi o n aries set to w o r k a n d the chro n iclers tell

,

us that by s o me mean s o r o ther their c o n versions

, ,

w e r e pr o digious i n n umber : t w o hu n dred in the

syn ago gues o f Zarag o za C alatayud a n d A l c a fi i z

, , ,
'

especi ally o n e T o dr o s B e n v e n i st a with h i s family

o f seve n ; one hundred a n d twe n ty fa mi li es at
D ar o c a F raga a n d Bal ba str o an d all the syn a
, , ,

o u es o f A lca fi i z C aspe
g g ,
and ,
Maella i n a b o dy ,
 364 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

7 . No
Jews to practi s e as physicians surge o ns , ,

o r broker s a n d n o C hurch o rn ame n ts t o be placed

,

i n Je w ish han d s either fo r m akin g repairing o r

, , ,

by way o f pledge .

8 A ll Jews t o wear a badge o f red o r yell o w ;

.

t o be w o r n by m e n o n the breast and by w o me n ,

o n the fo r ehead Als o to reside in J ew ri e s

. .

9 T o p r actise no mo n ey lendi n g either under

.
,

pretence o f sale or i n the name of a third party

, ,

o r by o verstati n g the pri n cipal ; n o r to i n duce the

debto r to take o ath befo re an ecclesiastical judge

that he will repay it by a certain day so as to ,

i n cur excommun icati o n if he fail A nd all such .

bo n ds the n in h a n d t o be quashed .

1 0 The baptized may i n he r it t h e go o d s o f their

.

u n co n verted par e n ts i e s hall n o t be disi n he r ited

, . .

o n that acc o u n t .

1 1 All Jews above twelve years of age t o as

.

s emble thrice a year t o he a r serm o n s o n the prin

c i al art icles o f h o ly faith viz o n the sec o n d S u n

p , .

day i n A dve n t o n E aster M o n day a n d o n that

, ,

day whe n the go s pel less o n is r e a d “

W he n he ,

”
dr ew n igh unt o Je r usalem he wept o ver it & c , .

The first o f these s er m o n s t o be in pr o of that

Christ is c o me the sec o n d i n c o nde m n a tio n o f the
,

Talmud a n d all o ther b o oks which o bscur e the

Scriptur es the thi r d t o S h o w the fu lfilment o f
,

prophecy i n the destructi o n of Jerusalem a n d t o ,

 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 36 5

cl o se with the r eadin g o f this C o n stitutio n The .

“
pro cl am ati o n c o n cludes thus It is agr eeable
t o r eligi o n and Christian mildness t o defend the

Jews again st persecuti o n s ; they ar e t o be suffer ed

t o gr o w u n til the h a rvest lest believe r s sh o uld
,

ro o t up the un ripe c o rn while thin kin g t o era d i

cate the t ares Fo r ther e i s n eed o f mo r e m ild
.

n ess th a n aspe r ity with them because th o se wh o m ,

Christian be n ignity might b r i n g i n to the ri ght

w a y a n i n human harsh n ess will drive t o per
,

”
ditio n .

Given at Valen cia in the pro vin ce o f Tarra

o n 2 8 th o f May ; and o f o u r Po n t i fi c a t e
g ,

the X X I ye ar .

Thi s e di ct was se n t to all par ts of Sp a in an d ,

o n e c o py o f it is still preser ved i n the C athedr a l

o f T o led o
1
Am o n g the trustwo rthy pers o n s c o m
.

missi o n ed t o carry its provisi o n s int o effect was a

s o n o f D o n Paul bish o p of C ar thage n a
,
a c o n vert ,

fr o m Juda ism by mean s o f the argume n t ati o n in

Thomas A qui n as— this so n h o l di n g at the time
sever al lucrative o ffices an d becoming aft erward s
,

1
bishop of Place n cia .

But i n process o f time this Benedict was vo ted

to be but a n a n tip o pe a n d when his p,
o pula r ity
fai led a n d ki n g F erdi n an d died the c o nstituti o n s
, ,

fell into o bli vi o n .

M i
1 ar a n a . Z rita 2 u .
366 HI ST O RY O F THE J EW S [ A . D .

The c o n fere n ce gave rise to man y c o n tro versial

works R J o seph A lb o alm o st imme di ately drew
. .

”
up his celebrated B o o k o f Pr in ciples a summary ,

o f the Jewish c r eed ; R Vidal ben Levi wr o te the .

”
H o ly o f Holi es o n the same side a n d R Isaac , .

N atha n the Censure of the i e Jer o me . .

o f H o ly F aith but w h o had died befo re this was

,

” —
writte n ; als o the D efe n ce o f I s aac :
“
o ther such

producti o ns ar e fo u n d in the lists o f writin gs by

the rabbis of that period O n the other s ide Paul .
,

o f Burg o s or C ar thage n a wr o te the

,
Scrutiny o f ,

”
Scr iptur e a supp o sed dial o gue with o n e Saul a
, ,

”
Jew ; an d N o table A dd itio ns t o N ic o lai de Lyra
“
,

(another Jewish co n vert ) o n the evidence of Scrip

ture .

The most energetic o f the D o min ican s was Vin

ce n t F errer o f Vale n cia whose procee di ngs in th is ,

career have earned him can o nizat i o n and e xtr av a

gant h o n o urs fro m his C hurch By h i s assiduous .

preachin g he is said t o have c o nvert ed eight thou

sand M o o r s a n d thirty fi v e th o usan d Jews besides
,
-
,

in cre di ble numbers o f wicked Christian s ; but this

is less t o be marvelled at sin ce he wr o ught all ,

1 D u r i n g th e d eb at e
if m ly d ig t d h im th ,
th e Je ws un or es na e e

Epic T lm dic pp ll ti ; d t h
ur e a n ,
”
a Sc pt
a uf a e a on an e e re o

J d h m k wi th p c li ly J wi h ti f ct i t h t t h
”
u a re ar s, a e u ar e s sa s a on , a e

i i ti l i H b w f M t G im d ( S t ) Fé x c tly
n a s, n e re ,
o a s er er on o e an a ,
e a

f m th w d w hi ch ig ifi
or e orcl m it s n es a a u n a or .
368 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

u es and academies o f our illustri o us forefathers

g g
o

”
o f blessed mem o ry .

A curi o us in sight in to the cause an d e ffect o f

Jewish baptisms i n the fi ft eenth century is affo r ded
by a M S still exta n t in R o me It purp o rts to
. .

be a s o lem n exh o rtatio n fro m R Perip h o t D uran .

t o h i s so n B o n et o that he sh o uld n o lo n ger imi

,

tate h i s fo r efathers but embrace Christian ity Y et

, .

the wh o le epistle is s o equiv o cally worded that ,

it m ay be read entirely t o the o pposite e ffect

R D ur a n a n d his son r everted t o Judaism in four
.

years after as di d th o usan ds of similar converts

, ,

till the C hurch alarmed at the exte n sive defee

,

ti o n p r o cured a B u ll from Sixtus IV c o mmand

,
.
,

i n g all i n qui s it o rs and Chr istian p r inces t o take

care th a t the Chur ch received no detriment The .

c o n sequen ce w as that seventeen th o usand Hebrews

,

resumed the ir catholicity a n d two th o usan d were

,

burn ed alive as co n victed r ecusan ts .

Such were the e ffo rts made for reducing t h e

Jews t o obedience Th e mean s empl o yed were
.

ar gume n tative c o n fere n ces in a S pirit o f professi n g

can do ur but backed by cour tly sple n dour and a

,

c o mplian t civil auth o rity ; the burnin g of Jewish

b o o ks ; sermo n p r eachi n g acc o mpani ed by popular
,

massacr es and the i n quisiti o n The an cie n t g o thic

, .

per secutio n s h a d man ifestly failed of their pur

pose .
 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 36 9

Wh o v cm
o er o es

By f c h th v c
or e, a o er o me b t h lf hi
u a s foe

A nd
these pr o ceedi n gs did n o less s o fo r i n 1 492 ,

there wer e three times m o re o vert Jews i n Spai n

than i n 7 10 besides b aptized di ssemblers It , .

may surely n o w be said that the R o mish Church

h a s d o ne its utm o st i n this cause an d n o mo r e ,

will S he ever perfo rm till her c o rrupti o n s are cast

P ar a dise Re ga in e d — I t h as be e n o ft en p r on o un c e d by p erso n s
1
.

co nten t e dly ign oran t o f fa ct s that th e P r o testan t c on v ers ion s by ,

m e an s of th e Bibl
hi g b t th Bibl h v b
e , an d n o t q lly n u e e, a e e en e ua

f w
e d i ig i fi
an t— b t w h v
ns n ffi ci t t t im y f m
can u e a e su en es on ro a

c m p t t wit
o e en th t ch i t th t th P f
n ess a Th l k
su s no e ru . r o e ss o r o uc ,

o f H ll d cla e, d i 1835e It i
ar e d b t d m tt f f ct
n ,
s a n un ou e a er o a ,

th t m a p lyt h v b m d d i g th l t t w ty y
o re r os e es a e e en a e ur n e as en e

th i c th fi t g f th Ch ch N
an s n e e rs a d y it
es o e ur . o one ca n en 0 11

th C e ti on t d n en I m ,
a n w ill d y i t N t ly i
no on e, a su r e , en . o on n

G m y b t l i P l d th
er an ,
u h
a so b th m t t i hi g
n o an er e as e en e os as o n s n

su cc dI
e ss , an b t t im y t wh t h c m d m y w
c an e ar es on o a as o e un er o n

o b v t i i th c pit l f Sil i my tiv pl c wh m y

ser a on n e a a o es a, na e a e, er e an

c on v i h v t k pl c
ers on s a I th
e iv ity f B l w
a en a e. n e un e rs o r es a

th er e th p f
ar e wh w
r ee f m ly I li t
ro e ss ors p o er e or er sra e es a ro

fe ss o r of phil l gy p f f ch mi t y
o o ,
a d p f f phi
r o e ss or o e s r ,
an a r o e ss o r o

lOS O h
p y t h i b id cl
er e gy m s wh p f es th G p l
es a er an o ro e sses e os e ,

an d h w e J w I my p
as a t t ti
e .
t H ll t hn r es e n s a on a a e e re ar e no

l th fi p f
e ss an f m ly J w
ve r o e sso rs ,f m dici f
or er e s , on e o e ne
,
one o

m t h m t ic
a e a fl w d tw
s, o n e o f ph i l l gy a I mi gh t h w
,
an o o o o . S o

th t am f t h J wi h c v
so e o i h v t k pl c m g t m
e e s on e rs o ns a e a en a e a on s en

o f th high t li t
e y tt i m t
es Th
e ra r ll pa f th
a n en . ese a r e a e rso ns o e

hig h t ci t ifi c p ta ti
es s en d w f ithf l f ll w
re u f on , an no a u o o ers o o ur

L dJ or Ch i t
es us r s .
370 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S ,
&c .

”
to the m o les and t o the bats a n d the Jews S h all ,

see a Cath o lic C hristian ity with o ut idols o r sain t

w o rship without the do ctr in e that the ever livi n g
,
-

G o d had a m o ther o r the i n finite rep r oduction of

,

deity o u t o f paste fo r the people to eat W e trust .

that better days are n o w up o n the dawning that ,

alth o ugh hithert o the pr o phecies have bee n strictly

acc o mplished Y e shall be gathered o n e by o n e
, ,

ye children o f Israel an d
‘
I will take y o u o n e ,

o f a city a n d t w o o f a fam ily a n d bring o u to

, y ,

Zio n yet that by advan cing liberality and o pen

friendlin ess t o gether with diffusio n of Christian
,

literature suited for the purpose all u n der G o d s ,

’

especial blessi n g ; Israel may yet be gathered n o t ,

i n crowds by vi o le n ce but by progressive inroads

,

o f Scripture a n d i t s Holy A utho r and s o all ,

”
Israel shall be saved as it i s written , .

1
I sa . xxv u . 12 .
2
J er . iii . 14 .
372 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

te n sive massacr es de spite t h e Papal Bulls a n d

, ,

can o nical decrees r e g ar di n g the Jews Should ,

n eithe r be preve n ted n o r punished The c o un c il .

o f T o r tosa i n 142 9 e n treated ,

by the bowels of ,

”
the divine mer cy that the king o f Aragon the
, ,

prelates b ar o ns k n ights and u n iversities would

, , , ,

p r eserve the Jews fro m vi o le n ce ; a n d fro m this

time about thirty years elapsed without a n i n su r
,

r ectio n ag ai n st the Jews .

Alph o nsus de Spin a was a celebrated pr eacher

o f the fi ft ee n th ce n tury a n d ge n erally his e ffo rts
,

were cro wned with such success as he desir ed ;

but on one o ccasi o n feelin g depressed in spirit at
, ,

the u n k n own r esults of his lab o urs fo r a c o nside

rable pe r iod an d lean n against a well he heard
, ,

a voice which bade him l o we r the bucket i n to the

water H e o beyed and o n its withdrawal was
.
, ,

amazed to fin d in it twenty four white pebbles ,

-
,

each i n scribed with the name of Jesus N ow a s .

he had lately preached twe n ty four sermo n s in -

Valladolid o n the name of Jesus he had no do ubt ,

that these pebbles expressed the Saviour s app r o ’

b ati o n of th o se very serm o n s So he had twelve .

o f the stones set i n a silver cr o ss a n d the remain ,

i n g twelve he presented t o the queen This i n ci .

de n t is s ai d to have stre n gthened hi m exceedin gly

”
i n his faith a n d lab o u r o f love Ther e is yet .

extant a large c o ntroversial book by this A lp h o n

 IN S PA I N A ND P OR T U G A L .

s u s, c alled the F o rtress o f the F aith c o n si st ,

”

i n g o f five di visi o n s .

1 The F o rtr e s s in itself

. .

2 The F o r tress a s assaulted by He r etics

.
.

3 The F o rtre s s as a ssaulted by Jews

. .

4 The F o r tr ess as as s aulted by M o h amm e

.

dan s .

5 The F o r tress a s a ssaulted by D evils

. .

But the fo rtress o f C hri s tian F ai th c an n ever be

e ffectually defe n ded by silly lege n ds pseudo mir a ,

c ul o u s lege n ds a n d i njur i o us falseh o o ds

, Thi s .

book fr om its exte n t n o t fro m the di s crimi n ative

, ,

judgment o f its autho r must have demanded ,

years o f l ab o ri o us writin g .

D uri n g an i n testin e w ar fare o f the n o bles i n

Castille the favourite min i st er o f ki n g Hen ry IV
,
.

w as the Jew Abr aham B e n v e n i st a w h o fo r t w o ,

years had bee n the s o le n ego ci at o r betwee n the

cro w n s o f Arag o n an d C a stille He w a s take n .

pri s o n er at Tudel a an d c o n sidered a pr ize o f n o

,

small imp o rt an ce .

About 1 46 3 the p r o fligat e c o n duct o f b o th

,

Henry and his quee n i n duced the n o ble s t o call

,

i n the aid o r c o u n sel o f the ki n gs o f Ar ag o n an d

P o rtugal H e n ry in alarm in vited L o uis XI o f
.
, ,
.

F ran ce to meet him o n the B i da ss o a fr on tier ,

3 74 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

magn ificence of costume : the F re n ch ki n g i n his

usual mean apparel which gave as much o ffence
, ,

as di d the stern rebuke o f Louis for H e n ry s ,

’

licentious n ess an d fo lly .

The Castilian had a Jew n amed Gao n fo r his

fi nan cial minister H e duri n g the ki n gly i n ter
.
,

vie w had been o r dered by his master to levy taxes

,

in Guipuzcoa a n d Biscay N o w it is well kn o wn .

,

that in those n o rthern provinces every man how , ,

eve r humble his statio n is an hi da lg o or noble ,

man and o f all the old Span ish constituti o n s theirs ,

w a s a n d is the most fr ee
,
The o n ly taxatio n .

they rec o gnized was under the name o f P edi do

, ,

which as its name de n otes was r equ es ted and it

, ,

lay with them to gran t or refuse it as they thought

fit They ackn o wledged no monarch o n ly the
.
,

kin g o f Castille was styled lord o f Biscay o n ,

c o n di tion of sweari n g to certain co n di tio n s under

the oak tree at Guer n ica The charters by whi ch .

they claim these immu n ities are call ed the Bis ,

cayan F ueros .

The Jew came to demand the Pe di do in the

s o vereign s name without previ o us notice or per
’
,

missi o n and the hi dalgo s Slew him on the sp o t

,
.

The enraged H enry sent e n v o ys t o Tolos a r e ,

quirin g the immediate surrender o f the a ggr e s

so r : this was peremptorily refused and collecting , ,

their armed fo rces o n the steep hills command

376 H I ST O R Y OF T HE J EW S [ A . D .

r emember that o n e o f the fu n damental laws of

our pe o ple runs thus : W e ordain that if an y
, ,

o n e whether native o r fo reig n e r shall c o erce a n

, y ,

man w o man pe o ple village o r t o wn of G u ip u z

, , , ,

co a,
by vi rtue o f a man date fr om o u r lo r d the
kin g o f Castille which has n o t p r evi o usly been
,

agreed t o an d san cti o ned by the general assembly ;

o r wh o soever vi o lates o ur rights laws charter s , , ,

a n d priv ileges sh all be di sobeyed ,a n d if he per ,

sists killed 1
,
’

Tol o sa is a place of stro ng n atural defence a n d ,

the Castilian s retired .

At Seg o via ther e was a vio lent excitement cre

ated by the preachin g of t w o rival friars the o n e
affirmin g and the other denyi n g that man y Chris
,

tians had l a tely Ju d ai z e d The aim o f which .

assertio n was levelled at the common i n te r c o urse

of Jews with the c o urt and nobles Marian a .

says it was denied o n ly o u t of c o mplaisa nce to

,
”
princes for it was rather tr ue
,
.

At C o rdo va D Mena wrote a past o ral satire on

, .

the times ; i n which he r ep r ese n ts thr e e fl o cks

grazi n g pr o miscuously u n der 1 A stutte ri n g , , .

shepherd (M o ses ) 2 M e c c o Mo r o (Moham . .

med) And 3 Christ o val Mexia (the true shep

.
,
.

he r d) Thi s me dl ey o f i n fidelity an d truth he

.

rebukes i n the tone of an I n quisit o r .

King John o f Arag o n was 7 1 years of age in

1 46 8 and blind with cataract in both eyes
,
A .
 IN S PAI N A ND P O RT U GA L . 37 7

Jew n amed A b i ab ar native of Lerida undert o o k

, ,

the cure Thi s practiti o n er c o mbined his medical

.

skill with the science o f astrol o gy and o n the ,

1 1 th o f Septembe r the co n figurati o n o f the plan e

tary scheme bein g pro n o un ced favourable he ,

succeeded in cutti n g o u t the cataract fro m the

right eye and the ve n er able kin g w as imme di ately
,

enabled to s e e A b i ab ar was probably t o o much

.

excited with the effo rt to repeat the delicate o p e ,

ratio n immedi ately a n d to the mo n arch s r e

,
’

quest he replied that the whole tr ansacti o n sur

,

pas sed human tal ents but depe n ded on the ,

aspect o f the s tars an d these w o uld n o t be p r o p i

,

tio us fo r a c o n siderable time t o c o me The excuse .

was accepted fo r t h e time but as the kin g grew ,

impatie n t the experime n t was made up o n the

,

left eye on the 1 2 t h o f O ct o ber and proved suc ,

c e ssfu l. Thi s emine n t perfo r man ce in whi ch so ,

high a t rust was c o mmitted t o a Jew i n defian ce ,

o f ofte n repeated church can o n s an d by him ,

triumphantly di schar ged must have had a bene ,

fi c i al e ffect up o n his pe o ple at least durin g this ,

reign which lasted eleven years l o n ger

, .

But in Sicily (n o w an Arago n ese p o ssessio n ) a

mass a cre of Jews took place in 1 4 74 : five hun dred
pers o ns i n o n e Je w ry a n d six hundred in an other
, ,

wer e put t o the knife besides every individu al in ,

th o se of N oto and Modica It h as been ascribed .

37 8 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

to the hardih o od o f certain Jews w h o ven tured ,

to give reas o ns again st the catholic faith At its .

outb r eak the Vicer o y i n or der t o a ppease the

,

tumult had six of the a ccused put t o death ;

,

these the multitude deemed far fr om suffi cie n t ,

but flew t o arms a n d as usual i n such cases were

, , ,

repai d by a large plunder fo r the vin dicati o n o f

their r eligi o n .

The Ar ago n ese king J o hn had durin g a long ,

a n d feeble reig n di sgusted hi s subj ects by the

,

patro n age affo rded to Jews an d Tr o ubado urs .

The Castilian reign o f H e n ry IV (o f wh o m H er .

r e r a s s a ys that
,
his life was a mirr o r i n which ,

pri n ces m ay se e ever y thin g which they o ught t o

c o uld not but be likewise feeble But .

the heir o f the fo rmer wedded the heiress of the

latter an d under t hese (F erdin an d a n d Isabella)
,

two o f the fo ur kin gd o ms i n the Pe n in sula were

united U nlike their pare n ts these s o vereigns
.
,

were ambiti o us an d skilful p o litician s They .

began by abs o rbing i n to the cr o wn th o se great

feudali ties the gran d master ships o f San tiag o
,
-
,

Calatrava an d Alcan tara : a n d thus every impedi

,

me n t bei n g rem o ved fro m a n e ffective rule o ver

their Christian do main s they be n t their most
,

earnest e n deavours to the acquisitio n o f that gem

o f territories the ki n gdo m of G r an ada The glory .
,

of the M o ors had lo n g been o n the decli n e their ,

3 80 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

because very so o n afterwar ds they were all b a

”
nished . This latter cl a use is n o exagger a ti o n ,

fo r i n seventee n m o n ths mor e several hu n dred ,

th o usan d m en wome n an d childre n were dr iven

, , ,

from their n ative lan d s imply for bei n g Jews

, .

. Meanwhile the h o ly I n quisiti o n had acquired

,

from R o me the n o vel power o f executi n g the p e

n alt i e s a w ar ded by their tribunals a n d t o promote ,

their e fficiency had required and obtai n ed furthe r

co n cessi o n s o f i n fluence t o a frightfully desp o tic
ext ent The obj ects o f their i n stituti o n were, to
.

Wa tch o ver the reli gi o n o f the cou n try m o r e e s pe ,

c i all o f the n e w Ch r istia n s as the nume r ous Jews

y
-
,

and few M o ors pro fessi n g C hristian ity were de n o

m i n a t e d and to punish deli nque n cies when di s
,

covered .

W e have seen how dur in g a long c o urse o f

,

ce n turies the clergy had acted up o n o n e u n dev i

,

atin g li n e of policy u n in flu e n c e d by wars chan ge

, ,

of dynasty o r personal feelings to drive the

, ,

Jews i n to the bosom of the church Si n ce the .

time of S i seb u t the G o th all di rect compul s ion

,

in the matter of baptism had been d i s c o u n t e

n a n c e d by papal auth o r ity and general sentime n t .

But n o twithstan di n g the dictate s o f abstr act r ight

,

and reas o n bish o ps and friars had plu n dere d and

,

murdered such as refused to be converted while ,

civil penalties an d restrictions were likewise

 IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 381

heaped up o n the recusan ts A n exempti o n from .

all thi s might be pu r chased by e n duri n g the

spri n klin g o f a few dr o ps o f water ; yet this tr ifle
i n it s elf was the cr ux fi dei to a Jew as was
, ,

the bur n i n g o f a few grain s of in ce n se befo re a

se n seles s id o l to the primitiv e C hristian with the ,

alter n a tive of the li o n s o f the amphitheatre The .

temptati o n w a s in each case i n te n sely s eductive ,

but the i n iquity of the Spani sh churchman with ,

his o rgan ized I n quisitio n t o p r eclude the p o s sib i

li t y Of r ecedi n g w a s altogether unparalleled i n
,

pagan persecutio n s Aware of the v a ried u n ri gh

.

t e o u s n e s s o f the mea n s empl o yed to gai n their

p r o selytes the en d acc o rdi n g t o their m o rali ty

, , ,

justified the means and murde r with every other

, ,

v i o lati o n o f C hristi a n ity w a s e n g a ged t o secu r e

,

the r ete n ti o n of their u n lawful seizures .

Again st the in tro duction Of these tyrannical

c o urts the Jews used e n treaties a n d lavished
, ,

thei r m o n ey and other i n fluence The queen .

with the C o rtes of C astille protested A nd the .

n o bles o f Arag o n resisti n g s o gr o s s a n i n n o vatio n

,

o n the a n cie n t privileges o f their c o u n try S hut ,

the gates o f Teruel agai n s t their kin g a n d the

I n quisit o rs a n d de n o unced death t o a n y o f these
,

w h o sh o u ld e n ter the city The royal fo r ce pre

.

vailed but the first inquisito r enteri n g was put t o

,

death This vi o le n ce h o wever with o ut power t o

.
, ,
3 82 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

fo llow it up w as p r ejudicial t o Arago n ese free

,

d o m for the cle r gy conver ted the victim into a

,

martyr a n d by w o r kin g a miracle at the funer al

, ,

augme n ted the dign ity o f their cause Thus the .

holy i n quisitio n as it is p r o fan ely called with its

, ,

ban n er o f the sw o r d an d o live b r an ch was t riu m -

,

phan t o ver the wh o le fran chises an d aristocracy o f

t w o ki n gdo ms a n d the s o vereig n of o n e Its tri .

bu n al bei n g o pened at Seville i n 1 483 that city i n ,

a short time n umbered m o r e p r isoners than o ther

i n habitan ts In o n e sin gle year ab o ve two thou
.
,

san d wer e put t o death fo r r elapse t o Judaism

,

ma n y were impri so n ed for li fe an d seventeen ,

th o usa n d were subj ected t o corporeal pun ishme n t .

At le n gth the mound near the city kn o w n by the ,

name o f the Tablada was paved with st o n e a n d

,

enclo sed This fo r med the Quem ader o o r burn

.
,

i n g place a n d o n that S p o t mo r e th a n fo ur th o u
, ,

san d Jews wer e c o m mitted to the flames i n thirty

s eve n years Min o r c o urts of i n qu i siti o n were esta
.

b li sh e d at fo ur o ther places fo r t h e exercise of,

similar di sciplin e .

Zur it a w h o describes i n terms o f u n c o mm o n

,

raptur e this faithful zeal o f the chur ch by which , ,

fro m the year 1 483 t o 1 5 2 0 i n the archbishopric o f

,

Sevi lle alo n e betwee n the impriso n ed the b an

, ,

i sh e d an d the dead above

, ,
Judaizi n g
heretics r eceived their several se n tences not to ,
384 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

churches and m o nas teries which are peculiarly ,

”
pi o us an d sacred i n stituti o n s .

The vari o us t o ke n s believed to in di cate a J ew

ish predilecti o n in a baptized pers o n were all
defined with p r ecisio n a n d every o n e up o n whom
,

these plague S p o ts were said to be discernible by

-

the sharpe n ed sight o f the greedy o r o f the pe r s o

nally h o stile became ame n able to the i n quisiti o n
,

the r ew ar d fo r i n fo rmati o n w as sure a n d the .

,

del ator u n n amed a n d un c o n fronted to the victim .

Moreover the rabbis we r e freque n tly i n terr o g a ted

,

up o n o ath an d u n der the terro r of I mpe n di ng

,

death as to their k n owledge o f an y baptized c o n

,

verts adher ing secretly to the Jewish superstition .

I n san e fanaticism ! diab o lical profanati o n o f the

Christian n ame ! It al o ne has bee n sufficien t t o
make Spai n i n fam o us thr ough all succeedi n g
generatio n s an d its r avage s destroyed t h e p o p u
,

lati o n w o rse t han could have bee n e ffected by a

pestile n ce a civil w ar o r a n i n ro ad o f bar barians
, , .

T w o thousan d burned alive i n o n e year a t o n e

city by j u dicial se n te n ce that is m o re than five
, ,

daily with o ut intermissi o n even of Su n days sup ,

p o sin g these to be desec rated with the same p r o

c e e din s
g. But times like these are n o t t o be

estimated merely by their extreme r igo ur ; the r e

were the n umbers immured i n hopeless c o n fi n e
men t ; the thousan d s publicly fl o gged ; and the
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 38 5

restless ag o n y o f fear i n th o se n o t yet arr ai gn ed ;

the war in e s s exacted fo r the uttera n ce o f every
s yllable the pai n fu l e ffo rt to c o n ce al the r a n kli n g
a pp r ehe n si o n a n d the m ultiplied evil o f w hat i s

at all ti m e s evil a divided family

,
.

The n ew C hr i s tian s were n o t o nly o b n o xi o us t o

the ly n x eyed suspici o n of the chur ch b u t we r e
-
,

lo o ked up o n with sc o rn as ap o states by the o ld ,

Hebrews w h o mai n tain ed their l o fty fide lity At .

the fi r s t e s ta blishme n t o f the i n qu isiti o n R , .

Judah b en Virga the pre s ide n t o f Seville pla ced

, ,

thr ee doves in his wi n dow o n e dead a n d plu cked ,

with this i n scripti o n i n Hebr ew The s e ar e the ,

d etected an o ther plucked but n o t killed with , ,

these w o rds T hese are the t emp o rizers th e thir d

,

was b o th a live a n d i n its feather s a n d design ated , ,

”
The best o f all This symb o lic al less o n w a s
.

me a n t t o i n timate that the o pe n declar ed Jew

,

w as likely t o s uffer lea s t ; the p r ete n ded c o n ve r t

was liable t o sp o li ati o n th o ugh pe rmitted t o live
but such as came u n der t h e ve r dict o f the I n qui
siti o u as Jews after b aptism w o uld be utte rly
, ,

ruin ed Thi s r abbi kept his p o st i n the time o f

.

danger u n til all h o pe was p ast ; but esc apin g t o

,

Li sb o n he was a pprehe n ded a n d t o rtured t o make

, ,

him di scl o se the n a mes o f such as he k n ew t o be

Id ip su m p a v e n te s q d ti m
uo u is s e n t .
” — Tac A nn
. . iv .
7 .

S
386 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

Judaists under the mask o f Chr istian ity : but he

di ed o f the in flicti o n and betrayed no n e To the ,
.

mem o rials which he left o f the sufferin gs o f his

pe o ple we are i n debted fo r the idea which his
,

gr an ds o n matured by compili n g the Sceptre o f

”
Juda h .

Th e r abbinical writers about this time may be

e n umerated as fo llows

I R J o el abe n Shoeb o f Ar agon a di ffuse ser

. .
,

m o n writer o n the Law o n the L ame n tations

-
, , ,

and o n t h e Ps alms The latter v o lume is styled .

”
F earful i n p r aises (E xod xv , . .

I I R Isaac K amp an t o n called the Gaon of

. .
,
:

Castille author of the B o ok o f the Ways of

"

’
Gemara Sever al of his disciples ro se to h o n our
.
:

able emi n ence as R Isaac Abu ab and R I saac o f

’
‘
- .
.
, ,

Le o n the Cabalist He di ed in 1 46 3 aged 7 0

, .
,
.

His appe ar ance was so pr ep o ssessin g that t h e ,

Ju h h a s si n spe a kin g of an interview with this

,

rabbi says His face was like the Shechinah

, ,

I I I R Perip h o t D uran wrote

. .
,
”
1 . The E phod a profo un d work o n H ebre w ,

phil o l o gy .

2 . The Cincture of the E phod and The

”
,

”
Breastplate .

3 Comment on
. The G u ide of the Perplexed .
38 8 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S
2 . E xercises preliminary t o readin g the T almud .

3 Tran slatio n fr om the Ar abic o f Bar Mai

.

mo n s B o o k o f D iet
’ ”
.

4 Tran slati o n from the Ar a bic of A lg a z ali s

’
.

”
C o n fusio n of the Phil o s o phe r s .

5 O n the E s s e n ce o f the S o ul
. .

VI R Samuel Sarsa c all ed Aben Se n eh (i e

. .
, . .

a bush) It is related by the J u h h a s si n

.

that at the r ea di n g o f a nuptial c o n tr act i n the

s y n ag o gue he publicly pr o tested ag ai n st i t s date
,

fr om the cr e at io n and c o n tended phil o s o phi cally

,

fo r the eter n al existe n ce o f the wo r ld This ar gu .

me n t th o ugh n o t n o vel as an Aristotelian sp e c u

,

latio n yet when p r op o un ded in Open c o n grega

,

tio n so much alarmed the m o re o r th o do x maj o rity

, ,

that dur in g the tumult which fo llo wed R Isaac , .

K a m p a n t o n c r ied out W hy is the bush n o t ,

”
b ur n ed ? The assembly then dragged the blas
h e m e r befo re the judges w h o c o n dem n ed him t o
p ,

be burn ed ali ve as an Athei s t Three o f his writ .

i ngs remain .

.1 Sacred Pur ificati o n .

”
2
. The F o untain o f Life o n the La w ,
.

”
3
. Perfection o f Beauty (PS 1 o n the ,
. .

Agado th .

VII R Isaac N athan

. . . Besides his c o n t r o v er
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 38 9

”
sial w o rks he wrote The Hu n dred W o rds t o
, ,

i n struct his son i n m o rals a n d man n e r s H e .

al s o tran slated i n t o Hebrew his bro ther A rlo tt o s ’

C o nc o r dan ce o f the Bible A c o n fusio n h as arise n .

fr o m a later edition a scribin g this bo o k t o s o me

unk n own M o r decai N athan ; thus it can n o t be
determined whether 1 these were differ e n t p er
, , .

s o ns ; 2 the same pers o n un der both n ames ; o r

.
,

3 it was begun by o n e pers o n and completed by

.

an o ther perhaps his so n

,
.

VI II D o n Meir A lgu a di s physician t o the

.
,

king of Cas tille a n d superintende n t o f all the

,

syn ag o gues i n that kin gdom In 1 405 he tra n s .

,
”
lated i n to Heb r ew The E thics o f A r isto tle ,

w hich tran slati o n w a s a ft erwards inserted entire

”
in The Gl o ry o f God by R Shem T o b , _
. .

IX R D avid ben S o l o mo n b e n R ab b e n
. .
, ,

D avid abe n J ah hii a of Lisbon ; died t here i n

,

1 46 5
”
l The To n gue of the Learned (Isa l
. . . .

Grammatic al .

”
2 The Shekel o f the Sanctuary (E x o d xxx
.
,
. .

on P o etry .

”
3 “
The Psalms o f D avid
.
(P S cxlv I ) , . . .

fini shed by his so n .

3 90 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

4 . O n H ebrew metrical verse, translated into

Latin by G en eb rar d .

X R Joseph ben Shem T o b about 1 42 0

. .
, .

1 An Arabic comme n t on Aristotle s E thi cs

’
. .

2 Tran slati o n i n t o H ebrew o f Bar Hh as dai s

’
.

Ar ticles o f R eligio n .

3 R emarks o n Peri p h o t D uran s letter t o

’
.

B o n et o .

“ ”
4 .The Glory of God (PS xix as dis ,
. .

played i n the excelle n ce o f human n ature and the

Law of Moses In this w o rk A r istotle s Philo so
.
’

phy is hi ghly exto lled an d D on Meir A lgu adi s ,

’

version o f the ethics inserted .

XI R Joseph A lbo o f Soria o n e of the dis

. .
,

u t a n t s at the Tort o sa co n fere n ce H e is styled

p .

”
n the Bran ch o f D avid the di vin e philo
,
”
S opher His writin gs ar e
.

”
1. The Book o f Pri n ciples (of Jewish faith ) ,

a w o r k of hi gh reput ati o n ; but it is remarked ,

that although he uph o lds the belief that Messiah

will c o me he bl a mes those who make it an essen
,

tial article of the fa ith Thus attackin g the fo r .

mula of beli ef by R Moses bar Maim o n i n which

.
,

is every day recited I believe with a perfect

faith that the Messiah w ill come ; and although
,
3 92 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S
”
2 The W ays o f Pleasant n ess (Pr o v iii
.
, . .

o n Heb r ew poetry .

3 Comme n t o n
. The Pro o f o f the W o rld .

”
4 The F ield o f God on the ge n ius o f the
.
,

”
Guide o f the Perplexed .

”
5 The Vo ice o f the Lo r d is powerful (PS
. . .

xxix .

X IV R Judah ben Joseph . . of Zarag o za ab out

1 46 0 .

1 . O n the p o sitive p r ecepts .

2 . On the a n imals clean fo r fo o d .

3 . On the gr a pes o f E shc o l (Num xiii . . .

XV R J o shua ben Joseph the Levite of Cas

. .
,

tille E scapi n g from a persecuti o n he was ge n e

.
,

r o u sl r eceived by D o n Vid al o f Le o n at T o led o

y , ,

and there i n 1 46 7 he wrote The W ays E ver

, ,

”
lasti n g (Hab iii ,
introductory t o the Tal
. .

mud .

XVI R Abraham abe n D agu ar the Levite ; he

. .
,

w r ote
”
1 The E xalted F aith
. .

2 O n the tran smigration o f souls

.

1
Thi m s o n s t r o us v ti
i nn o a on u p on th e p ur e He b ra is m o f th e
Bibl i i cid
e, s n en ta lly c d d
r e or e as a p vl
re a e nt n o t o n i of th e t im e
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 393

XVII R D o n Hh as d ai K ri skas o f Zaragoza

. .
.

1 Letter to the Jews i n C rete agai n st a r a bbi

.
,

who had been pr eachi n g there in favour o f t h e

transmigrati o n o f s o uls .

2 Tran slati o n of the

. Balan ces o f Justice
from the Arabic o f A lgaz ali .

XVII I R Joseph Chiv a n of Lisbon . . .

1 C o mme n t o n the Ps a lms

. .

2 C o mme n t on the Pr o verbs

. .

3 Comment on the H ap h t o ro th o n Isaiah and

.
,

Jeremiah .

4 Comment o n E zekiel and the mi n o r p ro

.

p h et S .

of Ch i t r s .
( J o hn
ix 2 d M t t xvi It m i. t ill t
. an a . . re a ns s o

o ur dy a l m ly d p t d i th p blic J wi h w hip m y
s , so e n a o e n e u e s ors ,
as a

be s ee n i t h f ll wi g
n xt c t f m L vi
e P y
o o f n th e ra ro e
’
s ra e rs or e

S p i h C g g ti
an s i L d
on re a on n on on .

P y f th igh t —S v ig f t h U iv
ra e rs or e nb h ld I . o e re n o e n e rs e , e o ,

f ly f giv v y w h h t h gg i v d v x d m
r ee or e e er on e b th o a a r e e or e e e, o r a

i j d m ith i b dy g d h
n ur e e, e er
y t h i g
n b l gi
o g ,
oo s, o n o u r , o r an n e on n

t m
o wh th
e, by c mp l i
e ch ic ig
er t ly p o mp u s on or o e, n o ra n or r e su

tu o usly i w d ,
i d d i
n t hi t
or it y t t or in
y ee ,
n s ra n s or s a e, or n an

f m
or by y
er o n e , fI l d I p y th t
an p
so n o m y sra e an ra a no e r so n a

be p i h d m y cc t ( N t by th dit
un s e on d t a o un .
”
o e e e or an ran s

lt
a or . I t i t h O pi i f m t h t th t
s m ig t i
e f th
n on o so e, a e ra n s ra on o e

so ul t k pl c b t th t t m th th t im t h gh
a es a e, u a no or e an re e e s, ou

so m t ime t ft
e s no Thi th y f d d so th p
o eng i . s e o un e on e a ssa e n

J b xxxiii 2 9
o L ll t h
. t hi g w k t h G d wi t h m
. o, a ese n s or e o an

t h ic t w ic d th ic
’ ’
r e, or e an r e .
39 4 HIS T O RY O F T HE JEWS

5Comment on the Chapters o f the F athers

. .

”
6 Pu re W o rds (PS xii
. consistin g o f ,
. .

fo ur treatises o n certai n points o f Scripture .

XIX R A lh h a d eb Auth o r o f
. . .

”
1 The Be a ten Path (J er xvi ii
. on the , . .

annual festivals .

”
2 The Tongue of Gold on p o etic measures
.
,
.

”
3 O pera ar t ifi c io sa on arithmetic
.
, .

”
4 The Precious I n strument on the astr o
.
,

labe .

XX R Isaac ben Tsadik commo n ly called the

. .
,

Spanish Levite wh o wrote about 1 48 2 ,

.

”
1 The Beaten Path
. .

”
2 A stro n o mical Tables Opposed to tho se o f
.
,

R Imman uel bar Jacob

. .

XXI R Joel . . b en Sh io cu, a prolix sermon

XXII R M o ses o f N arbonne b en R Joshua

. .
,
.

Isai b en D avid H e wrote a comment o n the .

”
Gui de o f the Perplexed which has bee n ren ,

dered i n to Latin by R S o lo m o n bar Maim o n ; .

a n d tr a n slated i n to Hebrew fr o m the Arabic o f

A lga z ali 1 O n the U nity o f God ; 2 O n D i

. . .

vi n e Providence ; 3 O n the U tility of Logic . .

 C HA P TE R XX I V .

G E N E RA L B AN I S H M E N T O F J EW S FRO M S PAI N
S U FFE R I N G S OF T H E E X I L E S .

W I T H the cross above the Alhambra the ,

”
las t S igh o f the M o or from the heights of the
A lp u xar a s w as the prelude t o the last sigh o f the
,

H ebrew ! The Inquisition prevailed o n the two

s o ve r eigns to sweep fr o m the Span ish territory
the wh o le profession of Jewish faith regar dless ,

o f natio n al i n terest and heedless of the rui n t o be

,

thus incurred by cou n tless families possessin g ,

lo ves and attachments w hi ch R o mish eccle s iastics

can n o t value .I am a man and n othi ng human
,

is alien t o me said the ancie n t heathe n ;

,
Re
j o ice with them that do rej oice and w eep with
,

”
them that weep said the Christian a p o stle : but
,

t h e Pap al churchm a n steeled by his vows a n d

,

di scipli n e is ever ready to execute the m o st cruel

,

resolutions .
 HI S T O RY O F T HE J EW S , &c . 39 7

The chiefs o f th e I n quisiti o n dete r mi n ed t o

clean se the l a n d fro m all belief but their o w n :

but w as n o t the blessed F o under o f Chr istian ity of

”
another min d ? The ki n gdo m of he a ven he ,

s aid i s like n ed un to a man which sowed g o o d

,

seed i n his field : but while m e n slept his enemy

, ,

came and s o wed tar es amo n g the wheat a n d we n t ,

his way : But whe n the bl a de w a s sp r u n g up and ,

bro u ght fo rth fruit the n appeared the tar es also

,

So the s erv a nts of th e h ous eh o lder came a n d said

u n to him Sir did s t n o t th o u so w g o o d seed i n
, ,

thy field ? fr o m whe n ce the n hath it tar es ? H e

said unt o them An e n emy hath d o ne this The
, .

servan t s said un t o him W ilt th o u then that we

,

o a n d g a ther them up ? But h e said N ay lest

g , ,

whi le ye gather up the t ares ye ro o t up als o the ,

wheat with them L et bo th g r o w tog eth er unti l

.

”
the h a rv es t . Thi s o ught t o be sufficient r eply t o
tho s e who urged t h e me a s ure as o n e purely eccle
s i as t i c al (a n d it was u r ged o n no o ther gr o und ;
)
besides the fa ct that the head o f the R o man
chur ch was aver s e t o it and all o wed the Jews a
,

residence in the very heart of h i s Chr iste n dom ,

always V i ew mg them a s guardi an s o f at least h alf

th e D ivi n e R evelatio n an d i n asmuch as they
,

rej ected the re s t s o man y witnesses ag a in st

,

themselves a n d v o uchers fo r the Christian faith ;

,

and the consideration that if cast out o f Spain

, ,
 398 HI S T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

they would mostly take refuge with Mo h am m e

dans beyo n d the reach of the Gospel .

N o p o litical calculatio n c o uld have required

this deed The Jews were not like the M o ors
.
,

in possessi o n of ships and sea p o rts with friendly -

,

aid t o summo n fro m beyond the se a There was .

not even the pretext of that corresp o ndence with

foreign foe s which at the cl o se o f the Gothic
,

mo n archy had been deemed sufficient reason fo r

co n signi n g every J e w t o slavery It is therefo re .

evide n t that n o sovereig n not priest led against

, ,
-

his better k n owledge, w o uld have ej ected a class

o f a n cie n t subj ects s o n umerous and s o valuable
, ,

to enrich other lands W e read i n deed of an .

, ,

ancie n t E gyptian m o n arch chasing fro m his terri

tory a pe o ple hateful t o hi s go ds, (o r priests i n ,

this respect the same ) Tacitus was told that .

these were the Jews but was a heathen Pharaoh ,

a safe m o del for Christian imitation ? 1

The decree was sig n ed March 1492 that in four ,

months every Jew native or soj o urn er sh o uld

, , ,

quit the realms of Arag o n Castille and Granada , , ,

never more t o return under pen alty of death a n d ,

i
I n 1 309 , P hilip le B e l e xp ll d e e th e J e ws f ro m F ra n c e h is
so nCh l V I c ll d t h m f
ar e s . h t t im n d fi lly b
re a e e or a s or e, a na an

i h d th m i
s e 1 32 7
e E dw d I I I
n f E gl d xp ll d t h m
. ar . o n an e e e e

f m h i d mi i
ro s b t th i
o m v l f m Sp i w
n o ns u i v y e r re o a ro a n as n e er

p c t m im p t t t
r es e a orec t i t h i th f t h
or an ra n sa on an e er o ese .
 400 HI ST ORY O F T HE J EWS [ A . D .

sued an edict by his o w n a uth o r ity pro hibiti n g ,

all tr affi c with Jews fo r a t erm c o n sider a bly withi n

that o f their ban i shme n t by the royal pr o clama
ti o n a n d thus multiplied i n c alcul ably the l o sses
t o which they we r e previ o usly li a ble But through .

out the kingdo m o f A r ag o n (which i n cluded

Vale n cia a n d C at al o n ia) wher e all Jews were
vassals t o the cro wn or t o the ecclesiastic al lord
ships a gen eral sequestrat io n o f their pr o perty
,

was made by commissi o n ers emp o wered t o liqui

,

date speedily all dues and debts that should be

claimed as well a s all re n ts and taxes fo r the cur
,

re n t year a n d t o han d o ver the remai n der t o the

,

claiman ts o f the p r o perty thus di sposed of The .

syn ag ogues wer e pr o bably not acc o un ted private

property an d the r efo re their value c o uld be ren
,

dered to n o i n dividual s i e that n o Je w s were e u

,
. .

titled t o claim their pro duce They were gene .

rally c o nverted in to churches o r c o n vents ; a s for ,

i n stan ce that o f Me r ida i n to a church dedicated

, ,

to Sta Catali n a Virgin an d Martyr It is easy

.
,
.

t o perceive h o w o pe n this sequestrati o n lay t o

extensive pecul a ti o n yet it was p r o bably m o re

,

advan tageous than p r iva te sales at ran dom .

A S the term dre w near the a s cendan t party ,

must have regarded the harassed Jew with such

a burn i n g i n te n sity o f a s sur ed victory as the ,

hawk feels while fluttering fixe dly above his

1 492 ] IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 40 1

p r ey . The resource o f baptism remai n ed s u b ,

j ec t h o wever t o the vi ila n ce o f the h o ly o ffi ce

g ,

a n d man y yielded t o the p o werful tempt a ti o n ; but

the e n d o f July saw multitudes o f n o ble min ded -

Israe lites fo r sake their homes their fathe r s graves

,
’
,
—
a n d all their old ass o ciati o ns o f infa n cy a n d a n

c e st r t o wander they k n ew n o t whi ther a di n i

y , g ,

fi e d triumph of passive c o urage ! Zurita reck o ns

their numbe r at Ca r dos o at
Miguel de Barri o s an d Marian a at and it
is said that notwithstan d i n g all their l o sses in the
,

breaki n g up Of their property they c arried o ff ,

thirty milli o n ducats .

A b a rb an el s n a rrati o n in his preface t o the

’
,

books o f Ki n gs deserves atte n ti o n a n d sympathy

, .

— W hen the r o yal pro clamati o n was an n o unced

,

I was at c o urt a n d wearied myself to fr e n zy i n

,

impl o ri n g c o mpas si o n Thrice o n my kn ees I

.

bes o ught the ki n g R egard us O kin g ; u s e n o t

, ,

thy subj ects with so much cr uelty ; rather exact

fro m u s o u r g o ld and silver vessels or abundant ,

gi ft s even all that every Jew pos s esse s if he

, ,

may still abide i n his c o un try I entr eated like

.
’

wise my fri e n ds the ki n g s o ffice r s to a llay his

’

indign ati o n ag a in st my pe o ple I impl o r ed the .

c o u n cillo r s t o advise the kin g each i n hi s turn t o

, ,

recall the decree But as the adder cl o ses h e r ear

.

with dust against the voice of the charmer so the ,

4 02 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

king harde n ed his heart agai n st the prayers o f his

supplian ts a n d declared that he w o uld n o t r evoke
,

h i s edict t o g a in all the wealth of all the Jews .

At his right hand w a s the quee n the Jews e n emy ,

’
,

urgi n g him with a n an gry v o ice t o pur s ue what he

h a d S O happily c o mmenced W e exhausted all
.

our p o wer for the removal of the ki n g s se n t e n ce ’

,

but there was n o wisdo m n o r help remain in g O ur .

nati o n wherever the decree had bee n pr o claimed

,

o r its fame h a d S pread bewailed their co n dition

,

with a great wailing T o ssed in these fearful bil

.

lows t hey exh o rted and c o n firmed the minds of

,

each other Wh atever b e fals let us surmoun t

.
,

every calamity for the h o n o ur of our n atio n and

o u r religi o n by a b r ave e n durance : let us defe n d
,

these fr o m the hateful persecut o rs If they leave .

us our life we will live : if they take it fro m us

, ,

we will die : b u t n ever let us violate o u r h o ly law ,

the fulness of o u r affecti o n s or the c o u n sel of ,

wisdom O r ather (and may G o d turn it all to

.

g o od) let us aban do n o u r settleme n ts and seek ,

fo r homes elsewhere Thus excited there departed

.
,

in o n e day o n fo o t and u n armed collected ,

fro m every p r o vince the youn g an d the old i n

, , ,

fan t s and wome n all ready t o g o in a n y di r ection

,
.

O f that n umber w as I ; a n d w ith G o d fo r our ,

”
leader we set o u t
, .

Those of Castille took refuge in Portugal ; about

40 4 HI ST O RY O F T HE JEws
[
A . D .

C hrist ; but a C hristian me r chan t o n b o ar d r e

mi n ded them that C hrist di ed to save me n s li ve s ’
,

and therefo re h i S de a th was a blessin g t o the world .

S o the Jews we r e o n ly carried t o a barre n coast ,

a n d le ft e n ti r ely n aked o n the beach ; there they

fo un d a sprin g o f fresh water ; but i n climbi n g the

r ocks by n ight to l o ok fo r t o kens of hum a n habi

ta t i o n seve r al o f them we r e seized and dev o u r ed

,

by li o n s F ive days they ab o de there till the

.
,

crew o f a passi n g ship perceivin g naked pe o ple on

,

the sh o r e bro ught them o n b o ard provided shi ft s

, ,

fo r the wome n an d t o re up o ld sails to cl o the the

,

m e n : they gave them food a n d c o nveyed them t o a

,

cert ai n p o r t ; where when the i n habita n ts i n quired

,

if he had slaves fo r sale the S hip master n obly ,

-

answe r ed N o but delivered the poor Jews t o their

brethre n in the city o n paym e n t of reas o nable
,

expe n ses : these gladly made him a n additio n al

prese n t p r ayi n g God fo r h i s safety a n d that He
, ,

w o uld p r o l o n g his life t o a happy o ld age 1

Th o se who arrived at F ez were s o n ume r ous

that the i n habitan ts shut the gates ag ainst th em ,

leaving the Jews exp o sed t o the African July su n

in the o pen plain with n o fo o d but the small quan
,

tity of gras s which at that season co uld be fo und

a n d as they di ed the surviv o r s were t o o much e u
,

feebled to bury their relative s Some sold their .

Sc pt 1
o f J da h
e re u .
1 492 ] IN S P A I N A N D P O R T UG A L . 405

childre n bread : but aft er a time the king o b

fo r ,

t ai n e d supplies of fo o d which he freely di st ri ,

buted a n d r e s to red the childre n with o ut r an som

,
.

At Sallee the crew o f a lar ge S hi p e n ticed the

,

starvi n g Jewish childr en o n b o ar d t o the n umber ,

o f 1 5 0 with pieces o f bread and the n sailed away

, ,
.

The m o thers ran scr e a mi n g al o n g t h e be a ch im ,

p lor in
g c o mp a ssi o n but i n vai n ; their
,
child r en

we r e co n veyed t o a dist a n t African p o rt an d s o ld ,

i n to Slavery .

A mid such distressi n g e v e n ts various anecdotes ,

are given o f pers o n al sufferi n g a n d c o nsta n cy ,

peculi arly Jewish S o me victims w ere discharged

.

fr o m a ship up o n a des o l a te islan d o n the p lea o f ,

pestile n ce O f these some di ed o f hunge r ; other s

.

wi th m o r e strength walked fo rward t o search fo r

a human habitati o n O n e o f the lat t er had a wife
.

a n d two i n fants ; the wife died of fa tigue a n d him ,

self fai n ted : o n r ec o verin g he fo un d his two babes ,

already dead but eve n i n this ext remity he cried

,

alo ud hi s fi r m res o lve t o live an d die in the MO

saic religi o n the n gatheri n g up sa n d a n d gravel
, ,

he heaped a pile above his dead an d hasted to re ,

join his fellow sufferers who had meanwhi le gai n ed

-

s o me di sta n ce befo re him ; fo r at the bri n k o f

death every o n e cares fo r himself and n o t fo r ,

a n othe r O ne m o ther w a s kn ow n to snatch up

'
‘

Sc pt f J d h
1 ”
e re o u a .
40 6 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

a lar ge stone as her i n fan t son lay in the agony

o f death an d
,
strike him on the head till he
died herself expiri n g alm o st immediately fro m
,

the exertion sh e had used A n d it is b o asted

.

that duri n g the famine i n the fields before F ez ,

the Jews refrained fro m even seeki n g grass o r

ro o ts upo n the Sabbath day A breakin g up of .

family c o n n ecti o ns must have take n place to a

great exte n t Aft er some time there settled in
.
,

Barbary a c o mpany of t w o hu n dred widows ,

some o f wh o m knew their husbands t o be dead ,

but having no childr en were bou n d t o marry

’
their husbands bro thers ; a n d a s these c o uld not
be fo un d were p r ecluded from marrying again
, .

O thers had missed their husbands but could not ,

be assur ed o f t h eir death and were thus unable to

,

marry These all u n iti n g their sympathies and

.

little pr o perty reached Sallee an d dwelt all t o gether

, ,

labourin g di ligently wi th their han ds and settin g ,

apart all the earn ings ab o ve their own m o derate

expen di ture for the purposes of religi o n and edu
cation .

O f the Jews who di rected their course to Chris

tian countries nine caravels full arrived at N aples
, ,

already i n fected with disease arising fi o m the

hardshi ps an d privatio n s o f the v o yage This .

pestilence was communicated t o the city an d ,

carried o ff i n habitants O thers repaired

.
408 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

did not h alt and give the Span ish cro wns m o re
,

tr o uble t o drive them o u t th a n h a d bee n ex

p ec t e d .I n deed much mi ht have been d o n e
, g for

the n ew c o n quest o f Gr an ada was n o t yet o b e

die n t to the ir o n cur b and the A lp u xar a hills had
,

for mer ly shelter ed a guer illa race o n many and

le n gthe n ed occ a sio n s Ha d a stan d been made
.
,

the M o ors o f Afr ica w o uld have gladly give n

a ssista nce a n d the territ o r y o f Gran ada w o uld
,

m o re th a n supp o rt its p o pul a ti o n These c o n si .

de r ati o n s might have made F e r din an d pause i n

hi s vi o le n t pr o ceedi n g alth o ugh the r e is n o doubt
,

o f hi s eve n tual success aided by allies had su ch ,

extremities arrived .

The kin g of Arag o n , i n recompense fo r his la

bours i n behalf o f the Church by the co n quest o f,

Granada and the ej ectio n o f the Jews h a d gr an ted

, ,

to him the p r oud appellati o n of Most Catholic

”
Ki n g while the p o pe received a n d patro n ized the
,

very Jews whom he had expelled .

These were stirri n g times The w o r ld w as .

S hake n powerft at the end o f the fiftee n th cen

tury by the i n ve n tio n o f pri n ti n g the Portuguese
,

discoveries ; the capture o f C o n stan ti n o ple c o m ,

n sa t e d by that of Gran ad a ; the dispe r si o n o f

p e

the Jews ; and the fi n di ng of a n ew hemisphere .

W hile C hri s to pher C o l u mbus was fitting o u t

his li ttle fleet at Palos de M o guer ships were i n ,
1 492 ] IN S PAI N A ND P O RT U G A L . 409

demand at every port to c o n vey the Jews fr o m

Spai n . W as n o t the ey e o f G o d peculiarly
watchi n g these t wo tran sactio ns whe n c o min g ,

result s wer e k n o wn t o Him alo n e ? F ive week s

o nly aft er the latest H ebrew li n gered o n the
Span ish sh o re th o se thr ee small vessels w eighed
,

an ch o r fo r an ocean they had never navigated t o ,

find a c o un try they had never hear d o f an d the ,

p o ssibility of wh o se existe n ce w a s de n ied by the

m o st learned an d r eligl o u s m e n o f the tim e .

Why sh o uld these cir cumstan ces so str an gely c o i n

cide ? That ancie n t pe o ple with an un par alleled
histo ry i s just di smissed W hy c o uld n o t Sp a i n
.

disc o ve r the lands o f go ld a n d S ilver till the Jew s

were removed ? W hy Sh o uld n o t n ew fo rms o f
heathe n ism come within her cogn izan ce till Juda ,

ism an d Mohammedanism we r e subdued ? G o d

had His o w n p ur p o ses to arrange but it was ,

surely a great crisis in the n ati o n al resp o n sibility

o f Spai n .

—
Pr o sperity was it an d a token o f heave n s ’
,

app r oval when these u n t o ld riches accr ued t o

,

Spain ? N O as sur e a s there is a right e o us Judge

,

to rule eve n ts the present degr a dati o n o f that

,

land thr o u gh the c o rruptio n which gold enge n ders

, ,

is n e ith er a bles si n g n o r a casu alty The u n a ut h o

.

ri z e d Oppression o f Israel is n o trifle eve n dur ,

ing dispersio n ; fo r it is written I was wroth

,
410 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

with my people I polluted mi n e i n herit ance a n d

, ,

gave them i n to thi n e han d ; thou didst shew

them n o mercy : upo n the an cient hast thou
very heavily laid thy yoke Therefo re sh all evil .

c o me upon thee : thou shalt n o t k n ow from

whe n ce it riseth ; an d mischief shall fall up o n
thee t h o u shalt n o t be able to put it o ff : a n d
,

des o lati o n S hall come upo n thee sudden ly which ,

th o u shalt not kn o w A dd moreover that the ,

fires o f the Inquisitio n were blazi n g durin g t h e

pass age of Columbus and that the horri d religion
o f the Span iards followed up the detestable c r uel

ties o f r u ffi an s to extirpate the S imple pagans o f

,

America W as it the n D ivin e fa v o ur which gave

.
,

a nati o n such fu ll scope t o exert its hide o us p r o

-

e n si t i e s ? Sp ai n pu ff ed up with c onquests
p , ,

could p o i n t o u t in a short lapse of year s t o Gra

n ad a to the N ew W o rld to Italy to the F re n ch
, , ,

kin g their priso n er at o n e time and the p o pe at ,

a n o ther : but these triumphs and the masses o f

,

tr an satlantic g o ld c o uld never replace their

,
:

M o orish agriculturists o r their Jewish mer

,

chant s : they could not supply a p o p ul ation to

the vacated fields a n d cities .

It is p r esumpti o n i n m o r ta l m an with his ,

limited knowledge t o judge the dispe n satio n s of

,

1 I sa xlv n 6
. . an d 11 . See p g
a e 1 33 .
 41 2 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S
Spain was a repetition of that fr o m Palestine
W eep ye not fo r the dead n either bemoan him ,

but weep s o re fo r him that g o eth away : fo r he

shall return n o more nor s e e his native country ,
‘

The Spanish Jews had man y learn ed writers

a n d talented m e n at the time o f this di spersi o n
,

amo n g them were

I R D avid Vidal of Toledo physician poet
. .
, , ,

a n d musicia n flourished ab o ut 1 46 7
,
.

1 The Cr o wn o f the Law o n the 6 1 3 p r e

.
,

ce
p t s .

”
2 . The Golden Song o f D avid (PS xvi ,
. .

upo n the thirteen ar ticles o f the Creed : with

anthems at the e n d fo r the celebrati o n o f circum
,

c i s i o n marriage a n d the day of ato n eme n t

, ,
.

II R D avid b en J o seph J ahh n a b o rn at L i s

. .
,

b o n 1 4 6 5 married at the age o f s i xteen ; became

c o uncill o r (t o gether with A b arb a n el) in the c o u r t
o f Alfo ns o V but resisting the perso n al e n treaty
.

o f h i s success o r t o embrace Christianity he fled ,

sec r etly t o Italy with his father and hi s wife t o

, ,

Flo r e n ce F errara R ave n n a Imola a n d N aples ;

, , , ,

1
J e r xxn 1 0
. . .
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 41 3

but when the Span ish p o licy p r evailed even ther e

t o expel the Jews he retir ed agai n to Im o la a n d , ,

died the r e aged 7 7 His writin gs were nume r ous

,
.

o n philos o phy and rhet o ric some poems an d a , ,

tr eatise o n rhymed verse .

I II R Joseph G ikat ila of Sala in Castille a

. .
,

fam o us C abalist who wr o te ,

”
1 Gates of Light o n the Attributes an d ,

N ames o f G o d .

”
2 . Gate o f H eaven (Gen xxviii 1 7 ) . . .

3 . Gate of Similitudes .

IV R Joseph T i t z ak retired to Thess alo nica

. .
, .

1 Comme n t o n E cclesiastes called Th e frui t

.
,

”
ful B o ugh o f Joseph (G en xlix . . .

2 C o mme n t on certai n o f the Psalms

. .

3 Questio n s and A n swers o n the Law

. .

4 C o mme n t on D aniel a n d the Megillah i e

.
, . .

E sther E cclesiastes C an ticles R uth a n d the

, , , ,

Lamentati o n s This wor k is n amed Bread i n .

”
Secret (Pro v ix . . .

V R Jacob bar Judah abe n Kastiel o f Alcala

. .

he tran slated a Latin b o ok on Surgery in to He

brew A D 1 50 1
,
. . .

VI R Isaac Arama of Zamora a Cabalist

. .
, .

”
1. Th e Inheritance of Isaac o n the W ritte n ,

T 3
41 4 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S

Law an d
Megillah opposin g violen tly the Gre '

, ,

c i a n Phil o s o phy .

2 . The H an d o f Abs alo m o n the Ps alms , .

”
3 . The G r iev o us Vi s i o n (Isa xxi a gainst , . .

the M o hammedan s an d Christians .

VII R Meir so n of the above acc o mpanied

. .
, ,

his father t o N aples an d died in T ur key 1 5 5 6

, ,
.

1 C o mme n t o n Job
. .

2 Comme n t o n the Ps alms

. .

3 C o mment o n Isaiah an d Jer emiah called

.
,
”
U ri m a n d Thummim .

4 Comment o n the Canticles

. .

5 C omme n t o n E sther
. .

6 C o mment on the W ritten Law

. .

VII I R I s aa c A bu A b o f Castille died in

. .
-
,

Portugal 1 493 esteemed by the ki n g ; an d fo r

,

rabbi n ical learni n g by his n ation A utho r o f .

”
1 . The Table of Shew bread a ritu al o f -
,

prayer s .

”
2 . The R iver Piso n (Gen 11 Serm o n s . . . .

“ ”
3 . The C andlestick o f Light (E x o d xxxv ,
. .

divided i n to seve n bran ches : 1 O n the n egative .

precepts ; 2 O n ruli n g the to n gue ; 3 O n the

. .

positive precepts ; 4 O n the study of the Law ;.

5 O n pe n itence ; 6 O n love peace and good

. .
, ,

will ; 7 O n humility
. .
41 6 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S
”
ab o ut A D 1 480 The B o o k
. .
,
of Trial upon th e
A n alytics o f Aristo tle .

XIV R D o n Is a ac A b arb an el o r Abravan el ;

. .
,

descended fro m a m o st an cie n t and we althy

fa m ily On e o f his a n cestor s sheltered R Me n ah
. .

hem fro m the mas s acr e o f Seville : and as we 1

have see n h i s pe o ple claimed fo r him a royal

,

pedi gree fro m D avid 2

.

He w a s b o r n in Lisb o n 1 437 C arefully edu , .

cat e d he gr ew up studi o us peaceful

, a n d subtle , , .

Bein g in defa tig able i n study an d extremely pati ,

e n t o f fasti n g a n d watchi n g his r ea di n g was ex ,

tensive H e was s o metimes k n o wn t o write fl u

.

e n tly within a few day s c o mme n ts o n wh o le ,

bo o k s o f Scripture ; but both the matter an d

expressi o n he had previ o usly matured i n his
mi n d These elucidati o ns a re remarkably pur e
.

a n d ea s y in style th o ug h diffuse a n d m ay be
, ,

bette r tr usted than an y other rabbi n ical c o mm en

t at i o n s The exa sperati o n pr o duced by the o p
.

p r essi o n s of h i s time is especially Visible in the ,

n o tes to the Mi n o r Pr o phets which ab o u n d in ,

bitte r repro aches up o n Chr istian ity (a s he u n der

s t o od it
) the C hristian
,
ki n gs a n d the papal hier ,

archy It i s s aid that he n ever av o ided C hristian

.

1
S ee p g a e 30 7 .
2
Ch p t a er II .
 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 41 7

society but r ather embr a ced every Opp o rtun ity

,

fo r this pur p o se w hich his r an k a n d tale n ts p ro

cur ed fo r him ; and that his c o n versatio n was s o
mild a n d li ber al a s to lull all suspicions in a feel
,

i n g of frie n dshi p .

D uri n g the reign o f Alfo n so V he was fr e .

,

qu en tly c o n sulted by the kin g up o n political n ego

c ia t i o n s J o h n II succeedin g i n 1 48 1 distr usted
. .
,

and banished him R em o vin g to Castille he

'
.
,

applied himself to c o mmer ce fr om which he accu ,

m ulat e d riches a n d affected great p o mp ab o u t

‘
,

the c o urt of F erdi n an d a n d Isabella o n the sc o re ,

of his r egal descent B art o lo c ci o says th a t hi s .

,

haughty bearin g m o re than any o ther c o nsidera

,

tio n brought o n the fi n al catastr o phe o f the

,

Span ish Jews : but this was t o o deeply pl an n ed

t o be affected by a n y i n dividual s c o n duct We ’
.

may indeed imagi n e h o w his p r o ud spirit would ,

chafe again st the grasp o f To r quemada a n d that ,

the tw o i n collisi o n w o uld realize the p o et s ’

”
imag e o f the E agle a n d Ser pent : but the h o ly
O ffice prevailed over the i n trigue the g o ld o r the , ,

pride o f the Jew Th e decree swept away Abar .

b an el with the rest and he repaired t o N aples ,

1 W i sd om is a df c
e en e , an d y i s d f c E ccl
m on e a e en e .
”
. vn . 12 .

2
t ue vl
o an s a lt e ra
p t u m h m f lv d
c m u a r a c on e

Fe r t a q il
u a, i m p li c u i t qu e p d tq
e es
g ib
, ha it u e un u us aes ,

S a u c iu s a t se r p e n s,
”
&c —E
. xi 75 1
u . . .

T 5
41 8 HI S T ORY O F T HE J EW S

with his family a nd relations in possession of ,

large sums o f m o n ey .

At N aples he in gratiated hi m self w ith ki n g ‘

F erdin an d by pr o fessi n g to be vers ed in the

,

s tate secrets o f Portugal and C astill e ; but the

N eap o litans were so o n afterwards alarmed at the
rapid appro ach o f the F rench ki ng and A b arb a ,

nel s preface to D eut ero nomy still co n tain s the

’ '

contemptuo us epithet which he bes t owed on the

”
i n vader The M o squito
,
O ur auth o r aecom .

an i e d the c o urt to Sicily and fr o m M es si n a he

'

p ,

next year withdrew to C o rfu A t the departure . .

of the F rench he returned to N aples a n d resided

'

, ,

seven years at M o n o p o li in Apulia ; thence to

Ve ni ce where he died i n 1 5 08 aged 7 1 H e
, , ,
.

was interred i n the o ld Jewish cemetery at Pavia ,

w hich is n o w destroyed M o st o f the in cidents .

o f his life are gathered from h i s o wn p r efaces t o

the c o mmentaries .

H e had three s o ns Judah J o seph and Samuel ; , , ,

the eldest became a go o d sch o lar an emin en t ,

physician an d an elegan t p o et
, The sec o n d 1
.
,

certain ly not unlearned ; he remai n e d with hi s

father during all his wanderings an d troubles an d ,

‘
H e w r o te so me D ia l o g ues o n L ov e ,
s n i c e r en d d int
e re o

L a t in by S i t F ch by S v g d D
a rra c e n u s , n o r en au a e an u P c ard , an

i nto S p i h by G
an s il d l V g M t ar c as s o e a e a, on e sa , an d J ah h i ia .

He is l th p t d th f D si ll
a so e re u et gic p
au or o ru a,
”
a ra as to r a l ta l e.
42 0 HI ST O RY O F THE J EW S

c o llecti o n o f the pri n cip al p a ssage s i n the Psalms

a n d Pr o phets rel a ti n t o Messiah ; fr o m which he
, g
e n deav o u r s t o S hew th a t the A dve n t was n o t t o
o ccur du ri n g the sec o n d Temple as Chr istian s ,

a ffirm it did B ar t o lo c c i o r ec o mme n ds the R o m a n

.

a uth o rities n o t t o su ffe r this book to be read by

Jews .

6 “
. The Savin g Stre n gth o f His A n o in ted .

( P S xxviii
. . A n explicati o n o f t h e mystical

sayi n gs of early rabbis c o n cer n in g Messiah

7 . The C r o w n o f O ld M en (Pr o v XVII , . .

which c o n t a in s an explan atio n by mean s of D eut , .

ii 2 6 o f th o se imp o rta nt passage s E xo d xxiii 2 0

.
, , . .
,

& c a n d Mal iii 1 where Christian s assert the

. . .
,

An gel or Messe n ger t o be M e s sI ah This was .

written i n his youth .

”
8 .R osh Am an a (Can t iv 8 In the E n glish
. . . .

versi o n The Top o f Aman a but by i n t e rp r eti n g

,

allego rically the tr an siti o n is easy t o The H ead o f

,

the This wo r k sums up the Jewish creed

i n fo urteen chapters i n t e n ded t o supe r sede the
,

thirt een articles o f Moses bar Maim o n .

”
9 . The Sacrifice of Pass o ver (E xod xii 2 7 ) . . .

A full account o f the Paschal rites writte n in ,

1 49 6 The p r efa ce narrates the cir cumstances o f

.

his early life ; a n d in me n ti o ning the ki n gs o f Po r

tugal a n d Spain he designates them the m en of
,

”
S o do m (as I sa i
. . .
 IN S PA I N A ND P O RT U GA L . 42 1

”
10 . The I n heritance o f the F athers (1 Ki n gs .

xxi . A C o mme n t o n the Talmu di c C h apters

”
o f the F athe r s .

”
11 . The W o rks o f G o d (PS lxvi . A di sser . .

t a ti o n o n the w o r ld an gels a n d the Law o f Moses

, , ,

i n which he c o n te n ds ag ai n st the peripatetic

doctrin e of the world s ete rn ity ; a n d unspari n gly
’

assails o r fav o urs t h e do ctrines o f Mai m o n ides .

”
12 . The B o o k o f the N ew He ave n s On the .

creatio n of the w o r ld : with an elucidatio n of

”
the Guide o f the Perplexed Part ii ch 1 9 ,
. . .

”
13 . E ternal Ju s tice In three secti o n s 1
. . .

O n R ewards and Pu n ishme n ts 2 O n the W o rld . .

of Livi n g Bei n gs 3 O n the R esurrectio n and

. .

fi n al Judgme n t .

”
14 . The C o mp a n y o f the Pro phets (1 Sam . .

xix . O n the L aw o f M o ses impugn i n g ,

several p o in ts i n the Guide o f the Perplexed .

It w a s published a s a substitute fo r
”
15 . The Visi o n o f the A l mighty (N um xxiv , . .

4. a w o r k which he h a d l o st .

”
16 . B o ok o f the D ays o f the W o rld A .

chro n ol o gy o f the persecutio n s of Israel This .

is lost o r w as never finished

,
.

1 7 D isse r ta ti o n o n the C hari o t i n E zekiel in

.
,

reply t o Moses bar M aim o n .

Besides sever al min o r tracts attributed t o A bar

 C HA PTE R XX V

T RAN S A C T I ON S IN P OR T U G A L .

W H E N the ki n g of Portugal admitted the Jews

within his realm fo r payme n t the mo n ey thus ,

levied was appropriated to his m o de of p r o p a “

gatin g Christian ity by subjugation o f the Moors

in Africa ; an d the refugees were further bou n d
to quit the kingdom within eight mo n ths o r t o ,

have their goods confiscated and themselves be ,

subj ect to slavery : A lfons o on the other han d , ,

covenantin g to provide them shippin g at three

separate ports fo r their departure A s the tim e .

dr ew near the king was urge n t with the ship

,

masters to cause no u n n ecessary delay and t o ,

o ffer no inj uries to the Jews

2
But the same .

1
Oso r ius , d e re b us Emanu e li s ges tis .
2
I bid .
42 4 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

soon after the ab o ve tran sactio n s he di ed and w as ,

succeeded by E m an uel .

The new ki n g i n stan tly eman cipated all the

Jews This was well but was c o u n ter acted by
.
,

his matrimonial co n n ectio n with Spai n F erdi .

nan d a n d Isabella n ever c o uld have bee n pleased

t o s e e P o rtugal g r ow rich by mean s o f the very
Jews whom they had ej ected an d acc o rdi n gly ,

they n o w declared that their daughte r sh o uld

wed with n o o n e who harb o ured the e n emies of
the cro ss o f Chr ist So the Jews a n d M o ors
.

were up o n this acc o un t c o n demned t o r elin quish

the Po r tuguese territo r ies O so ri u s describes the
.

cou n cil a s divided o n the subj ect ; s o me c o n te n d

ing t hat as the vari o us Christian states of Ger
man y P o l an d and I t aly particularly the p apal
, , ,

state t o lerated the Jews the ve ry s am e act c o uld

, ,

n o t be inimical t o Christian ity in P o rtugal ; that

to banish them fo r the guilt o f impiety w o uld

o n ly S pread their mischief the m o re widely : and

that if they were sent t o live amo n g Moham

m e d an s (which w o uld do ubtless be their first an d
sur es t refuge ) all p o ssible pr o spect of their c o n
,

versio n w o uld be destro yed a n d all co n tact with

,

the virtues a n d doctrines of Christian i t y be

fi n ally severed ; besides that whatever riches they
carried aw a y w o uld be so much dr awn from
,

Portugal t o enrich the infidel Moors with wh o m

 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 42 5

they were at w ar O n the o ther side it was

.

argued that the m o n archs of E n glan d F ra n ce

, , ,

a n d Spai n ,
w h o had chased away the Jews had ,

been actu a ted by a m o tive far mor e l o ft y than

the c o n sideratio n o f w o rl dly lucr e fo r they k n ew
,

the pe rn ici o us i n flue n ce which such in fi d els had

in distu rbin g the fa ith o f the simple ; that it w a s
unwise to r etain withi n access t o natio n al secr ets ,

a pe o ple wh o m no religi o n could bin d and who ,

t he r efo r e w o uld supply i n telli gence t o the Mo o rish

e n emy ; but even i n estimatio n o f pro fit and lo ss ,

it were prefe r able to expel them at o n ce than ,

at s o me futur e time when they sh o uld have ao

quir ed m uch greater we alth at the expense o f
C hristian s .

E manuel decided upo n the ban ishme n t o f all

Jews n o t b a ptized by a stated day ; with the
,

alternative as befo r e of sl avery a n d c o n fiscatio n ;

,

but whe n the peri o d came (the early part o f

1 49 7 the kin g r eflecti n g upo n the depl o rable
,

cir cumstance of so m a n y th o us a n d m e n w o men ,

and chi ldre n bei n g thus cast out t o s u r e an d

,

eve rlasti n g perdi t i o n re s o lved t o pr o vide fo r the

,

welfare o f the y o u n g by r emovi n g fr o m the

,

pare n ts every child u n de r fo urtee n ye a rs o f age ,

a n d by baptizi n g them t o separate them fo r ever

“
fro m thei r un believin g r elatives .This unj ust
and iniquitous deed with a laudable design an d
,
42 6 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

feeling lace r ated the already achi n g hearts o f

the seniors : their infa n ts were t o rn from the con
v u lsiv e embraces of the mothers fathers were ,

beate n with clubs t o make them surrender their

own o ffspri n g t h e childr en were dr agged by the
,

limbs and hair i n to the chur ches where water ,

was sprinkled on them and Christian names i m ,

p o sed Many pare n ts i n desperation thr ew their

.

babes into wells a n d t h e n slew themselves The '

.

”
Sceptre o f Judah relates, that a certain wo man
aft er they had snatched away six o f her childr en ,
’
cast her self before the king s chariot e n treatin g ,

to have her y o un gest o n e returned to solace her

for the loss of the rest ; but that whi le the at
t e n d a n t s m o cked at her affliction the king com ,

m an d e d t o have her taken away observing with

.

“
a laugh how much sh e was like a bitch when
,

”
her pups are dr o wned There were however
.
, ,

instances of Christians pr o tectin g Jewish infants

fo r the parents But the rest the victims were
.
,

dispatched to the newly di scovered W est Indi an -

islands m an y di e d o f the v o yag e and others of

,
~

the n o xi o us climate or of serpents : May God

,

behold with the eyes o f righte o usness these in

fam o us acts o f m o rtal men and li ke a just Judg e , ,

a ssert with hi s might arm the cause of the

y ,

1
Oso ri us .
2
S c pt
e re o f J u dah .
42 8 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [ A . D .

bri n gs the soul which re s ists n o t pertinaci o usly t o

”
the c o n fessi o n a n d c o m muni o n o f Christ besides ,

the evil which such c o n straint i n duces by castin g

holy myster ies t o th o se who secretly abh o r them .

Y et he ap o logizes fo r the ki n g s excelle n t i mten

’

tio n who believed that Jews might in s o me cases

,

be c o nver ted i n that man n er a n d w h o had been r e

, ,

mi n ded by religi o us m en that the same thin gs had

bee n d o n e by o ther pri n ces ; he also affirms that
go o d had resulted fo r the children had grown up
,

i n n eglect o f Jewish rites a n d had formed C hristian

habits o f dev o tio n ; whereas the M o o r s rather ,

than ado pt a new creed had universally an d t o tally

,

emigrated to Africa But the reaso n o f this latter

.

cir cumstan ce is to be fo un d i n the fact that n o

impedime n ts were o ffered to their retreat from
Christi a n ity .

At this second expulsion from Portugal n o t o nly ,

were the Jews welc o med in the Venetian states and ,

s o p o werfully S helte r ed in F l o r e n ce that it was com

“
m o n ly said ,
a m an might as well str ike the gran d
duke a s a Jew
,
but p o pe Cleme n t VII invited .

eve n the Jews w h o had bee n fo rcibly baptized t o

c o me a n d live as they plea s ed in his d o mi n ion ,

with o ut a n y i n quiry bei n g made as t o their past

life in P o rtug al His success o r s Paul I I I and
. .

Julius 1 1 1 havi n g pursued the same policy at

.
,

least Jews repaired to the states of the

 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 429

Church and from their industry An c o n a r o se to

,

be a flourishi ng s e a p o rt The p o pes r efused their

-
.

lice n s e fo r a Po r tuguese I n quisitio n u n til t w o

ge n e r a l par do n s had been pro claimed to the i n
'
v o lun tary c o nverts ; while ki n g J o h n I II and his .

brother the c ar din al He n ry e n deav o ured to arr est ,

the defecti o n o f the Jews by decl a ri n g th a t every

,

o n e attemptin g to escape sh o uld be subj ect t o

c a pital executi o n but this w as o verruled by
the pri n cipal lawye r s o f the kingd o m .

At Lisbo n i n 1 5 0 6 there w a s a severe drought

, , ,

a n d the plague was r a in g ; the c o urt a n d riche s t

g
cit ize n s had fled i n to the c o un try Ab o ut E aster .

time the r e w as a large c o n greg a tio n assembled i n

,

the church of St D o mi n ic In the le ft hand aisle

. .
-

o f that church there is a ch a pel of g r eat celebrity

, ,

called Je s us chapel Its altar is surmou n ted by

’
.

a crucifix a n d the w o u n d pie r ced in the Savi o ur s

’
,

S ide was at that time imitated by r e d glass .

Sudde n ly in presen ce o f the n umero us worship

,

pers a lig ht sh o ne out o f the w o un d a n d th rew

,

them i n to ecstasies o f devo ti o n al rapture A mi .

”
r acle 1 they exclaimed : but a n i n cauti o us new
Christian ve n tured t o say that it was n o t likely ,

for a wo o de n image t o w o r k a fiery miracle ; if

i n deed it could bri n g water o n the e a rth the mi ,

racle w o uld be m o r e acceptable The blasphemy .

,

s o called o f this Judas J e w r o used the multitude

,
-
430 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D.

to frenzy ; fro m reproaches they proceeded t o

drag him by the hair o f the head a n d he was soon ,

a man gled c o rpse i n the court o f the cathedral : his

brother c o min g up an d bew a ili n g him was i n ,

s t a n tl kill ed al s o a n d the two bodies were bur n ed

y .

to ashes The city flew t o arms A monk cried

. .

o u t to reve n ge the death o f C hrist and the i n ,

flammable P o rtu guese m o b were but too much

in cli n ed t o obedience especially whe n two other
,

m o nks erected a huge cr o ss exclaimin g H eresy !,

” “ ”
He r esy ! alternately with Blood ! a n d o fferi n g
’
o n e hundred days i n dulge n ce t o e v ery Christian

that S h o uld kill a J ew | Th e sailo r s of the D utch

a n d Baltic shippi n g in the Tagus leaped asho r e a n d

in creased the crowd F ive hundred men fo rmed

.

themselves in t o a band fo r thi s h o rrid executio n .

They slew o r m an gled their victims an d c ast ,

them o ft en still living in t o the several flami n g

, ,

piles which had already been c o n structed befo re

the church d o o r s t o which the lowest wretches
-
, ,

and the negr o slaves (then a frightful novelty i n

Lisb o n) bro ught continual supplies o f fuel E n .

treaties an d lame n tati o ns obtai n ed n o pity fo r age

or sex ; fi v e hundred Jewish con verts we r e mur
dered a n d burned o n that day The next day .
,

the p o pula ce wa s augmented fro m the villages

around and the massacre renewed : houses were
,

broken ope n families slain in heaps infants

, ,
432 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

victims had escaped from the capital and several ,

were protected i n secret by Christian frie n ds at ,

their o w n i m mi n ent peril But all disc o vered

.

were sacrificed Thus in three days ab o ut t w o

.
, ,

th o usand per s o ns o f H ebrew desce n t were exte r ,

mi n a t e d : but at le n gth the chief j udges e n te r ed

,

Lisbon surr o un ded by tro o ps a n d the tumult ,

s ubsided . The fo r eign ers weighed anch o r a n d

sailed o ff.

Ki n g E man uel s an ger was extreme : dispatch

’

ing t w o c o mmissioners fr o m Abran tes with o r der s

to u se the greatest severity he had the mo n ks, ,

who had instigated the wh o le proceedin g de ,

ri v e d o f their religi ous functi o n s then st r an gled

p ,

and bur ned Th o se in authority who had shrunk

.

fi o m their duty we r e deprived of their o ffice and

,

largely fined The metrop o lis itself was denuded

.

of its dec o r atio n s an d had it s title in public docu

,

ments of the M o st F aithful City com m uted

, ,

”
for three years in to the M o st R ebellio us City .

”
The auth o r o f the Sceptre o f Judah gives h i s
accoun t fro m the di ctatio n of an eye witness as -
,

he was himself abse n t at the time H e adds that .

,

the king wished t o dem o lish the chur ch itself

wher e the tran sactio n had c o mmenced but w as ,

dissuaded from this by his c o u n cil as likewise ,

from puttin g t o death all w h o sho uld be convicted

o f participating in the murders : for they pro
15I7 .
J IN S P A I N AND P O R T U G A L . 433

du c ed an an cie n t law which pr o vided that if fifty

, ,

o r m o re pe r s o n s were c o n ce r n ed in a n l o ss o f
y
life n o t all the perpetrators but o n ly the leade r s
, , ,

were t o be respo n sible These two statements

.

are n o t found i n O so ri u s .

D uring the s e times the N ew Christians i n Spai n ,

n umer o us as they were had their r a n ks fearfully

,

thi n ned b y the persevera n ce o f the holy I n quisiti o n .

I n credible n umber s suffered as c o n victed Je w s ,

duri n g the reigns o f Charle s V Philip II and .

,
.
,

Philip 1 11 O n the a ccessio n o f the fo r me r o f

.

these m o n archs but befo r e h i s quittin g Flan ders

, ,

the Jew s by s o me n ego c i at io n o ff ered t o purchase

, ,

liberty o f religio n i n h i s do mi n i o n s at the price ,

of eight hun dr ed thousan d g old cr o wn s D ur i n g .

his hesitati o n a message arrived fro m the

,

Span ish min ister Xime n es ur gi n g him t o a sense

,

o f duty i n this matter a n d recalli n g t o hi s r e

,

m e mb r a n c e how his gran dfather F e r di n a n d had

,

disdai n ed a s imilar temptatio n ; ext o lli n g the

pur ity o f j ustice s o c o nspicuous i n the a cts o f the
I n quisition and co n clu di n g by the an n o un ceme n t
, ,

th a t he wh o desired n o t the S avi o ur fo r his sove

reign o ught n o t t o be the rule r o f a Christia n
,

people C harles yielded an d h i s g o vernme n t in

.
,

Spain exceeded eve n the severity expected by the

chur ch fo r he n o t o n ly suppressed the publica
,

ti o n of all bo o ks reported in the I ndex but o f all ,

U
434 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D.

medi cal works except to licen sed pers o ns o n the ,

sc o re tha t such were gene r ally the writin gs of

Jews a n d M o o rs .

O n the establishment of i n depe n dence in H ol

lan d the Jews already residin g there had their
,

numbers rapidly i n creased from the Pe n insula .

The freedo m from Sp a in an d its In quisiti o n

affo r ded them a wide expansi o n o f c o mmerce ,

and they greatly served to the pr o sperity Of A m

s t er d a m
, R otterdam and Antwer p
, I n these .

favo urable circumstances they wer e j oi n ed by

man y A shken azim Jews from P o lan d a n d Ger
,

man y ; but the Sephardim from Sp ai n and Po r

tugal have always been the most numerous and
wealthy in A msterdam .

The Israelite settleme n ts in Bar bary hav e l o n g

cherished a fo n d attachment t o Spain a n d they ,

still use a rude di alect of Spanish called the

La di no F orgetful o f i njuries when they had o p
.

o rt u n i t i e s to retaliate they opened the gates of

p ,

O ran fo r their Old oppressor Ximenes D uri n g .

the Spanish p o ssessi o n o f that city they we r e ever

fa ithful subj ects ; a n d on o n e occasio n when ,

the tro o ps mutin ied for pay they fu rni shed the
,

go vern men t with the am o un t rather than affo rd

,

the M o hammedans an occasi o n of profitin g by

t h e di sadvantage . Y et they were ungratefully
expelled even thence in 1 6 6 9 A t Luz i n the.
,
4 36 HI ST ORY O F T HE JEws [
A . D .

F ro m 1 5 80 t o 1 640 the cr o w n s o f Spain and

Po r tugal wer e u n ited ; but at the l a tter o f these
dates J o hn of B r ag an za restored the in depe n den ce
,

of P o rtugal N ever theless it w a s n o t l o n g befo r e

.

the an cient mi n ister o f the ej ected Spaniar ds the ,

ar chbish o p o f B r a ga fo rmed a dan ger ous co n spiracy

,

t o subvert the n e w o rder o f thi n gs Kn o wi n g 1

.

that the Jewi sh Christian s had o ffered l ar ge sums

t o the a ctual g o ve r n me n t to procure a ge n er a l r e

li gi o u s t o lerati o n thi s ecclesiastical c o n spir at o r

,

summo n ed their leader s t o a secr et c o n ference

these were gr eatly di sco n certed expectin g that as ,

they had S O far committed themselves they we r e ,

now t o expe r ie n ce the ve n gean ce of the I n quisi

ti o n Their confu si o n the cr aft y prelate improved
.

for his o wn e n ds : begi n n in g by pro misin g his i n

fl u e n c e with the gran d i n quisit o r whom they all ,

knew t o be at his command an d thus bi n din g ,

them to him by gratitude he ge n tly i n si n u a ted ,

the con siderati o n of the n ew mo n arch s big o try ’

,

an d the pr o bability that he i n te n ded sh o rtly to

ban ish all the suspected C hristian s particularly ,

th o se who had betrayed their real se n time n t s by

the offer they had made him ; a n d fi n ally urged
the su peri o r be n efit to be derived from r e establish -

i n g the Span ish sovereign ty ; in the name of which

1
R ev o lu t io n d e P o r tu ga l , p
ar l A bb é V e r to t
’
.
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 43 7

he e n gaged to giv e them full to lerati o n an d the ,

lice n se o f a syn ag o gu e i n Lisb o n .

The lur e was highly attractive ; a n d it seems that

the dupes of the ch u rchman promised t o s e t fi r e
to the p alace an d several poi n ts of the city o n the ,

fifth o f Augu st when the higher traito r s were t o

,

kill the ki n g seize the Shippin g and welcome a

, ,

Span ish fleet and army i n the Ta gus fro m cardin al

O livare s But the vigilan t g overnme n t suspectin g
.
,

some plot t o be i n progress set strict guards ,

’
alo n g the whole extent of the ki n gdom s c o n
fines .

A Jew named B aez e had still a permissi o n t o

c o rresp o n d with Spain i n v irtue of his o ffice a s
tr easur er o f the excise The Je ws in th e c o n sp i
.

racy were n o w cut o ff fr o m all corresp o n de n ce

with O livar es but they e n tr eated thi s B aez e to
fo rward a letter fo r them with o ut acquain ti n g hi m
,

with the secret H e co n se n ted an d c o n sign ed it t o

.
,

the g o ver n o r of the first t o wn in Spain ; but thi s

pers o n was i n s o me degree related to the queen o f
Po rtugal and receiving thus a letter sealed by the
,

Inquisiti o n addressed to O livares he immediately

, ,

had it c arefiIlly placed in the han ds o f kin g Joh n .

Thus the scheme was frustrated an d the cro w n ,

of Bragan za remain ed u n m o ved .

The Je wish eve n ts of the eightee n th ce n tury i n

Portuguese A merica can n o t be better related than
U 3
43 8 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S [
A . D .

1
by our celebrated histor ian of that country .

The Inqui s ition had never bee n established in

Brazil but it had sen t its c o mmissio n ers there
, ,

and by their mean s h a d begun the same system

which had pro ved s o rui nous and s o i n expiably ,

disgraceful to P o rtugal O n o n e occasi o n these .

age n ts of that infernal tribunal arrested and sent

to Lisbo n a great number of N ew Christians in ,

d u stri o u s wealthy, and respectable pers o ns wh o

, ,

all co n fessing themselves t o be Jews because they ,

w o uld have been burned alive if they had persisted

in protestin g h o wever tru ly that they were R oman
Cath o lic Christian s escaped the s take as rec o n
,

ciled an d repentant co n victs but suffered the l o ss ,

of all their property That pro perty went to the

.

hell houn ds by whom the game was started and

-

run down but s o wide a r uin w as produced that

man y eng enh os at the R io st o pped in co n seque n ce ,

and the great di min ution of pro duce occasi o n ed

a diminution o f shipping fro m that p o rt The .

mi n ister powerful as he was di d n o t venture

’
, ,

t o proclaim a toleration for the Jews which ,

Vieyra a ce n tury befo r e his time had strenuously

c o ntended for regar dl ess Of the dan ger that he
,

brought up o n hi mself ; but he deli vered the N ew

Christian s fr om the h o rrible state of perpetual i n
h y B zil iii
So u t e
’
s ra ,
. 5 87 .

2
M q i d P mb l
ar u s e o a .
440 HI ST ORY O F T HE J EW S ,
&c .

to the interests of religio n ! o f havi n g Je wish

blo o d in his o wn vein s a n d m o reover o f having
,

been circumcised himself i n H o llan d Such were .

the stupid calum n ies which were propagated

”
against Pombal for the best action of his life .
 C HAP T E R XX VI .

S E P H AR D I M J EW S S I N C E T H E G REA T E X I L E
C ON C L U S I ON
.

THE Jewish attachme n t to the Span ish s o il

must be extr eme when s o man y c o uld cli n g t o i t
,

at the hazard o f the m o st h o rrible tortures and

deaths that m a n ever devised again s t h i s fell o ws
a n d eve n as a body U n affected by i n dividual su s
,

p i c i o n o f Judaism the
,
N ew Christia n s were n o t

placed on a fo oti n g with the old immacula te S p a

n i ar d s. In Biscay they were n o t even admitted
t o reside for by the thirtee n th law of the F uero s
it is e n acted th a t in order to preserve the purity
,

Of blo o d whe r e every man is hi da lg o all pe r s o n s

,

whatever e n terin g Biscay t o dwell there shall

, ,

within sixty days prove t o the corregidor veedo r , ,

o r their s ubs titutes the e n tire exempti o n of thei r

,

pedigree from the ta int of Jewish o r M o o rish p o l

44 2 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

But in the more wealthy provi n ces of Spain

and Portugal the dissimulati o n practised by ,

Jews to p r o l o ng their soj o urn is pro bably with

o u t parallel i n the h ist o ry of the wo rld They .

o btai n ed importan t t r usts practised the liberal ,

p r ofessi o n s held chairs in the Christian univer

,

sities intermarried with Castilian families : c o n

,

c e ali n g their names they assumed arm o rial bear ,

ings pur chased cro sses o f knighth o od arrived at

, ,

bish o prics nay eve n became judges in the Inqui

, ,

s it i o n yet remained Jews still

,
O ro bi o declar ed .
,

that in Amsterdam he kn ew o f Jews perfo rmi n g

vicarious penan ce in the synagogues fo r their
dissem bling brothers & c who were F r an ciscans ,
.
, ,

D omini can s an d Jesuits in Spain ,

1
.

N umerous instan ces sUch as the followi n g have

transpired o f Span ish Chri stians withdrawin g
,

Th t t h c tt d S ph dim y g g w
1
a e s a ere t ill m i df l
e ar s na o u es er e s n u

o f th i c e rcti n th
o nn e c t i t pp
o ns o by th f ll w i g
e on n en ,
a e ars e o o n

e xt ct f m th i L it gy ( L vi P y
ra ro e r F
ur th E. f e
’
s ra e rs . or e ve o

th A t
e m t ) Th w d i I t lic
one en . p i t d i n th P t
e or s n a s a re r n e e or u

g l
u e seg g an t Huab w e, n o A p y f ll
e re b t h
. ra er or a o ur re re n

c fi d by th I q i iti — M y H wh bl d
on ne e n u s on c t
. a e o e s se o u r an e s o rs ,

Ab h m I c
ra a ,
d J c b ; M
sa a ,
an d A ; D vid
a o d o s es an ar o n a an

S l m
o o ; bl on p v g d d i t ll
ess , r ese r e, di t d u ar ,
an as s s a ou r s r esse

b thre
fi d
ren co n by th I ne
q i it i M y t h e p mn u s Ki g f on . a e su re e n o

t h U iv
e n bl ers ed p ify t h m d h
e ss a n k t th v ic f
ur e an e ar en o e o e o
,

th i pplic ti
e r su d b i g th m f th f m d k
a o ns , a n r n t ligh t e or ro ar n e ss o

which Go d ( i Hi infi i t m cy g a t d A m ”
n
) s l t
n e
y er r n ,
an e us sa ,
en .
444 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

Am I indeed that Balthasar O robio who lately

walked freely about Sevill e and had a wi fe and ,
”
chi ldre n ? At o ther times he imagi n ed his past
life t o have been a dream or amused himself with ,

framin g metaphysical discussio n s taki n g succes 1

,

s ive l the parts of oppo n ent respo n de n t nd

y a , ,

m o der ato r ; still retaini ng sufficie n t c o mmand

over hi s o w n mi n d to deny even i n these di scus
,

si o n s that he was a Jew Aft er three years i m .

priso n ment he was o nce m o re put to the questi on

, ,

a n d as this failed t o extort c o nfessio n the j udges ,

ordered h i s w o unds to be c u red and dismissed ,

him H e retired to F rance a n d at To ulouse

.
,

became p r o fessor of p h y s i o ; but at length wearied ,

with the co n strai n t of di ssimulati o n he repaired ,

t o Amsterd a m a n d was circumcised by the name

,

of Isaac still p r actisin g physic

,
O r obio has .

acquired a reputati o n amo n g the o logic al writers

”
by his Thr ee Wr itin gs fo r investigation o f the
D ivine auth o rity of Christian ity : which together ,

with replies by L im b o r c h are published u n der ,

”
the title of the Amicable Co n fere n ce The .

w h o le argument is c o nducted on both sides with

calm n ess a n d forbearan ce but O robio died a Jew .

H e als o wrote
1
Ga lil e o
ch lk d d i g m
a e th a ra s on e wa ll s of h is c ll
e in th e R o
ma n I n q i iti i d m t ti
u s on , n e on s r a on o f the a sse r ti on E pp ur Si

9,
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 44 5

1 A philos o phic al defence o f the R evealed and

.

N atural Law : again st Spin o za .

2 Le t ter t o a philos o phi cal physician in de

.

fence o f the M o saic Law .

”
3 . I srael Avenged or an expositio n of those ,

H ebrew pr o phecies which C hristians apply to

their Messiah .

(Also still unp r inted

) .

4 The D ivine p r ohibition o f Ge n tile id o latry

. .

5 R eply to a preache r o n the perpetuity of

.
,

the M o saic L a w .

6 R eflecti o ns o n I sa liii
. . .

7 R eflecti o n s on the seve n ty weeks o f D aniel

. .

V Ur iel A costa b o rn at O p o rt o in the e n d o f

.
,

the sixtee n th ce n tur y o f rich N ew Christian p a ,

-

r e n ts educ a ted in various sciences a n d ultimately

, ,

i n the Law H e h a s le ft a record o f his life e n ti

.

t u le d E xemplar Hu m anae Vitae fro m which it

”
,

a ppe a rs th a t i n h i s y o uth he was deeply affec t ed

,

with religi o us imp r essi o ns but his c o nscie n ce ,

foun d n o relief fro m the exter nal prescriptio n s o f

Judaism o r Po pery H e read the Scriptur es .
,

comments church h istory a n d still finding n o

,
-
,

comfo rt his ago n y o f mi n d bec ame excessive

, .

At the age o f twenty fi v e he was made tr easur er o f

-

a collegiate church and he then devoted his lei

,
446 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

sure anew to Moses and the Prophets F rom .

these (do ubtless fro m the e ffect of bias received in

c hi ldh o o d ) he arrived at the convicti o n o f the
,

truth of the O ld Testament an d falsehood of the

N ew Co n scien ti o usly resigning his o ffice he
.
,

went to Ams t erdam i n c o mpan y with his bro ther ,

whom he had lately i n struct ed in the Mosaic

principles There they were circumcised and he
.
,

re n oun ced his Christian name of Gab r iel But .

the Judaic religion he had conceived i n private

study was that o f the Bible not of the tradi tions
,

and great w a s his di sappointment to di scover the

gross di screpan cy between the doctrine of the
Prophets and that o f modern synagog u es H e .

ventured to rebuke the rabbis ; they in return

th reatened exc o mmunication A costa; who had
.

in his uprightness fo rsaken his native home

rather than fall i n with R om a n errors despised ,

their threats and the an athema being pronounced

, ,

he fou n d himself suddenly aban do n ed by hi s most

i n timate friends H e now resumed his readi n g
.

of the H ebrew law an d embraced Sadduceeism a s

,

the true faith of Moses ; a n d the book which thi s

Opini o n inspired O n the Immortality o f the
,
”
Soul delighted his enemies as it cleared them
, ,

in the eyes of Christians from the imputatio n o f

tyrannical rashness : the Jewi sh children were
taught t o hoot him in the s t reet as an atheist ,
448 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S

pistol from his do o r at o n e he b elieved to be his

e n emy but missi n g i n the a im he S h o t himself
, ,

immediately with a n o ther a f rightful example

-

o f prayerless decle n sio n fr om God His E x .

”
e m lar H u m a n ae Vitae is written in a stra n gely
p
melan ch o ly to ne o f i r ony .

VI I n a b o o k o f the R ev L A ddis o n 1 6 7 5
. . .
, ,

describi n g the Jews o f Barbary it is stated that a

, ,

me di cal practiti o ner from Zarago za came to Africa ,

a n d received circumcisi o n at the age of forty ;

declarin g that his recen t Christianity had been like
that of o thers n o t an affai r o f the heart but o f n erves
, ,

a n d muscles An o ther deserter is me n ti o ned as

.

h avi n g been s o sure a Cath o lic as to be e n trusted

with the s al e of indulgences : of these he s o ld
several i n Spai n and cr o ssed fro m M al aga to
,

Barbary wher e he disposed of the rest t o s o me

,

Irish r eside n ts : havi n g the m o n ey safely in h i s

p o cket he pr o cl ai med himself a Jew : the pur
,

chasers appe aled to the cadi against the cheat ,

but he claimed the privilege of a free p o rt to sell

all ki n ds o f mer chan dize Also t w o D o mi n ican s
.

arrived fr o m Spain a t Legh o rn a n d cast a way ,

their m o n kery fo r the fell o wship of the syn a

g o gue These escapes we r e e ffected despite the
.

guar dianship of the I n quisiti o n : but the A cts

”
o f F aith were co n tinued to a date almost with i n
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 449

presen t mem o ry : an d the Jews p r eserved r egular

catal o gu es o f their martyrs A m o n g these were .

I n 1 5 33 S o l o m o n M o lc h o w h o had been pri

, ,

vate secretary to the kin g o f P o r tugal but r e ,

n o u n cin hi s C hristian ity i n Italy fell afterwards

g ,

i n to the p o wer o f the Inqui siti o n an d was bur n ed ,

alive with a bri dl e i n hi s mouth .

I n 1 6 03 a mo n k o f the A sce n si o n order was

,

burned o n the same charge in Lisbo n .

O n e L o pe de la Ve r a a youthful student o f
,

S alaman ca b o ldly av o wed his Judai sm an d cir

, ,

c u m c i s e d hi m self in pris o n calli ng himself Judah

,

the Believer H e w a s conseque n tly bro ught t o

.

the stake .

In 1 6 31 a y o uth n amed Simon Perez S o lio

,

was tortur ed an d burned for ste ali n g a S ilver pix

from a church but the really guilty pers o n w h o ,

had bee n a wi tn ess of this executio n afterwards ,

confessed to the fa ct 1

”
I n 1 6 32 an
,
A ct of F ai th was celebrated at
Madrid fo r committ i n g t o the flames a wh o le
family accused of having fl o gged a crucifix till
, ,

the C hrist upo n it bled p r o fusely a n d exclaimed , ,

W hy d o ye scour ge me thus cruelly 2

I n 1 6 5 5 a N ew C hr istian n amed A lmeyda was

, , ,

burned at C o m p o st ella ; and o n e Mines at Cordova .

In 1 6 5 6 one Isaac J esh u ru n was accused at

,

3 Mena ss eh b e n I sra e l .
2
I bid .
450 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S

Zaragoza of having ki lled a girl for the sake of ,

her blood to mi n gle with the Passover biscuit .

In 1 680 nineteen perso n s a n d thirty four effi

,
-

gies were burned at Mad rid t o celebrate the ,

entry of the n e w quee n .

In 1 6 82 three others were thus executed in

,

Li sb o n .

And in 1 7 23 Phili p V presented to our Lady

, .

of Ato cha i n Madrid three standards -captured ,

fr o m the Mo o rs at Ceuta : and o n this j o y ful

occasio n twelve lapsed N ew Christians passed
,

into the flames .

N o r were pop ul ar insurrections wanti n g t o

keep the c o nverts within the wh o lesome disci
pli n e Of terror In 1 6 05 four or five thousand
.
,

became victim s to the preachi n g of a D ominican

friar .

The church h o wever boasts of t w o eminent

, ,

converts from the Sephardi m Jews .

1 J o h an an Hat ob el born in Portugal w h o

.
, ,

w rote
1 . C h ristian Consolati o n and Light for the
Jewish People or the Psalms of the r o yal Pro
phet D avi d re n der e d literally .

2 . D ialo g u e between a D isciple and a Cate

chist with literal extracts fro m Scripture and
“

the R abbis .
45 2 HI ST O RY O F T HE J EWS

man ca Aft er teachin g astro n omy at Zaragoza

.
,

he retired to Po rtugal where under the auspices , ,

o f kin g E ma n uel he wr o te
,

1 . The J u h h a s si n or Jewish genealogies ,

from Abraham t o A D 1 5 00 with passin g occa . .

,

sioual remarks .

”
2 Sweet to the Soul (Prov xvi On . . .

the future state and separation o f spirit fro m the

,

body .

”
3 . F o r ty Y ears O ld (Gen xxv A stro . . .

l o gical .

4 A Perpetual A lmanack of the plan eta ry mo

.

tio n s in Latin
, .

5 O n A stro n omy : a work mentioned by

.
‘

S ab t ai .

I I R Solomon ben Virga A Span ish phy

. . .

s i c i an in high repute am o n g his pe o ple before the

,

general expatriati o n for they intrusted him wi th

,

their c o llecti o n of money for their imprisoned

brethren at M alaga Havi n g found at the end of
.
,

a b o o k compiled by his an cestor R Judah a num .

,

b er o f narratives o n the vari o us sufferings of the

Jews si n ce the fall o f the second temple he con ,

c e i v e d the idea o f c o mpiling the Sceptre o f

”
Judah ; a w o rk which c o nsists of man y varied
incidents such as persecutions controversial
, ,
 IN S PAI N A ND P O RTU GA L . 453

di alogu es, epistles characteristic anecdo te s & c

, , .

relatin g t o the m o der n Jews : but the c o nversa

ti o ns are so precisely det ail ed e v e n of sev eral ,

ages befo r e his time, as t o prove that hi s own

inve n ti o n was o ft en employed d uring t h e p r o
gress o f the bo o k an d real o ccurrences are di
,

lated by religious argumen tati o n o f the per so n s

c o n ce r n ed In r ec o r di n g supp o sed co n tr o versies
.

with Chri sti an s the p o in ts are generally stated

,

with great fairn ess a n d c a ndour It i s con cluded .

by a suppleme n tary c o llecti o n o f similar n arratives

by his s o n J o seph fr o m s o me o t he r b o o k
,
.

”
The Sceptre o f Judah h a s bee n tran slate d
into Lati n by G e o G e n t i u s a n d this is the
.
,

versio n referred t o thro ugh o ut th is b o o k when

ever the w o rk is qu o ted ; i n to Sp a n ish by Meir
de Le o n and into German by o n e un kn o wn
, ,

which has been several times r ep r i n ted All .

these are said by D e R o ssi t o be very fr ee a n d

i n exact tran slati o ns A n earlier L atin versio n
.

w a s made i n the life time o f the auth o r by P-

,
.

Ho n o r ius a Cistercian mo n k but has never bee n

, ,

prin ted .

I n the c o urse of the w o r k R S o l o mon refers t o

,
.

another bo o k o f hi s writin g called The R od o f ,

”
his An ger (Prov xxii
,
in which he h ad de
. .

scri bed the massacre o f T o ledo .

45 4 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

I II R Joseph Kar o nephew o f I saac Karo of

. .
,

Toledo Auth o r o f
.

”
1
.
“
The House of Joseph on the F o ur ,

”
O rders o f Jacob bar A sher .

”
2. D o uble M o ney (Gen xliii .R e flec . .

tio ns on the works of M o ses bar Maimon .

”
3. Preacher o f R ighteous n ess E lucidations .

of dark pass ages i n Scripture .

4 Legal deci sio n s

. .

5 Talmudic rules
. .

IV R Abraham T saalo n removed to S ap h et

. .

in Galilee ; the rest of his family were settled in

R ome ,

”
.1 The S alvation o f our God ; (PS xcviii . .

a literal and moral comme n t on E sther .

.2 The Medicine o f the Soul o n conversion

and pe n itence .

.3 The Hand of the D iligent (Prov x . .

on the Christian H ebrew and M o hammedan

, ,

c alendars .

V R Jacob M an t in u s ; an excellent physician

. .

of Spanish desce n t ; who wr o te several origi nal

books besides tran slating i n t o Latin
,
”
.1 The Guide of the Perplexed and Preface ,
”
t o the Chapters of the F athers by Moses bar
Maimon .
45 6 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S

2A Chro n icle o f the Fre n ch C rusades

.
,
an d

of W ars am o ng C hristians themselves .

VIII R Shem . . Tob of Leon ben R Joseph

, .

Palki r a .

1 . Steps o f Moral Progress .

2 . The R equirer o f W isdom an d D iscip line .

”
3 . The Begi n n in g of W isdom .

4 . Me di ci n e fo r Sorrow .

5
.
. O n D isci p line of Soul a n d Body .

6 . Apology fo r the Guide of the Perplexed .

7 . A n n otati o ns on the Guide of the Per

”
le xe d
p .

8 Comment o n the Scriptures

. .

”
9 .Letter o f D ispute t o examine whether ,

or not the meditati o n of the Law is preferable to

active r eli gi o us exercise .

IX R Joseph ben Virga wrote Supple mentary

. .
,

rules fo r i n terpretat ion o f Gemara called the ,

”
R emnant of Joseph (A mos v a n d the , .

Supplementary anecdotes to the Scept re o f

”
Judah .

X R A brah am S ab aa of Portugal In seven

. .
0
.

years aft er the exp ul sion from Lisb o n he returned ,

to di scover if a settlement were yet practicable

 IN S P A I N AN D P OR T U G A L . 45 7

for himself an d a few o thers but was di sappoin ted ,

i n hi s h Op e His writi n gs are

.

.1 Th e Bundle of My rr (Cant i . .

R ather Cabalistic and much esteemed by the ,

Jews .

”
2
. The Bundle o f Money (Gen xlii A . . .

c o ll ectio n of legal decisio ns .

3
. C o mment o n the Law ; in which at the ,
”
section If ye will walk i n my ways & c he
, , .

gives a n arrati o n o f the Spa n ish exile .

X I Is r ael ben R Israel ben Moses N agera

. .
,

ben R Levi N ager a R em o ved from Spain to the

. .

E ast and published

,

1 Letter s praised for their elegance

.
, .

2 O n C o n tempt o f the W o r ld
. .

”
3. Hym n s of Israel .

4. W aters of Israel v iz Sil o ah Me n ahh o t h

”
, .
, ,

Meribah M et z u r and Zahab W ith a n Appendi x

, , .

o f other p o ems .

5 Some Comme n ts as y et u n printed

.
, .

At D amascus he was accust o med to atte n d the

mosques t o c o llect thei r musical tunes t o which ,

he w o uld adapt H ebrew or C haldee verses .

X II R Judah ben R Solomon ben A IC Op h n i

. . .
,

Oft en de n ominated C h ari z i .

“
1 Translation of the Guide of the Perp lexed j
’

.
,

x
4 58 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S

from the A r abic ; but alm o st unkn o wn as that by ,

R Samuel T bb o n still maintains its ground

.
i .

2 Translati o n int o H ebrew of the

. O rchard
”
of Pomegranates by R Hh as d ai bar Abra
, .

ham .

3 T ranslation i n to H ebrew of Galen s B o ok ’

.

”
of the S o ul fr om the Arabic o f Bar Hh as d ai bar
,

Abraham .

4 Th a n slat i o n into H ebrew from R Hh a n a

.

n i ah s
’
Se n te n ces of the Philosophers .

5 Tr an slation into H ebrew of Ar istotle on

.

Govern ment .

6 Tr a n slat i o n i n t o H ebrew from the Arabic

.

poems of Abu Mohammed A l ch asn e di Borra .

7 . Letter on Teachi n g .

”
8 Comme n t on the O rder of Seeds by Mose s
.

bar Maimon .

9 I n tro duction to Moses bar Maimon on the

.

Mishna .

1 0 A phorisms i n verse on bo di ly h ealth

.
, .

”
11 B o ok o f W isdom
. P o ems
. .

”
1 2 The . T ah h c h e m o n i and other poems
, ,

composed expressly to prove that the Hebrew

langu age possesses all the fulness and variety of
the A ri r i an dialect of Arabic w hi ch was the ,

favo urite dialect of Ar abian poets The poem s of .

thi s auth o r are reckoned of superlative beaut y by

competent judges .
46 0 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

3 A n A strological Prediction in
.
,
L atin hexa
meters .

4 Lati n E legies
. .

XVI R Solomon Usque

. .

1 A Span ish version of Petrarch

. .

2 A Tragedy o n the subj ect of E sther

. .

3 Hym n o n the Six D ays Creation de di cate d

’
,
.

t o Saint Charles Borromeo .

XVII R Samuel U sque. Author of Con

. .

solati o n fo r the Tribulations of I srael F errara,

1 55 3 D edicated to D o fi a Gracia N asi aunt and
.
,

m o ther i n law to D on Joseph N asi whom Abu

- -
,

”
Ab terms D uke of N asia The work consists .

o f three par ts under the names o f Jacob N ahum

, , ,

and Zachariah which portray with heart rending ,

-

an imation the course of massacres exiles and , ,

calum n ies which have affl icted h i s nation since the

g reat d ispersi o n a n d h o lds out the richness of the
,

pr ophetic promises as a balm for the present and ,

encouragement fo r the future .

XVII I R Gedali ah J ah h n a wro t e the Chain

.

of Tradi tion in three large divisions 1 Sacred

,
. .

1
Ch e le l a m en ta zi o i f i c
n er s on o il c u o re .
” —De ROSS I.
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 46 1

Chronology, and A ccount of H ebrew W riter s up

to h i s time 2 O n the W orld and the Stars ; o n
. .

the F o rmation before Birth and the O rigin of ,

the So ul ; on Spirits and Incantations ; and o n

A ncient H ebrew Coins valued by those of B 0 ,

logna in his time 3 O n the Creation of the . .

W o rld Angels D evils Para dise H ell the E arliest

, , , , ,

Language the Langu ag e of the M o saic Law ; o n

,

D iscoveries on the R ise of Ki n gdoms a n d the

, ,

most n o table events o f various ages a n d

countries .

XIX R Joseph ben D avid ben J o seph aben

. .
, , ,

J ah h ii a ; born in Portugal 1 494 and withdrew t o ,

Italy where he wr o te
,

”
1 .The W ay of L ife (Jer xxi . . .

”
2 .The Lamp of the Commandment (Prov . .

vi.

3 The Law o f L ight

. on the beatitude o f
paradise on hell and on the world to come
, , .

4 The Light of th e Pe o ple

. consisting o f
ph ilosophi cal j udicial, and do ctrin al decisions
,
.

H e di ed of a complaint brought on by excessiv e

s tudy ; aged forty fi v e -
.

XX R Z acu t born in L isbon 1 5 7 5 A phy

. .
, , .

s i c i a n before mentioned, who s u rrendere d his i n

,
-

x 3
46 2 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

v o lu n tary Christianity H e wr o te among other .

,

w o rks
1 An A ccount o f some extra o rdinary Cures of
.

S to n e .

2 O n Medical Practice
. .

3 History o f the Practice of the most emi nent

.

Physician s in ten bo o ks ,
.

XXI R D avid Pardo ben Joseph Pardo

. . .

Translated into Spanish the O bligation Of the ,

”
H e art by R B ehh ai It was pri nted at Thessa
, . .

lo n i c a in H ebrew characters
, .

XXI I R Joshua ben Joseph Pinto of Po rtu

. .

u e s e desce n t at D amascus
g
1 C o mme n t o n the Law
. .

”
2 R ep r obate Silver (Jer vi
. Serm o ns , . .

o n the Lamentatio n s .

”
3 R efin ed Silver (1 Chr xxix
. Sermons,
. .

o n the Proverbs .

”
4 The Light of the E yes (Prov xv
. . . .

”
An n o tations on the F oun tain of Jacob by ,

Abe n Hh av iv .

XX I I I Isaac Cardoso, wrote

.

”
1 Liberal Philos o phy in Latin
.
,
.

2 O n the U tility of W ater and Snow with the

.

use of cold and warm D rin ks In S p anish . .

 64 HIS T O RY O F T HE J E WS

XXVI R S o lom o n O li viera of Amsterdam ;

. .
,

died 1 7 0 8 .

1 H ebrew Grammar
. .

”
2 . The Tree of Life a H ebrew lexicon , .

3 H ebrew Alphabet with a Portugese e xp la

.
,

n ation o f terms i n the Gemara .

4 Hebrew and Portuguese Vocabulary

. .

”
5 .W ays o f Pleasantness R abbin ic al logic . .

”
6 .W ays of the Lord Precepts of the .

Law .

”
7 .The Lovin g Hind (Prov v H ebrew
. . .

rhetoric .

8 Chain of the Terminations ; on rhymes

. .

9 .E asy and Curi o us Calendar of Lunar

”
with Solar Calculations for the F estival D ays .

XXVI I R Imm anuel Abu

. .
- Ab; published in
1 62 5

1 . N o m o lo gI a ; on the Mosai c Law, in

Spanish .

2 The E mpire of R eason

. .

”
3 The Prop of T ruth i e the Talmud
.
, . . .

The two latter he o n lv commenced In the .

”
N o m o lo gi a he relates that at Ve n ice he had
,

pro n oun ced an harangue before the U niversity, in

’
v indication of his nation s fidelity with proofs ,

from ancient and modern history .

 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 46 5

XXVII I R Isaac Atias of Amster dam

. .
, .

”
1 Treasury of the Precepts in Spanish
.
, .

2 Translati o n into Spanish of the

. F ortress
”
of the F aith by R Isaac ben Abraham against
, .
,

XXIX R Joseph Arias of Amsterdam pub

. .
, ,

li sh e d in 1 6 8 7 a Spanish version of Josephus

ag ai nst Apion .

XXX R Jacob A b en dan a, of Amsterdam and

. .

Lo n don di ed in 1 6 9 6 .

1 A Letter of D ispute on the Glory o f the

.

Seco n d Temple .

2 A Spanish versi o n of the Mish n a

. .

3 An elegant translati o n o f C o z ar i preferr ed

.
,

by Simonius and D e R ossi to that of B u xt o r f .

XXXI R Isaa c Abu A b fourteen years rule r

. .
-
,

of syn agogues in Brazil R eturning to Amste r .

dam he di ed there aged eighty eight and R Sol o

, ,
-
,
.

mon O liviera pro nounced hi s fu n eral o ration His .

writi ngs were

1 Comment on the Law : brief and elegan t
. .

2 Phi losophy of the Law

. .

”
3. Tr iumph of Moses : a poem .

’
4 Translati o n of H errera s
. Gate of Heaven .

5 N umerous Sermons
. .

x 5
466 HIS T O RY O F THE J E WS

XXXII R Men as seh ben Israel of Portuguese

. .
,

descent ; ruler o f the Amsterdam syn agogues .

H e married one o f the A b arb an els and was him ,

self di s tantly related t o that family His writi n gs .

ar e in Hebrew Arabic Lati n and Span ish and

, , , ,

exhibit superi o r tale n t with exte n sive reading

,

and kn o wledge of the world D uri n g the usur .

at i o n of Cromwell he came t o Lo n don an d

p ,

addr essed an appeal To his High n ess the L o rd

Pro tect o r o f the Comm o nwealth o f E ngland ,

”
Scotland and I r elan d as we ll as a declaration to
, ,

the C o mmonwealth itself to try if by G o d s , ,

’

go o d hand o ver me I may obtai n here for my

,

n ation ,
the liberty of a free an d public syna
”
gogue . His e ffo rts met success ; an d he di ed
in 1 6 5 2 . The writings of this eminent rabbi
ar e

1 . The Co n ciliator or reconcilement of,

Scriptural passages apparently c o ntradictory .

2 . The Law of M o ses with the precep ts ,

s eparated into positive and negative .

3 The Bible in Span ish with notes

.
,
.

4 The Treasury o f Judges an epitome of

t h e Mish n a .

a ) . (E conomica ; o n the relatio n an d duties of

Matrim o n y .

6 . The Precious Stone ; o n the Statue o f

N eb u c h ad n ez z ar .
46 8 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

O n the Scie n ces of the Talmudists .

R abbin ic Phi l o sophy .

Jewish History contin ued from Josephus

,
.

C o llection of E pistles .

O n the A uth o r ity o f the Law o f M o ses .

R abbinical Library .

Latin D efence of the Babylonian Talmud .

4 5 0 Serm o ns in Spanish ,
.

Ph o cli s a Greek poet re n dered in Spanish

, ,
.

Arabic Targum o n the Law .

E lucidati o n of R Levi ben Gersh o m O n the

.

”
S o ul .

Morals of the Modern Jews .

XXX II I Abraham U sque ; published at F er

.

rara in 1 5 7 3 a Spanish translation o f the Bible at

, , ,

the expense o f J o m Tob Atias ben Levi Atias ,

and dedicated it to D o fi a G r acia N asi as his ,

r elative R Samuel had addressed hi s Cons o la

.

”
tions of Israel twenty years befo re In the title .

page it is said to be tr an slated w o rd fo r w o rd

fr om the H ebrew origi na l by very emin ent scholars ,

revi sed and examined by the o ffice o f the Inqui

sit i o n .

An o the r edition of the same w o r k w a s published

ab o ut the same time fo r the readi n g o f Christian s ,

an d de di cated by D uart Pi n el a n d Jero me de

Vargas to the D uke of F errara .
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 469

The title page bears the Christian date i n stead of

-

the H ebrew ; and thi s e di tion re n ders a few o f

the co n tr ove rted passages i n the same sen se as
that auth o rised by the Church e g I sa vii 1 4 ,
. . . .
1

Th is F errara Bible c o n fessedly not the w o r k of

,

its publishe r s has by V o eti u s Le L o n g Sarmiento

, , , ,

H o ttin ger and other s bee n ascribed t o the cele

, ,

b r a t e d R D avid K i m h h i or some one o f his time

.
, ,

from the c o mbi n ati o n of these two facts : 1 That .

i n 1 5 4 7 w as printed at Co n stantin ople a b o o k of ,

the H ebrew Law o f Moses with the Targum of ,

O n kelo s the m o de r n Greek ve r si o n and a Span ish

, ,

version pri n ted in H ebrew characters : the differ

ence between the Spanish versi o n s of F errara a n d
C o nstan tin ople is not greater than betwee n t w o
editio ns o f any o n e o ther wo r k but the ve r si o n ,

of C o n stan ti n o ple was pri n ted twenty six years -

befo re that of F errara 2 The style of di alect . .

in b o th is midway betwee n the lang uage of the

F uero J u z go a n d of the tran slati o n made by
,

o rder of A l o n so the W ise ; a n d R D avid Kim h h i .

live d during that i n terv al of 5 5 0 years .

Such is the theory In reply D e Ro ssi demon

.
,

strates the fallacy of the first assertio n ; an d as to

the seco n d co n siders it pr o bable that the F er
,

t are s e translators had some ancient Bible before

1
De Ros s i, de T yp g
o ra p h ia H e br ae o Ferra r en si .
4 70 HIS T O RY O F T HE J EW S

them but it need not be attributed to the famous

,

Abraham U sque in his preface declares it to , ,

have bee n acc o mplished u n der his own super

vision an d refers its antique forms of expres
,

sion t o the very un usu al pl a n of its translation ,

namely the re n dering one C astili an fo r every i n

,

di vidual H ebrew w o r d neither more nor less , ,

with o ut the least inflection of sig n ification an d ,

regar dless of idi o m metaphor or doctrinal con , ,

‘
seque n ces ; for this purpose the gravity of old
language w as fo und the m o st convenient I n .

1 6 22 C as si o do r o R eyna prod u ced a C h ristian

,

Span ish Bible at Fra n cfo rt as an improvement ,

upon that of F errara This tran slator j ustly o b .

serves that there is n o possibili ty o f giving the

,

accurate se n se o f Scripture in that verbal ri gidity ;

the comparis o n of phrases will o ft en shew dif
fe ren t mean i n gs to the very same word : there
must occasion ally be doubtful se n ses ; ab o ve all ,
’
there must be a bias in the tran slato r s min d
which will i n fluence his punctuation or the dis ,

position o f words in a sentence or the u s e o f ,

p articles on each of,

which so much depends .

1
I n th e sa m e m a nn e r Ai M
r as o n ta n us , a S p i d
d
an ar ,
r en d er e

h is L at in Bibl f e r om th e H b we re ,
t th
a d f th
e en ight th
o e e een

c e n t ur y . I t i s th e yl st e of th e Ju d eo S p a is h li t gi
a - n t w hi chur es , o

it imp a rt s a dig i fi d
n e t e rsen ess .
 4 72 HIS T O RY O F T HE JEws

but thou shalt medi tate therein day and night ,

that thou mayest observe to d o all that is written

therein .
’

The Jews are e n titled to our gratitude n o t ,

only for havi n g employed the earliest stag es of

the art of p r inting for the di ssemi n ation of He
brew Scripture ; but as the early a n d secure
trustees of the an cient manuscripts w h ich they ,

regard with pr o foun d venerati o n In Leon they .

preserved a preci o us M S said to have been the

.
,

property of R Hillel or R Akiba in the second

.
,
.
,

Christian ce n tury ; and this they made the sta nd

ard of all n e w copies D avid Ki m h h i saw it at
.

Toledo where it was the n ceforth kept till the

,

Span ish exile whe n it was co n veyed to Africa

,
.

R Moses bar Maim o n C opied all his quotatio n s

.

o f Sc r ipture from a volume at Cairo said to have ,

been brought from Jer usalem befo re the d e stru c ,

ti o n of the second temple Cardoso believed .

,

that at D amascus there were bo o ks in his time ,

n o t o n ly as o ld as the Chri s tia n ae r a but even as ,

the days of E zra And p ilgrimages are still

.

made t o a v o lume of the L aw at Cairo whi ch is ,

believed to be o n e thousand years o ld 1

And now but little remains to b e sai d respect

1
W o l ff s J our na l ,
’
182 4
.
 IN S P A I N AN D P O R T U G A L . 47 3

ing the doubly dispersed Spanish Jews The .

devices on the title pages o f their early p ri nted

-

bo o ks are made emblematical o f their sorrows

and their unbr o ken hopes The F errara Bible .

bears a wo od cut of a S hi p tossed in a storm the

-
,

mast broke n, an d the o ars scattered o ver the

’ ”
waves Cardoso s Virtues of the H ebrews has
.

upo n its fi rst part a hand scatteri n g flowers from

,

the skies with the motto H e who di spersed will

,

gather and to the second part a rose su r ,

ro un ded by thistles and the words Though

, ,

they curse I will bless an d the preface to this

,

book recalls with triumph the prediction I ,

have loved thee with an everlastin g love and ,

F or a sm all moment have I forsaken thee but ,

”
with great mercies will I gather thee .

Such are the sentiments o f Israel but mi n gled ,

even in this respect with an erron eous beli ef S ince ,

they look for a restoration in rec o mpense for their

constan cy in the Covenant Fr om St Petersburg . .

to Ceylo n from the Y ellow Sea to Lima where

,
1
,

e v er Jew s are found they profess that they have

,

but one ear thly hom e ; they purchase at high

prices the smallest parcels of Jerusalem earth ,

se aled and attested by their rabbis to be placed ,

Res p e c t in g J e ws in C hi n a, se e Calmet
’
s D ictionar y iv , . 25 2 .

( 18 23 )
474 HIS T O RY O F T HE JEWS [
A . D .

with them in their c o ffi n s if the proverb be not ,

”
fulfilled to them N ext year i n Jerus al em !
,

The wealth which they accumulate is always of

the m o st p o rtable ki n d as coi n plate an d j ewels
, , , ,

ready fo r immediate embark a tion Let Turks and .

E gyptian Arabs conte n d as they will for the ter

r it o r
y which has never been ali enated and which ,
1
,

indeed has n ever yet been e nj o yed t o the extent

,

of the pro mise (i e fr o m the E uphrates to the

. .

river of E gypt) ; the Jews are still fr ee t o do as

they di d durin g their captivity in Babylo n , t o
buy fields (amo n g themselves ) for money and ,

subscribe eviden ces an d seal them and take ,

witnesses in the lan d of Be nj amin and in the ,

places about Jerus alem a n d i n the cities o f J u ,

dah and in the cities of the mountains and i n

, ,

the cities of the v al ley and in the cities of the ,

South
Mean while the Sephardim Jews are the most
,

n umer o us in Jerusalem In Lisbon they have .

o btai n ed a lodgme n t as a recompense for havi n g

,

relieved the city durin g a fami n e u n der J o hn VI .

and although held in a kind of proscription they ,

are e s teemed for integrity of chara cter and amo n g ,

themselves they maintain a recollection of their

1
L e vit xxv. . 23 . Th e l d h ll
an s a n ot be so ld ,
for e v er .

2
J er . xxxii . 44 .
4 76 HIS T ORY O F T HE J EW S , &c .

have fi e edo m and encouragement : the result of

whi ch is a Je w ish populati o n of respectable c h a
r ac t e r
,
amounting in 1 824 to sixteen hundred
,
1
, ,

with four syn agogues .

1 W olff s J ournal
’
.
 A P PE N DIX .

A .
-
P age 2 .

i 5m mumm maxi m
1 3 17
-

or man can ma me

B .
- P age 3 .

D e A d o n i ram la f o s s a e s e s t a qu e v
,
i gn e S alo mo del
Re s e r v e n t di a ,
y m o ri t ri b u t lo p era r eb re .

C — P age 9
. .

rv mp m
“
e) me p
Ta s r m new
w as 1 5a
"

117 mm

D —Page
. 11 .

mm a ma
re y
478 A P P EN D I X .

E —P a e 25
.
g .

Lev i , ru ler of th e s yn ag o g ue , w i th S amu el an d

Jo sep h , h o n o u rable m en of th e con

gre
g a ti o n of

T ol e do . T o E le a z ar t h e h i gh p ri e st , an d to S amu el
C an u d , an d Ann a s an d C ai ap h as , h o n o u ra ble m e n
of th e c on
g re
g a ti o n i n th e H o ly L a n d— P e ace i n
th e G o d of I sra el .

Az ar ia s yo u r me ssen ger a ma ster i n th e law b rou gh t , ,

u n t o u s le tt e rs fro m y o u i n w hi ch y o u a c qu a in t e d u s
,

wi th t h e a ct s o f th e P ro p h e t o f N a z are th an d th e many ,

w o n d e rs th at h e p erfo rms T h ere h as d w el t n o t l o n g

.

ag o i n th i s c i ty a c er t ai n S amu el s o n o f A ma z i ah wh o
, , ,

r elat e d t o u s n u mero u s fav o u rab l e c i rc um st an c e s o f thi s

p er so n ; a s th a t h e i s h u mble an d m eek
, th a t h e di s ,

co u rse s wi th th e d i se as e d t h a t h e d o e s g o o d to all e v e n
, ,

wh e n e v i l i s d o n e t o hi m self a n d t h a t h e d o e s e v il t o ,

n o n e ; t h a t h e i s b o l d a gai n s t t h e p ro u d a n d wi cke d

d o ers an d th at ye d o ill t o a cc o u n t hi m yo u r en emy fo r

,

r ep ro v i n g y o u r v i c e s A n d w e in qui re d o f thi s man

.
,

i n w h at ye a r mo n th a n d d a y thi s p ers o n w a s b o rn an d
, , , ,

h e t old u s . N o w w e fi n d th a t o n th e d ay o f h i s n a ti v i ty
w ere s een i n thi s c o u n t ry th ree s u n s j o i n e d t o ge th er so

a s t o ap p e ar o n e su n : a n d a s o u r fa th e r s re marke d thi s

si gn th ey s ai d i n a s t o n i sh m en t
,
th at Me ssi ah w o u l d b e ,

S ee dily b o rn
p i f H e w e re n o t alre a dy
, B e w ar e t h e n .
,

b reth re n le st H e b e alre ady c o me and y e h av e n o t h ee ded

, ,

Hi m . T hi s S a mu el r ela te d m o re o v er th a t h i s fa t h er ,

h ad t o ld h i m h o w th a t c ert ai n Magi m e n o f d e e p s c i en c e
, ,

i n n ati vi ti e s h ad co me t o th e H o ly L an d i n quirin g fo r
, ,
 F .
— P age 1 10 .

No w t o l e
co n c u d , le t as much h e sh ewed a nd

p ro v e d agai n st th e L X X I I as i s here d o n e agai n st th e

,

latte r Jew s ; a s th at th ey h a d 1 T h e like reaso n 2 T h e

, , . .

like o pp o rtu n i ty : o r 3 T h at th ey were men o f th e like

, .

wi cke d d i sp o si ti o n i n a ttemp ti ng an al t er at i o n i n t h e
a n ci e n t c o p y On t h e o th er Si d e let th e Je wi sh r ea di ng
.
,

h av e 1 A S an ci en t : 2 A s un co n troll able : 3 A S u ni
, . . .

v ers al a t e st i mo ny a s t h i s o f th e
, S ep tu agin t ha th .

When I se e th e se th i ng s made mani fe st I may b e p er ,

suad e d i n m th o u h t s t o a c ui t th e la tt er Je w o f w i lful
q
y g
c o rrup ti o n : b u t t h en I sh all n o t c e a s e t o w o n der h o w

th e wh ole C h u r ch o f G o d fo r 3 00 ye ars b efo re C h ri st

, ,

an d th ri c e a s mu ch t i me aft er w as all t hi s ti me p e rsu a de d

,

o f th e t ru th o f t wo co n t ra di c to ry ro o si t i o n s b o th a t
p p ,

”
o n e ti me .

C o rey s P a lce o log i a Chr oni ca B o o k I I C h xvi 3

’
. . . .
,

G .
- P age 1 7 2 .

m m rm
nfi xun m : mm m an
1

m m mm mm 3 133
B u x torf, F lor i legi um H e br w or um .
 I N DEX TO RABBIS
'

W H OS E W O R K S A RE SP E C I F I ED .

Aar on L vi e

Abb M i
a or

Abr ham B i ash

a v

Ab h m b D vid
ra a en a

Ab h m b D o
ra a a en a r

Ab h m b Hh asdai
ra a
'

ar

Ab h m b E z
ra a a en ra

Ab h m b Hh ii m
ra a a en a

A b ah m b J d h
r a ar u a

A b h m th L vit
ra a e e e

Ab h
ra am b en I saa c ,
&c S
. h l a om

Ab h
ra m b e n J o b Tob B i v a sh
a
48 2 I ND E X
A
P GE

Ab h ra a m Tsaa lon
A b u N e str o k

A lh h a de b

B l th
a asar O r obi o
B ar Hh as da i b ar I sa a c
B e h h a i Ha dda i an
B e h h a i b en Ah s er

B j
e n a mi n o fT d l u e a

D a ni e l L vi d B ar r io s
e e

D avi d b en P eku da
D a vid K imh h i
D a vid o f E ste lla
D a vid G da liah Jahhi ia
e

D avid A b u dr a h an -

D a vid Co h n o f S e vill e e

D avi d b n S o lomo n Jah h u a

e

D a vid Vida l
D a vid b en J oseph J ah h na
D avid Pa do r

D a vid Co h n de L ar a e .

D a vid N i eto

G e da liah Jah h u a
Ge rs h om b ar S o l omon

Hh a i i m, & c B era bb i .

Hh as d ai b ar Ab h ra am

Jaco b b ar Ah s er

Ja co b b en Mahh i r

J ac ob ,
&c . K ti l as e
484 I N DE X
A E
P G

I saa cb R b en eu en

I saa c A l—f ez

I saa c A l li hca a

I sa a c b Abb ar a

I saa c b L ti p h
a en a

I saa c b J ph b I l
ar ose en srae

I saa c I li b J ph
sra e en o se

I saa c fD o ur a

I saa c K mp t a an o n

I saa c N th a an

I saa cA m ra a

I saa c Ab Ab u-

I saa cK ar o

I saa c Ab b l ar an e

I saa cC d ar oso

I saa c T di k sa

I saa c Ab Ab u-

I saa c At i as

I sra e lb I lN g
en s ra e a e ra

Ju d h b B i li
a en ar z

Ju d h b S l Ti bbo
a ar au n

Ju d h th L vit
a e e e

Ju dhCh
a o en

Ju d hb M
a en Ch o se s o en

Ju d hb Ah
a ar s er

Ju d h b J ph
a en o se

Ju d h S l m A l C p hn i
a o o on -
o

Ju d h Ab b l
a ar an e

Mahh ma d a b en I saa c
Mi e r b en To dro s
 To RA BB I S . 48 5

M i Mith i d
e r r os

M i fN b
e r o ar o nn e

M i A l d bi
e r -
a

M i A lg di
e r ua s

M i A m
e r ra a

Men a h h e m b ar Z e r a hh
M ana sse hb I en s rae l
M e ss e r Vi d l a

M o se s a b Ezen ra

M oses Ha d da rsh an
M o s es b ar Na h h m an
M o se s b ar M im a on

M o ses K imh hi
M o ses o f C dvor o a

M os e s a b en Tibbo n
M o se s o f L eo n
M ose s th e Ho ly
M ose s Ch o en

M oses o f Nar b o nn e

M o se s b ar Sh m T e ob

Nis s im ( Ra bb e n u )

Fe re ts b e n I saa c th e P i r es t

Pe r i ph ot Dura n

l
S a mu e b e n J d h b u a a en Ti bb on

S a mu e lUq s ue
48 6 I NDE X To RA B B I S .

S h m T b b J ph
e o en o se

Sh m T b b
e oI c ar saa

Sh m T b &
e o P lki
, c . a ra

S im D on ur an

S l m
o o b J b
on a en o

S l m
o o G bi l
on a ro

S l m
o o b on A dd enth e re

S l m
o o O livi
on era

S l m
o o U q
on s ue

S l m
o o b on Vi ga en r

S l m
o o b on E ch ar no

Z ch i h th L vit
a ar a e e e

Z ch i h th L vit
a ar a e e e

Z ch i h th f ls p ph
a ar a e a e ro et

Za cu t

T HE END .

G I LB ER T 8L RI V I N GTO N , P ri nte rs, St . Jo hn s Square L on don

’
, .
 B O O KS P UB LI S H E D BY J . G . r. J . RI VI N GT ON .

V .

F I F T H ED I TI O N O F
THE

Th e B O O K o f C O MMO N P RA Y E R ,

A n d AD M I N I S T R A T I O N o f t h e S A C R A M E N T S W i t h .

N O T ES P ra c t ic a l a n d Hi s t or ica l fr o m a pp ro v e d W r i t e rs
, ,

Ch ch f E gl d of th e ur o n an .

S l ct d
e e d e g d by th Right R R I C HA R D M A NT D D
an arr an e e ev . ,
. .

L d Bi h p f D w d C or s o o o n an o nn o r .

”
2 Thi E dit i
3
f th P A E B OO i
s dit d p th pl
on o e R Y R K s e e u on e an

of D Oy ly’
d M t F mily Bibl i
an d by th S ci ty f
an
’
s a e, ss u e e o e or

P m t i g Ch i ti K wl dg
ro o n It i p i t d
r s an if m ly with
no e e . s r n e un or ,

and f m or it bl C mp i t th t w k Th C
s a su a e o d an on o, a or . e an o n s a n

C tit ti E ccl i tic l i t d c d int th p

ons u ons es as t E dit ia ar e n r o u e o e r e se n on .

I n 4to . l l 1 63. .

VI.
THE E C O N D V O L UME O F
S

P LA IN S E R M O N S .

By C O N T RI B U T O R S t o th e T R A CT S f or th e T I M ES .

In 8v o . 6s 6 d . .

L a tely ziublished , T h e F I RS T V OL UME . P r ic e 68 6 d :

.

V II .

A NE W ED I TI O N O F
L ECT UR ES o n th e A UT H ENT IC ITY an d C R EDIB IL ITY
o f t h e NE W T E S T A M EN T a n d o n t h e A U T HO R I T Y

o f t h e O L D T E S T A M EN T .

W ith a n A pp e n dix .

ei ng the S E C O N D S E R I ES of D I VI N I T Y L E CT URES )
( B .

By HE R B E RT M A RS H D D ,
. .

L a t e L or d Bi h p s o of P et er b or ou gh .

I n 8v o . 83 .

A lso, a N e w E diti on o f th e F I RST S E R I ES o f

L E TU RES , ( o n t h e
C C itici
r s m an d I n ter p r e ta t o n o f th e i Bibl e.
)
I n 8v o . 14s .

V III .

T h e C H E RWELL WA TE R L I LY an d o th er Po ems -
,
.

By th e Re v . F RE D E R I CK W F A B E R M A .
,
. .

F el o w
l of Un iv er s i ty C ll g o e e, O xfor d .

I n s ma ll 8 v o .
7s 6 d . .

La tely p ublished , by t h e sa m e A th u or ,

T RA CT S o n th e HU R C CH an d h er O FF I C ES .

I n 1 2 mo . 4s 6d . .