Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ. Bernstein Aaron

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      Iolante, a converted Jewess, married Dam Luis, brother of Henry, King of Portugal, in the sixteenth century.

      Isaac Johann Levita, born in Germany 1515, died at Cologne, 1577. At first he was a rabbi at Wetzler, he was baptized as a Protestant in 1546, but joined the Roman Catholic Church, and was appointed professor of Hebrew at Cologne, which office he held until his death. He wrote a Hebrew grammar in 1556. He also edited Maimonides' work on astrology, and Moses ibn Tibbon's commentary on Aristotle's physics (Cologne, 1555).

      Johannes Hispalensis, flourished between 1135 and 1153. He was a native of Toledo, and hence also was called J. (David) Toletanus. He was one of the earliest translators from the Arabic. He translated chiefly astrological and astronomical, but likewise some philosophical, and a few medical, works, such as "Fons Vitæ," and "Epitome Totius Astrologæ."

      Johannes Pauli, born about 1455, died at Thann, 1530. He became a distinguished preacher of the Franciscan Order at Oppenheim and Strassburg, at which latter place he took notes of Geiler's Sermons, which he edited at Schlettstadt, 1517. He is known chiefly, however, for his collection of jests under the title, "Schimpf und Ernst" (Thann, 1519). Some of his stories were taken over into the "Hundred Merry Tales" used by Shakespeare.

      John, of Capua, an Italian Jewish convert in the thirteenth century. He translated Rabbi Joel's Hebrew version of "Kallilah wa Dimnah," from Arabic into Latin, under the title, "Discetorium Vitæ Humane," and his translation was the source from which that work became so widely spread in almost all European tongues.

      Joshua Halorki was born in Spain in the latter part of the fourteenth century, at Lorca, in Murcia. He early distinguished himself as a subtle Talmudist and skilful physician. He was a Jew of the straitest sect. His scrupulous search for arguments against Christianity was over-ruled to his discovering that Christianity was founded on the Rock of Ages, against which the very gates of hell could not prevail. Dr. Joshua de Lorca then confessed, publicly, that in assaying to convict the Hebrew Christian, Solomon Halevi, of heresy, he proved himself to be ignorant of the spirit, and an unbeliever in the letter, of Moses and the Prophets. He begged for the privilege of being baptized. He assumed the name, when the sacrament of baptism was administered to him, of Geronymo à Santa Fé. It was soon made evident that Joshua – or Geronymo, or Hieronymus, as he is variably known in ecclesiastical history – was a chosen vessel in the hands of his Redeemer. The new Hebrew Christian devoted his immense wealth, intellectual and other, towards the promotion of his Saviour's honour and glory, especially amongst his Jewish brethren. His extensive acquaintance with Talmudical and other Jewish lore, enabled him so to expose their false teaching, as to make their fallacies very evident to such as would not hoodwink their reason by impervious prejudice. His celebrated work, "Probationes N. T. ex V. T. per quas doctrina Talmud improbitur, et dicitur liber contra errores Judæorum," is one of the most decisive testimonies for Christianity, and against Talmudism, which a Hebrew Christian witness could have borne.

      In the year 1413, an ever memorable conference between Jewish and Christian divines was agreed upon. The meeting was convened at Tortosa, in Aragon. The Pope-Pretender, Benedict XIII., or Pedro de Luna, presided. The most renowned and famous Rabbis of the time were ranged on one side, Geronymo à Santa Fé – assisted by Andreas Baltram, a native of Valencia, another Hebrew Christian, afterwards Bishop of Barcelona – on the other side, and they met on the 7th of February, 1413, to discuss whether "Jesus, called of Nazareth, who was born at Bethlehem in the latter days of King Herod, seventy years before the destruction of the second temple, who was crucified, and died at Jerusalem, is really the true Messiah, foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament." The discussion lasted till Nov. 12, 1414. It occupied sixty-nine sessions. It was attended by the grandees of the Church and Synagogue of the day. The result was wonderful. All the Jewish disputants, with the exception of two, admitted, and signed a declaration accordingly, that they were fairly vanquished, and that utterly. Upwards of five thousand Jews made a public confession of their faith in Christ, and were baptized into the same.

      There is an account of that conference in a parchment MS., consisting of 409 fols., in Sto. Lorenzo del Escorial, entitled, "Hieronymi de Santa Fide Medici Benedicti XIII. Processus rerum et tractuum et Europæ, Rabbinorum ex une parte, et Catholicorum ex alia, ad convicendos Judæos de adventu Messiæ." Contemporary Jewish writers are ominously silent about it. The story of Joshua Halorki is full of suggestive matter for serious thought for the Rabbis of modern synagogues, and for Christian ministers of modern churches.

      John, of Valladolid, born 1335. An able speaker and acquainted with rabbinical literature, he persuaded King Henry of Castile that he could convince the Jews of the truth of Christianity if they were obliged to listen to him and to answer his questions. An order was accordingly issued, compelling the Jews to attend John's lectures in their synagogues and to discuss them with him. In company with another Jewish convert, John travelled throughout the Castilian provinces, lectured and debated in the synagogues, but with lack of success. At Avilla, he assembled the Jews four times and discussed with them the tenets of Christianity before numerous Christian and Moslem audiences. At Burgos, he summoned Moses ha Cohen, of Tordesillas, to a religious controversy in the presence of Archbishop Gomez, of Toledo, but he made no impression upon his opponent. Just because he was not content in bringing arguments from Scripture to prove Christian doctrines, but in imitation of the rabbinical method, he tried to base a doctrine on the form of a letter. Thus, for instance, he claimed that the final closed "mem" in the word לםרבה (Isa. ix. 6), is an allusion to the immaculate conception.

      Levi Barach (Joseph Jean François Elie), born at Hagenau, Elssas, 1721, embraced Christianity in Paris, 1752. His wife refused to live with him, and he refused to divorce her according to Jewish law. He obtained from the Bishops of Verdun and Metz canonical opinions that a baptized Jew might marry a Christian if his wife refused to be converted with him.

      Levi Ben Shem Job, Portuguese convert, lived at the end of the fifteenth century. He is identified by some scholars with a certain Antonio, who was chief surgeon of King John II., and who wrote a pamphlet entitled, "Ajudo da Fé Contra os Judaeos."

      Mandl Christof, a Hungarian Jewish convert, baptized in 1534. His godfather was George, Margrave of Brandenburg, to whom Mandl dedicated his tract entitled, "Dass Jesus sey das Ewig Wort" (1536). He also wrote two other tracts on the "Seventy Weeks of Daniel," and "Jesus is the Messiah" (1552-7).

      Margarita Antonius, son of Rabbi Jacob Margoliouth, of Regensburg, was baptized in 1552, at Wasserburg, Bavaria. He was teacher of Hebrew successively at Augsberg, Meissen, Zell, Leipzig, and Vienna, where he died. His book, "Der ganze Jüdische Glaub," &c., contained among some good things, many bad and foolish things, and caused much harm to the Jews and to the author himself. His work was variously received. Luther made use of it in his writings. It was praised by Hoornbeek, B. Luthenes, and Joseph Muller, while Wagenseil (who, as is well known, was not very partial to the Jews,) spoke of it less favourably. According to de le Roi he joined the Roman Church as a Protestant.

      Medici Paulus, a Jewish convert of whom the Roman Catholic Church had reason to be proud, was a learned theologian and a skilful controversialist against modern Judaism. Of his numerous works may here be mentioned: 1. "Catalogo de Neofiti" (illustri), 1701. 2. "Promptuarium Biblicorum Textuum ad Catholicum Fidem confirmandam et Judaeorum informandam perfidiam" (1707). 3. "Dialoghi sacri supra il vechiv e Nouvo Testamento," 41 parts in 21 vols. (Venice, 1731-35). 4. "Riti e costumi degli Ebrei confutati" (Fifth edition, Venice, 1557). This work is partly supplementary and partly antagonistic to a similar work by the famous Jewish scholar, Leon de Modena.

      Mendelson (Sorel) Mendelssohn, youngest daughter of Moses Mendelssohn the philosopher, joined the Church of Rome at the beginning of the eighteenth century. She is described as "a woman of broad interests, clear judgment, and exquisite manners."

      Morasini Giulio (Samuel Ben Nahamias, Ben David, B. Isaac, B. David, Baal Teshubah) was born at Venice, 1612; died in 1687. He was descended from a wealthy family which traced its СКАЧАТЬ