Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
the following works: 1. "Moreh Zedek" (Teacher of Righteousness). 2. "A
Dialogue between a Christian and a Jew." 3. "A Reply to Kimchi's book
and on Wars of the Lord." 4. "Old Testament Foundations for Christian
Doctrines." 5. "Libro des los tres gracias." 6. "The Offering of
Jealousy." 7. "A Reply to Replies." 8. "Igereth hagezerah," in which he
gives reasons for his conversion.
Abraham Beneveniste, senior chief rabbi of Seville, together with his
son and son-in-law, also rabbis joined the Church in 1492, when they
assumed the name of Cosonel.
Abravanel Samuel (one of the three of the same name) was baptized in
1391, when he took the name of Juan de Sevilla.
Aemilius, Paulus, born in Breslau, Germany probably in the first part of
the sixteenth century, died at Rome in 1576. After embracing
Christianity he was appointed Professor of Hebrew at Ingoldstadt in
1547. He was the first Jewish bibliographer.
Alexander de Franciscis Hebraeus. As a Jew he was known as Elisha de
Roma. After his baptism in the sixteenth century he entered the Order
of the Dominican Friars, in which he distinguished himself as an orator.
Pope Clement VIII. appointed him proctor, then vicar-general, and
finally Bishop of Forli. He wrote--1. Hebrew notes on Genesis and
Exodus, with special reference to the text of the Vulgate. 2. A book
entitled "De Tempore et de Sanctis."
Alexanderson (Ben Alexander) Daniel. After embracing Christianity at
Rouen, in France, 1621, he wrote in Syriac or rabbinic an open letter,
giving the reasons for his conversion and calling upon his former
co-religionists to follow his example. The letter was translated into
several European languages, and went through two English editions.
(London, 1688 and 1703.)
Alfonsi Petrus (Moses Sephardi) was born at Huesca, Aragon, in 1062, and
died in 1110. He was physician to King Alfonso VI. After his baptism he
wrote a series of twelve dialogues between Moses and Pedro, _i.e._,
between himself as a Jew and a Christian.
Alonzo de Cartagena, son of Solomon ha Levi, or Paul of Burgos, was born
in Burgos, Spain, in 1385, and was baptized with his father, brothers
and sisters in 1391. After studying philosophy and law, he became deacon
of Santiago and Segovia. He and his brother, called Gonzalo Garcia,
represented Spain at the Council of Basel. Alonzo, who was called "the
joy of Spain and the delight of religion," published several
philosophical and theological works, as well as some erotic poems.
Andreas Johannes, a native of Xativa in the sixteenth century. After his
conversion he wrote a letter to the congregations of Southern France,
exhorting them to accept Christianity (Paris, 1552). His works which
were originally written in Spanish, were translated into Italian by
Domenio Castila (Seville, 1537), and frequently reprinted in Leipzig,
Venice and Utrecht.
Alfonso de Zamora, born about 1474, embraced Christianity in 1506, and
his father Juan did likewise. Alfonso became professor of Oriental
languages at the University of Salamanca. For over fifteen years he
laboured under the auspices of Cardinal Ximenes, in the preparation of
the Complutensian Polyglot. He wrote a number of grammatical and
lexicographical works, an Epistle in Hebrew and Latin to the Jews in
Rome, in which he tried to convince them of the truth of Christianity,
translations of Commentaries on Isaiah and Jeremiah, &c., an
Introduction to the Targum, and a polemical work entitled, "Libro de la
Sabiduria de Dios."
Anacletus II., Pietro Pierleoni Antipope to Innocent II., from 1130 to
1138. It is maintained that he was a very near descendant of one Baruch,
a rich Jew who had joined the Roman Church. There can be no doubt that
he was of Jewish origin, as Bernard of Clairvaux, a supporter of
Innocent, in a letter to Lothair, wrote that "to the shame of Christ a
man of Jewish origin was come to occupy the chair of St. Peter." He was
friendly to the Jews. This is interesting enough, but the more so,
because it gave rise to the legend of a Jewish Pope by the name of
Andreas, discovered among some penitential liturgies issued by Eliezer
Ashkenazi (Frankfurt on Maine, 1854.) In this it is said Andreas had
himself embraced Christianity, and become successively Cardinal and
Pope. In answer to an appeal from the Jews for protection against an
imminent persecution, he not only, by a speech, subdued the popular
passion but also calmed the Jews by sending them a penitential prayer
which had been composed in Hebrew, signed with his name Andreas.
Another legend in circulation among the Jews, varying in the details, is
that this Pope's name was Elhanan, the son of Simon the Great, a rabbi
of Mayence, who was kidnapped when quite a child by a servant, on the
Day of Atonement. And when he became Pope, the story of his origin was
told him by his old Professor of Wurzburg, when he summoned the Jews of
Mayence to send a delegation to Rome, to discuss the question between
Judaism and Christianity with him. Accordingly, his own father appeared
before him, and one evening made himself known to him by his birth-signs
or, as some say, by a peculiar move in chess which he had learned from
him. The result was that the Pope suddenly fled in disguise to Mayence
and returned to Judaism. But his end was either that he was forcibly
burned at the stake or that he committed suicide. (See "Sippurim," by J.
B. Brandeis, Prague) This is the Judea de Monti, whose Jewish name was
Joseph Zarafti, was born at Fez, hence he is sometimes called "Joseph
Moro," died before 1597. After his conversion to Christianity, he
laboured as a missionary to the Jews at Rome. He published the sermons
which he preached to them under the Hebrew title [Hebrew: mevuchat
hayehudim] ("Confusion of the Jews.") The Roman Jews then protested
to the Curia, when he issued a mild letter to them in 1581, under the
title [Hebrew: igeret shalom] ("Lettera de Pace.")
Aquin de Philippe, born at Carpentras about 1578, died in 1650 at Paris.
He was converted to Christianity in Aquino. His Jewish name was
Mordecai. He was a voluminous writer; the following is a list of his
works. 1. "Primigenæ Voces, sui Radices Breves Linguæ Sanctæ" (Paris,
1620). 2. "Pirke Aboth Sententiæ Rabbinarum Hebraices cum Latina
versione" (_ib._ 1620). 3. "Dessertation du Tabernacle et du camp des
Israelites" (_ib._ 1623). 4. "Interpretatio Arboris Cabbalisticae"
(_ib._ 1625). 5. "Behinat Olam" (L'Examen du Monde) of Yedaiah Bedersi,
Hebrew and French (_ib._ 1629). 6. "Ma'arik ha--Maareket, Dictionarum
Hebraicum Chaldaicum, Talmudico-Rabbinicum" (_ib._ 1629). 7. "Kina
Licrimae in Obitum Cardinalis de Berulli," Hebrew and Latin (_ib._
1629). 8. [Hebrew: yud gimel midot] "Veterum Rabbinorum in Exponendo
Pentateucho Modi tredecim" (_ib._ 1620).
Aquinas, Louis Henri de, son of the above, wrote a translation of the
commentary on the book of Esther, by R. Solomon ben Isaac, with extracts
relating thereto from the Talmud and Yalkut (Paris, 1627), and a Latin
translation of the first four chapters of Levi Ben Gerson's commentary
on the book of Job. (_ib._ 1623.)
Aronda, Pedro de, Bishop of Calahisra and President of the Council of
Castile in the latter part of the fifteenth century, was the son of
Gongolo Alonzo, a Hebrew Christian. Aronda's brother, too, was Bishop of
Montreal in Sicily.
Baena, Francisco, and his brother, Juan Alfonso Di, flourished at the
end of the fifteenth century and in the sixteenth century. They were
both Spanish poets.
Baptista, Gioranni Giona Galileo, was born in Safed in 1588, and died in
1668. His Jewish name was Judah Jonah ben Isaac. After travelling on the
Continent, and being assistant rabbi in Hamburg, he embraced
Christianity in Poland in 1625. Then he went to Italy and was appointed
Professor at the University of Pisa, and later as one of the librarians
at the Vatican. He wrote (1.) "A Sermon in Hebrew and Latin on the
Messiah and the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles." (2.)
"Limud hameshehim" (Doctrines of Christianity), a Hebrew translation of
the Italian Catechism of Robert Bellarmin. (3.) "Berith Hahadasha,"[3] a
Hebrew translation of the N. T., with a preface by Clement IX. (4.) A
Hebrew Chaldaic Lexicon. (5.) A Treatise on the name of Jesus, "Hillufin
sheben sheloshah Targumim," a collection of the differences in the
Targums. Some of the works are in MS. in the Vatican library.
[3] According to G. M. Löwen in "Nathanael," 1903, No. 5, the Hebrew
title of this translation is "Arbaá Abne Hagilyonim Mehattorah
Hahadashah, Asher Neetku Milshon romi lilshon ibri al yad Johanan
hatobel Jonah. Weeherim otham Terumah la Kadosh hakohen hagadol
Klimenthi Tisshü."
Baptista, Garvanni Salomo Romano Eliano. He was born at Alexandria and
died in Rome in 1589. He was the grandson of Elijah Levita, the famous
Hebrew grammarian. Hearing that his brother was baptized at Venice, he
hastened there to win him back to Judaism, but became a Christian
himself in 1551. He wrote a catechism in Hebrew and Arabic, and similar
religious books, but gained especial notoriety as an anti-Talmudist, and
used his influence at the Papal Court to have the Talmud and other
rabbinic literature, destroyed altogether. This actually happened in
some places. But Baptista had to suffer for it, and his name, together
with Joseph Moro and Ananel di Folgio, also converts and companions, are
still branded by Jewish writers. When, in 1561, he was sent by Pope Pius
IV. on a mission to Egypt, the Jews of Alexandria bitterly persecuted
him at the instigation of his own mother.
Bernard, Sarah, born in Paris in 1844, of Dutch Jewish parentage. At the
request of her father she was received into the Roman Catholic Church.
Her early years were spent in a convent. Later she studied dramatic art
in the conservatoire, and became famous.
Bauer, Marie-Bernard (Herman Cohen), was born at Budapest in 1829, died
1898. After his conversion to Catholicism he joined the Carmelite order.
He distinguished himself as a preacher, first at Vienna, where he
delivered a series of addresses, which were published (1866) under the
title, "Le Judaisme Comme Preuve du Christianisme." Eventually he
attained to the rank of a bishop. In 1869 he became father confessor to
the Empress Eugenie. On November 17th, 1869, he delivered the dedicatory
address at the opening of the Suez Canal. He also published a book of
sermons, "Le But de la Vie" (1869), and a pamphlet, "Napoléon III, et
l'Europien" (1867).
Caballeria Bonafos, son of Solomon ibn Labe de la Caballeria, was
baptized in the fifteenth century, and eight brothers followed his
example. Notwithstanding this, some members of this large family
suffered much from the Inquisition.
Carben Victor, a convert, living at Cologne between 1442 and 1515, was
the author of the following controversial works: (1). "Opus Aureum ac
Novum in quo Omnes Judaeorum Errores Manifestatur." (2). "Propugnaculum
Fidei Christianæ, Instar Dialogi inter Christianum et Judæum in quo quod
Jesus verus Messias, verus Deus et Homo, Totius que Humani Generis
Salvator."
Canta Joshua Dei, according to Steinschneider, belonged to the family
Cantarini ([Hebrew: mehakhazanim]), and according to Wolf, B. II. i. 131,
he was a convert to Christianity. He, together with Baptista Vittorio
Eliano, denounced the Talmud as containing blasphemies against the
Christian faith, in 1559, and the result was the burning of Hebrew books,
and his own assassination in the streets of Cremona.
Carthagena don Alfonso, son of Paul of Burgos, died at Burgos in 1456.
He was baptized together with his father, brother and sister, in 1391,
and became Archdeacon of Compostella, and then succeeded his father in
the See of Burgos. The writers in the "Jewish Encyclopædia" contradict