Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
Thou alone from Thy dwelling place in heaven hast wrought this
restlessness in me, in order to lead me to my soul's salvation. So take
hold of me with Thy right hand, bring my soul near to redemption, and
save me from mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup
runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Praised be
Thou, O Lord. Teach me Thy statutes. Praised be Thou who hearest prayer.
Amen."
Ferrus, Peter, a Jewish convert to Christianity, lived in Spain in the
fifteenth century. He was a poet of ability, but lacked discretion as
well as charity in his poems with regard to the Jews.
Franchi, Guglielmo Dei, born in Rome, died there about 1660. After
having embraced Christianity he joined the monastic order of
Vallombrosa, and devoted himself to the dissemination of knowledge of
Hebrew among Christians. In 1596 he published, at Rome, a Hebrew
alphabet ("Alphabeticum Hebraicum"), giving the rules for the reading of
Hebrew, and three years later a short Hebrew grammar. (Bergamo, 1599.)
Gonzalo, Garcia De Santa Maria, son of Paul of Burgos, was baptized with
his father in 1379, when he was eleven years old. He was appointed
archdeacon of Briviesca in 1412, and then successively Bishop of
Astorga, of Placentia, and of Siguenza. Besides his ecclesiastical and
historical studies, he made himself familiar with Jewish literature, and
was one of the most learned men of his time in Spain. He was present at
the Council of Basel as a delegate from Aragon.
Forti, Hortensius (Johanan Hazak), Jewish convert to Christianity, lived
in the sixteenth century, born at Gorima, and settled at Prague, under
Maximilian II. He wrote "Dikduk Leshon Kodesh," a Hebrew grammar,
Prague, 1565-66, and "De Mystica Literarum Significatione," in which he
expatiates on the different ways of writing the Holy Name. The latter
work was published by Kircher in his "Oedipus Aegptytiacus ii."
Heydeck, Don Juan, was before his conversion to Christianity a rabbi in
Germany, and afterwards professor of Oriental languages at the
University of Madrid. In 1792 he published a work in three vols.
entitled, "Defense de la religion Christiana," in which he reputed the
errors and attacks of Voltaire and Rousseau. This work next to the Bible
was the means of convincing Dr. Cappadose and Da Costa of the truth of
the Gospel. In 1807 Napoleon convoked a great Jewish Sanhedrin, when
some of the delegate rabbis were exuberant in their flattery of him as
if he had been the Messiah. Thus the Italian Rabbi Segri, in an oration
in honour of Napoleon's birthday said: "Truly a supernatural genius
appeared upon earth, invested with greatness and infinite fame." _Et ecce
cum nubibus coeli quasi Filius hominis veniebat et dedit ei potestatem
et honorem et regnum_ (Dan. vii. 13). R. David Zinsheimer, of
Strassburg, applied to him in a sermon, Isa. xlii. 1, 4, 6. Another
Italian rabbi opened the sitting with a speech in which this passage
occurs in reference to Napoleon. _Le genie createur, qui parmi les
mortels est le mieux formée à l'image de Dieu, en suit les traces
sublime._ It was then that Heydeck wrote to them, "If the Son of Man
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John viii. 36.) (See
"Christen und Juden," by Dr. A. Fürst, p. 202. See also the "Missionary
Journal" of Dr. Joseph Wolf, 1824, containing a letter of Heydeck to a
friend of Wolf in England, in which he expresses great interest in
Wolf's journey to Jerusalem, and asks his correspondent to tell him that
it is his wish that he may become like Joseph in Egypt, a deliverer of
his brethren according to the flesh.)
Henekstein, Alfred Freiherr Von, born at Ober Dobling, Austria, 1810,
died in Vienna, 1882. He was the son of the banker Joseph Von
Henekstein, and embraced Christianity in 1828. Joining the army in the
same year, he was gradually promoted, until in 1869 he was appointed
Chief of the General Staff. As such he acted under Benedek in the
Austro-Prussian war, when the Austrian army, through the blunders of
commanding officers, was defeated, and he and his superior were arrested
to appear before a court-martial. After some time the court was
dismissed without having given judgment. Leaving the army, Henekstein
passed the rest of his life in retirement in Vienna.
Hess, Ernst Friedrich, lived in the sixteenth century. He was the author
of a controversial book entitled, "Neue Juden-geissel," cited as
"Flagellum Judæorum." (Fritzlar, 1589.) (Strack, "Sind die Juden
Verbrecher," p. 7.)
Ibn Vives, Juan, grandson of one of the richest Jews of Valencia, was
the author of a book entitled, "Veritate Fidei Christianæ." It is
asserted in the "Jewish Encyclopædia" that he did this in self-defence,
because he was condemned in 1510 for Judaizing, but no proof is given.
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 [Hebrew: lemarbeh] (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