Page 56 - The Track Of The Jew Through The Ages - Alfred Rosenberg

The Track of the Jew through the Ages

Thus they were once in the majority in Burgos and forced
the Talmudists to give up many of their customs; for example, it
was most strictly forbidden to light a lamp in celebration on the
Sabbath, as was the Talmudic custom. This prohibition naturally
embittered the Rabbanites very much and a Rabbi Nehemiah, who
could not support this any longer, lit the lamp according to the old
custom on the Sabbath.
This caused a wild agitation and it would have come to a
bloody clash ifthe Spanish authorities to whom the Talmudists turned
had not intervened. The conflict was decided in favour of the
Rabbanites, the Sadducees and also the Karaites were suppressed,
proscribed from the synagogue, and the Talmud with its followers
85
triumphed.
As with entire sects, so did it happen, as mentioned, even
with individual persons. One knows the story of Spinoza who,
following the complaints ofZophar ofthe synagogue ofAmsterdam,
was excommunicated; but especially characteristic is the story of
Uriel d'Acosta. 86
Born of Jewish parents who had however converted to
Christianity, and brought up in the latter faith, there came to him
however doubts about the truth of this religion. He eagerly studied
the Old Testament and, as this appealed to him more than the New,
he decided to convert to Judaism, left his home town Porto in
Portugal, where he could not do so openly, and travelled to
Amsterdam where he had himself circumcised.
However, he soon discovered that the doctrines ofthe rabbis
were different from what Uriel had imagined after his study of the
Pentateuch, about which he did not fail to make comments. That
annoyed the big rabbis and they gave him an ultimatum either to
subject himself to all their views and statutes or to consider himself
banned. He did not yield and was excommunicated. All Jews, not
excluding his own brothers, were instructed to persecute him with
85
Depping, Histoire des Juifs dans le Moyen age, Paris, 1834, p. 104. [Georg/
George-Bernhard Depping (1784-1853) was a German who emigrated to France
and wrote articles for French and German journals as well as several historical
studies.]
86
[Uriel d'Acosta (1585-1640) was a Portuguese Jewish philosopher.]
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