Page 94 - The Track Of The Jew Through The Ages - Alfred Rosenberg

The Track of the Jew through the Ages

in the least, created a hostile atmosphere among many Catholics,
especially among the prelates. When Agobert was bishop ofLyons, 1 55
he decided to put an end to these one-sided ingratiations, forbade to
the Christians intercourse with the Jews, prohibited them from selling
slaves to them and performing service to the Jews. He even enacted
a law which forbade the sale of meat and drink by Jews since the
Jews only sold wares to Christians which they considered in some
way to be impure.
This last ordinance especially set the Jews in a violent
turmoil, they turned to Paris and from there two commissioners
were sent to investigate the affair. In Lyons the Jews received them
with rich hospitality and gold, so that their "freedoms" would be
confirmed and they would receive more of them. The Jews could
sell all their wares to the Christians, were subjected to corporal
punishments only when their law demanded it, they were exempt
from the divine ordeals through fire and water; they had the right to
bring in slaves from foreign lands in order to do business with them
in France and, in order to be able to celebrate the Sabbath according
to their laws without losing anything thereby of their trade, market
day was moved from Saturday to Sunday.
Through this success of the Jews their crest swelled
powerfully, among the Christians these unheard of privileges
naturally aroused the greatest indignation which was expressed in
furious demonstrations but had as a result only the arrest of their
leaders, wherefore many had to remain hidden or flee from the city.
The Jews boasted publicly that they enjoyed the protection of the
king, who honoured them on account of their patriarchs, and who
always received them as guests. They gloated that people of quality
at the court sought their company and acknowledged that Jews and
Christians had only one law-giver, Moses. 156
Agobert, who could not believe that the above-mentioned
edicts of the king had been passed following a careful examination
of the circumstances, wrote a letter to him in which he complained

[Agobert (769-840) was one of the most learned prelates of his age and Bishop
155
of Lyons from 816-840.]
156
Boissi, op.cit., Vol.11, p.68.
71