This woodcut was carved by Johann von Armssheim in 1483 to portay
a disputation between Jewish and Christian scholars (Soncino Blaetter, Berlin, 1929. Jerusalem, B. M. Ansbacher Collection).
The image delivers the impression of an academic debate with each
side attempting to establish its point. Yet, the beneath the surface
of the picture hangs a legacy of fear and contempt with which
Christians and Jews must grapple. The ICJS uses this image in
a number of its publications because it is an important reminder
of a history which we must confront, one which too often confines
Jews to the role of victim and freezes Christians in the role
of persecutor.
 Disputations: During the Middle Ages, Christian authorities required a number
of Jewish communities to participate in a series of debates. Not
only were the theological stakes momentous, but the political
and economic ramifications were of great significance, most especially
for the Jewish community. There are three extant disputations:
the Paris Disputation of 1240, the Barcelona Disputation of 1263
and the Tortosa Disputation of 1413-14.
The Paris Disputation was actually not a debate, but an interrogation of the Talmud
which was condemned for allegedly containing "blasphemies against
the Christian religion." In the wake of this trial, Talmuds were
confiscated and burned in the streets of Paris. The second and
most famous of the Disputations took place in Barcelona and does
bear the mark of a debate, albeit one in which restrictions prevented
a reciprocal Jewish inquiry into Christian dogmas. Once again,
the Talmud figured prominently in the encounter. In contrast to
the Paris Disputation, on this occasion the Christian disputants
invoked the Talmud to support the truth of Christianity. Moses
ben Nahman (Nahmanides), perhaps the greatest Talmudic master
of his age, represented the Jewish community while Pablo Christiani,
a convert from Judaism, argued on behalf of the Church. While
the terms of engagement included the personal safety of Nahmanides,
the threat of violence hung over the debate. To protect the Jewish
community from the mounting antagonism, Nahmanides tried to discontinue
the disputation, but was unsuccessful. Like every official disputation,
the outcome of the Barcelona debate was a forgone conclusion.
The victory proclaimed in the name of the Church was built upon
the denigration of Judaism and signaled an ominous future for
the Jews of Spain.
The Tortosa Disputation was marked by considerable fanfare, not least of all because
it was chaired by Benedict XIII, in part to authenticate his claim
to the papacy. Yet, the debate did not reflect the drama or the
nobility of the Barcelona Disputation. Instead, it reflected the
deteriorating conditions of the Jewish community in Spain. In
1391, the persecution and massacre of Jews erupted in Castile
and soon spread to Aragon and Catalonia. The social and economic
roles once assigned to Jews by civil authorties were increasingly
delegated to others. No longer deemed "necessary" to the kings
and aristocracy of Spain, the vulnerability of the Jewish community
in Spain intensified. Christian enthusiasts, such as the Dominican
Vincent Ferrer, fomented a growing climate of hostility. While
the disputation dragged on, Ferrer (later canonized) entered the
Jewish towns from which the rabbis were summoned, harrassing the
leaderless communities in the hopes that he would intimidate Jews
to convert. The alliance of Church and State proved an insurmountable
power. In 1492, the Jews of Spain were expelled. |
