A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1Lea, Henry Charles
History
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1
Lea, Henry Charles
Inquisition -- Spain
The most prominent among the new Conversos was Selemoh Ha-Levi, a rabbi
who had been the most intrepid defender of the faith and rights of his
race. On the eve of the massacres, which perhaps he foresaw, and
influenced by an opportune vision of the Virgin, in 1390, he professed
conversion, taking the name of Pablo de Santa María, and was followed by
his two brothers and five sons, founding a family of commanding
influence. After a course in the University of Paris he entered the
Church, rising to the see of Cartagena and then to that of Burgos, which
he transmitted to his son Alfonso. At the Córtes of Toledo, in 1406, he
so impressed Henry III that he was appointed tutor and governor of the
Infante Juan II, Mayor of Castile and a member of the Royal Council.
When, in the course of the same year, the king died he named Pablo among
those who were to have the conduct and education of Juan during his
minority; when the regent, Fernando of Antequera, left Castile to assume
the crown of Aragon, he appointed Pablo to replace him, and the pope
honored him with the position of legate _a latere_. In 1432, in his
eighty-first year, he wrote his _Scrutinium Scripturarum_ against his
former co-religionists. It is more moderate than is customary in these
controversial writings and seems to have been composed rather as a
justification of his own course.[335]
Another prominent Converso was the Rabbi Jehoshua Ha-Lorqui, who took
the name of Gerónimo de Santafé and founded a family almost as powerful
as the Santa Marías. He too showed his zeal in the book named
_Hebræomastix_, in which he exaggerated the errors of the Jews in the
manner best adapted to excite the execration of Christians. Another
leading Converso family was that of the Caballerías, of which eight
brothers were baptized and one of them, Bonafos, who called himself
Micer Pedro de la Caballería, wrote, in 1464, the _Celo de Cristo contra
los Judíos_ in which he treated them with customary obloquy as the
synagogue of Satan and argues that the hope of Christianity lies in
their ruin.[336] In thus stimulating the spirit of persecuting
fanaticism we shall see how these men sowed the wind and reaped the
whirlwind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account