History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, Volume 1 [of 3]: From the Beginning until the Death of Alexander I (1825)Dubnow, Simon
History
History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, Volume 1 [of 3]: From the Beginning until the Death of Alexander I (1825)
Dubnow, Simon
Jews -- Poland -- History; Jews -- Russia -- History; Poland -- History; Russia -- History
The priest Gamrat, Bishop of Cracow, assembled all canons and
collegiates in order to examine her [Catherine Zaleshovska, who
had been accused of "Judaizing"] as to her principles of faith.
When, in accordance with our creed, she was asked whether she
believed in Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, she
replied: "I believe in God, who created all that we see and do
not see, who cannot be comprehended by the human reason, who
poureth forth His bounty over man and over all things in the
universe." "Do you believe in His only begotten Son, Jesus
Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost?" she was asked.
She answered: "The Lord God has neither wife nor son, nor does
He need them. For sons are needed by those who die, but God is
eternal, and since He was not born, it is impossible that He
should die. It is we whom He considers His sons, and His sons
are those who walk in His paths." Here the collegiates shouted:
"Thou utterest evil, thou miserable one! Bethink thyself! Surely
there are prophecies that the Lord would send His Son into the
world to be crucified for our sins, in order that we, having
been disobedient from the days of our ancestor Adam, may be
reconciled to God the Father?" A great deal more was said by the
learned men to the apostate woman, but the more they spoke, the
more stubborn was she in her contention that God was not and
could not be born as a human being. When it was found impossible
to detach her from her Jewish beliefs, it was decided to convict
her of blasphemy. She was taken to the city jail, and a few days
later she was burned. She went to her death without the
slightest fear.
The well-known contemporary chronicler Bielski expresses himself
similarly: "She went to her death as if it were a wedding."
During the same time there were rumors afloat to the effect that in
various places in Poland, particularly in the province of Cracow, many
Christians were embracing Judaism, and, after undergoing circumcision,
were fleeing for greater safety to Lithuania, where they were sheltered
by the local Jews. When the rumor reached the King, he dispatched two
commissioners to Lithuania to direct a strict investigation. The
officers of the King proceeded with excessive ardor; they raided Jewish
homes, and stopped travelers on the road, making arrests and holding
cross-examinations. The inquiry failed to reveal the presence of
Judaizing sectarians in Lithuania, though it caused the Jews
considerable trouble and alarm (1539).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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