Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ - Bernstein Aaron

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His best known book is his "De Posta Lucis R. Josephi Gecatilia" (Augsburg, 1616), which is a free translation of a part of the Kabbalistic work of "Sha'a re Orah," by Joseph Gikatila. Jerome Riccio (Hieronymes Riccius), Paulo's son, sent a copy of the work to Reuchlin, who utilized it in the composition of his "De Arte Cabbalistica." Riccio relates that he was ordered by the Emperor Maximilian to prepare a Latin translation of the Talmud. All that has come down of it are the translations of the tractates of "Berakhoth, Sanhedrin, and Makkoth" (Augsburg, 1519), which are the earliest Latin renderings of the "Mishnah" known to bibliographers. The most important of his works is "De Cælisti Agricultura," a large religio-philosophical work in four parts, dedicated to the Emperor Charles and to his brother Ferdinand (Augsburg, 1541, 2nd ed. Basel, 1597). His "Opuscula Varia," which contains a treatise on the 613 commandments, a religio-philosophical and controversial work, aiming to demonstrate to the Jews the truths of Christianity, and an introduction to the Kabbalah, followed by a compilation of its rules and dogmas, went through four editions (Pavia 1510, Augsburg 1515, 1541, and Basel 1597). Riccio wrote about ten other works, all in Latin, on various religious, philosophical and Kabbalistic subjects, which appeared in Augsburg in 1546, and were reprinted in Basel in 1599.

      Rittangel, Johann Stephanus, controversial writer, born at Forsheim, near Bamberg; died at Königsberg in 1652. He first became a Roman Catholic, but when he found out the serious errors of the Roman Catholic Church he became a Protestant. He was professor of Oriental languages at Königsberg, and issued a number of translations of Hebrew works: one of the "Sefer Yezirah" (1642); one of the "Passover Haggadah" (1644); he published also his "Libra Vertatis" (Fraenker, 1698); and one of the earliest translations of Jewish prayers, under the title, "Hochfeyerliche Solentäten, Gebete und Collecten Anstalt der Opfer, nebst andern Ceremonien so von der Jüdischen Kirchen am Ersten Neuen-Jahrstag Gebet und Abendgebet werden müssen" (Königsberg, 1653). His posthumous work, "Biblia Veritatis" was written to substantiate the claim that the Targums prove the doctrine of the Trinity. This is also the subject of his "Veritatis Religionis Christianæ."

      Rosenthal, David Augustus, German physician and author, born at Neisse, Silesia, 1812; died at Breslau, 1575. In 1851 he embraced Roman Catholicism and set about to improve the tone of the Catholic press and the condition of the Catholics of Silesia. In 1862 he edited the poetical works of the Roman Catholic mystic, Angelus Silesius, better known as Johan Scheffler. Between 1869 and 1872, he published his "Convertetenbilder aus dem neinzehnten Jahrhundert" (4 vols., Schaffhausen), or biographical sketches of Jews and Protestants who had embraced the Roman Catholic faith during the nineteenth century. This was arranged according to countries. A supplement of the entire work is found in the last volume. The "Convertetenbilder," which went through several editions, is a very important contribution to the history of the Church in the nineteenth century, and supplements de le Roi's work, "Geschichte der Evangelischen Juden Mission," which treats only of the Jews who have joined the Protestant Church.

      Santangel (Sancto Angelos) Luis (Azorias) De, a convert and learned jurist of Calatayad, Spain, died before 1459. He was converted by the sermons of Vincent Ferrer (probably in 1412, when that missionary was most active) and was made magistrate of the capital of Aragon. One of his grandsons took part in the discovery of America by lending 17,000 ducats towards the expenses without interest.

      Sixtus Sinensis, born at Sienna in 1520; died in 1569. After embracing Christianity he joined the Franciscan Order. By the order of Paul IV., Sixtus and another convert travelled about the Papal States preaching in the synagogues. He was more favourable to the Zohar than to the Talmud. Besides homilies and mathematical writings, Sixtus was the author of the "Bibliotheca Sancta" (Venice, 1566), a Latin work in eight books, treating of the divisions and authority of the Bible. It contains an alphabetical index and an alphabetical list of the rabbinical interpreters of the Bible.

      Ugolino Blaisio, an Italian Jewish convert, born about 1700. He is known for his "Thesaurus Antiquitatum" (34 vols., Venice, 1744-69). In this work he reprinted most of the seventeenth century treatises on Jewish antiquities by Bochart, Bonfrère, Buxtrof, Carpzov, Cellarius, Clavering, Deyling, Goodwin, Hottinger, Huet, Lowth, Opitz, Pfeiffer, Prideaux, Reland, Rhenferd, Saubertius, Selden, Sigonius, Spencer, Trigland, Van Til, Wagenseil, and Witsius, besides some from fresh contributors, and translating much himself from the "Midrashim." He also himself translated the treatises Menahoth, and Zebahim (vol. xxi.) Pesahim, Shekalim, Yoma, Succa, Rosh-Hashanah, Tamid, Megilah, Hagigah, Bezah, Moed Katon, Ma'aseroth, Maaser Sheni, Hallah, Orlah, and Bikkurim (vols, xvii. – xix.), besides a part of Maimonides' "Yad-Hazakah," and of Abraham Portaleone's "Shilte ha Gibborim."

      Veil, Ludwig Karl de, a native of Metz, whose father and grandfather were rabbis, the latter an author of Hebrew books, embraced the Roman Catholic faith at the age of 17, when he was a teacher of Hebrew in 1655. It is said that Louis XIII., King of France, compelled him to be baptized in Compiègne. At all events, the King and the Queen were his sponsors. He is also called Compiègne, after the town. He became afterwards ordinary Royal professor of Oriental languages in the Sorbonne, Paris. Wagenseil, who made his acquaintance in Paris, praises him for his modesty as well as for his learning and talents. Ludwig de Veil translated the first eight tracts of the "Yad-Hazakah" of Maimonides into Latin, adding notes thereto (Paris, 1662-78); also "Sefer Hakorbanoth," with Abrabanel's introduction to Leviticus (London, 1683). A separate edition of this introduction appeared under the title "Hakdamat Abravenl El Sefer Wayikra" (Amsterdam, 1701).

      Veit, Johann Emanuel was born in Ruthenplan, in Bohemia, in 1789, died in Vienna in 1876. He was the son of a rich Jew named Benedict (Boruch). He studied medicine and philosophy first at Prague and then in Vienna, in which city he became professor and director in the Veterinary College in 1819. In the newspaper "Bohemia," he was reported to have given the reason for his conversion in these words: – "I went through the Old Testament, and now I must look into the New." And to Döllinger he once said, "Judaism is the vestibule to the Hall Christianity, and I wanted to pass from the one to the other." Here are some remarks which he made occasionally in letters to friends with reference to his spiritual development and his coming to Christ. Thus he wrote: – "The time past, the near as well as the remote, lies behind me like a series of dissolving views. I am not in the state to give chronological data, I know only that it is a good while ago that a decided direction to the positive belief took me without my exertion." A deeper view is given to us in the following letter: – "You do not know the miserable history of my life, neither the ways by which the Divine Mercy has conducted me, nor the unutterable distress incumbent upon me. Nobody did know me, myself the least, but the Lord has helped me wonderfully. What can the world judge of a poor, contrite old student, full of sinfulness, craving only God's love, who has finally prostrated himself, in great anxiety of heart, at the feet of Jesus, the Crucified, crying, 'O Lord, do not cast away from Thee the poor dog which licks Thy feet, although it stretches still its nostrils to the hideous savours of this world.'" Having such a confession before us, we forbear to search after other influences which may have worked upon his soul. A true Israelite, with the humility of the woman of Samaria, he found in Jesus Christ the peace with God which neither Judaism, the modernised as little as the rabbinical, nor the philosophical systems could give him. Of course, he desired to confess his belief in Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Redeemer by baptism, and this he did on May 4th, 1816, in the Church of St. Carl, Vienna. Eventually Veit was appointed as Cathedral preacher at St. Stephen's and his fervent eloquence drew large crowds to hear him, and many on bended knees cried out for pardon of secret sins. When in 1840 the Damascus blood accusation affair took place, Veit stood up in the pulpit before the whole congregation, lifted up a crucifix, and swore solemnly that this oft repeated accusation had no foundation whatever in fact.

      Wolken of Ratisbon, a convert to Roman Catholicism in the second half of the fifteenth century. In contrast to Veit, he was an accuser of his former co-religionists. Whether this arose from personal spite or from superstition does not matter. His memory is only here preserved as a warning to others.

      Wolowski, a Polish family in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, directly descended from Osias Tebuat Shor, gave to the Roman Catholic Church several members, viz., a Jewess named Hayya Wolowski (she had an excellent knowledge of the "Zohar"), Nathan ben Elisha (Michael Wolowski) and his brother Solomon (Lucas Francis Levi Wolowski). They were all influenced in favour of Christianity by the Frankist movement. Some descendants of this family are still living in Galicia.

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