It would be unfair to claim the all the rulers and people of the middle ages and renaissance, where all biased and unfair. There were kings, popes, barons, clergy, and simpletons, who defended the Jews, and attempted to provide equality and justice for all of their subjects (Roth, Foa, Wein). King James I of Aragon, is paradigmatic of such a ruler.
There were many atrocities committed against the Jews during the King Jamie’s reign, and many forced disputations between Jewish and Christian clergy, orchestrated in order to convert the Jews. The Disputation of Barcelona was one such orchestrated event, yet it stands out, for Kings Jamie allowed the Rabbi Nahmanides, the freedom of speech and even rewarded his performance. This event also stands out, for although Christianity was insulted and blasphemed during the quarrel, King James protected the Jews from a backlash of violence (Nahmanides, Roth, Barnavi and Eliav-Feldon). It is important to note that King Jamie, wasn’t without fault. He ironically forbade Jews from studying medicine in the only true medical school of the time, though his personal physician was a Jew. Most of the anti-Semitic actions perpetrated by King Jamie were due to the anti-Semitic influence of Dominican friars. King Jaime, is nonetheless considered to be one of the most favorable Kings in Jewish medieval history. Amongst his many exceptional deeds, the most notable is the creation of “peace laws” which he applied throughout his kingdom, in which he included his Jews and Muslims (Roth). The particular incident of the disputation, was a debate arranged by a Paul Christiani, a Converso Jew who had previously enacted a decree enforcing Jews to wear badges. He, along with Ramon De Penafort, Guillermo De Cabanellas, and Vidal De Cabellas, had King Jamie issue a decree ordering the burning of the Talmud, on the charges of it containing blasphemous content. The king gave the Jews one month to refute the charges and had a disputation set up in the hopes of converting the Jewish populous to Christianity. Rabbi Nahmanides, a highly regarded and well versed rabbinic authority was selected to answer the challenge. Given free speech during the disputation, Nahmanides was able to rescind the decree and was rewarded with 300 gold coins. Furious with the friars, the King assured the Jewish people that they would never have to face such charges again (Roth). …show more content…
This record contained many blasphemies as the nature of his free speech permitted him, and as a result of the book, the Pope had King Jamie exile him. Nahmanides then traveled to Jerusalem, where the Jewish population was said to contain less than ten people (Roth). Nahmanides built a synagogue that lasted until the 1948 War of Independence, destroyed by the fleeing Jordanians. Nahmanides is one of the first of many Jews to return to Israel with the hope of freedom from persecution (Roth). The 1986 film “The Disputation of Barcelona”, though ending with an exile, depicts what a free medieval society can achieve. To the dismay of the friars, the honesty of the conversation actually produced freedom for the Jews. Brilliant and wise, Nahmanides refuted the claims of the priests, whose purpose and goal was not the stimulation of educated conversation but the subjugation and converting of the Jews
There were many atrocities committed against the Jews during the King Jamie’s reign, and many forced disputations between Jewish and Christian clergy, orchestrated in order to convert the Jews. The Disputation of Barcelona was one such orchestrated event, yet it stands out, for Kings Jamie allowed the Rabbi Nahmanides, the freedom of speech and even rewarded his performance. This event also stands out, for although Christianity was insulted and blasphemed during the quarrel, King James protected the Jews from a backlash of violence (Nahmanides, Roth, Barnavi and Eliav-Feldon). It is important to note that King Jamie, wasn’t without fault. He ironically forbade Jews from studying medicine in the only true medical school of the time, though his personal physician was a Jew. Most of the anti-Semitic actions perpetrated by King Jamie were due to the anti-Semitic influence of Dominican friars. King Jaime, is nonetheless considered to be one of the most favorable Kings in Jewish medieval history. Amongst his many exceptional deeds, the most notable is the creation of “peace laws” which he applied throughout his kingdom, in which he included his Jews and Muslims (Roth). The particular incident of the disputation, was a debate arranged by a Paul Christiani, a Converso Jew who had previously enacted a decree enforcing Jews to wear badges. He, along with Ramon De Penafort, Guillermo De Cabanellas, and Vidal De Cabellas, had King Jamie issue a decree ordering the burning of the Talmud, on the charges of it containing blasphemous content. The king gave the Jews one month to refute the charges and had a disputation set up in the hopes of converting the Jewish populous to Christianity. Rabbi Nahmanides, a highly regarded and well versed rabbinic authority was selected to answer the challenge. Given free speech during the disputation, Nahmanides was able to rescind the decree and was rewarded with 300 gold coins. Furious with the friars, the King assured the Jewish people that they would never have to face such charges again (Roth). …show more content…
This record contained many blasphemies as the nature of his free speech permitted him, and as a result of the book, the Pope had King Jamie exile him. Nahmanides then traveled to Jerusalem, where the Jewish population was said to contain less than ten people (Roth). Nahmanides built a synagogue that lasted until the 1948 War of Independence, destroyed by the fleeing Jordanians. Nahmanides is one of the first of many Jews to return to Israel with the hope of freedom from persecution (Roth). The 1986 film “The Disputation of Barcelona”, though ending with an exile, depicts what a free medieval society can achieve. To the dismay of the friars, the honesty of the conversation actually produced freedom for the Jews. Brilliant and wise, Nahmanides refuted the claims of the priests, whose purpose and goal was not the stimulation of educated conversation but the subjugation and converting of the Jews