THE WANDERING JEW
The year 1228, "a certain Archbishop of Armenia the Greater came on a
pilgrimage to England to see the relics of the saints, and visit the
sacred places in the kingdom, as he had done in others; he also produced
letters of recommendation from his Holiness the Pope, to the religious
and the prelates of the churches, in which they were enjoined to receive
and entertain him with due reverence and honour. On his arrival, he came
to St. Albans, where he was received with all respect by the abbot and
the monks; and at this place, being fatigued with his journey, he
remained some days to rest himself and his followers, and a conversation
took place between him and the inhabitants of the convent, by means of
their interpreters, during which he made many inquiries relating to the
religion and religious observances of this country, and told many
strange things concerning the countries of the East. In the course of
conversation he was asked whether he had ever seen or heard any thing of
Joseph, a man of whom there was much talk in the world, who, when our
Lord suffered, was present and spoke to Him, and who is still alive, in
evidence of the Christian faith; in reply to which, a knight in his
retinue, who was his interpreter, replied, speaking in French, 'My lord
well knows that man, and a little before he took his way to the western
countries, the said Joseph ate at the table of my lord the Archbishop of
Armenia, and he has often seen and conversed with him.'
"He was then asked about what had passed between Christ and the said
Joseph; to which he replied, 'At the time of the passion of Jesus
Christ, He was seized by the Jews, and led into the hall of judgment
before Pilate, the governor, that He might be judged by him on the
accusation of the Jews; and Pilate, finding no fault for which he might
sentence Him to death, said unto them, "Take Him and judge Him according
to your law"; the shouts of the Jews, however, increasing, he, at their
request, released unto them Barabbas, and delivered Jesus to them to be
crucified. When, therefore, the Jews were dragging Jesus forth, and had
reached the door, Cartaphilus, a porter of the hall in Pilate's service,
as Jesus was going out of the door, impiously struck Him on the back
with his hand, and said in mockery, "Go quicker, Jesus, go quicker; why
do you loiter?" and Jesus, looking back on him with a severe
countenance, said to him, "I am going, and you shall wait till I
return." And according as our Lord said, this Cartaphilus is still
awaiting His return. At the time of our Lord's suffering he was thirty
years old, and when he attains the age of a hundred years, he always
returns to the same age as he was when our Lord suffered. After Christ's
death, when the Catholic faith gained ground, this Cartaphilus was
baptised by Ananias (who also baptised the Apostle Paul), and was called
Joseph. He dwells in one or other divisions of Armenia, and in divers
Eastern countries, passing his time amongst the bishops and other
prelates of the Church; he is a man of holy conversation, and religious;
a man of few words, and very circumspect in his behaviour; for he does
not speak at all unless when questioned by the bishops and religious;
and then he relates the events of olden times, and speaks of things
which occurred at the suffering and resurrection of our Lord, and of the
witnesses of the resurrection, namely, of those who rose with Christ,
and went into the holy city, and appeared unto men. He also tells of the
creed of the Apostles, and of their separation and preaching. And all
this he relates without smiling, or levity of conversation, as one who
is well practised in sorrow and the fear of God, always looking forward
with dread to the coming of Jesus Christ, lest at the Last Judgment he
should find Him in anger whom, when on His way to death, he had provoked
to just vengeance. Numbers came to him from different parts of the
world, enjoying his society and conversation; and to them, if they are
men of authority, he explains all doubts on the matters on which he is
questioned. He refuses all gifts that are offered him, being content
with slight food and clothing.'"
Much about the same date, Philip Mouskes, afterward Bishop of Tournay,
wrote his rhymed chronicle (1242), which contains a similar account of
the Jew, derived from the same Armenian prelate:
"Adonques vint un arceveskes
De ca mer, plains de bonnes teques
Par samblant, et fut d'Armenie,"
and this man, having visited the shrine of "St. Tumas de Kantobire," and
then having paid his devotions at "Monsigour St. Jake," he went on to
Cologne to see the heads of the three kings. The version told in the
Netherlands much resembled that related at St. Albans, only that the
Jew, seeing the people dragging Christ to his death, exclaims:
"Atendes moi! g'i vois,
S'iert mis le faus profete en crois."
Then
"Le vrais Dieux se regarda,
Et li a dit qu'e n'i tarda,
Icist ne t'atenderont pas,
Mais saces, tu m'atenderas."
We hear no more of the wandering Jew till the sixteenth century, when we
hear first of him in a casual manner, as assisting a weaver, Kokot, at
the royal palace in Bohemia (1505), to find a treasure which had been
secreted by the great-grandfather of Kokot, sixty years before, at which
time the Jew was present. He then had the appearance of being a man of
seventy years.
Curiously enough, we next hear of him in the East, where he is
confounded with the prophet Elijah. Early in the century he appeared to
Fadhilah, under peculiar circumstances.
After the Arabs had captured the city of Elvan, Fadhilah, at the head of
three hundred horsemen, pitched his tents, late in the evening, between
two mountains. Fadhilah, having begun his evening prayer with a loud
voice, heard the words "Allah akbar" (God is great) repeated distinctly,
and each word of his prayer was followed in a similar manner. Fadhilah,
not believing this to be the result of an echo, was much astonished, and
cried out, "O thou! whether thou art of the angel ranks, or whether thou
art of some other order of spirits, it is well; the power of God be with
thee; but if thou art a man, then let mine eyes light upon thee, that I
may rejoice in thy presence and society." Scarcely had he spoken these
words, before an aged man, with bald head, stood before him, holding a
staff In his hand, and much resembling a dervish in appearance. After
having courteously saluted him, Fadhilah asked the old man who he was.
Thereupon the stranger answered, "Bassi Hadhret Issa, I am here by
command of the Lord Jesus, who has left me in this world, that I may
live therein until he come a second time to earth. I wait for this Lord,
who is the Fountain of Happiness, and in obedience to his command I
dwell behind yon mountain." When Fadhilah heard these words, he asked
when the Lord Jesus would appear; and the old man replied that his
appearing would be at the end of the world, at the Last Judgment. But
this only increased Fadhilah's curiosity, so that he inquired the signs
of the approach of the end of all things, whereupon Zerib Bar Elia gave
him an account of general, social, and moral dissolution, which would be
the climax of this world's history.
In 1547 he was seen in Europe, if we are to believe the following
narration:
"Paul von Eitzen, Doctor of the Holy Scriptures, and Bishop of
Schleswig, [Footnote: Paul v. Eitzen was born January 25, 1522, at
Hamburg; in 1562 he was appointed chief preacher for Schleswig, and died
February 25, 1598.] related as true for some years past, that when he
was young, having studied at Wittemberg, he returned home to his parents
in Hamburg in the winter of the year 1547, and that on the following
Sunday, in church, he observed a tall man, with his hair hanging over
his shoulders, standing barefoot, during the sermon, over against the
pulpit, listening with deepest attention to the discourse, and, whenever
the name of Jesus was mentioned, bowing himself profoundly and humbly,
with sighs and beating of the breast. He had no other clothing, in the
bitter cold of the winter, except a pair of hose which were in tatters
about his feet, and a coat with a girdle which reached to his feet; and
his general appearance was that of a man of fifty years. And many
people, some of high degree and title, have seen this same man in
England, France, Italy, Hungary, Persia, Spain, Poland, Moscow, Lapland,
Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, and other places.
"Every one wondered over the man. Now, after the sermon, the said Doctor
inquired diligently where the stranger was to be found; and when he had
sought him out, he inquired of him privately whence he came, and how
long that winter he had been in the place. Thereupon he replied,
modestly, that he was a Jew by birth, a native of Jerusalem, by name
Aliasverus, by trade a shoemaker; he had been present at the crucifixion
of Christ, and had lived ever since, travelling through various lands
and cities, the which he substantiated by accounts he gave; he related
also the circumstances of Christ's transference from Pilate to Herod,
and the final crucifixion, together with other details not recorded in
the Evangelists and historians; he gave accounts of the changes of
government in many countries, especially of the East, through several
centuries; and moreover he detailed the labours and deaths of the holy
Apostles of Christ most circumstantially.
"Now when Doctor Paul v. Eitzen heard this with profound astonishment,
on account of its incredible novelty, he inquired further, in order that
he might obtain more accurate information. Then the man answered, that
he had lived in Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion of Christ, whom
he had regarded as a deceiver of the people, and a heretic; he had seen
Him with his own eyes, and had done his best, along with others, to
bring this deceiver, as he regarded Him, to justice, and to have Him put
out of the way. When the sentence had been pronounced by Pilate, Christ
was about to be dragged past his house; then he ran home, and called
together his household to have a look at Christ, and see what sort of a
person He was.
"This having been done, he had his little child on his arm, and was
standing in his doorway, to have a sight of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"As, then, Christ was led by, bowed under the weight of the heavy cross,
He tried to rest a little, and stood still a moment; but the shoemaker,
in zeal and rage, and for the sake of obtaining credit among the other
Jews, drove the Lord Christ forward, and told Him to hasten on His way.
Jesus, obeying, looked at him, and said, 'I shall stand and rest, but
thou shalt go till the last day.' At these words the man set down the
child; and, unable to remain where he was, he followed Christ, and saw
how cruelly He was crucified, how He suffered, how He died. As soon as
this had taken place, it came upon him suddenly that he could no more
return to Jerusalem, nor see again his wife and child, but must go forth
into foreign lands, one after another, like a mournful pilgrim. Now,
when, years after, he returned to Jerusalem, he found it ruined and
utterly razed, so that not one stone was left standing on another; and
he could not recognise former localities.
"He believes that it is God's purpose, in thus driving him about in
miserable life, and preserving him undying, to present him before the
Jews at the end, as a living token, so that the godless and unbelieving
may remember the death of Christ, and be turned to repentance. For his
part he would well rejoice were God in heaven to release him from this
vale of tears. After this conversation, Doctor Paul v. Eitzen, along
with the rector of the school of Hamburg, who was well read in history,
and a traveller, questioned him about events which had taken place in
the East since the death of Christ, and he was able to give them much
information on many ancient matters; so that it was impossible not to be
convinced of the truth of his story, and to see that what seems
impossible with men is, after all, possible with God.
"Since the Jew has had his life extended, he has become silent and
reserved, and only answers direct questions. When invited to become any
one's guest, he eats little, and drinks in great moderation; then
hurries on, never remaining long in one place. When at Hamburg, Dantzig,
and elsewhere, money has been offered him, he never took more than two
shillings (fourpence, one farthing), and at once distributed it to the
poor, as token that he needed no money, for God would provide for him,
as he rued the sins he had committed in ignorance.
"During the period of his stay in Hamburg and Dantzig he was never seen
to laugh. In whatever land he travelled he spoke its language, and when
he spoke Saxon, it was like a native Saxon. Many people came from
different places to Hamburg and Dantzig in order to see and hear this
man, and were convinced that the providence of God was exercised in this
individual in a very remarkable manner. He gladly listened to God's
word, or heard it spoken of always with great gravity and compunction,
and he ever reverenced with sighs the pronunciation of the name of God,
or of Jesus Christ, and could not endure to hear curses; but whenever he
heard any one swear by God's death or pains, he waxed indignant, and
exclaimed, with vehemence and with sighs, 'Wretched man and miserable
creature, thus to misuse the name of thy Lord and God, and His bitter
sufferings and passion. Hadst thou seen, as I have, how heavy and bitter
were the pangs and wounds of thy Lord, endured for thee and for me, thou
wouldst rather undergo great pain thyself than thus take His sacred name
in vain!'
"Such is the account given to me by Doctor Paul von Eitzen, with many
circumstantial proofs, and corroborated by certain of my own old
acquaintances who saw this same individual with their own eyes in
Hamburg.
"In the year 1575 the Secretary Christopher Krause, and Master Jacob von
Holstein, legates to the Court of Spain, and afterward sent into the
Netherlands to pay the soldiers serving his Majesty in that country,
related on their return home to Schleswig, and confirmed with solemn
oaths, that they had come across the same mysterious individual at
Madrid in Spain, in appearance, manner of life, habits, clothing, just
the same as he had appeared in Hamburg. They said that they had spoken
with him, and that many people of all classes had conversed with him,
and found him to speak good Spanish. In the year 1599, in December, a
reliable person wrote from Brunswick to Strasburg that the same
mentioned strange person had been seen alive at Vienna in Austria, and
that he had started for Poland and Dantzig; and that he purposed going
on to Moscow. This Ahasverus was at Lubeck in 1601, also about the same
date in Revel in Livonia, and in Cracow in Poland. In Moscow he was seen
of many and spoken to by many.
"What thoughtful, God-fearing persons are to think of the said person,
is at their option. God's works are wondrous and past finding out, and
are manifested day by day, only to be revealed in full at the last great
day of account.
"Dated, Revel, August 1st, 1613.
"D. W.
"D.
"Chrysostomus Duduloeus,
"Westphalus."
* * * * *
In 1604 he seems to have appeared in Paris. Rudolph Botoreus says, under
this date, "I fear lest I be accused of giving ear to old wives' fables,
if I insert in these pages what is reported all over Europe of the Jew,
coeval with the Saviour Christ; however, nothing is more common, and our
popular histories have not scrupled to assert it. Following the lead of
those who wrote our annals, I may say that he who appeared not in one
century only, in Spain, Italy, and Germany, was also in this year seen
and recognised as the same individual who had appeared in Hamburg, anno
MDLXVI. The common people, bold in spreading reports, relate many things
of him; and this I allude to, lest anything should be left unsaid."
J. C. Bulenger puts the date of the Hamburg visit earlier. "It was
reported at this time that a Jew of the time of Christ was wandering
without food and drink, having for a thousand and odd years been a
vagabond and outcast, condemned by God to rove, because he, of that
generation of vipers, was the first to cry out for the crucifixion of
Christ and the release of Barabbas; and also because soon after, when
Christ, panting under the burden of the rood, sought to rest before his
workshop (he was a cobbler), the fellow ordered Him off with acerbity.
Thereupon Christ replied, 'Because thou grudgest Me such a moment of
rest, I shall enter into My rest, but thou shalt wander restless.' At
once, frantic and agitated, he fled through the whole earth, and on the
same account to this day he journeys through the world. It was this
person who was seen in Hamburg in MDLXIV. Credat Judaeus Apella! I did
not see him, or hear anything authentic concerning him, at that time
when I was in Paris."
A curious little book, written against the quackery of Paracelsus, by
Leonard Doldius, a Nurnberg physician, and translated into Latin and
augmented, by Andreas Libavius, doctor and physician of Rotenburg,
alludes to the same story, and gives the Jew a new name nowhere else met
with. After having referred to a report that Paracelsus was not dead,
but was seated alive, asleep or napping, in his sepulchre at Strasburg,
preserved from death by some of his specifics, Labavius declares that he
would sooner believe in the old man, the Jew, Ahasverus, wandering over
the world, called by some Buttadaeus, and otherwise, again, by others.
He is said to have appeared in Naumburg, but the date is not given; he
was noticed in church, listening to the sermon. After the service he was
questioned, and he related his story. On this occasion he received
presents from the burgers. In 1633 he was again in Hamburg. In the year
1640, two citizens, living in the Gerberstrasse, in Brussels, were
walking in the Sonian wood, when they encountered an aged man, whose
clothes were in tatters and of an antiquated appearance. They invited
him to go with them to a house of refreshment, and he went with them,
but would not seat himself, remaining on foot to drink. When he came
before the doors with the two burgers, he told them a great deal; but
they were mostly stories of events which had happened many hundred years
before. Hence the burgers gathered that their companion was Isaac
Laquedem, the Jew who had refused to permit our Blessed Lord to rest for
a moment at his door-step, and they left him full of terror. In 1642 he
is reported to have visited Leipzig. On the 22d July, 1721, he appeared
at the gates of the city of Munich. About the end of the seventeenth
century or the beginning of the eighteenth, an impostor, calling himself
the Wandering Jew, attracted attention in England, and was listened to
by the ignorant, and despised by the educated. He, however, managed to
thrust himself into the notice of the nobility, who, half in jest, half
in curiosity, questioned him, and paid him as they might a juggler. He
declared that he had been an officer of the Sanhedrim, and that he had
struck Christ as he left the judgment hall of Pilate. He remembered all
the Apostles, and described their personal appearance, their clothes,
and their peculiarities. He spoke many languages, claimed the power of
healing the sick and asserted that he had travelled nearly all over the
world. Those who heard him were perplexed by his familiarity with
foreign tongues and places. Oxford and Cambridge sent professors to
question him, and to discover the imposition, if any. An English
nobleman conversed with him in Arabic. The mysterious stranger told his
questioner in that language that historical works were not to be relied
upon. And on being asked his opinion of Mahomet, he replied that he had
been acquainted with the father of the prophet, and that he dwelt at
Ormuz. As for Mahomet, he believed him to have been a man of
intelligence; once when he heard the prophet deny that Christ was
crucified, he answered abruptly by telling him he was a witness to the
truth of that event. He related also that he was in Rome when Nero set
it on fire; he had known Saladin, Tamerlane, Bajazeth, Eterlane, and
could give minute details of the history of the Crusades.
Whether this wandering Jew was found out in London or not, we cannot
tell, but he shortly after appeared in Denmark, thence travelled into
Sweden, and vanished.