Aaron Bernstein - Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ

Aronda, Pedro de, Bishop of Calahisra and President of the Council of Castile in the latter part of the fifteenth century, was the son of Gongolo Alonzo, a Hebrew Christian. Aronda's brother, too, was Bishop of Montreal in Sicily.

Baena, Francisco, and his brother, Juan Alfonso Di, flourished at the end of the fifteenth century and in the sixteenth century. They were both Spanish poets.

Baptista, Gioranni Giona Galileo, was born in Safed in 1588, and died in 1668. His Jewish name was Judah Jonah ben Isaac. After travelling on the Continent, and being assistant rabbi in Hamburg, he embraced Christianity in Poland in 1625. Then he went to Italy and was appointed Professor at the University of Pisa, and later as one of the librarians at the Vatican. He wrote (1.) "A Sermon in Hebrew and Latin on the Messiah and the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles." (2.) "Limud hameshehim" (Doctrines of Christianity), a Hebrew translation of the Italian Catechism of Robert Bellarmin. (3.) "Berith Hahadasha," 3 3 According to G. M. Löwen in "Nathanael," 1903, No. 5, the Hebrew title of this translation is "Arbaá Abne Hagilyonim Mehattorah Hahadashah, Asher Neetku Milshon romi lilshon ibri al yad Johanan hatobel Jonah. Weeherim otham Terumah la Kadosh hakohen hagadol Klimenthi Tisshü." a Hebrew translation of the N. T., with a preface by Clement IX. (4.) A Hebrew Chaldaic Lexicon. (5.) A Treatise on the name of Jesus, "Hillufin sheben sheloshah Targumim," a collection of the differences in the Targums. Some of the works are in MS. in the Vatican library.

Baptista, Garvanni Salomo Romano Eliano. He was born at Alexandria and died in Rome in 1589. He was the grandson of Elijah Levita, the famous Hebrew grammarian. Hearing that his brother was baptized at Venice, he hastened there to win him back to Judaism, but became a Christian himself in 1551. He wrote a catechism in Hebrew and Arabic, and similar religious books, but gained especial notoriety as an anti-Talmudist, and used his influence at the Papal Court to have the Talmud and other rabbinic literature, destroyed altogether. This actually happened in some places. But Baptista had to suffer for it, and his name, together with Joseph Moro and Ananel di Folgio, also converts and companions, are still branded by Jewish writers. When, in 1561, he was sent by Pope Pius IV. on a mission to Egypt, the Jews of Alexandria bitterly persecuted him at the instigation of his own mother.

Bernard, Sarah, born in Paris in 1844, of Dutch Jewish parentage. At the request of her father she was received into the Roman Catholic Church. Her early years were spent in a convent. Later she studied dramatic art in the conservatoire, and became famous.

Bauer, Marie-Bernard (Herman Cohen), was born at Budapest in 1829, died 1898. After his conversion to Catholicism he joined the Carmelite order. He distinguished himself as a preacher, first at Vienna, where he delivered a series of addresses, which were published (1866) under the title, "Le Judaisme Comme Preuve du Christianisme." Eventually he attained to the rank of a bishop. In 1869 he became father confessor to the Empress Eugenie. On November 17th, 1869, he delivered the dedicatory address at the opening of the Suez Canal. He also published a book of sermons, "Le But de la Vie" (1869), and a pamphlet, "Napoléon III, et l'Europien" (1867).

Caballeria Bonafos, son of Solomon ibn Labe de la Caballeria, was baptized in the fifteenth century, and eight brothers followed his example. Notwithstanding this, some members of this large family suffered much from the Inquisition.

Carben Victor, a convert, living at Cologne between 1442 and 1515, was the author of the following controversial works: (1). "Opus Aureum ac Novum in quo Omnes Judaeorum Errores Manifestatur." (2). "Propugnaculum Fidei Christianæ, Instar Dialogi inter Christianum et Judæum in quo quod Jesus verus Messias, verus Deus et Homo, Totius que Humani Generis Salvator."

Canta Joshua Dei, according to Steinschneider, belonged to the family Cantarini (מהחזנים), and according to Wolf, B. II. i. 131, he was a convert to Christianity. He, together with Baptista Vittorio Eliano, denounced the Talmud as containing blasphemies against the Christian faith, in 1559, and the result was the burning of Hebrew books, and his own assassination in the streets of Cremona.

Carthagena don Alfonso, son of Paul of Burgos, died at Burgos in 1456. He was baptized together with his father, brother and sister, in 1391, and became Archdeacon of Compostella, and then succeeded his father in the See of Burgos. The writers in the "Jewish Encyclopædia" contradict each other in ascribing the succession at Burgos to both him and his brother Alonzo, which cannot be unless one brother succeeded another. In 1431 he was the representative of Castile at the Council of Basel. Pope Pius II., in his memoirs, called him "An ornament to the prelacy." Pope Eugenius IV., hearing that the Bishop of Burgos was about to visit Rome, declared in full conclave, that "in presence of such a man he felt ashamed to be seated in St. Peter's chair." Among Carthagena's writings, on history, morals, and other subjects, there is a commentary on the twenty-sixth Psalm, "Correctus Ludovicius."

Cohen Todoros, a native of France, lived at Florence in the sixteenth century. After he embraced Christianity, at the age of fifty, at Geneva, he wrote a book entitled "Maroth Elohim, Liber Visorum Divinum," in which he relates the history of his conversion, and quotes passages from the Bible and Kabbalistic works in favour of Christianity. The work, published in Paris in 1553, was translated into Latin by Angelo Caruni (Florence, 1554). It is inserted in Johannes Buxtorf's "Synagoga Judaica."

Cohen, Archbishop of Olmütz, Austria, at the end of the nineteenth century. He wrote many works on Roman law, notably one entitled, in German, "The Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire from the Standpoint of Jurists" (1897).

Coronel, Paul Nunez, born at Segovia, died in 1534. He was a rabbinical scholar, and after his conversion he was appointed Professor at the University of Salamanca. Cardinal Ximenes de Cisneros commissioned him to translate the Bible into Latin. This translation is contained in the "Complutensian Polyglot" (1541-17). He also wrote "Additiones ad Librum Nicolai Lirani de Differentiis Translationem (Verborum)," which has not been printed.

Crescenzi Alexander lived at Rome in the seventeenth century. In 1666 he translated from the Spanish into Italian Antony Colmenarde Ludesina's treatise on "Chocolate." Mandosius speaks of him as a mathematician who became celebrated on account of his report, which he edited with mathematical notes, on the eruption of Vesuvius in 1660.

Christiani Pablo, a convert of the thirteenth century. After his baptism he became a member of the Order of the Dominicans. He is notorious as an over-zealous missionary, who cherished the Boanergian spirit more than the spirit of Christ towards his brethren, and he is only mentioned here on account of the famous controversy he held at the palace of King James with the great Rabbi Nahmonides, when he tried to prove from the Talmud the truth of Christianity, and Rabbi Nahmonides declared that he did not believe in the Haggadic stories of the Talmud.

Compiegne de Weil, Ludwig, lived at Paris, and later at Metz, in the second half of the seventeenth century. He was a descendant of Rabbi Jacob Weil, of Nuremberg. After embracing Christianity he studied theology at the Sorbonne. He translated several parts of Maimonides' "Yad ha Hazakah."

Conrat Mose (Cohen), born in Breslau, 1848, attended there the gymnasium St. Maria Magdalena, where he probably embraced Christianity. He was a professor of Roman law at the Universities of Zurich and of Amsterdam.

David Bonet Bonjorn lived in Catalonia in the second half of the fourteenth century. He is said to have been the son of the astronomer, Jacob Poel. He was baptized in 1391. He had a friend by the name of Propiat Duran, who was also baptized, but returned to Judaism. P. D. tried to persuade him to follow his example, but when he refused, the other addressed an epistle to him under the title, "Al Tehi Ca Abothekha," which is considered as a masterpiece of satirical criticism against Jewish converts to Christianity.