The whole genuine and complete works of Flavius Josephus ... Translated from the original in the Greek language. And diligently revised and compared with the writings of contemporary authors, of different nations, on the subject. All tending to prove the authenticity of the work. ; To which is added various useful indexes ... ; Also a continuation of the history of the Jews, from Josephus down to the present time ... By George Henry Maynard, LL.D. ; Illustrated with marginal references and notes, historical, biographical, classical, critical, geographical, and explanatory. By the Rev. Edward Kimpton, author the the Compleat universal history of the Holy Bible. ; Embellished with upwards of sixty beautiful engravings, taken from original drawings of the Messrs, Metz, Stothard, and Corbould, members of the Royal Academy, and engraved by American artists.

CHAP. VI.

The Pseudo-Josephus, a native of France, in this century. His history fabulous. Jews arrow_forward in Hungary. Their state in Germany and Bohemia. Protected by the emperor. Massacred by the crusaders. A second crusade pro|ductive of the same consequences as the former.

AS we are treating of the French rabbies of this century, we must not omit the author of the pretended history of Josip Ben Garion, whom the arrow_back Jews arrow_forward have substituted for the Greek historian Jose|phus. This Jewish impostor, to gain the greater credit with his readers, begins with giving himself out for a royal prince and priest of the Jewish na|tion, in whose person Providence had united those two dignities to war against their enemies. He calls himself the Josephus full of the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel, fortitude, knowledge, and of fear of the Lord, who sacrificed his life for the sanctuary and for his nation. He sacriligi|ously adds, that one of his soldiers one day cried aloud to him,

Thou art the man of God. Blessed be the God of Israel, who hath created the soul that animates thee, and hath endowed thee with such extraordinary wisdom.

And when taken by the Romans, their army asked each other with tears,

Is that the person so admired among the arrow_back Jews arrow_forward , and so dreaded by the Romans? How is he caught, who was alone once able to fill our army with terror, and hath spread throughout the uni|verse the fame of his valiant deeds?

Titus him|self was no less taken with his person and courage, and raised him above all the priests and Levites of his nation.

His imposture succeeded so well, by his pirating, from the Greek and original Josephus, such facts as were to his purpose, misrepresenting, and adding others, and couching his history in the Hebrew tongue, that the Greek copy became not only neglected, but suspicious, and at length rejected as a forgery by those of his nation. So that we need not wonder if many of them have been deceived by it, and extolled it to the skies. But as this author and his history have been fully confuted by several able and authentic writers, and the many falshoods, contradictions, and absurdities; which plainly prove its forgery, amply exploded, we shall therefore pro|ceed with a detail of the Jewish affairs as they were circumstanced in other nations in Europe.

We begin to find them flourishing in Hungary towards the latter end of the eleventh century, when Ladislaus, who then reigned, convened a synod, in which were made several regulations, importing, that if a Jew should marry, or, as the act words it, "sibi associaverit," a Christian woman, or buy a Christian slave, they should be set at liberty, and the price given for them be confiscated to the bishop. His son Coloman being come to the throne, forbad them, by a new law, to use the Christian slaves; but permitted them to buy and cultivate lands, on con|dition they used no other than Pagan slaves; and settled only in such places as were under the juris|diction of a bishop. These two laws shew the arrow_back Jews to have been numerous and powerful in that king|dom.

The Jewish nation was extremely multiplied in Germany; it had even built synagogues in most of the considerable cities, particularly in Triers, Co|logne and Mentz. It had penetrated even to Fran|conia. This people passed from thence into Bohe|mia; where, in the eleventh century, they perform|ed such considerable services to the Christians, a|gainst the irruptions of the barbarians, that they were allowed the privilege of a synagogue. They entered into Hungary. It is said they were terrified by a variety of prodigies, which happened at the beginning of the eleventh century; and fearing the end of the world was at hand, they turned Christians. These prodigies, however, had not converted such numbers of them, but that many were disposed to acts of violence and outrage.

A priest, named Gotescal, put himself at the head of fifteen thousand banditti he had got together in Germany, and declared war against the arrow_back Jews. So pious a pretence procured him the veneration of the people, and the protection of kings. He over-ran Franconia in a little time; from whence he passed into Hungary, where he had, at first, an entire li|berty to exercise his cruelties; but when it was per|ceived, that, under the pretence of religion, this army plundered and ravished the wives of the Christians as well as the arrow_back Jews, they surprized them in their de|baucheries, and Gotescal was slain, with the best part of his troops. So tragical an end, however, hin|dered not the count of Linenguen from making the same attempt. He ravaged a part of Germany, by declaring himself a persecutor of the arrow_back Jews; but at|tempting to pass into Hungary, found the passage stopped. Being resolved to force it, he vigorously at|tacked those that kept it; and, elated with success, had already divided the kingdom with his conspira|tors; when the Hungarians, attacking them unex|pectedly, as they were deliberating, put them to the rout. The emperor Henry, who was then at Ra|tisbonne, declared himself in favour of the arrow_back Jews, restored them to the places from whence they had been expelled, and made their plunderders refund. This indemnification occasioned fresh complaints

and accusations, as they were charged with having magnified their losses, in order to enrich themselves by a more plentiful restitution.

The crusades rekindled a fresh zeal against the arrow_back Jews. They complain that these votaries, passing through Cologne, Mentz, Wormes, and Spiers, com|mitted a massacre, from the month of April till July, in which were stabbed and drowned five thou|sand persons; and that the number of those who were forced to abjure the religion of their fathers can|not be ascertained. They do not exaggerate the matter; on the contrary, historians amplify the number, with the addition of hideous circum|stances. They assert that fourteen hundred of them were burnt at Mentz; and that, from the resistence and disorder which happened on that occasion, half the city was reduced to ashes. Those of Wormes at first retired to the bishop; but he would not receive them, unless they turned Christians. The people suffered them not to deliberate long: some embraced Christianity, which they abjured as soon as the form was over; and others destroyed themselves. Some|thing like this happened at Triers. The women, seeing the crusaders coming, murdered their own children, saying, "It were better to send them thus into Abraham's bosom, than to abandon them to the Christians." Others, laden with stones, threw themselves into the river, and were drowned; and some fled to the bishop's castle. Egilbert, who re|sided in it, preached them a sermon, by which they were apparently converted; but the year following all of them, except one, relapsed into Judaism. The bishop of Spire had more humanity; for he not only protected the fugitives, but caused some of their persecutors to be hanged. This mischief went so far, that the Bavarian annalists reckon twelve thousand that died in that country; and others affirm, that the number of those who perished in Germany was almost incredible.

Another crusade was published fifty years after. Rodolphus, who was commissioned to preach it up on the banks of the Rhine, did it with great success. As it was one of the articles of his religion and his doctrine, that the enemies of Christianity were first to be taken off, and those stabbed who were near at hand, before they went to seek them in foreign lands, the people were inflamed by his exhortations: but the massacre was not so great as designed, be|cause part of them took their flight betimes, and re|tired to Nuremberg, and other cities depending upon the emperor, under whose protection they found more security. We must do justice to St. Bernard, and acknowledge that Rodolphus's doc|trine did not please him. He wrote to the arch|bishop of Mentz, whom this hermit had inflamed by his preaching, to prove to him, that he ought to look upon the persecution of the arrow_back Jews as inhuman; and therefore he advised that he might be sent back to his desert.

Nevertheless, the flame was spread far and near by his trumpeters, not only in Germany, but in most other parts of Europe, and great numbers of arrow_back Jews were massacred, if we may credit their chronolo|gers, while others, being driven into despair by the cruelties they were likely to undergo, put an end to their own existence. With these persecu|tions ended the eleventh century.

Notes

• The Pseudo. Josephus a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of France, in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cen|••••••.
• His history fabulous
• Jews in Hungary.
• Their state in Germa|ny and ••o|hemra.
• Protected by the em|peror
• A second crusade.