Persecution and Apostasy in the Early Modern Period

Abstract

As a consequence of Christian attempts to convert Spanish Jewry, a considerable number of Jews embraced the Christian faith. However in the fifteenth century the Church instituted a new form of persecution — under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella the Inquisition was instructed to purge Jewish converts (Marranos) who were suspected of practising Jewish customs. Tribunals were established throughout the country which applied torture to extract confessions from the guilty. Seeking to escape such persecution, many Marranos sought refuge in Portugal where they led a Christian way of life while selectively observing Jewish practices. Following Spanish precedent however the Portuguese Inquisition was established in 1536 and attempted to track down Marranos wherever they lived. Other Marranos were driven to find homes in other lands where they returned to Judaism while retaining many of their former cultural characteristics. In such a milieu many of these individuals awaited the coming of the Messiah to lead them back to Zion, and in the seventeenth century a number of Marranos as well as others placed their hopes in the false Messiah, Shabbatai Tzevi, who eventually converted to Islam. Undeterred by this act of apostasy, a number of his followers continued to believe in him while embracing Islam.