The Jews of Mediaeval Languedoc: The Interplay of Literature

Abstract

THE JEWS OF MEDIAEVAL LANGUEDOC: THE INTERPLAY OF LITERATURE There are several reasons why there is so little information on Languedoc Jews in Occitan literature, especially among the troubadours : 1.Those troubadours who did mention them, treated them as the "fell juzeu" who betrayed and killed Jesus. 2.As mainly members ofthe upper classes, troubadours had little contact with the general population, let alone with Jews. 3.Troubadours regarded the Old Testament as a prime referencesourceand personalities in the Hebrew Tanach as heroes; it did not occur to them to connect contemporary Jews with those in the Bible. 4.The very nature of troubadour poetry was such as not to include Jews. Their dona was a Christian woman, if not the Virgin herself. Only occasionally did they recognize the beauty of a Jewish or Arab woman. 5.Jews were largely cut off either by choosing or being forced tolive in special quarters and by leadingaprivate theocratic life. 6.AsJewish scholarsbecameconcerned chiefly with the Talmud, Christian incomprehension of its nature led to its being attacked and regarded as a book of incantations , curses, even of magic. CYRIL HERSHON "LO FELL JUDEUS" TheChurch constantly promoted the ideathatJewsweretheenemies of Christ, a notion that came to a head in the early thirteenth century. Though they were nominally protected by the ConstitueproJudeis—the bull Sicut Judeis was renewed by each Pope on application (Grayzel/ Stow, 55-56)— Innocent III felt that the guilt for the Crucifixion consigned Jews to perpetual servitude— wanderers ('Le Juif Errant') and fugitives like Cain. The Church was the Beloved Bride, whereas the Synagogue (Jewry) was the Despised and Wretched Wife (Hagar), unable to share the rewards destined for the children of God's Beloved Church (Grayzel, letters 13,14,18). Mindful of the teachings of St. Augustine, Popes considered Jewish continuity a theological necessity (5, 14); Christian charity required they be defended, for crimes against Jews offended God (88). Yet only in one papal letter was kindliness expressed (70). Little wonder, then, that Christian writers, including troubadours, dismissed Jews as the 'Enemic' (otherwise Satan). The eleventh-century Chanson de Sainte Foi d'Agen found many opportunities to attack Jews: "Judeu l'aucidrun enveios" (Thomas, 1974: 1.308); while it says of the Roman Maximian and Diocletian: peior foron q'altre Judeu E feirun peiz qe Filisteu (1.484/ 485), and St. Maurice was said to have been betrayed in the same way asJesus: Traciunn fez Io fell Judeus, Lui eiss aucis, czo es motz reus (1.525/ 526). However, the author ofthe Chanson was among the few to acknowledge thatJewswere notallowedtopronounce God's name,saying^doraai (The Lord) for its four-letter abbreviation: 90 THE JEWS OF MEDIEVAL LANGUEDOC Lo seus noms es Adonai: Aitai lo diss a Moysi. (1.314/ 5) The fourteenth-century version (not a direct translation) Evangile de Nicodème, written in the diocese of Agde after the Jewish expulsion of 1306, maintained the theme of the traitorous Jew, using phrases not in the original Latin: Cant Ii juzieu fello trachor Viro de Cristz nostre senhor las meravilhas que fazia... (Bartsch, 374, 1.15-17) Collective guilt is apportioned, even for Judas' betrayal: Peire de Corbac, writing about 1250, when speaking of Jerusalem, writes: Aqui fon de juzieus grans enviliamens, trenta per un denier: so fon lo venjamens del mercat c'ap els fetz Judas Io descrezens, que vendet Jhesu Crist trenta deniers d'argens. (PC 338, 1; Bartsch, 210, 10-13) Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, who died while on the Fourth Crusade about 1207, felt that maltreating Jews at least led to salvation: Deus se laisset vendre per nos salvar, en receup mort en soffri passio, el auniron per nos juzeu fello, en fon batutz e liatz al pilar... (PC 392, 31 11. 34-37) 91 CYRIL HERSHON TROURADOUR EXCLUSIVITY Totas genz cristianas, iusieuas et sarazinas, emperador, princeps, rei, duc, conte, vesconte, contor, valvasor, clergue, borgues, vilans, paucs et granz, meton totz iorns lor entendiment en trobar et en chantar... (Raimon Vidal, Rozos de trobar, Marshall, B79 (V) a, 1.20-23) But not everyone wrote in Occitan. Jewish poets used Hebrew, sometimes Arabic; the Moslem strictly Arabic. Nora Caron's assertion that there were Jews...