The Orthodox Church and the Jews in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Abstract

Relations between the Orthodox Church and the Jews in the Polish-Lithianian Commonwealth followed the same pattern as those with the Uniates and the Roman Catholics.1 This is not surprising. The similar institutional and economic structures of the three churches made patterns of contact uniform, particularly economic ones, and the official doctrine of Catholic, Uniate, and Orthodox Churches toward the Jews was identical, as may be seen from the ological disputes and from various expressions about Jews and their place in a Christian society. Catholic literature related to Jews was dominant, and the Orthodox exploited it. One element in particular flavored the relations between the Jews and the Orthodox Church, namely, a high degree of vio lence violence that both sides originated, which was not typical of relations between the Jews and the Catholic and Uniate Churches. The Orthodox Church adopted positions formulated before the schism with the Latin West in 1054 albeit the position of West had itself been highly influenced by the East in the early centuries. About the Old Testament and the New Testament, written by the metropolitan Illation in 1051, was typically based on Biblical criticism; there is no hint to the later attack on the Talmud.2 Eastern authors like the eleventh century St. Theodosius challenged Western doctrine3 by saying Jews should be treated as heretics.4 The few original Orthodox anti-Jewish writings all have roots in Western texts; in most cases, Western literature was simply translated into Church-Slavonic, especially during the Judaizers' controversy in Muscovy during the fifteenth century, for instance, the Letter of Rabbi Samuel, which was translated into Polish and Slavonic toward the end of the fifteenth century at Novgorod,5 as were writings of the convert Joseph, describing Jews supposedly converted to Christianity in Africa; the translator was Dmitry Gerasimov.6 Two centuries later, Joannicyusz Galatowski attacked the Sabbatian movement.7 The most popular work of this kind was Gaudenti Pikulski's eighteenth century On the Malevolence of the Jews} Synodal rulings of the Orthodox Church display a direct Catholic Polish Lithuanian influence.9 The regulations were often standard, intended to segre gate the Jews, including prohibitions on employing Christian servants, buying W