PART ONE
THE TEACHING OF THE TALMUD CONCERNING CHRISTIANS
First we shall see what the
Talmud teaches
about Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity;
and secondly, about his followers, the Christians.
CHAPTER
I
JESUS CHRIST IN THE TALMUD
Many passages in the Talmudic
books treat of the birth, life, death, and teachings of Jesus
Christ. He is not always referred to by the same name, however,
but is diversely called "That Man," "A Certain One," "The Carpenter's
Son," "The One Who Was Hanged," etc.
Article I. Concerning the Names of Jesus
Christ
1.
The real name of Christ in Hebrew is Jeschua Hanotsri -
Jesus the Nazarene. He is called Notsri from the city of
Nazareth in which he was brought up. Thus in the Talmud Christians
also are called Notsrim - Nazarenes.
Since the word Jeschua means "Savior," the name Jesus rarely
occurs in the Jewish books. It is almost always abbreviated to
Jeschu, which is maliciously taken as if it were composed
of the initial letters of the three words Immach Schemo Vezikro
- "May his name and memory be blotted out."
2.
In the Talmud Christ is called Otho Isch - "That man,"
i.e. the one who is known to all. In the tract Abhodah Zarah,
6a, we read: "He is called a Christian who follows the false teachings
of that man, who taught them to celebrate the feast on
the first day of the Sabbath, that is, to worship on the first
day after the Sabbath"
3.
Elsewhere he is simply called Peloni - "A Certain One."
In Chagigah, 4b, we read:
"Mary...the mother of a certain one, of whom it is related in
Schabbath..." (104b)
That this Mary is none other than the mother of Jesus will be
shown later.
4.
Out of contempt, Jesus is also called Naggar bar naggar
- "the carpenter son of a carpenter", also Ben charsch etaim
- "the son of a wood worker."
5.
He is also called Talui - "The one who was hanged." Rabbi
Samuel, the son of Mair, in the Hilch. Akum of Maimonides,
refers to the fact that it was forbidden to take part in the Christian
feats of Christmas and Easter because they were celebrated on
account of him who was hanged. And Rabbi Aben Ezra, in a commentary
on Genes. also calls him Talui, whose image the
Emperor Constantine reproduced on his banner. "...in the days
of Constantine, who made a change of religion and placed the figure
of the one who was hanged on his banner."
Article II. The Life of Christ
The Talmud teaches that Jesus
Christ was illegitimate and was conceived during menstruation;
that he had the soul of Esau; that he was a fool, a conjurer,
a seducer; that he was crucified, buried in hell and set up as
an idol ever since by his followers.
1. ILLEGITIMATE AND CONCEIVED
DURING MENSTRUATION
The following is narrated in the Tract Kallah, 1b:
"Once when the Elders were seated at the Gate, two young men passed
by, one of whom had his covered, the other with his head bare.
Rabbi Eliezer remarked that the one in his bare head was illegitimate,
a mamzer. Rabbi Jehoschua said that he was conceived during
menstruation, ben niddah. Rabbi Akibah, however, said that
he was both. Whereupon the others asked Rabbi Akibah why he dared
to contradict his colleagues. He answered that he could prove
what he said. He went therefore to the boy's mother whom he saw
sitting in the market place selling vegetables and said to her:
"My daughter, if you will answer truthfully what I am going to
ask you, I promise that you will be saved in the next life." She
demanded that he would swear to keep his promise, and Rabbi Akibah
did so - but with his lips only, for in his heart he invalidated
his oath. Then he said: "Tell me, what kind of son is this of
yours"? To which she replied: "The day I was married I was having
menstruation, and because of this my husband left me. But an evil
spirit came and slept with me and from this intercourse my son
was born to me." Thus it was proved that this young man was not
only illegitimate but also conceived during the menstruation of
his mother. And when his questioners heard this they declared:
"Great indeed was Rabbi Akibah when he corrected his Elders"!
And they exclaimed: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who revealed
his secret to Rabbi Akibah the son of Joseph"!
That the Jews understand this story to refer to Jesus and his
mother, Mary, is clearly demonstrated in their book Toldath
Jeschu - "The Generations of Jesus" - where the birth
of our Savior is narrated in almost the same words.
Another story of this kind
is narrated in Sanhedrin, 67a:
"Of all who are guilty of death by the Law, he alone is caught
by a ruse. How is it done? They light a candle in an inner room
and place witnesses in an adjoining room outside where they can
see him and hear his voice, but where they cannot be seen by him.
Then the one whom he tried to seduce says to him "Please repeat
here privately what you told me before." If the seducer repeats
what he said, the others ask him "But how shall we leave our God
who is in heaven and serve idols?" If the seducer repents, then
all is well.But if he says "This is our duty and it is right for
us to do so," then the witnesses outside, who have heard him,
bring him before the judge and stone him to death. This is what
they did to the son of Stadi in Lud, and they hanged him on the
eve of the Passover. Forthis son of Stada was the son of Pandira.
For Rabbi Chasda tells us that Pandira was the husband of Stada,
his mother, and he lived during the time Paphus the son of Jehuda.
But his mother was stada, Mary of Magdala (a ladies' hairdresser)
who, as it is said in Pumbadita, deserted her husband."
The meaning of this is that his Mary was called Stada, that is,
a prostitute, because, according to what was taught at Pumbadita,
she left her husband and commited adultery. This is also recorded
in the Jerusalem Talmud and by Maimonides.
That the mention here is of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is verified
in the Tract Chagigah, 4b:
"When Rabbi Bibhai was visited once by the Death Angel (the devil),
the latter said to his assistant: "Go and bring to me Mary the
hairdresser" (that is, kill her). He went and brought Mary the
children's hairdresser - in place of the other Mary."
A marginal note explains this passage as follows:
"This story of Mary the Ladies' hairdresser happened under the
Second Temple. She was the mother of Peloni, "that man,"
as he is called in the tract Schabbath."
In Schabbath the passage referred to says:
"Rabbi Elizer said to the Elders: "Did not the son Stada practice
Egyptian magic by cutting it into his flesh?" They replied: "He
was a fool, and we do not pay attention to what fools do. The
son of Stada, Pandra's son, etc." as above in Sanhedrin,
67a.
This magic of the son of Stada is explained as follows in the
book Beth Jacobh, fol. 127 a:
"The Magi, before they left Egypt, took special care not to put
their magic in writing lest other peoples might come to learn
it But he devised a new way by which he inscribed it on his skin,
or made cuts in his skin and inserted it there and which, when
the wounds healed up, did not show what they meant."
Buxtorf says:
"There is little doubt who this Ben Stada was, or who the Jews
understood him to be. Although the Rabbis in their additions to
the Talmud try to hide their malice and say that it is not Jesus
Christ, their deceit is plainly evident, and many things prove
that they wrote and understood all these things about him. In
the first place, they also call him the son of Pandira. Jesus
the Nazarene is thus called in other passages of the Talmud where
express mention is made of Jesus the son of Pandira. St.
John Damascene also, in his Genealogy of Christ, mentions Panthera
and the Son of Panthera.
"Secondly, this Stada is said to be Mary, and this Mary the mother
of Peloni "that certain one," by which without doubt Jesus
is meant. For in this way they were accustomed to cover up his
name because they were afraid to mention it. If we had copies
of the original manuscripts they would certainly prove this. And
this also was the name of the mother of Jesus the Nazarene.
"Thirdly, he is called the Seducer of the People. The Gospels
testify that Jesus was called this by the Jews, and their writings
to this day are proof that they still call him by this name.
"Fourthly, he is called "the one who was hanged," which clearly
refers to the crucifixion of Christ, especially since a reference
to the time "on the eve of the Passover" is added, which coincides
with the time of the crucifixion of Jesus. In Sanhedrin
they wrote as follows: "On the eve of the Passover they hanged
Jesus"
"Fifthly, as to what the Jerusalem Talmud says about the two disciples
of the Elders who were sent as witnesses to spy on him, and who
were afterwards brought forward as witnesses against him: This
refers to the two "false witnesses" of whom the Evangelists Matthew
and Luke make mention.
"Sixthly, concerning what they say about the son of Stada that
he practiced Egyptian magical arts by cutting into his flesh:
the same accusation is made against Christ in their hostile book
Toldoth Jeschu.
"Lastly, the time corresponds. For it is said that this son of
Stada lived in the days of Paphus the son of Jehuda, who was a
contemporary of Rabbi Akibah. Akibah, however, lived at
the time of the Ascension of Christ, and for some time after.
Mary is also said to have lived under the Second Temple. All this
clearly proves that they secretly and blasphemously understand
this son of Stada to be Jesus Christ the son of Mary.
"Other circumstances may seem to contradict this. But that is
nothing new in Jewish writings and is done on purpose so that
Christians may not easily detect their trickery."
2. Furthermore, "In the secret books, which are not permitted
to fall easily into the hands of Christians, they say that the
soul of Esau came into Christ, that he was therefore evil and
that he was Esau himself."
3. By some he is called a FOOL and INSANE
In Schabbath, 104b:
"They, [the Elders] said to him [Eliezer]: "He was a fool, and
no one pays attention to fools."
4. A CONJURER AND MAGICIAN
In the infamous book Toldoth Jeschu, our Savior is blasphemed
as follows:
"And Jesus said: Did not Isaiah and David, my ancestors, prophesy
about me? The Lord said to me, thou art my son, today I have
begotten thee, etc. Likewise in another place: The Lord
said to my Lord, sit thou at my right hand. Now I ascend to
my father who is in heaven and will sit at his right hand, which
you will see with your own eyes. But you, Judas, will never reach
that high. Then Jesus pronounced the great name of God (IHVH)
and continued to do so until a wind came and took him up between
earth and sky. Judas also pronounced the name of God and he likewise
was taken up by the wind. In this way they both floated around
in the air to the amazement of the onlookers. Then Judas, again
pronouncing the Divine Nane, took hold of Jesus and pushed him
down to earth. But Jesus tried to do the same to Judas and thus
they fought together. And when Judas saw he could not win out
over the works of Jesushe pissed on Jesus, and both thus being
unclean they fell to earth; nor could they use the Divine name
again until they had washed themselves."
Whether those who believe such devilish lies deserve greater hatred
or pity, I cannot say.
In another place in the same book it is related that in the house
of the Sanctuary there was a stone which the Patriarch Jacob anointed
with oil. On this stone were carved the tetragrammatic letters
of the Name (IHVH), and if anyone could learn from them he could
destroy the world. They therefore decreed that no one must learn
them, and they placed two dogs upon two iron columns before the
Sanctuary so that if anyone should learn them the dogs would bark
at him coming out and he would forget the letters through fear.
Then it is related: "Jesus came and entered, learned the letters
and wrote them down on parchment. Then he cut into the flesh of
his thigh and inserted them there, and having pronounced the name,
the wound healed."
5. IDOLATER
In the Tract Sanhedrin (103a) the words of Psalm
XCI, 10: "No plague shall come near thy dwelling," are explained
as follows:
"That thou mayest never have a son or a disciple who will salt
his food so much that he destroys his taste in public, like Jesus
the Nazarene."
To salt one's food too much or to destroy one's taste, is proverbially
said of one who corrupts his morals or dishonors himself, or who
falls into heresy and idolatry and openly preaches it to others.
6. SEDUCER
In the same book Sanhedrin (107b) we read:
"Mar said: Jesus seduced, corrupted and destroyed Israel."
7. CRUCIFIED
Finally as punishment for his crimes and impiety, he suffered
an ignominious death by being hanged on a cross on the eve of
the Passover (as we have seen above).
8. BURIED IN HELL
The book Zohar, III, (282), tells us that Jesus died like a beast
and was buried in that "dirt heap...where they throw the dead
bodies of dogs and asses, and where the sons of Esau [the Christians]
and of Ismael [the Turks], also Jesus and Mahommed, uncircumcized
and unclean like dead dogs, are buried."
9. WORSHIPPED AS GOD AFTER
HIS DEATH BY HIS FOLLOWERS
George El. Edzard, in his book Avoda Sara, quotes the following
words of the commentator on the Hilkoth Akum (V,3) of Maimonides:
"In many passages of the Talmud mention is made of Jesus the Nazarene
and of his disciples, and that the Gentiles believe that there
is no other God besides him. In the book Chizzuk Emunah,
part I, ch. 36, we read: "The Christians build up an argument
from this [Zachary XII, 10] and say: Behold how thew Prophet testified
that in future ages the Jews would would lament and weep because
they crucified and killed the Messiah who was sent to them; and
to prove that he meant Jesus the Nazarene, possessing both the
divine and human nature, they quote the words: And they looked
upon him whom they transfixed and they wept over him as a mother
over her first born child.""
Maimonides attempts to prove how much Christians err in worshipping
Jesus in his book Hilkoth Melakhim (IX, 4):
"If all the things he did had prospered, if he had rebuilt the
Sanctuary in its place, and had gathered together the dispersed
tribes of Israel, then he would certainly be the Messiah....But
if so far hew has not done so and if he was killed, then it is
clear he was not the Messiah whom the Law tells us to expect.
He was similar to all the good and upright rulers of the House
of David who died, and whom the Holy and Blessed Lord raised up
for no other reason but to prove to many, as it is said (in Dan.
XI, 35): And some of them who understand shall fall, to try
and to purge them and to make them white, even till the end of
time, because the appointed time is not yet. Daniel also prophesised
about Jesus the Nazarene who thought he was the Christ, and who
was put to death by the judgment of the Senate: (Dan. V.14): ...and
the robbers of thy people shall exalt
themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fail. What
could be plainer? For all the Prophets said that the Christ would
set Israel free, would bring it salvation, restore its dispersed
peoples and confirm their laws. But he was the cause of the destruction
of Israel and caused the rest of them to be dispersed and humiliated,
so that the Law was changed and the greater part of the world
was seduced to worship another God. Truly no one can understand
the designs of the Creator, nor are his ways our ways. For all
that has been built up by Jesus the Nazarene, and by the Turks
who came after him, tend only to prepare the way for the coming
of Christ the King, and to prepare the whole world equally for
the service of the Lord, as it is said: For then I shall give
a clean moth to all peoples that all may call upon the name of
the Lord, and bow down in unison before him. How is this being
accomplished? Already the whole world is filled with the praise
of Christ, the Law and the Commandments, and his praises have
spread to far distant lands and to peoples whose hearts and bodies
are uncircumcized. These discuss with one another about the Law
that was destroyed - some saying that the commandments were once
true, but have ceased to exist; others that there is a great mystery
about it, that the Messiah-King has come and that their doctrine
has revealed it. But when the Christ truly comes and is successful,
and is raised up and exalted, then everything will be changed
and these things will be shown to be false and vain."
10. AN IDOL
In the Tract Abhodah Zarah, (21a Toseph), we read:
"It is of importance to inquire the reasons why men nowadays even
sell and rent their houses to Gentiles. Some say this is
legal because it is said in Tosephta: No one shall rent
his house to a gentile either here [in the land of Israel] or
elsewhere because it is known that he will bring an idol into
it. It is nevertheless allowed to rent them stables, barns and
lodging houses, even though it is known that they will bring idols
into them. The reason is because a distinction can be made between
a place into which an idol will be carried in order to leave it
there permanently, and a place where it will not be left permanently,
in which case it is allowed. And since the gentiles, among whom
we now live, do not bring their idol into their homes to leave
it there permanently, but only for a time - while someone is dead
in the house or when someone is dying, nor do they even perform
any religious rites there - it is therefore permitted to sell
and rent them houses."
Rabbi Ascher, in his Commentary on Abhodah Zarah (83d)
speaks not less clearly on this matter: "Today it is permitted
to rent houses to Gentiles because they bring their idol into
them only for a time, when somebody is sick." And in the same
place he says "Today they have a practice of incensing their idol.""
All this, and much more like it, proves beyond a doubt that when
the Rabbis speak of the idols of the Gentiles among whom they
lived at that time, when no idols were worshipped, they clearly
meant the Christian "idol," namely, the image of Christ on the
crucifix and the Holy Communion.
Note
About The Cross
In Jewish writings there is
no directly corresponding word for the Christian Cross. The cross
T on which those condemned to death were crucified, was called
Tau by the Phoenicians and the Hebrews, and this name and
sign for it was afterwards taken over into the alphabet of the
Jews and of the Greeks and the Romans. The Cross honored by the
Christians, however, is called by the following names:
1. Tsurath Haattalui - the image who was hanged.
2. Elil - vanity, idol.
3. Tselem - image. Hence the Crusaders in Jewish books
are called Tsalmerim (ein Tsalmer)
4. Scheti Veerebh - warp and woof, which is taken from
the textile art.
5. Kokhabh - star; on account of the four rays emanating
from it.
6. Pesila - a sculpture, a carven idol.
But whenever it is mentioned it is always in the sense of an idol
or of something despicable, as can be seen from the following
quotations:
In Orach Chaiim, 113,8:
"If a Jew when praying should meet a Christian [Akum] carrying
a star [a crucifix] in his hand, even if he has come to
a place in his prayer where it is necessary to bow down to worship
God in his heart, he must not to so lest he should seem to bow
down before an image."
In Iore Dea, 150,2:
"Even if a Jew should get a splinter in his foot in front of an
idol, or if he should drop his money before it, he must not stoop
down to remove the splinter or to gather his money lest he should
seem to adore it. But he should either sit down or turn his back
or his side to the idol and then remove the splinter."
But whenever it is not possible for a Jew to turn away like this,
the following rule must be observed (in Iore Dea, 3, Hagah):
"It is not permitted to bow down or to remove one's hat before
princes or priests who wear a cross on their dress, as is their
custom. Care must be taken, however, not to be noticed in failing
to do so. For instance, one can throw some coins on the ground
and stoop down to pick them up before they pass by. In this way
it is permitted to bow down or to remove one's hat before them."
A distinction is also made between a cross which is venerated
and a cross which is worn around the neck as a souvenir or as
an ornament. The former is to be regarded as an idol, but not
necessarily the latter. In Iore Dea, 141, 1, Hagah,
it says:
"The image of a cross, before which they bow down, is to be treated
as an idol, and it is not to be used until it is destroyed. However,
a 'warp and woof' if hung around the neck as a souvenir is not
to be regarded as an idol and can be used."
The sign of the cross made with the hand, by which Christians
are wont to bless themselves, is called in Jewish "the moving
of the fingers here and there" (hinc et hinc).
Article III. The Teachings of Christ
The Seducer and Idolator could
teach nothing but falsehood and heresy which was irrational and
impossible to observe.
1. FALSHOOD
In Abhodah Zarah (6a) it says:
"A Nazarene is one who follows the false teachings of that man
who taught them to worship on the first day of the Sabbath."
2.
HERESY
In the same book Abohah Zar. (Ch.I, 17a Toseph)
mention is made of the heresy of James. A little further on (27b)
we learn that this James was none other than the disciple of Jesus:
"...James Sekhanites, one of the disciples of Jesus, of whom we
spoke in chapter 1."
But James taught, not his own doctrine, but that of Jesus.
3.
IMPOSSIBLE TO OBSERVE
The author of Nizzachon argues as follows on this point:
"A written law of the Christians is: If a Jew strike you on one
cheek, turn the other also to him and do not in any way return
the blow.And ch. VI, v. 27 says: Love your enemies; do good
to them who hate you; bless them who curse you and pray for those
who do you harm; unto him who strikes you on one cheek offer him
the other. To him who takes away thy cloak do not forbid him to
take thy coat also, etc. The same is found in Matthew ch.
V, v.39. But I have never seen any Christian keep this law, nor
did Jesus himself behave as he taught others to do. For we find
in John ch XVIII, v22, that when someone struck him on
the face, he did not turn the other cheek, but became angry on
account of this one stroke and asked "Why do you strike me"? Likewise
in the Acts of the Apostles, ch.XXIII, v. 3, we read: that
when the High Priest ordered them that stood by to strike him
on the mouth, Paul did not turn the other cheek; he cursed him
saying "God shall smite thee thou whited wall, etc." This is contrary
to their beliefs and destroys the foundation upon which their
religion rests, for they boast that the law of Jesus is easy to
observe. If Paul himself, who may be called the Dispenser of Jesus,
could not preserve the precept of Jesus, who among the others
who believe in him can prove to me that he can do so?"
The author, however, who had the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles
under his hand, could not have failed to understand in what sense
Christ commanded his followers to turn the other cheek to him
who would strike them, since in another place he commanded his
followers to cut off a hand or an arm, and to pluck out an eye
if these should scandalize them. No one who has had the least
acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures ever thought that these
commands should be taken literally. Only deep malice and ignorance
of the times in which Jesus lived can explain why the Jews, even
to this day, use these passages to detract from the teachings
of Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER II
CHRISTIANS
IN THE TALMUD
There are three things to be considered in this chapter:
1. The names by which Christians
are called in the Talmud.
2. What kind of people the Talmud pictures Christians to be.
3. What the Talmud says about the religious worship of the Christians.
Article I. - The Names Given to Christians
in the Talmud
As in our languages Christians
take their name from Christ, so in the language of the Talmud
Christians are called Notsrim, from Jesus the Nazarene.
But Christians are also called by the names used in the Talmud
to designate all non-Jews: Abhodah Zarah, Akum, Obhde Elilim,
Minim, Nokhrim, Edom, Amme Haarets, Goim, Apikorosim, Kuthrim.
1.
Abhodah Zarah - Strange worship, idolatry. The
Talmudic Tract on Idolatry is thus entitled: Obhde Abhodah
Zarah - Idol Worshippers. That Abhodah Zarah really
means the cult of idols is clear from the Talmud itself: "Let
Nimrod come and testify that Abraham was not a server of Abhodah
Zarah ." But in these days of Abraham there existed no strange
cult either of the Turks or the Nazarenes, but only the worship
of the true God and idolatry. In Schabbath (ibid. 82a),
it says:
"Rabbi Akibah says: How do we know that Abhodah Zarah,
like an unclean woman, contaminates those who subscribe to it?
Because Isaiah says: Thou shalt cast them away like a menstruation
cloth; and shalt say unto it, Get thee hence."
In the first part of this verse mention is made of idols made
from gold and silver.
The learned Maimonides also clearly demonstrates that the Jews
regarded Christians as Abhodah Zarah. In Perusch
(78c) he says: "And be it known that Christian people who follow
Jesus, although their teachings vary, are all worshippers of idols
(Abhodah Zarah)."
2. Akum - This
word is made up of the initial letters of the words Obhde Kokhabkim
U Mazzaloth - worshippers of stars and planets. It was thus
that the Jews formerly styled the Gentiles who lacked all knowledge
of the true God. Now, however, the word Akum in Jewish
books, especially in the Schulkhan Arukh, is applied to
Christians. This is evident from numerous passages:
In the Orach Chaiim (113,8) those who use a cross are called
Akum. In the Iore Dea (148, 5, 12), those who celebrate
the feasts of Christmas and New Year, eight days afterwards, are
called worshippers of the stars and planets:
"Thus if a gift is sent to the Akum, even in these times,
on the eighth day after Christmas, which they call the New Year,"
etc.
3. Obhde Elilim - Servers
of idols. This name has the same meaning as Akum. Non-Jews
are frequently called by this name. In the Orach Chaiim,
for example (215, 5), it says:
"A blessing should not be pronounced over incense which belongs
to the servers of idols."
But at the same time when the Schulkhan Arukh was written
there were no worshippers of the stars and planets (Akum);
there were no 'servers of idols' among those who lived with the
Jews. Thus, for example, the author of the Commentary on the Schulkhan
Arukh (entitled Magen Abraham), Rabbi Calissensis who
died in Poland in 1775, in note 8, on No. 244 of the Orach
Chaiim (where it is allowed to finish a work on the Sabbath
with the help of an Akum) says: "Here in our city the question
is raised about the price of hiring worshippers of the stars and
planets who sweep the public streets when they work on the Sabbath."
4.
Minim - Heretics. In the Talmud those
who possess books called the Gospels are heretics. Thus in Schabbath
(116a) it says:
"Rabbi Meir calls the books of the Minim Aven Gilaion [iniquitous
volumes] because they call them Gospels."
5.
Edom - Edomites. Rabbi Aben Ezra, when he speaks
about the Emperor Constantine who changed his religion and placed
the image of him who was hanged on his banner, adds: "Rome therefore
is called the Kingdom of the Edomites."
And Rabbi Bechai, in his Kad Hakkemach (fol. 20a,
on Isaiah, ch. LXVI, 17) writes:
"They are called Edomites who move their fingers 'here and there'"
(who make the sign of the cross).
Likewise Rabbi Bechai, commenting on the words of Isaiah (loc.
cit.), "those who eat the flesh of swine" adds: "These are
the Edomites." Rabbi Kimchi, however, calls them "Christians."
And Rabbi Abarbinel, in his work Maschima Ieschua (36d)
says: "The Nazarenes are Romans, the sons of Edom."
6.
Goi - Race, or people. The Jews also
call a man a Goi - a gentile; they call a gentile woman a Goiah.
Sometimes, but very rarely, Israelites are called by this name.
It is mostly applied to non-Jews, or idolators. In Jewish books
which treat of Idolatry, worshippers of idols are often called
by this single word Goi. For this reason, in more recent
editions of the Talmud the use of the word Goi is purposely
avoided and other words for non-Jews are substituted.
It is well known that in the Jewish language, the Jews call Christians
among whom they live, Goim. Nor do the Jews deny this.
Sometimes in their popular magazines they say that this word means
nothing harmful or evil. But the contrary can be seen in their
books written in the Hebrew language. For instance, in Choschen
Hammischpat (34, 22), the name Goi is used in a depraved
sense:
"Traitors and Epicureans and Apostates are worse than Goim"
7.
Nokhtrim - strangers, foreigners. This name
is used for all who are not Jews, and therefor for Christians.
8. Amme Haarets -
People of the earth, idiots. There are some who say that people
of other races are not meant by this, but only crude and uneducated
people. There are passages, however, which leave no doubt about
the matter. In the Holy Scripture, Book of Esra, ch. X, 2, we
read: We have sinned against our God, and have taken strange
wives [nokhrioth] of the people of the earth. That people
of the earth denotes idolators is clear from Zohar, I,
25a: "The People of the earth - Obhde Abhodah Zarah, idolaters.
9.
Basar Vedam - Flesh and blood; carnal
men who are destined to perdition and who can have no communion
with God. That Christians are flesh and blood, is proved
from the prayer book:
"Whoever meets a wise and educated Christian can say: Blessed
art thou O Lord, King of the Universe, who dispenseth of thy wisdom
to Flesh and Blood," etc.
Likewise in another prayer, in which they ask God soon to restore
the kingdom of David and to send Elias and the Messia, etc., they
aak him to take away their poverty so that they will have no need
to accept gifts from "flesh and blood," nor to trade with them,
nor to seek wages from them.
10.
Apikorosim - Epicureans. All are called by this
name who do not observe God's precepts, as well as all those,
even Jews themselves, who express private judgments in matters
of faith. How much more, therefore, Christians!
11.
Kuthim - Samaritans. But since there
are no longer any Samaritans, and since there are many references
in recent Jewish books to Samaritans, who can doubt that this
does not mean the Christians?
Furthermore, in this matter of naming those who are not Jews,
it is to be particularly noted that Jewish writings apply these
names indiscriminately and promiscuously when they speak of the
same thing, and almost in the same words. For instance, in the
Tract Abhodah Zarah (25b) the word Goi is employed, but
in the Schulkhan Arukh (Iore Dea 153, 2) Akum is
used. Kerithuth (6b) uses Goim; Jebhammoth (61a)
uses Akum; Abhodah Zar. (2a) uses Obhde Elilim;
Thoseph uses Goim and Obhde Ab., Choschen Ham (Venetian
ed.) uses Kuthi; (Slav. ed.) Akum. And many more
instances could be quoted.
Maimonides in his book on Idolatry indiscriminately calls all
the following idolators: Goim, Akum, Obhde Kokhabhim, Obhde
Elilim, etc.
Article II. - What the Talmud Teaches About
Christians
In the preceding chapter we
saw what the Jews think of the Founder of the Christian religion,
and how much they despise his name. This being so, it would not
be expected that they would have any better opinion about those
who follow Jesus the Nazarene. In fact, nothing more abominable
can be imagined than what they have to say about Christians. They
say that they are idolaters, the worst kind of people, much worse
than the Turks, murderers, fornicators, impure animals, like dirt,
unworthy to be called men, beasts in human form, worthy of the
name of beasts, cows, asses, pigs, dogs, worse than dogs; that
they propagate after the manner of beasts, that they have diabolic
origin, that their souls come from the devil and return to the
devil in hell after death; and that even the body of a dead Christian
is nothing different from that of an animal.
1. IDOLATERS
Since Christians follow the teachings of that man, whom
the Jews regard as a Seducer and an Idolater, and since they worship
him as God, it clearly follows that they merit the name of idolater,
in no way different from those among whom the Jews lived before
the birth of Christ, and whom they taught should be exterminated
by every possible means.
This is best demonstrated by the names they give Christians, and
by the unmistakable words of Maimonides which prove that all who
bear the name of Christian are idolaters. And anyone who examines
Jewish books which speak of the "Worshippers of the Stars and
Planets," "Epicureans," "Samaritans," etc., cannot but conclude
that these idolaters are none other than Christians. The Turks
are always called "Ismaelites," never idolaters.
2. CHRISTIANS WORSE THAN
THE TURKS
Maimonides in Hilkoth Maakhaloth (ch. IX) says:
"It is not permitted to drink the wine of a stranger who becomes
a convert, that is, one who accepts the seven precepts of Noah,
but is permitted to gain some benefit from it. It is allowed to
leave wine alone with him, but not to place it before him. The
same is permitted in the case of all gentiles who are not idolaters,
such as the Turks [Ismaelites]. A Jew, however, is not permitted
to drink their wine, although he may use it to his own advantage."
3. MURDERERS
In Abhodah Zarah (22a) it says:
"A Jew must not associate himself with gentiles because they are
given to the shedding of blood."
Likewise in Iore Dea (153, 2):
"An Israelite must not associate himself with the Akum
[Christians] because they are given to the shedding of blood."
In the Abhodah Zarah (25b) it says:
"The Rabbis taught: If a Goi joins an Israelite on the road, he
[the Jew] should walk on his right side. Rabbi Ismael, the son
of Rabbi Jochanan the nephew of Beruka, says: if he carries a
sword, let the Jew walk on his right side. If the Goi carries
a stick, the Jew should walk on his left side. If he is climbing
a hill or descending a steep incline, the Jew must not go in front
with the Goi behind, but the Jew must go behind and the Goi
in front, nor must he stoop down in front of him for fear the
Goi might crack his skull. And if he should ask the Jew how far
he is going, he should pretend he is going a long way, as Jacob
our Father said to the impious Esau: until I come to my Lord
in Seir (Gen. XXXIII, 14-17), but it adds: Jacob set out
for Sukoth."
In Orach Chaiim (20, 2) it says:
"Do not sell your overcoat (Talith) with the fringes to
an Akum, lest he should join up with a Jew on the road and kill
him. It is also forbidden to exchange or lend your overcoat with
a Gentile, except for a short time and when there is nothing to
be feared from him."
4. FORNICATORS
In the Abhodah Zarah (15b) it says:
"Animals of the masculine sex must not be left in the barns of
the Gentiles with their men, nor animals of the feminine sex with
their women; much less must animals of the feminine sex be left
with their men and of the masculine sex with their women. Nor
must sheep be left to the care of their shepherds; nor must any
intercourse be had with them; nor must children be given into
their care to learn to read or to learn a trade."
In the same tract a little farther on (22a) it is explained why
animals must not be allowed in the barns of Gentiles, and why
Jews are not permitted to have sexual intercourse with them:
"Animals must not be allowed to go near the Goim, because
they are suspected of having intercourse with them. Nor must women
cohabit with them because they are over-sexed."
In fol. 22b of the same book the reason is given why animals especially
of the feminine sex must be kept away from their women: "...because
when Gentile men come to their neighbors' houses to commit adultery
with their wives and do not find them at home, they fornicate
with the sheep in the barns instead. And sometimes even when their
neighbors' wives are at home, they prefer to fornicate with the
animals; for they love the sheep of the Israelites more than their
own women."
It is for the same reason that animals are not to be entrusted
to Goi shepherds, nor children to their educators.
5. UNCLEAN
The Talmud gives two reasons why the Goim are unclean:
because they eat unclean things, and because they themselves have
not been cleansed (from original sin) on Mount Sinai. In Schabbath,
(145b) it says:
"Why are the Goim unclean? Because they eat abominable
things and animals that crawl on their belly."
Likewise in Abhodah Zarah, 22b:
"Why are the Goim unclean? Because they were not present at Mount
Sinai. For when the serpent entered into Eve he infused her with
uncleanness. But the Jews were cleansed from this when they stood
on Mount Sinai; the Goim, however, who were not on Mount
Sinaim were not cleansed."
6. COMPARED TO DUNG
"When ten persons are praying together in one place and they say
Kaddisch, or Kedoschah, anyone, even though he does
not belong there, may respond Amen. There are some, however, who
say that no dung or Akum must be present."
In Iore Dea (198, 48) Hagah, it says:
"When Jewish women come out of a bath they must take care to meet
a friend first, and not something unclean or a Chrsitian. For
if so, a woman, if she wants to keep holy, should go back and
bathe again."
It is worthy of note that the following list of unclean things
is a given in Biur Hetib, a commentary on the Schulchan
Arukh:
"A woman must wash herself again if she sees any unclean things,
such as a dog, an ass, or People of the Earth; a Christian (Akum),
a camel, a pig, a horse, and a leper.
7. NOT LIKE MEN, BUT BEASTS
In Kerithuth (6b p. 78) it says:
"The teaching of the Rabbis is: He who pours oil over a Goi,
and over dead bodies is freed from punishment. This is true for
an animal because it is not a man. But how can it be said that
by pouring oil over a Goi one is freed from punishment,
since a Goi is also a man? But this is not true, for it
is written: Ye are my flock, the flock of my pasture are men
(Ezechiel, XXXIV, 31). You are thus called men, but the Goim
are not called men."
In the Tract Makkoth (7b) he is said to be guilty of killing
"except when, if intending to kill an animal he kills a man by
mistake, or intending to kill a Goi, he kills an Israelite."
In Orach Chaiim (225, 10) it says:
"He who sees beautiful creatures, even though it be an Akum or
an animal, let him say 'Blessed art thou Our Lord God, King of
the Universe, who has placed such things on the earth!'"
8. THEY DIFFER ONLY IN
FORM FROM BEASTS
In Midrasch Talpioth (fol. 225d) it says:
"God created them in the form of men for the glory of Israel.
But Akum were created for the sole end of ministering unto
them [the Jews] day and night. Nor can they ever be relieved from
this service. It is becoming to the son of a king [an Israelite]
that animals in their natural form, and animals in the form of
human beings should minister unto him."
We can quote here also what is said in Orach Chaiim, 57,
6a:
"If pigs are to be pitied when they suffer from disease, because
their intestines are similar to ours, how much more should the
Akum be pitied when thus affected."
9. ANIMALS
In Zohar, II, (64b) it says:
"...People who worship idols, and who are called cow and ass,
as it is written: I have a cow and an ass..."
Rabbi Bechai, in his book Kad Hakkemach, ch. I, beginning
with the word Geulah - redemption - referring to Psalm
80, v.13:
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, says:
"The letter ain is dropped [suspended] the same as these
worshippers are followers of him who was suspended."
Buxtorf (Lex.) says:
"By wild pig the author here means the Christians who eat
pork and, like pigs, have destroyed the vineyard of Israel, the
City of Jerusalem, and who believe in the 'suspended' Christ.
Else the letter ain is dropped in this word because they, as worshippers
of Christ who was hanged, are also dropped."
Rabbi Edels, in commenting on Kethuboth (110b) says:
"The Psalmist compares the Akum to the unclean beast in
the woods."
10. WORSE THAN ANIMALS
Rabbi Schelomo Iarchi (Raschi), famous Jewish commentator, explaining
the law of Moses (Deuter. XIV, 21) forbidding the eating
of meat of wounded animals, but which must be given to the 'stranger
in thy gates,' or which, according to Exodus (XXII, 30)
is to be thrown to the dogs, has this to say:
"...for he is like a dog. Are we to take to word 'dog' here literally?
By no means. For the text in speaking of dead bodies says, Or
thou mayest sell it to an alien. This applies much more to
the meat of wounded animals, for which it is permitted to
accept payment. Why therefore does the Scripture say it may be
thrown to 'dogs?' In order to teach you that a dog is to be more
respected than the Nokhri."
11. THEY PROPAGATE LIKE
BEASTS
In the Sanhedrin (74b) Tosephoth, it says:
"The sexual intercourse of a Goi is like that of a beast."
And in Kethuboth (3b) it says:
"The seed of a Goi is worth the same as that of a beast."
Hence it is to be inferred that Christian marriage is not true
marriage.
In Kidduschim (68a), it says:
"...How do we know this? Rabbi Huna says: You can read: Remain
here with the ass, that is, with a people like an ass. Hence it
appears that they are not capable of contracting marriage."
And in Eben Haezer (44, 8):
"If a Jew enters into marriage with an Akum (Christian),
or with his servant, the marriage is null. For they are not capable
of entering into matrimony. Likewise if an Akum or a servant
enter into matrimony with a Jew, the marriage is null."
In Zohar (II, 64b) it says:
"Rabbi Abba says: If only idolaters alone had sexual intercourse,
the world would not continue to exist. Hence we are taught that
a Jew should not give way to those infamous robbers. For if these
propagate in greater numbers, it will be impossible for us to
continue to exist because of them. For they give birth to sucklings
the same as dogs."
12. CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL
In Zohar (I, 28b) we read:
"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field,
etc. (Genes. III, 1.) 'More subtle' that is towards
evil; 'than all beasts' that is, the idolatrous people of the
earth. For they are the children of the ancient serpent which
seduced Eve."
The best argument used by the Jews to prove that Christians are
of the race of the devil is the fact that they are uncircumcized.
The foreskin on non-Jews prevents them from being called the children
of the Most High God. For by circumcision the name of God - Schaddai
- is complete in the flesh of a circumcized Jew. The form
of the letter Isch is in his nostrils, the letter Daleth
in his (bent) arm, and ain appears in his sexual organ by circumcision.
In non-circumcized gentiles, therefore, such as Christians, there
are only two letters, Isch and Daleth, which make
the word Sched, which means devil. They are, therefore,
children of the Sched, the devil.
13. THE SOULS OF CHRISTIANS
ARE EVIL AND UNCLEAN
The teaching of the Jews is that God created two natures, one
good and the other evil, or one nature with two sides, one clean
and the other unclean. From the unclean side, called Keliphah
- rind, or scabby crust - the souls of Christians are said to
have come.
In Zohar (I, 131a) it says:
"idolatrous people, however, since they exist, befoul the world,
because their souls come out of the unclean side."
And in Emek Hammelech (23d) it says:
"The souls of the impious come from Keliphah, which is
death and the shadows of death."
Zohar (I, 46b, 47a) goes to show that this unclean side
is the left side, from which the souls of the Christians come:
"And he created every living thing, that is, the Israelites,
because they are the children of the Most High God, and their
holy souls come out from Him. But where do the souls of the idolatrous
gentiles come from? Rabbi Eliezer says: from the left side, which
makes their souls unclean. They are therefore all unclean and
they pollute all who come in contact with them."
14. AFTER DEATH THEY GO
DOWN TO HELL
The Elders teach that Abraham sits at the gate of Gehenna and
prevents any circumcized person from entering there; but that
all the uncircumcized go down to hell.
In Rosch Haschanach (17a) it says:
"Heretics and Epicureans and Traitors go down into hell."
15. THE FATE OF DEAD CHRISTIANS
The bodies of Christians after death are called by the odious
name of Pegarim, which is the word used in Holy Scripture
for the dead bodies of the damned and of animals, but never for
the pious dead who are called Metim. Thus the Schulchan
Arukh orders that a dead Christian must be spoken of in the
same way as a dead animal.
In Iore Dea (377, 1) it says:
"Condolences must not be offered to anyone on account of the death
of his servants or handmaids. All that may be said is 'May God
restore your lost one, the same as we say to a man who has lost
a cow or an ass.'"
Nor must Christians be avoided for seven days after they have
buried someone, as the law of Moses commands, since they
are not men; for the burial of an animal does not pollute one.
In Iebhammoth (61a) it says:
"The Nokhrim are not rendered unclean by a burial. For
it is said: Ye are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture; ye are
men. You are thus called men, but not the Nokhrim."
Article III. - About Christian Rites and
Worship
Since Christians are regarded
by the Jews as idolators, all their forms of worship are idolatrous.
Their priests are called priests of Baal; their temples are called
houses of lies and idolatry, and everything they contain, such
as chalices, statues and books, are regarded as made for the serving
of idols; their prayers, both private and public, are sinful and
offensive to God; and their festivals are called days of evil.
1.
PRIESTS
The Talmud speaks of priests, the ministers of Christian worship,
as idolatrous and belonging to the god Baal. They are also called
Komarim - Soothsayers; and also Galachim, the shaved,
because they shave their heads, particularly the monks.
In Abhodah Zarah (14b) Toseph, it says:
"It is forbidden to sell books of the prophets to the soothsayers,
since they may use them for their evil worship in their idolatrous
temples. Those who do so sin against the law which forbids us
to place an obstacle in the way of a blind person. It is also
forbidden to sell them to a Christian who is not shaved, for he
is sure to give or sell them to one of them who is shaved."
2. CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
A place of Christian worship is called (1) Beth Tilfah,
a house of vanity and foolishness, in place of Beth Tefilah,
a house of prayer; (2) Beth Abhodha Zarah, a House of Idolatry;
(3) Beth Hatturapi Schel Letsim, a house of Evil Laughter.
In Abhodah Zarah (78) the Perusch of Maimonides, it says:
"Be it known to you that it is beyond a doubt forbidden by law
to pass through a Christian city in which there is a house of
vanity, that is, a house of idolatry; much more to live therein.
But we today, as punishment for our sins, are subject to them,
and are forced to live in their countries, as it was foretold
in Deuteronomy (IV, 28): And there ye shall serve gods,
the work of men's hands, of wood and stone...Thus if it is
allowed as predicted to pass around a Christian city, much more
so must we pass around an idolatrous temple; nor is it allowed
us even to look inside and above all to enter in."
A Jew is forbidden not only to enter a Christian church, but even
to go near it, except under certain circumstances.
In Iore Dea (142, 10) it says:
"It is forbidden to stand in the shadow of a house of idolatry,
whether from the inside or the outside, for a distance of four
cubits from the front door. It is not forbidden, however, to stand
under the shadows of the back of a church. Nor is the shadow forbidden
us if the church stands in a place where formerly there was public
road, which was taken from the community and the house of idolatry
built upon it. For the road is still there. But if the house of
idolatry existed before the road, it is not permitted to
pass before it. There are some who say that it is forbidden to
pass there in any case."
Neither is a Jew allowed to listen to, or admire the beautiful
music of the churches. In Iore Dea (142, 15) it says:
"It is forbidden to listen to the music if idolatrous worship,
and to examine the statues of their idols; for even by looking
at them one can be influenced by the evil of idolatry. But one
can look who does not intend to be so affected."
Likewise a Jew is not allowed to have a house near a church; nor
is he allowed to rebuild a house which has been destroyed in such
a place. In Iore Dea (143, 1) it says:
"If a house near an idolatrous temple belonging to the Akum
falls down, it must not be rebuilt. A Jew must remove it a certain
distance away if he wishes to rebuild it. But he must fill up
the vacant space between his house and the church with bushes
and rubbish so that the space will not be used to extend the idolatrous
temple."
Here may be added what a certain Rabbi Kelomimus said about a
Christian church (in the book Nizzachon) to the Emperor
Henry III, who gave him permission to speak his opinion freely
about the Basilica which he had recently built at Spires:
"After the Emperor Henry III, a very wicked man, had completed
the building of that "Abyss," he sent for Rabbi Kelominus and
said to him: "I want to ask you, how does this Basilica
which I have built compare with the magnificence of Solomon's
Temple, about which so many volumes have been written?" He replied:
'My Lord, if you will permit me that you will let me go unharmed,
I will tell you the truth about it.' The Emperor answered: 'I
give you my word as a lover of the truth and as an Emperor, that
no harm shall come to you.' Then the Jew said: 'If you gathered
together all you have spent so far, and added to it all the silver
and gold in your treasury, it would not suffice even to pay the
workmen and craftsmen that Solomon employed; for it is written
(Chron. II, ch 2): And Solomon told out threescore and
ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew
in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee
them. Eight years were spent in the building of the Temple,
much more than you spent in building this Tehon [Abyss].
And when Solomon had finished his Temple, see what the Scripture
says about it: The priests could not stand to minister by reason
of the cloud; for the glory of God had filled the House of the
Lord (Chron. II, Ch. 5, 14). But if someone loaded an ass
with putrid garbage and led it into this abyss of yours, no one
would notice the difference!' The Emperor Henry then replied:
'Were it not that I have sworn to let you go unharmed, I would
order your head cut off.'"
3.
CHALICES
Chalises used in the Sacrifice of the mass are spoken of as vessels
in which filth is offered up to the idol. Moses Kozzensis, in
Hilkoth Abhodah Zarah (10b) says:
"A Jew who buys Chalises of the Goi, which are broken and thrown
away, it is not permitted to sell them again to them, because
their priest of Baal will use them in the worship of the idol."
4. BOOKS
The Talmud calls the books of the Christians Minim - heretical
books - Siphre Debeth Abidan - Books of the House of Perdition.
The Talmud in particular speaks of the books of the Gospels. Thus
in Schabbath (116a) Toseph:
"Rabbi Meir calls heretical books Aaven Gilaion (volumes
of iniquity) because the call them Gospels."
And Rabbi Jochanan calls these books Aavon Gilaion, evil
books. The Schulchan Arukh, Crakow edition, gives this
name as Aven Niktabh al Haggilaion - iniquity written in a book.
Buxtorf says: "In the Arukh there is a note Scheker Niktabh
al Gilaion, which means, a lie written in a book."
All the Talmudists agree that the books of the Christians should
be destroyed. They differ only as to what should be done with
the names of God contained in them. In Schabbath (116a)
it says:
"The Glossaries of our own books and the books of the heretics
are not to be saved from the flames, if they should catch fire
on the Sabbath day. Rabbi Jose, however, says: 'On festival days
the divine names should be torn out of the books of the Christians
and hidden away; what remains must be given to the flames.' But
Rabbi Tarphon says: 'In order that I may be remembered by my children,
if those books should ever fall into my hands I would burn them
together with the divine names contained therein. For if one is
chased by an assassin, or by a serpent, it would be better to
take refuge in a pagan temple than in one of theirs; because the
Christians knowingly resist the truth, whereas the pagans do so
unknowingly."
5. PRAYERS
Christian prayers are called, not Tefillah, but Tiflah.
They change the point and insert Iod, which makes it read
to mean sin, foolishness and transgression.
6. CHRISTIAN FESTIVALS
Christian festivals, especially Sunday, are called Ion Ed
- day of destruction, perdition, misfortune or calamity. They
are also simply called Iom Notsri - Christian Days. The
word Ed rightly interpreted means misfortune or calamity,
as appears from the Gemarah and the Glossaries of Maimonides
in Abhodah Zarah (2a):
"The word Edehem means the festivals of the Christians,
since it is written (in Deuter. XXXII, 35): the day of their
calamity."
Maimonides also says in Abhodah Zarah (78c):
"The words Edehem means the foolishness of their festivlas.
It is the name for their despicable feast days which do not merit
the name of Moedim, for they are really vain and evil."
Baretenora also writes:
"The word Edehem is the name for their ignominious festivals
and solemnities."
The marginal notes of Tosephtoth also give this name to
Christian festivals. Thus in Abhodah Zarah (6a):
"The Day of Evil, that is the Christian Day, is forbidden to us
as well as all their other feast days."
Some Christian festivals are mentioned by name, such as the feast
of Christmas and Easter. Moses Mikkozzi, referring to the above
text of Abhodah Zarah , says:
"Rabbi Sammuel declares, in the name of Solomon Iarchi, that in
particular the festivals of Christmas and Easter, which are their
principal evil days and the foundation of their religion,
are forbidden to us."
Maimonides, in hilkoth Akum (ch. IX) has the same:
"Sammuel repeats the words of Rabbi Sal. Iarchi which forbid us
particularly to celebrate the feasts of Christmas and Easter,
which are celebrated on account of him who was hanged."
Furthermore, indications of the impiety of the Jews are to be
found in the names which they give to these Christian festivals:
For in place of using Tav in the word Nithal, they
often write Tet and call it Nital for the Latin
word Natalis, the Feast of the Nativity. They make it appear
as if this word were from the root Natal which connotes extermination
or destruction. Likewise they refuse to use the word Paschal
(Pesach) for the Christian feast of Easter. The substitute
Koph for Phe and insert the letter iod and
call it Ketsach or Kesach. Both pronunciations have
an evil meaning. Ketsach is from the root Katsah,
meaning to amputate or cut off from, and Kesach is from
the root Kesa, meaning to wood or a gallows. This is done
because the feast of Easter is celebrated by Christians in memory
of Christ - the one who was hanged - who was put to death and
who rose again from the dead.
