List of Papal Bulls on Jewish Question

Zionism ^

[Gamecock]

Following is a partial list of Papal Bulls and other relevant documents regarding the Jewish question, illustrating both the partial protection offered the Jews at different times and the institutionalization of Anti-Semitism.

Where protection was offered, it was often done in a condescending manner, asserting the Christian duty to have mercy on the Jews even though they were collectively guilty of killing Jesus (or in modern times, "forgiving" the Jews for killing Jesus) or was simply rescinding previous decrees. Catholic persecution of Jews - and protection - began in the Middle Ages, but the persecution continued and was intensified well after the Middle Ages, notably in the Inquisition and in the formation and regulation of ghettos, which began in the 1500s, well after the end of the Middle Ages. The Papal bulls and encyclicals that advanced and supported anti-Semitism included the following sorts of decrees:

• Special badges or dress for Jews

• Special taxes for Jews
• Forcing Jews to remit debt of Christians
• Banning, confiscating or burning Jewish law books and other writings.

• Encouraging or forcing conversion of Jews 
• Expelling Jews from Papal territories or forcing Jews to live in ghettos.
• Inquisition for backsliding converted Jews,

Many believed and hoped that Catholic persecution of Jews had ended in the period of Pope John XXIII. Recent Bulls and Encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI that reinstate anti-Semitic prayers and Catholic societies do not augur well.

Pius V was perhaps the worst of the anti-Semitic Popes. He was nonetheless canonized and the canonization was not rescinded.

In addition to the actual regulations depriving Jews of livelihood or home or forcing conversions, the Bulls often were prefaced with language of racist incitement that indicated the attitude of the Catholic Church to Jews.

The Bull Cum Nimis Absurdum ("How completely absurd") of Paul IV, 1555, which created the ghetto of Rome, began with these words:

As it is completely absurd and improper in the utmost that the Jews, who through their own fault were condemned by God to eternal servitude,

The Bull

Hebraeorum gens ("The Jewish Race") 1569, of Saint Pius V, which expelled Jews from some of the Papal states, began with these words:

 "The Jewish people fell from the heights because of their faithlessness and condemned their Redeemer to a shameful death. Their godlessness has assumed such forms that, for the salvation of our own people, it becomes necessary to prevent their disease. Besides usury, through which Jews everywhere have sucked dry the property of impoverished Christians, they are accomplices of thieves and robbers; and the most damaging aspect of the matter is that they allure the unsuspecting through magical incantations, superstition, and witchcraft to the Synagogue of Satan and boast of being able to predict the future. We have carefully investigated how this revolting sect abuses the name of Christ and how harmful they are to those whose life is threatened by their deceit. On account of these and other serious matters, and because of the gravity of their crimes which increase day to day more and more, We order that, within 90 days, all Jews in our entire earthly realm of justice -- in all towns, districts, and places -- must depart these regions."

The above is quoted in modern anti-Semitic works, including Catholic publications and the Stormfront Website.

To the modern reader, the Papal bulls seem to present a conflicting picture. Sometimes privileges were revoked and sometimes extended. Often the same Pope would order protection of the Jews from bodily harm but enact discriminatory laws of various kinds. Thus, the church would encourage hatred of Jews, but then it would discourage violence against Jews. For Catholic theology there was no contradiction. The role of the Jews was to serve as an example of the wages of sin to Christians. Therefore, the Jews must be tortured and ridiculed, but never killed. 

The documents listed below are Papal Bulls unless otherwise noted. The Bulls get their titles from the initial words, generally the first three words, of the text of the document, which are known as the incipit. Note that there may be several Bulls with the same title by different Popes, and on entirely different subjects.

Explanation of terms:

"Jus Gasaga" - a corruption of "Jus Chazaka" - the law of the right of tenancy of Jews, usually in ghetto homes.

Catechumen - a person being taught the Catechism, a new convert. The Bulls called for a special tax on Jews, to be used to support the catechumens. The house of Catechumens in Rome was used as an instrument for forced conversion, and its victims included the chief Rabbi of Rome.

Neophyte - a new convert. 

The sources generally do not distinguish between Bulls, encyclicals and other documents of more limited circulation.

Papal Bulls and other documents Relating to Jews

Pope		Bull/Document	Date	Subject
Gregory I	Sicut  judaeis non	598		A letter, supplemented by others, provided limited protection of Jews. "Just as no freedom may be granted to the Jews in their communities to exceed the limits legally set for them, so they should in no way suffer through a violation of their rights" The letter contained the phrase "Sicut Judaeis" - and thus to the Jews. Gregory forbade Jews to have Christian slaves, and encouraged conversions. The measures of protection along with limitations and persecution, and even the wording of Sicut iudaeis were repeated in subsequent bulls and letters of various popes. It became the model for treatment of Jews.
Calixtus II	Sicut Judaeis	c. 1120		Probably the first formal version of Sicut Judaies. Reiterates protection of the Jews in the wake of the persecutions of the first Crusade.
Innocent III	Post miserabile		Aug. 1198	Addressed to prelates of Europe and dealt with the need for another Crusade. Suspended payment of interest and principal to Jewish lenders for crusaders. Since many did not return, the debt was effectively cancelled.
Innocent III		Etsi non displiceat	1205	Addressed to King of France. Accuses Jews of usury, blasphemy, arrogance, employing Christian slaves and murder. Urges king to put an end to the "evils."
Honorius III	Sicut  judaeis non debet esse licentia	Nov. 7, 1217	Forbids forced baptism of Jews or molestation.
Honorius III		In general consilio	1218	To archbishop of Toledo, requires enforcement of 4th Lateran Council decisions that Jews must wear special clothing and pay tithes to the local churches.
Honorius III	Ad nostram Noveritis audientiam	April 29, 1221		Jews are obliged to carry a distinctive badge and forbidden to hold public office.
Gregory IX	Sufficere debuerat perfidioe judoerum perfidia		March 5, 1233	Jews forbidden to employ Christian servants.
Gregory IX		Etsi Judeorum	1233	To prelates of France, urged prevention of physical violence against Jews.
Gregory IX	Si vera sunt	1239		To kings and prelates of Spain and France - orders seizure of Talmud and other Jewish books and examination for blasphemy against Jesus. These books were regularly burned or censored.
Innocent IV	Impia judoerum perfidia	May 9, 1244	French King ordered to burn the Talmud. Jews forbidden to employ Christian nurses.
	Innocent IV	Lachrymabilem Judaeorum	1247	To German prelates; orders an end to persecution of Jews and declares that the blood libel accusation is false.
Clement IV		Turbato corde	July 26, 1267	Christians forbidden to embrace Judaism
Gregory X	Turbato corde	March 1, 1274		(Identical to previous.)
Nicolas III	Vineam Sorec		Aug. 4, 1278	Addressed to orders of friars - Preaching to the Jews is encouraged and friars are to be specially trained for this purpose. Also known as Vineam Soreth.
Nicolas IV	Turbato corde	Sept. 5, 1288	Christians who embrace Judaism
John XXII	Ex Parte Vestra	Aug. 12, 1317		Relapse of converts.
John XXII	Cum sit absurdum		June 19, 1320	Converted Jews need not be despoiled.
Clement VI		Quamvis Perfidiam	September 26, 1348	Tries in vain to dispel the superstition that Jews are responsible for Black Death by poisoning the wells
Urban V	Sicuti judaeis non debet	June 7, 1365		Forbidden to molest Jews or to force them to baptism.
Benedict XIII (Anti-Pope)		Etsi doctoribus gentium	1415	A collection of anti-Jewish church legislation that served as an inspiration to other Popes.
Martin V	Sedes apostolica	June 3, 1425		Jews obliged to wear distinctive badge.
Eugene IV	Dudum ad nostram audientiam		Aug. 4, 1442	Forbade Jews to live with Christians or fill public functions, etc.
Calixtus III		Si ad reprimendos	May 28, 1456	Confirmed the preceding Bull of Eugene IV forbidding Jews to live with Christians.
Sixtus IV	Numquam dubitavimus	1482		To Ferdinand of Aragon, to appoint inquisitors to extirpate heresy and investigate backsliding of Jewish converts to Christianity. The Spanish Inquisition and expulsion of the Jews from Spain followed.
Paul III		Cupientes judaeos	March 21, 1542	Privileges in favor of neophytes.
Paul III	Illius, qui pro dominici	Feb. 19, 1543		Establishment of a monastery for catechumens and neophytes.
Jules III	Pastoris aeternivices		Aug. 31, 1554	Tax in favor of neophytes
Paul IV		Cum Nimis Absurdum	July 14, 1555	Jews forbidden to live in common with Christians, to practice any industry, etc.
Paul IV	Dudum postquam	March 23, 1556		Tax in favor of neophytes
Pius IV	Cum inter ceteras		Jan. 26, 1562	Bull relative to monastery of catechumens.
Pius IV		Dudum e felicis recordationis	Feb. 27, 1562	Bull confirming that of Paul IV.
Pius V	Romanus Pontifex	April 19, 1566		Bull confirming that of Paul IV
Pius V	Sacrosanctae catholicae ecclesiae		Nov. 29, 1566	Bull relating to convent of neophytes
Pius V		Cum nos nuper	Jan. 19, 1567	Jews are forbidden to own real estate
Pius V	Hebraeorum gens	Feb. 26, 1569		Accuses Jews of many evils including magic. Orders expulsion of Jews from Church States except Rome and Ancona.
Gregory XIII	Vices ejus nos		Sept. 1, 1577	Obligatory preaching of Christian sermons to Jews;. Creation of college of neophytes.
Gregory XIII		Antiqua judaeorum improbitas	July 1, 1581	Against blasphemers.
Gregory XIII	Sancta Mater Ecclesiae	Sept. 1, 1584		Obligatory preaching of Christian sermons to Jews;100 men and 50 women must be sent every Saturday to listen to conversion sermons delivered in a church near the ghetto.
Sixtus V	Christiana pietas		Oct. 22, 1586	Privileges granted to Jews by relief of former edicts. These were reversed. by Clemen VIII.
Clement VIII	Cum saepe accidere	Feb. 28, 1592	Jews of Avignon forbidden to sell new goods.
Clement VIII	Caeca et obdurata	Feb. 25, 1593		Confirmation of the Bull of Paul III. Jews forbidden to dwell outside of Rome, Ancona, and Avignon.
Clement VIII	Cum Haebraeorum malitia		Feb. 28, 1593	It is forbidden to read the Talmud.
Paul V		Apostolicae servitutis	July 31, 1610	Regulars (of monks) obliged to learn Hebrew.
Paul V	Exponi nobis nuper fecistis	Aug. 7, 1610		Bull concerning the dowries of Jewish women.
Urban VIII	Sedes apostolica		April 22, 1625	Concerning heretical Portuguese Jews.
Urban VIII		Injuncti nobis	Aug. 20, 1626	Privileges granted to the monastery of catechumens
Urban VIII	Cum sicut acceptimus	Oct. 18, 1635		Obligation to feed poor Jews imprisoned for debt.
Urban VIII	Cum allias piae		March 17, 1636	Synagogues of the Duchies of Ferarri and Urban, to pay a tax of 10 ecus.
Alexander VII		Verbi aeterni	Dec. 1, 1657	Bull relating to rights of neophytes regarding jus gasaga.(rights of tenancy in the ghetto)
Alexander VII	Ad ea per quae	Nov. 15, 1658		Jus Gasaga (rights of tenancy in the ghetto)
Alexander VII	Ad apostolicae dignitatis		May 23, 1662	Concordat between the college of neophytes and German college.
Alexander VII		Illius, qui illuminat	March 6, 1663	Privileges favoring the fraternities of neophytes.
Alexander VIII	Animarum saluti	March 30, 1690		Bull relating to the neophytes in Indies.
Innocent XII	Ad radicitus submovendum		Aug. 31, 1692	Abolition of special jurisdiction
Clement XI		Propagandae per unicersum	March 11, 1704	Confirmation and extension of Paul III regarding neophytes.
Clement XI	Essendoci stato rappresentato	Jan. 21, 1705		Powers of Vicar of Rome in jurisdiction of catechumens and neophytes
Clement XI	Salvatoris nostri vices		Jan. 2, 1712	Transfer to "Pii Operai" the work of the catechumens.
	Innocent XIII	Ex injuncto nobis	Jan. 18, 1724	Prohibits sale of new objects.
Benedict XIII	Nuper, pro parte dilectorum		Jan. 8, 1726	Establishment of dowries for young girl neophytes.
Benedict XIII		Emanavit nuper	Feb. 14, 1727	Necessary conditions for imposing baptism on a Jew.
Benedict XIII	Alias emanarunt	March 21, 1729		Forbidding the sale of new goods.
Benedict XIV	Postremomens		Feb. 28, 1747	The baptism of Jews
Benedict XIV		Apostolici Ministerii munus	Sept. 16, 1747	Right of repudiation of neophytes.
Benedict XIV	Singulari Nobis consoldtioni	Feb. 9, 1749		Marriages between Jews and Christians.
Benedict XIV	Elapso proxime Anno		Feb. 20, 1751	Concerning Jewish heretics.
Benedict XIV		Probe te meminisse	Dec. 15, 1751	Baptism of Jewish children
Benedict XIV	Beatus Andreas	Feb. 22, 1755		Martyrdom of a child by Jews. A blood libel concerning the murder of the child Andreas Oxner or Anderl von Rinn (Andreas of Rinn ) by Jews that supposedly took place in 1462 in Rinn near Innsbruck. Confirms the blood libel as factual.  The Bull reviews the cases of ritual murder by Jews, which it explicitly upholds as a fact, and establishes the beatifcation but not the canonization of Andreas of Rinn and Simon of Trent

[Gamecock]

Posted to refute the hogwash posted by FRoman Catholics accusing Prods of abusing Jews.

[IrishCatholic]

Naw, just posted because...well, can't make it personal can we? But we know the truth. Both of us. Posting to the coven only confirms it.

It would help though, if you could provide the link to the thread where “FRoman Catholics” accuse “Prods” of abusing Jews.

[Lurking Libertarian]

Jews were oppressed and killed in all parts of Christian Europe, by Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox.

[Jacquerie]

Posted to remind you that the KKK/Democrat party was an equal opportunity lyncher of Jews, Catholics, Blacks and Republicans.

[RedMDer]

How Pius XII Protected Jews

Snip...

The twentieth century was marked by genocides on an monstrous scale. One of the most terrible was the Holocaust wrought by Nazi Germany, which killed an estimated six million European Jews and almost as many other victims.

During this dark time, the Catholic Church was shepherded by Pope Pius XII, who proved himself an untiring foe of the Nazis, determined to save as many Jewish lives as he could. Yet today Pius XII gets almost no credit for his actions before or during the war.
...

Early in 1940, Hitler made an attempt to prevent the new Pope from maintaining the anti-Nazi stance he had taken before his election. He sent his underling, Joachim von Ribbentrop, to try to dissuade Pius XII from following his predecessor’s policies. “Von Ribbentrop, granted a formal audience on March 11, 1940, went into a lengthy harangue on the invincibility of the Third Reich, the inevitability of a Nazi victory, and the futility of papal alignment with the enemies of the Führer. Pius XII heard von Ribbentrop out politely and impassively. Then he opened an enormous ledger on his desk and, in his perfect German, began to recite a catalogue of the persecutions inflicted by the Third Reich in Poland, listing the date, place, and precise details of each crime. The audience was terminated; the Pope’s position was clearly unshakable.”
...

http://www.catholic.com/library/HOW_Pius_XII_PROTECTED_JEWS.asp

[blasater1960]

Nice list! Lets not forget Martin Luther though. All of Christianity took turns.

"On the Jews and their lies"

A precursor to Nazism

by Jim Walker

Originated: 07 Aug. 1996 Additions: 20 Nov. 2005 EXCERPT: Protestant Christians so admire Martin Luther that he stands as a respected "Patron Saint" to their beliefs and morals. Christians often quote him, theologians write books on him, and many name their children after him (Martin Luther King Jr., for example).

Although Luther did not invent anti-Jewishness, he promoted it to a level never before seen in Europe. Luther bore the influence of his upbringing and from anti-Jewish theologians such as Lyra, Burgensis, (and John Chrysostom, before them).

But Luther's 1543 book, "On the Jews and their lies" took Jewish hatred to a new level when he proposed to set fire to their synagogues and schools, to take away their homes, forbad them to pray or teach, or even to utter God's name.

Luther wanted to "be rid of them" and requested that the government and ministers deal with the problem. He requested pastors and preachers to follow his example of issuing warnings against the Jews.

He goes so far as to claim that "We are at fault in not slaying them" for avenging the death of Jesus Christ. Hitler's Nazi government in the 1930s and 40s fit Luther's desires to a tee.

So vehemently did Luther speak against the Jews, and the fact that Luther represented an honorable and admired Christian to Protestants, that his written words carried the "memetic" seeds of anti-Jewishness up until the 20th century and into the Third Reich. Luther's Jewish eliminationist rhetoric virtually matches the beliefs held by Hitler and much of the German populace in the 1930s.

Luther unconsciously set the stage for the future of German nationalistic fanaticism. William L. Shirer in his "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," puts it succinctly:

"Through his sermons and his magnificent translations of the Bible, Luther created the modern German language, aroused in the people not only a new Protestant vision of Christianity by a fervent German nationalism and taught them, at least in religion, the supremacy of the individual conscience.

But tragically for them, Luther's siding with the princes in the peasant rising, which he had largely inspired, and his passion for political autocracy ensured a mindless and provincial political absolutism which reduced the vast majority of the German people to poverty, to a horrible torpor and a demeaning subservience.

Even worse perhaps, it helped to perpetuate and indeed to sharpen the hopeless divisions not only between classes but also between the various dynastic and political groupings of the German people. It doomed for centuries the possibility of the unification of Germany."

In Mein Kampf, Hitler listed Martin Luther as one of the greatest reformers. And similar to Luther in the 1500s, Hitler spoke against the Jews. The Nazi plan to create a German Reich Church laid its bases on the "Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther."

The first physical violence against the Jews came on November 9-10 on Kristallnacht (Crystal Night) where the Nazis killed Jews, shattered glass windows, and destroyed hundreds of synagogues, just as Luther had proposed.

In Daniel Johah Goldhagen's book, Hitler's Willing Executioners, he writes: "One leading Protestant churchman, Bishop Martin Sasse published a compendium of Martin Luther's antisemitic vitriol shortly after Kristallnacht's orgy of anti-Jewish violence. In the foreword to the volume, he applauded the burning of the synagogues and the coincidence of the day: 'On November 10, 1938, on Luther's birthday, the synagogues are burning in Germany.' The German people, he urged, ought to heed these words 'of the greatest antisemite of his time, the warner of his people against the Jews.'"

Luther's, "On the Jews and Their Lies" can be found here: Luther

[metmom]

Gamecock, Gamecock, Gamecock,....

Don’t you see? That isn’t what all those documents REALLY meant.

You have to go through the official, RCC, Vatican translator and be told what was REALLY meant by those statements.

Time for reeducation for you until you can stop thinking for yourself and deciding what what someone says is what they REALLY mean.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Great thread, Gamecock. Bookmarked.

THE POPES AGAINST THE JEWS:
The Vatican's Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism
by David Kertzer

[IrishCatholic]

Bigot:
“A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, irrationality, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs. The predominant usage in modern American English refers to persons hostile to those of differing race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, various mental disorders, or religion.”

No translation needed for your post, now is there?

[kearnyirish2]

Christians were hiding in the upper room from Jews; lots of people did lots of things at lots of different times.

[metmom]

Of course not. Because that’s modern use which means what it says ABOUT the Catholic church, unlike what is said BY the Catholic church.

It’s only the stuff said BY the Catholic church that makes them look bad that needs reinterpreting, by them, of course.

[IrishCatholic]

Yea, no bigotry there.
You’re good to go.

[Gamecock]

Luther's, "On the Jews and Their Lies"

Luther, as an ex-Augustinian, was no doubt heavily swayed by teachings such as this.

[Melchiorre]

Yup, and all those Bulls were absolutely appropriate for the time periods in which they were issued.

[wmfights]

Posted to refute the hogwash posted by FRoman Catholics accusing Prods of abusing Jews.

Thank you for posting this. I'm just finishing up on a thread where Born Again Christians are being called "insane" by a RC FReeper because we say unless you believe The Gospel you are lost. Political correctness to try and gloss over your true beliefs gets tiring.

[Campion]

Luther, as an ex-Augustinian, was no doubt heavily swayed

Gotcha. Anything bad Protestants do or say is the Catholics' fault.

I guess Calvinist "utter depravity" is really a code phrase for "it's the Catholics' fault, not ours!". Why don't you just change the "U" in TULIP to read "utter Catholic depravity; utter Protestant innocence"? That would seem to be more consistent with your approach.

[Gamecock]

Gee, from reading Catholic posts here on FR, it seems the Catholics blame Prods for everything from Roman Catholic priests raping children to global warming.

[ravenwolf]

Just by reading the Bible it is easy to see that it was not the Jews who Killed Christ but the power of the Jewish religious leaders.

It is also easy to see that the persecution of the Jews was not done by the Christians, but by the power of the Christian religious leaders.

That does not hold the other Jews and the other Christians blameless but we do need to see that it all came from religion and secularism, power and authority.

When people start accusing the Jews of Killing Jesus they should remember that the Jews were the first Christians, if not for the Jews we would have no Gospel, wasn,t Jesus a Jew? we have the Gospel, but it is mixed with religion that is contrary to the Gospel.

The very same thing that Jesus came to set us free from.

The Roman army destroyed Jerusalem, and then the early roman church changed or tried to change the Gospel, changing the Sabbath, collecting tithes that they have no authority to do.

In my opinion the Jews have no reason to trust the Roman church and not all of the churches that has branched off from her.

The Jews should remember that it was one of their own brethren who brought the Gospel to them and the rest of us
and they need to also see that people who love Christ could not possibly hate Jews.

The gospel was first preached to the Jews and it was preached by Jews, (Jews just being a nick name) Jews should not let the Christian hierarchy of the past hold them back from excepting Jesus and the Gospel.

[wmfights]

Gee, from reading Catholic posts here on FR, it seems the Catholics blame Prods for everything from Roman Catholic priests raping children to global warming.

Of course they do.

They are taught very early on their church is the means of their salvation. It's so ingrained in them that defense of their church is the same as defending their faith. If error is pointed out you will be immediately attacked because you have attacked their faith.

In the end it's why you can never have a serious theological discussion with them because their perception is entirely different than ours. I think it's also why you get so much double speak. They will do anything to put their church in a good light.

If we were to get into the historic animus between Jews and Christians we would need to examine eschatological views as well as covenant theology. How in the world are you going to do that with RC's. They either don't know the position of their church in these issues, or will misrepresent them so as to not put their church in a bad light. It's much easier for Dispensationalists to discuss these issues with the Reformed and even then it gets pretty heated.

IOW, it's a waste of time to try and get into these things with the RC's.