In tlip first Ic-ttcr, which he entitles "Conecinino: the Insolence of lie Jews " {I)e Insult lit id Jmhuiniin ). he complains bitlerly of the asritations of Eheninl and the royal coniniission<Ts. Gerric and Frederick, "What have I against his elerfry and himself. done," he asks, "to incur the anger of the kins? I have coiitined myself to giving to the faithful the following recommendations: not to sell Christian slaves to the Jews; not to permit the Jews to sell them in Spain, or to have Christians in their pay to prevent Christian women from and employ observing the Sabbath with Jews, from working with Ihcui on Sundays, and from partaking of their meals during Lent: to f(]rliid their servants eating meat iluring that period; not to buy meat that had been bled and rejecteil by them as being unclean and theref(ire called Chiistian meat, nor to sell it to other Christians; not to drink such wine as is sold only to Christians," etc. Agobard tried to justify these recommendations by enumerating his grievances against the Jews. "They boast." he says, "of beingdear Accusations to the king an<I of being received by him with favor, because of their deagainst scent from the Patriarchs; they exhibit Jews, costly garments which, they sjiy, have been pres<nted to them by the relatives of the king, and gowns which their wives have received from the ladies of the jialace; contrary to the law, they take tlu- liberty of building new synagogues; ignorant Christians claim that the Jews preach better than the Christian |iriests; and the conunissioners of the king have ordered a change of the market day, in order that the Jews might be able to observe their day of rest." He ends by accusing the Jews of stealing Christian children to sell them as slaves. This first epistle is fcjllowed by a memorandum, cotintirsigned by the bishojisof Vienne and Chalons and entitled, "Concerning the Superstitions of the Jews." In it are recounted the judgments that the Fathers of the Church have jias.sed upon the Jews, the restrictive measures taken against them by different councils, their false superstitions, and their By cirefusal to bi'licve in the divinity of Jesus. ting numerous Biblical texts, endeavors are made to demonstrate that the society of Jews should be avoided still more than that of pagans, as Jews are the opponints of ( hristianity. The.se writings did not produce on the king the effect exiiecl<d by Agobard. who, by ba])tizing a female slave belonging to a Jew (despite the opjiositi(m of her master), alienated whatever regani the monarch had entertained for him. Of this he had evidence in the coldness of his reception by Louis at an interview in which Agobard attemiited to justify himself. In a second epistle, addressed by the bishop to the priests at the court, he consults the prelates Adalard. I'vala. anil Ilelisichar upon the course to be t
tin- pagan slaves, belonging to Jews, desire to enter into the pale of the Church. Agobard was inclini'<l to admit them. The third epistle, addressed to Hilduin. prelate of St. I'ahiis, and to the abbot Wala. reveals still more He entreats clearly Agobard's zi iil for proselytism. them to iiiduc<> the king to revoke the edi<t in favor of the Jews, forbiildiiig the baptism of their slaves. He points out that it is a sjured duty for every priest to work for the stilvalion of those who are plunged in error; henci' they must make use of their inlluence. "that the soids that <-onld augment the tlock of the faithful, and for whose sjilvation pviblic pravers are odercd to(!od by the I'niversid Church on t'a.ssion Dav, shouM not remain, through the ob-
pursued toward
who
Airnosticism
THE JEWISH ENX'YCLOPEDIA
239
Agrram
stinacy of the unbelievers, through the wickedness of the enemies of heaven, as well as the pretended " edict of the king, in the snares of Satan. Not all prelates of that time shared Agobard's Nibridius. bishop of Narbomie. did not sentiments. hesitate to maintain cordial relations with the Jews,
Therefore Agoto his table. duty to induce him to break " It .seems to me to be filT all intercourse with them. unworthy of our faith, " he writes to him, "that the sons of light should associate with the children of darkiu'ss, and thai th<' Church of Christ. which ought to present itself for the kisses of her celestial S])ouse without blemish and witlKJUt wrinkle, be disgraced by contact with the deliled and repudiated Synagogue." And after having recalled to him all his etTorts to prevent every intercour.se between Jews
and even invited them bard considered
it
his
and Christians, notwithstan<ling the opposition of Kberard and the royal conimi.ssioners, he adds: " You know that one should not only not make use of those who do not want to accept the ai)ostolic lircaching, but should shake olT the dust of their dwellings; in the Day of Judgment, Sodom and tjomorrah will be pardoned so(^ner tliaii tney." . d he concludes by requesting Nibridius not to allow any of the faithfid to conununicate with such accursed ones, and to exhort all the neighboring bishops to concur in that work. Besides their polemic inten-st. Agobard's writings about the Jews, es]ieeially his letter on their superstitions, throw light on their social history and give evidein-e of the existence of works like the "< )tiol de K. Akiba." the "Shi'ur Iy)mah," and the " Hekalot," in the ninth century. It is well known that Agol)ard opcidy sided in the revolt (if the sons of Louis I. against their father. His wrath at having failed in his undertaking against the Jews was one of the causes that led him to this attitude. In H^U he was conqielled to nlian<lon his bisho]irie an<l to seek safety in Italy with Lothair, the' son (if Ihekinir; but three years later he was reconciled with Louis and resumed his episcopal duties. BiBi.iO(iRAPiiY: Awtliardl (>itera. Parts. IWttl; Grfltx. Oench. il.
Jtiitni, V. 2o(>-2tMl:
/i(in/i
Vila
lliuulcshaifcn,
(( Si-iiplix. (ilcsseii, ls;il
lHwrjiatin dr .!(/(»Mace, Vir il'Afiiitiiirtl, wi<Ur
1S4«; SaiiiDSZ, Dru lliiUiicii AU'il/'inl Ahhaiiilluinnii </k- juiku, Ltlpslc, ISW,
A, L.
AOBAM
(ZAGREB)
Austro-IIungarian city, and Slavoiua, situated near the Save river, about ItiO miles from Vienna. The first two Jewish fandlies that settled at Agrain migrated thither during the second half of the eighteenth cenSoon after the Edict (if Toleration had been Inry. issued by Kniperor Joseph II. in 17^<l. the numlierof immigraiits. consisting chietlv of merchants and meIn 11^11 they bought a chanics, slowly increased. lot for a cemetery, tind twenty years later imrchascd a hou.se which was used as a synagogue and as a icsi deuce for the rid)bi. The Christian popidation resented the presence of Jews among them, and this The most seiious disturbled to occasionid rioting. ance of this kind occurred in is;i!l. bit did not as-
c.-ipilal
of
(
roali.i
The tiirn|iro|"Mtions of great conseiiueiice. point in the history of the cominuinty dates from the foiunlation of its school in 1H40. Shortly after the congregation elected a rabbi of UKHleni views and (ierinnn education, in the synagogue the Cicrman sermon and some trivial changes in the ritual led at first to friction between the progressive and conservative elements of the (ominunity. The latter, discontented with what liny considered a departure from their ancestral religion, si'ceded in lS-10, sume ini:
•
