,
complete inj'thical dress, in a Passover poem supposed to be composed t)y one of t lie oldest Gvnmm piiitii iiim Simeon hen Is;i;ie ben Abun the (ireatior the Elder), who lived at .Mayc-iiee about the year 1000. In the poem Simeon, wliom i)opular irenealosry was already eager to regard as a lineal descendant of King I)ai(I, alludes (|uite incidentally to his son Elhanan. Elthe legend runs as a child is kidnaped lianau by a Christian, who causes him to be baptized and to be given a good edncaThe Xiegend. tion. Owing to liisenergy and endowments, Ellmnan rises very rapidly until
—
—
he attains to the dignity of cardinal and, at length, to that of the papal chair. The new pope becomes the woniler of the world; and many jirinces and kings .seek his counsel.
The
J'lipe.
however, grows sorely
peri]le.ed C(jncerning his origin, seeing that, among the iiudtitndeof his distinguished visitors, there is none will) would name himself as of his kin. This per|)lexity is aggravated by the dmilits concerning the truth of the Christian religion which suddenly
begin to assjiil the lonely pontilT. rilimately he threatens his attendants with death unless they disclo.se to
him the
secret of his birth
and descent.
Ilis
subordinales then confess the truth, designating, however, his kidnaping as the will of Ood, who Iiad chosen him that he might become the lord of all princes. The pope thereupon gives onlers that Simeon, his father, be at once conveyed to him from .Mayence. Upon the arrival of the latter he is minutely interrogated by the pope, who, in thecourseof the conversation, causes him to enumerate liis chil)nly after persistent pressure, however, is Simtell the story of his lost child, I^lhanan, and to mi'iition several birthmarks cm him. These serve to determine beyond doubt the self identitication of the pope. He discloses himself to his won<ler stricken parent, and expresses great anxiety to return to the faith of his fathers a wish in which,
dren.
Audi Andreas
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
579
(
eon induced to
—
of course, he is encouraged by Simeon. His conversion is told in tragic, if not sonu'wliat melodraconvocation of the cardinals is ormatic stvle. dered; tlic people are summoned to attend, and the pope addresses all from the tup of a tower. In his aildress he denies the supernatural origin of .lesus The asand the truth of the Christian doctrines. tounded bishops suppose that their lord has become who are insane insane; but he retorts that it is they ill their beliefs. Thereupon he throws himself from the top of the tower and dies; and Simeon writes Passover poem in his memory. the Of somewhat later origin is another version of this legi-nd, wliiili is extant in a Hebnw translation of a .luda'o (ierman original, anil which has the •• Ma'asebuch" (The Hook of Tales) as its The Ver- source. Acionling to this account Elsion of the lianan is stolen on a Sabbath by a Cliris" Ma'ase- tian maidservant. or. aecordiiigloothers. by his teacher, a priest, while his parents buch." are at the synagogue. lie rici^ives an ecelesiiistical educalionand rises rapidly in hierarchic circles, until he becomes pope. All Ihi' while, however, he is perfectly coi:ni/ant of his urigiri and consanguinity, though the splendor and the majesty of his position keep him from disclosing Ids identity. Kinally he isovercoiiie by a eniviiig to see his father, to which end he promulgates an edict of persecution against the .Ii'ws of Miiyeme, being certain that the latter would send delegates to him to plead for its revocation, and that then Simeon, as one of the most prominent men of his community, would doubtless In' round. The pope does not miscalculate. In due lime the delegates of tile .lews of Mayence. headed by Simeon the (ireal (or the Elder), arrive at Home.
A
At
they impart the purpose of their pilgrimage Home, who are fairly astounded at the contents of the edict, seeing that the ]iope has been renowned as the most generous ])oiiti)T within human memory, as well as a genuine friend of the .lews, whose counsel and society he is in the habit of .seeking, playing chess regularly with some of them. Simi'on then marvels at the cause of the cruel edict; but his astonishment is increased when, upon being given audience, he detects in the pope a quite r.ire degree of .lewisli scholarship and acumen, manifested in the course of a religious discussion. The ])ope. moreover, invites Simeon to call in the evening for the purpose of ]daying chess with him. Then, again, Simeon, a noted chess-player, has great cause for wonderment at the pontilfs display of shrewdness and familiarity with the game. Gradually the religious discussion is resumed, as Simeon does not lose sight of his real purpose; and the pope, unable to contain himself longer, puts the mask aside. Of course he is an.xious to return to the religion of his fathers; and his resolve is strengthened as his father points out to him the .Jewish doctrine concerning the regenerative power of repentance. Simeon then returns to ilayence. bearing with him a rejieal of the edict, while the pope stays at Home long enoiiLrh to comjiose an anti-Christian dissertation, which he charges all his successors to peruse. I let hen tiees to Mayence too. where he lives as a pious .lew, while in Home his fate remains forever unknown. Even this version of the legend which, as SteinSchneider has pointed out. dates from a period when chess was a popular game among the .lews of Germany is found with several variations. In one of these Simeon recognizes the pope as a .Jew by a certain move (which would jioint at the recognized skill of the medieval .lews in the game); in another account the telltale move reveals the |iope to Simeon as his son. for it is a trick he had taught him as a child; while in still another the pope is recognized by birthmarks on his hand and back. Nor do the German versions exhaust the material There is not only a Spanish modifiof this legend. cation of it. but also one in Ambic. in first
to the .Tews of
—
—
Spanish
the latter of wliiili Simeon Kayara takes the |)lace of Simeon the Great as parent of tliepo])e. The Spanish legend lays the scene at narcelona. and makes Solomon ben Adret. the great rabbi, the father of the kidnaped child, who, being stolen by a l)ricvst, is educated in a monastery and in later years is elevated On a certain occasion Solto the apostolic throne. omon b. Adret heads a delegation to the papal court, when a birthmark on the pope's face reminds him of his lost sou and causes lii;;i to burst out weepiiii:. The )iope insists upon being told the cause of this
Version,
sudden emotion, which, when refusal becomes imposSomewhat agitated by sible, Solomon discloses. this, the poiililT at once examines the monk who had reared him in the belief that he was the sciiai of a noble family exterminated in a family feud, and at length extorts the truth from him. The monk is imprisoned, or even executed, for his pains; while the last doubts of the pope as to his identity are si't aside when Solomon, at his rec|Uest. visits him again Ilis father Convinces him without in the evening. dinicully of the truth of the .lewish religion, and the In order |)ope determines to renounce Christianity. to avert suspicion, however, he wails six months, whereupon he bids his si'rvanis liuilil a pyre in the niarkel place, dclivei-s to a concourse of peopli' a tirade iiLrainsl Christianily, and h'aps into (he fiames. And, as the li-gcnd adiU. even to this day tlicy call him "the in.satie and heretical pope."
