| Title: | BAGELS and other things of Jewish interest |
| Notice: | 1.0 policy, 280.0 directory, 32.0 registration |
| Moderator: | SMURF::FENSTER |
| Created: | Mon Feb 03 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Thu Jun 05 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1524 |
| Total number of notes: | 18709 |
On the occasion of the Pope's upcoming visit to the United States,
I think the following topic may be of interest:
There is an incredibly interesting book called "The Jewish Connection,"
written by M. Hirsh Goldberg, copyright 1976, published in hardcover
by Stern and Day, and in paperback by Bantam. The book documents
little-known facts about Jewish history.
A chapter in the book is devoted to the historical fact that there
was a Jewish pope. His name was Anacletus II. He was elected Pope
in the year 1130. He was a member of the famous Pierleone family--
"the Rothschilds of the Middle Ages." Quoting from the book...
"Bernard of Clairvaux . . . declared that it was 'to the shame of
Christ that a Jewish offspring had come to occupy the chair of
Saint Peter'--forgetting, of course, that Peter himself had been
born a Jew.
". . . In spite of all the scandalous charges made against him,
Anacletus II ruled as Pope in Rome for the rest of his life; he
died in his sleep in 1138.
". . . in a fascinating book on the Pierleone family entitled
'Popes from the Ghetto,' Dr. Joachim Prinz, who spent thirty
years researching the subject, presents astonishing evidence that
besides Anacletus, two other poes were members of the Jewish
Pierleone family: Gregory VI (1045-46) and his disciple and
close relative Gregory VII (1073-85).
". . . There is one final irony, Gregory VIII, a brilliant proponent
of the supremacy of the office of Pope, was later made a saint.
Which means there has been not only a Jewish pope, but a Jewish
saint."
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 357.1 | What the EB says | MAY20::MINOW | Je suis Marxist, tendance Groucho | Tue Sep 08 1987 21:04 | 29 |
The Enclycop�dia Brittanica, 11-13th edition (1910-1926) has little to say about Anacletus: "... On the 13th of february 1130, Honorius II died, and on that night, a minority of the Sacred College elected Paparesci, who took the name Innocent II. After a hasty consecration, he was forced to take refuge with a friendly noble by the faction of [Cardinal] Pierleoni, who was elected pope under the name of Anacletus II, by a majority of the cardinals. Declaring that the cardinals had been intimidated, Innocent refused to recognize their choice; by June, however, he was obliged to flee to France. Here his title was recognized by a synod called by Bernard of Clarvaux at �tampes. Similar action was taken in Germany by the synod of W�rzburg. In January 1131 Innocent held a personal interview with King Henry I of England at Chartres, and in March, at Li�ge, with the German King Lothair, whom he induced to undertake a campaign against Anacletus. The German army invaded Italy in August 1132 and occupied Rome, all except St. Peter's church and the castle of St. Angelo, which held out against them. After a lot of infighting, Anacletus died in January 1138. Eventually, peace was restored to the church by the Lateran council of 1139. The EB has nothing to say about the Pierleoni family. Martin. Ps: the 13th edition of the Enclycop�dia Brittanica is an extraordinary compilation of "everything" that was known at the turn of the century. | |||||
| 357.2 | More info | LABC::FRIEDMAN | Wed Sep 09 1987 12:26 | 15 | |
"By the late eleventh century, the Pierleone family . . . had become
a force in the financial world of Rome. Naturally, having acquired
power, they soon wanted more. And, since power in that day was
in the hands of the Pope, they took an active interest in the affairs
and politics of the Church. . . .
"The great-grandfather of Anacletus II was Baruch, a successful
Jewish businessman who lived in the Jewish quarter of Rome, where
his contributions maintained a synagogue. He also served as an
advisor, financier, and steward to Pope Benedict IX. Baruch's
son served as steward to another Popem, Leo IX. . . .
"It was Leo's son, Petrus Leonus, who first used the name Pierleone.
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