Sunday, May 24, 2009

An unfavorable review of Haham David Nieto's Matteh Dan-Kuzari Sheni from 1727

Here's a bit of negativity from Moses Marcus, a grandson of the famous Glikl of Hameln.

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Continues in this vain for some pages. Moses Marcus' story is detailed in Elisheva Carlebach's book Divided Soul's. Although he converted to Christianity, and even wrote the book The principal motives & circumstances that induced Moses Marcus to leave the Jewish, & embrace the Christian faith: with a short account of his sufferings thereupon (where this excerpt is taken), he also later claimed to have returned to the fold. ". . . as I was born a Jew so I will die a Jew," he wrote to his parents. "I go here [in Amsterdam] to Sinagogue & Live as a Jew ought to do so I hope God Allmighty will pardon my sins likewise I beg pardon of you." (link)

The Matteh Dan of David Nieto is recommended by R. Chaim Kanievsky in his חיי עולם :

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Read about R. Nieto's troubles with accusations of Spinozism, and his acquital by Chacham Tzvi here.

Incidentally, here is Wolff's entry on Moses Marcus's book in the 4th volume of his Bibliotheca Hebraea (1733):

2 comments:

  1. "Continues in this vain for some pages." You mean in this "vein," although I enjoyed the unintended pun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Continues in this vain for some pages." You mean in this "vein," although I enjoyed the unintended pun!

    ReplyDelete