Popes and Jews, 1095-1291

92 Popes and Jews, 1095–1291

who watched the proceedings were accused of attempting to bewitch the king; that

led to rioting and persecution.142

certainly there are numerous examples of the popular belief that Jews were sor-

cerers and magicians, yet that did not entail that church councils prohibiting

magic necessarily singled out the Jews for special censure. So, for example, canon

15 of the council of Arles (1234) which prohibited christians from consulting

magicians, made no specific mention of Jews.143 Nevertheless, particularly in

england and france, councils and synods increasingly warned against consulting

Jewish fortune tellers. Thus we find that during the pontificate of innocent iV the

Synod of Worcester in 1240 decreed that:

When men and women magicians shall be found, and also such as consult Jews for the

purpose of finding out by magic about their life or actions, they shall be brought

before the bishop to be punished in accordance with his decision.144

while the Provincial council of Béziers in 1255, held during the pontificate of

Alexander iV, stated:

Jews shall desist from usury, blasphemy, and magic. The Talmud, as well as other books

in which blasphemies are found, shall be burned. The Jews who refuse to obey this shall

be expelled, and transgressors shall suffer punishment according to law.145

in such cases, the councils were probably referring not only to the practice of

magic but also to astrology which, along with the interpretation of dreams, was a

common method of—dangerously—predicting the future.

Given that magic was so prevalent in medieval society it is unlikely that a pro-

hibition on consulting Jews was due only to disbelief in its efficacy; rather that it

was also another attempt by the church to separate Jews from christians.146 it is

also probable that while the legislation was supposed to ban all practices of magic—

however popular and whether by Jews or by christians—the councils targeted

Jews because clerics frequently believed—rightly or wrongly—that they were espe-

cially skilled at and frequent practitioners of these arts.

in particular magic was associated with Jewish physicians. how far did the papal

promise of protection extend to safeguarding Jews who practised medicine?

Although popes themselves often employed Jewish physicians they were concerned

that the employment of such by christians might lead to undue Jewish influence

in christian society.147 Nevertheless, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the

study of medicine flourished at universities such as Salerno and Montpellier, while

142 richards, Sex, Dissidence and Damnation, p.102.
143 Grayzel, Vol. 1, pp.326–7, footnote 2.
144 Grayzel. Vol. 1, pp.330–1: ‘Sortiarii autem et sortiarie cum detecti fuerint, maxime autem, qui
Judeos consuluerint super vita, vel actibus sorte discutiendum; ad episcopum destinentur, pro sue
discretionis arbitrio, puniendi... ’.
145 Grayzel, Vol. 1, pp.336–7: ‘Judei cessent ab usuris et blasphemiis, sortilegiis. et Talmud quam
alii libri, in quibus inveniuntur blasphemie, comburantur. et Judei qui hoc servare noluerint, expel-
lantur, et transgressores legitime puniantur.’
146 Grayzel, Vol. 1, p.74, footnote 146.
147 Simonsohn, The Apostolic See and the Jews. History, pp.171–80.