Papal Claims to Authority over Judaism 179
immediately catastrophic effect on Jewish life: probably also because the effect of
this council on Jews was much better than that of its successor, lateran Iv.
The Shebet Yehudah gives much more detailed information about Jewish prepar-
ation for lateran Iv presided over by Innocent III in 1215.91 It claims that in that
same year there had been Jewish representation at the Council of Montpellier and
that the Jews there, threatened by louis vIII, had been saved by the intervention
of Simon de Montfort, leader of the Albigensian Crusade. referring to this, it
describes how louis threatened to demolish the walls of Montpellier, putting the
Jewish community in great danger, but that Simon and his brother promised to
preserve it. In this respect the account is inaccurate since louis did not become
king until 1223 and was involved in crusading briefly in 1219 and after 1223. Yet
what is particularly informative is the detailing of how, on the eve of lateran Iv,
Jews from many communities assembled in the south of France at Bourg de Saint
Gilles on the orders of their spiritual leaders rabbi Isaac Benveniste and rabbi
levi.92 The purpose of the meeting was to decide who would go to rome to per-
suade Innocent III to ensure no harm came to the Jews as a result of legislation
enacted by the council and by the bishops assembled ‘in their abomination of
sacks’—possibly a derisory reference to the clerical garb of the mendicant friars.93
The Shebet Yehudah reports that in that year (1215) a decree was proclaimed in
France that Jews should henceforth wear the badge,94 and that they must pay a
sum of money to the local parish priest each year—a reference to the obligation of
Jews to pay the tithe, which, as we have seen, had first been decreed by Alexander
III sometime between 1174 and 1179.95 The Shebet Yehudah also recorded the
death in 1216 of Innocent III:96
In the year 176 [1215] the evil kingdom ruled that our people were to walk around
marked with a foreign badge from the age of twelve and onwards—the men on their
hats and the women on their scarves. And another decree was enacted that each house-
hold would give to the priest of the town six denarii every year at the time of the
Festival. And in that year the pope, who spoke evil about our people, suddenly died.97This is a clear reference to the anti-Jewish legislation at lateran Iv and in par-
ticular the decree that Jews must wear clothing to distinguish them from
Christians.98 Surprisingly, however, nothing is said of the other statutes of the
Council concerning the Jews: that they must not practice usury nor hold public
office, and that converts to Christianity from Judaism must be compelled to stay
within the Christian fold.99 nor is there any mention of the decree Ad liberan-
dam which referred to Jewish usury in the specific context of plans for the Fifth
Crusade.100
91 Grayzel, ‘Jews and the Ecumenical Councils’, 296.
92 The Shebet Yehudah of Shelomo ibn Verga, ed. Shohat, p.147.
93 The Shebet Yehudah of Shelomo ibn Verga, ed. Shohat, p.147.
94 The Shebet Yehudah of Shelomo ibn Verga, ed. Shohat, p.148.
95 Alexander III, ‘non sine multa’ (1174–1179), Simonsohn, p.57.
96 The Shebet Yehudah of Shelomo ibn Verga, ed. Shohat, p.148.
97 The Shebet Yehudah of Shelomo ibn Verga, ed. Shohat, p.148.
98 Tanner, Vol. 1, p.266. 99 Tanner, Vol. 1, pp.265–7. 100 Tanner, Vol. 1, p.269.