The City of Rome 243
in Hebrew. The Torah was written in the language of the ancient Hebrews, was the
word of God itself and so had a unique and exalted position. Added to that,
Yahweh was himself only present in the written word.130 The exhibition of the
Torah, the Jews’ most holy text, therefore solemnized Jewish loyalty to the papacy.
it also focused Christian attention on the Church’s claim to have fulfilled—through
Christ—God’s original Covenant to the Jewish people, at a time when popes
were also promulgating ‘sicut iudaeis’—which both extended papal protection
to Jews and ensured the Church’s ongoing authority and control over Jewish
communities.131
ALEXAnDER iii AnD THE JEWisH
CoMMuniTY of RoME
We have seen how the Jewish community of Rome came to prominence during
the pontificate of Alexander iii and his adventus.132 When Alexander returned to
Rome triumphantly in 1165 after a six-year exile, he renewed his relationship with
the Roman Jews in his adventus just as he did in his re-issue of ‘sicut iudaeis’. He
had returned briefly to the city in 1161 but his reception by the Romans at that
time was a subdued affair, and not the adventus traditionally given to a pope
returning from exile. By contrast we know from Cardinal Boso that his adventus
in 1165 included the participation of a huge Roman crowd, including Jews who
arrived ‘in accordance with custom, bringing down their law on their arms’.133
That participation was an important component of the adventus and occupied a
prominent position in the ritual procession. The Liber Pontificalis includes no
mention of any Hebrew acclamation of Alexander, but the Hebrew laudes con-
tinued to be included in the ceremonial welcome of the pope at least until 1188; it
is therefore likely they were performed for Alexander.134
further information on Alexander’s relationship with the Jewish community of
Rome comes from Benjamin of Tudela’s Itinerarium, which gives a wonderful
description of Rome in the twelfth century.135 Benjamin tells us about a certain
Rabbi Jechiel,136 a cultivated and intelligent man, and a prominent servant in
Alexander’s house.137 Benjamin described how:
130 Champagne, The Relationship between the Papacy and the Jews in Twelfth-Century Rome, pp.143–4.
131 Champagne, ‘“Treasures of the Temple” and Claims to Authority in Twelfth-Century Rome’,
p.117.
132 Champagne, The Relationship between the Papacy and the Jews in Twelfth-Century Rome,
pp.173–88.
133 Cardinal Boso, ‘Les Vies des Papes rédigées par le Cardinal Boson et inserées dans le Liber
Censuum’, in Le Liber Pontificalis: Texte, introduction et commentaire, ed. Duchesne, Vol. 2, p.413: ‘ex
more legem suam deferentes in brachiis’. see Champagne, The Relationship between the Papacy and Jews
in Twelfth-Century Rome, pp.176–7.
134 Champagne, The Relationship between the Papacy and the Jews in Twelfth-Century Rome, p.178.
135 Anna Esposito, Un’ altra Roma: Minoranze nazionali e comunità ebraiche tra Medioevo e Rinascimento
(Rome, 1995), p.121.
136 Berliner, Storia degli Ebrei di Roma, dall’antichità allo smantallamento del ghetto, pp.96–7.
137 somekh, ‘Gli Ebrei e Roma durante l’alto medioevo’, p.213.