Disputation of Tortosa facts for kids

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The Disputation of Tortosa was a famous debate between Christians and Jews. It happened in the city of Tortosa, Catalonia (part of modern-day Spain) between 1413 and 1414. Unlike a fair debate, it was mainly an effort by Christians to convince Jews to change their religion.

Disputation between Christian and Jewish scholars. Johann von Armssheim, 1483. Woodcut

Important Jewish scholars like Profiat Duran and Yosef Albo took part. Each represented a different Jewish community. On the Christian side, Vincent Ferrer, who later became a saint, was a key speaker. After the debate, in May 1415, the Pope issued a rule that made it harder for Jews to study their holy books and treated them poorly.

Why the Debate Happened
How the Debate Went
Debate Over the Talmud
What Happened Next
See also

Why the Debate Happened

The person who started this debate was Gerónimo de Santa Fe. He was a Jewish doctor who had converted to Christianity and became the personal physician to the Antipope Benedict XIII. After changing his religion, Gerónimo gave the Pope a list of topics to argue with his former Jewish community.

The Pope, who enjoyed religious discussions, was excited by this chance to debate the Jews. King Ferdinand I of Aragon also allowed it, and invitations were sent to Jewish communities in 1413. The Jews tried to avoid the debate, but they were not successful.

The Jewish representatives were at a big disadvantage. In earlier debates, like the Disputation of Barcelona, Jewish speakers were protected. But in Tortosa, if a Jew tried to argue against Christian claims, they were threatened with being called a heretic. This debate was not a free discussion. It was more like a way for the Christian side to spread their message and put pressure on the Jews.

How the Debate Went

Starting the Discussions

The debate began on February 7, 1413. Gerónimo explained the main points of the discussion. He also warned the Jews not to cause any problems for Christianity during the debate. He said that because the Jewish faith is similar to Christianity, the Pope wanted to bring the Jews back to what he saw as the "good" path.

Each day, a different Jewish scholar was chosen to be the main speaker. They were under a lot of stress. Sometimes, when they returned to their homes, arguments broke out among them about the answers they had given. The Christian speaker always got the last word.

Geronimo often used passages from Jewish texts called Midrashim. He argued that these texts showed the Messiah had already come. For example, he pointed to a passage that said the Messiah was born on the day the Second Temple was destroyed. He also mentioned a statement in the Talmud that said the world would last 6,000 years, with the last 2,000 being the time of the Messiah. He even used a Midrash that said the Messiah would suffer.

The Jews explained these Midrashim differently. They used both the simple meaning (peshat) and a deeper, comparative meaning (drash) to show that the texts did not mean the Messiah had already arrived. They also repeated what Nahmanides had said in an earlier debate: that they were not forced to believe in every story (Aggadah) in their texts. Geronimo used this to claim they were heretics within their own religion. The Jews also pointed out that believing in the Messiah was not the most important part of Judaism. This idea was later explained more fully in a book called Sefer ha-Ikkarim by Yosef Albo after the debate.

Geronimo also used Midrashim from a book called Pugio Fidei by Ramón Martí. The Jews said these were fake and asked to see the original Jewish manuscripts. But their request was not granted. Whether these Midrashim were truly fake has been a debated topic among scholars.

After two weeks, the head of the Dominican Order said that the Christians had clearly won. He claimed it was proven by the Jews' own texts that the Messiah had already come. The Pope then said that since the Jews kept changing their arguments, it would be better to continue the debate in writing. So, the discussion continued with written notes through March and April.

The Jews asked for a free debate, but they were told this was not a debate. It was a meeting for teaching and instruction. When they said a teacher should listen to the student, they were told the goal was not to teach them, but to teach the Jewish people. To show their humble position, the Jewish scholars said they might make mistakes, but the Law of Moses was eternal.

Geronimo kept using the Midrashim from the Dagger of Faith and refused to show the original manuscript when asked.

Second Part of the Debate

From May onwards, the talks focused on what the Messiah is supposed to do. The Jews argued that the Messiah should lead the Nation of Israel out of exile and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. They said Jesus did not do these things. The Jews pointed out that the Jewish exile still existed, Christianity had not spread everywhere, nations still fought, there was no world peace, and people still sinned. They stressed that the redemption of Israel must be for the Jews, and that had clearly not happened. They also said that non-Jews could not be called "Israel."

The Christians strongly argued that the Midrashim showed the Messiah's redemption was spiritual. This meant it was about forgiving sins and saving souls from Hell. The Jews replied that to save souls, a Messiah was not needed. They said that people who followed the mitzvot (commandments) in every generation could achieve salvation in the afterlife without a Messiah.

Another topic was whether sacrifices would stop in the future. Geronimo claimed, using words from Maimonides, that sacrifices were a way to help people move away from paganism. He said they would eventually be stopped. The Jews argued that sacrifices would continue in the Messianic Age. They said there were both logical and mystical reasons for them.

The Jewish leaders strongly disagreed with the idea that their refusal to accept Jesus's religion was why their exile lasted so long. They said if they had accepted Islam and joined nations like the Ottomans, they would also have been freed from their troubles.

Third Part of the Debate

There was a break in the discussions between August and November. New meetings started on January 8, 1414. Only three of the Jewish leaders agreed to continue. Rabbi Yosef Albo wanted to go home but ended up staying.

The Jews stated that the Christians were using the Midrashim in a strange way. Even if the Midrashim suggested the Messiah had come, they certainly did not say he came during Jesus's time. So, how could they be used to prove Christianity was true?

The Christians replied that they did not have to believe in the Midrashim. But they argued that the Jews, who did believe in them, must conclude from them that the Messiah was already born. The Jews again explained why they thought this argument made no sense.

As the discussions about the Messiah continued, Astruc HaLevi pointed out that the word "Messiah" had completely different meanings for Jews and Christians. He said that the real debate was not about whether the Messiah had come, but about what a Messiah truly was. He then said the debate itself was not that important. He argued that failing in a debate did not mean a faith was false. It only showed the speaker's weaknesses. The Jewish leaders were far from home, losing their property, and their families were suffering. Their situation was so bad that it was easy to debate them under such conditions.

Geronimo responded that their scared and frightened behavior proved their belief was not true. He quoted the Bible: "I will also speak of Thy testimonies before kings, and will not be ashamed" (Psalm 119:46). He said a debate about faith was necessary, and the Jewish leaders had to explain the Torah they taught.

Zerachia HaLevi then stressed that belief in the Messiah was a basic principle of Jewish faith. He said the Midrashim must be understood through this principle. He rejected the idea of using Midrashim to argue against the Messiah's principle. Instead, he said the principle of faith should be used to explain the Midrash.

In April, Geronimo summarized the debate from his point of view, and the discussion about the Messiah ended.

Debate Over the Talmud

The discussion then moved to a new topic: "the errors, heresies, and insults against the Christian religion" found in the Talmud. This was similar to an earlier debate in Paris in 1240. At this point, the Jews seemed to decide it was better to stay quiet. They said that while they believed the Talmud's sages could defend their words, they themselves did not know how. Yosef Albo and Zerachia HaLevi did not join this silence and agreed to respond, but their answers are not known.

Geronimo demanded that the Talmud be burned. He used the example of a past dispute over the works of Maimonides, which ended with his books being burned. Geronimo argued that if even a small part of a book was heretical, the whole book should be burned.

It seems most of the Jewish leaders concluded that continuing the debate would be too costly. The harm to their communities and families from their absence was too much. So, they decided to end it no matter what. What those who continued said is not known. The debate officially ended in December 1414.

What Happened Next

Benedict claimed victory. He ordered that all copies of the Talmud be given to his officials for censorship. Forced conversions of Jews continued, though they were not officially encouraged. However, Jews who were forced to become Christian could return to their own religion if they wished. Vincent Ferrer traveled through communities, forcing Jews to listen to his sermons. He then took his campaign north to France in 1416. That year, a new king, Alfonso V, took the throne in Aragon. He later reversed all the anti-Jewish laws from Ferrer's time. King Alfonso V protected Jews and conversos (converted Jews) firmly from the start of his rule and rejected all attacks on them.

Most of the damage from the debate was to the spirits of the Jewish community. The Jews in Aragon suffered greatly, and many important and wealthy people converted. There was a feeling that the Jews had lost badly in the arguments with Geronimo. Later, Isaac Abrabanel criticized the weak arguments made by the Jewish leaders. But it seems that under such difficult conditions, their ability to succeed was very limited.