An Exclusive Feature — On 350th Anniversary
nomantic Story of Christian Martyr for Judaism
Nicolas Antoine, French Theologian, Died
For Faith He Was Not Permitted to Embrace
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
God of Abraham, Nicolas An-
toine was condemned to be load-
ed with chains and placed on a
pyre; he was strangled and then
burned. The liberal clergy and
theological professors of that
day pleaded for respite, for de-
liberation and for taking into
account the views of those who
believed the accused was men-
tally irresponsible: but in vain.
Fate decreed that Nicolas An-
toine was to die a martyr for the
faith which, in fear of reprisals
on the part of bigots and fana-
"I am a Jew; and all I ask tics, refused officially to wel-
of God's grace is to die for come him to the fold of Judaism.
Judaism."
He was born into the Catholic
The judges pleaded; they faith at Briey, a small town in
argued.' But the voluntary Lorraine, in 1602. For five years
convert's reply was:
he attended the Luxemburg Col-
"With the help of God I am lege and then studied at Pont-
determined to die in my pre- a-Mousson, Cologne and Treves,
sent, belief."
preparing for the Jesuit Order.
Imploring the mercy of the When he returned to Briey he
was, in spite of his training in
Jesuit schools, attracted to Pro-
testantism. Catholicism lost its
appeal for him, and he yielded
to the eloquence of one of the
most noted preachers of that
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
day, Ferri, the pastor of the
Reformed Church in Metz, turn-
Passover: Liberation and the Symbols of Human Freedom
No matter how much we say in elaboration of the ideal of ing Protestant.
Thenceforth, Nicolas An-
freedom, we merely add the desired emphasis that is needed to
toine's search for religious
keep us from forgetting the basis for living: the attainment of
truth led him to a new belief,
liberty and the right of people to live their own lives.
to a piety which paved t h e
It is from Pa,ssover that the ideal of freedom and justice has
way
to a martyr's grave. He
developed and has been handed down to all mankind. It is the
human ideal of freedom as embodied in Pesach's message that was sent to the academies of
Geneva and Sedan to prepare
has given the world the basis - for aspirations to social and physical
for the Reformed Church and
freedom.
One of the most romantic ep-
isodes in early 17th Century
Jewish history has been record-
ed by the martyrdom of a
French Chrigtian who defied his
own church as well as the Jewish
community in his determination
to practice the tenets of t h e
Jewish faith. Refused admissiqn
to the Jewish fold, he neverthe-
less lived a Jewish life, perform-
ed his own circumcision through
a self-inflicted operation and, at
the age of 30, died a martyr's
death with prayers on his lips_
directed to the God of Israel.
Nicolas Antoine was strangled
and then burned at the stake in
Geneva on the charge of blas-
phemy on April 20, 1632. Fifteen
clergymen and professors of
theology were among the wit-
nesses at a trial which c o m -
menced on April 11 of that year.
Several of the scholars pleaded
for mercy and a light sentence,
arguing that the only sin of the
accused was that of hypocrisy
for which he deserved unfrock-
ing and banishment and per-
haps excommunication. But the
majority of the court, fanatical
in its determination ruled tiat it
is dangerous to absolve a Chris-
tian who wore a priest's garb for
professing Judaism.
Antoine was offered an on-
portunity to recant. but he was
adamant in his refusal and told
the court:
Purely Commentary
Benjamin Disraeli, who, in spite of his conversion to
Christianity before his Bar Mitzvah age, sucked into his system
all the idealism that stemmed from his Jewish heritage. He
incorporated Hebraic ideals into his speeches and novels. In
his "Vivian Grey" we read this telling statement: "I repeat .. .
that all power is trust; that we are accountable for its exer-
cise; that from the people and for the people all springs, and
all must exist."
Quite clei:iff,- Abraham Lincoln, when he - spoke of govern-
ment "of the people, by the people, for the people," was ex-
pressing a like idea. And when we speak of "power" it is well that
we should take into consideration another significant point ad-
vanced by Disraeli, who, in a speech in the House of Commons on
May 27, 1841, declared: "Next to the assumption of power was-the
responsibility of relinquishing it." If President Truman did not
know about this remark when he announced his iinpending
retirement from his great office, he undoubtedly will be pleased
to know that he had made a great move—by his readiness to,
relinquish his .power.
'A Formidable Opposition' and Autonomy
These are not irrelevant matters to be viewed at Passover
time. Freedom, the Passover ideal, is a right to be cherished, but
it is not necessarily a function to be utilized for domination or
for suppression of free discussion. On the contrary, without free
debates we are lost. Without exchange of ideas, we are doomed
to be trapped by dogma. In "Coningsby" Disraeli made this tell-
ing statement: "No government can be long secure without a
formidable opposition." This stands to reason. But an opposition
need not work outside the established ranks of community life.
If it is to be a good and a wholesome opposition, it must function
from within. No one benefits fror i divisiveness. No government
gains from underground opposition. The minority must battle for
its rights within established gove_nmental organization.
Columnist Leonard Lyons recently reported that "the Atomic
Energy employees have been seeking a suitable motto for their
organization. Red Skelton submitted one: 'United We Split.' " Very
often, in unity, we are split, we differ, we argue. But as long as
we agree to unite on the basis of majority rule, we have a chance
to survive destruction.
Often, in Jewish life, we are faced with trying situations
and with conditions which threaten to destroy our community
structure. There is cause for disturbance over the issue that
has arisen between Israel bonds and UJA, with the depressing
conflict that arose in Indianapolis. Observers report that In-
dianapolis Jewry was in a spirit of "mourning" over happenings
there which forced into the open an inexcusable community
split over the right of bonds to conduct a drive while UJA was
preparing for annual solicitations. Both causes are for Israel, yet
Israel's officials permitted a situation to arise that has caused
the nearly unanimous view of the community to rule against
a bond drive during a tIJA campaign. The question of "auto-
nomy" enters into the discussion. This, too, is related to the
subject of freedom. While it is true that no one group should
dictate without reason, it is equally true that no group has a
right to enter into an American scene and to try to destroy an
individual community's autonomy.
Problems can be solved by being reasonable. Indianapolis
Jewry could not possibly be wrong in its demands—when only one
dissenter differed from the UJA's decision. The fact that other
communities—notably Utica, N. Y., and Erie, Pa.—already have
ruled against bond drives during UJA campaign time is an indi-
cation of the wishes of the respective communities. An agree-
ment could have been reached in Indianapolis. But those who
interfered with "autonomy" also harmed "freedom."
Passover is an old festival, but its lessons remain new. Its
basis for freedom constantly remains subject to evaluation and re-
evaluation. But if it is treated justly it will survive. Only when
we throttle it with power politics is it in danger. Only when we op-
press it with autocratic rule and interpretation is it endangered.
"Let none falter who thinks he is right," said Lincoln, but this
very fellow also must grant similar rights to the person with
whom he differs. When that is enforced, when autonomy is re-
tained fog communal thinking and action, when opinions are ex-
pressed in the open, the liberation ideal is secure. Let us work in
that direction.
Of the Birth of Voluntary Convert
' •
Jewish rites, recited his pray-
ers in Hebrew and honored all
Mosaic commands. In public
he preached from a Christian
pulpit. But he uttered the
name of Jesus as little as pos-
sible. His sermons took their
texts almost exclusively from
Isaiah and other Hebrew Pro-
phets, and his lectures gained
fame.
but clung to it—gained a host
of friends for him. They later
pleaded for clemency for the
convert to Judaism. While the
judges threatened and did
everything in their power to
secure a victory for Christian-
ity.by getting Nicolas Antoine
to deny Judaism and to re-
embrace the Christian relig-
ion, his friends, admirers and
defenders pleaded for a light
sentence. The accused himself
remained immovable: his pas-
sionate reply was: "I am a
Jew! I am a Jew!"
The peasants of Divonne were
thrilled by the eloquence of their
new pastor. But the lord of an
adjoining manor felt otherwise,
and once, on a Sunday, when
Metrezat, a Parisian pastor,
Antoine declared that God had
no son, that there was only one came to Antoine's aid. He plead-
ed
for him. But the judges
God, he threatened to denounce
him to the synod, and later did would not recede from their
so. It was during Antoine's ser- positions of extreme punishment
mon on the Second Psalm which was to serve as an exam-
which Christian- theology inter- ple to all blasphemers.
prets as predicting the coming
Proof of Antoine's sincerity
of the son of God that he was was evidenced during his Im-
charged with uttering heresy.
prisonment, when he . presented
Soon Antoine began to show to the ecclesiastical court twelve
signs of utter gloom and deep articles in which he outlined his
despair. On one occasion he'in- religious. beliefs. He drew upon
terrupted the reading of a Psalm the Thirteen Articles of Faith
— the twenty-fourth — to pro- of Maimonides and pointed to
claim himself a Jew and as a "eleven philosophical objections
blasphemer of Christianity. against the dogma of the Trin-
When his extremely nervous ity." Two of the three memorials
state was discovered he was put which he addressed to the
to bed and it was then revealed judges who condemned hint
that he was in need of medical have been preserved.
attention as a result of a self-
Jewish history is ,replete with
inflicted operation—his self-cir-
cumcision—which he was moved stories of martyrs and saints,
to perform by his extreme faith. but seldom has so romantic a
in Judaism. story as that of Nicolas Antoine
In the meantime his fellow- been repeated even in the tense
clericals tried to persuade him history of Israel which has been
to re-embrace Christianity. But laden with tragedy. April 20,
they failed completely. 1682. marked an unusual tragedy
His fate now was seale d. in the history of religions, and
Charges were brought against added' the fascinating story of
for religious leadership in
him and he was imprisoned. Nicolas Antoine to Jewish -his-
Protestantism. But the more
But his conviction as well as tory—a story which we recall in
he studied the more doubting
his dignity—the heroic deter- 1952—the 350th anniversary of
became his convictions. He be- mination with which he not the birth of this voluntary con-
came an ardent and passion-
only embraced his new faith vert.
ate student of the Old Testa-
ment and came to the decision
that therein alone lay com-
plete religious truth. He ap-
plied to the rabbinate of Metz
for admission to Judaism. He
was refused. The rabbis feared
revenge and violent reprisals
on the part of ignorant mobs.
They advised Antoine to go to
Italy or to the Netherlands,
and informed him that Jews
enjoyed freedom in those
lands and had less to fear
from religiously enrage d,
ignorant masses.
Juniors' Pledge-Counting Session
Nicolas Antoine followed their
advice and left for Venice, there
to learn that nowhere was
peace for Israel; that Jews were
tolerated there for commercial
reasons.
In Venice and Padua, as
in Metz, Jewish leaders refused
to welcome Nicolas Antoine into
the Jewish fold: the reasons
were identical.
Of special interest in con-
nection with Antoine's travels
in quest for an official wel-
come by Judaism is that he
was accompanied on his trip
to Venice by a Christian
clergyman whom he attempted
also to convert to Judaism. So
convinced was he in his con-
clusions that Judaism is the
true faith that Antoine sought
to convert others to his new-
found beliefs.
When the charge of heresy
was brought against him several
years later, it developed from
documents produced at the trial
that the "'diabolical advice" was
offered him by the Italian Jews
to observe Judaism under the
cloak of the church. It is net
known whether these documents
were offered as a means of em-
phasizing the charge of heresy.
Thus refused admission to the
faith he sought, Antoine went to
Geneva and there accepted a
post as private tutor to the fam-
ily of Diodati, pastor and pro-
fessor, and also taught at the
college. As an apostate from
Catholicism, however. he w a s
deprived of occupying the chair
of philosophy at the Academy
of Geneva. Some time thereafter
Antoine obtained the position of
pastor in Divonne, a village in
the Gex district, which was ac-
quired by France in 1602.
Thereupon began the dual re-
ligious existence of this Chris-
tian Marrano.
In secret he practiced all
2
THE JEWISH NEWS
—
Friday, April 11, 3952
Totaling pledges from the 350 Junior Division workers who at-
tended the advance gifts luncheon are, seated left to right,
MORRY SILVER, RHODA GOLDSCHLAG, SYLVIA LASH; stand-
ing, MILTON LUCOW and DORA MANDELBAUM. The group
pledged $4,000.
Our First Page Photograph
Our front page illustration includes a number of valuable
ceremonial objects from the collection of Charles Feinberg of
872 W. Boston, one of the outstanding
connoiseurs on Jewish art in this country.
The Passover Seder Plate is three-
tiered. It was made in Vienna in 1802.
The top of it is decorated with 12 re-
liefs. It has the traditional places for
Haroseth, the parsley, eggs, and the
three divisions for the three matzoth.
The Festival Candlesticks in the
photo were made in Hamburg in 1640.
They were last exhibited in London, in
1887, by their owner at the time, J. S.
Sassoon. The base of the candlesticks
shows Biblical scenes.
Feinberg
The Haggadah displayed in the collection is the famous
Passover Haggadah by Arthur Szyk, the great artist who died
last year. It is one of only 125 of its kind produced in pure
vellum in England. Copies of this Haggadah sold since its
publication for as high as $3,000. "It is the greatest master-
piece of book-making in our day," Mr. Feinberg said.
The Cup of Elijah was made in the middle of the 19th
century in Austria. A scene depicted on this cup shows the
spies returning from the Promised Land.
The symbolism of the number four is expressed in the
Four Cups of Wine, the four-lettered Hebrew names of the
Patriarchs Abram, Isaac and Jacob, the four seasons of the
year, and the four fringes on the corner of the prayershawl
which has thus—symbolically—been included in the - photo-
graph.
r.