Uriel Acosta Biography

Uriel Acosta (formerly: Gabriel Da Costa) (1590 – 04.1640), is known for his tragic fate, which was the subject for dramatic poetry. Rod Da Costa was an ancient Jewish family in Portugal, which gave many celebrities and scientists. When at the beginning of XVI. Inquisition became rampant in Portugal, many of the members of this family emigrated to Holland, where they continued to enjoy widespread respect and takes pride of place in society. In half of XVI with. We meet the head of Joseph Dacosta Heb. communities in Amsterdam and other Da-Costa, Duarta Nunes, was an agent of the Portuguese king at Hamburg. The remaining members of this family of Portugal were forced to accept Catholicism. Of these, some have become sincere Christians, and held high positions, secular and spiritual, and we have even met a Da-Costa, on behalf of Balthazar, the prior of the Jesuit Order in Malabar. Others have become Christian just for the sight, remaining Jews out of conviction and performing secret Jewish rituals. They belonged to the so-called Marranos, followed by the Inquisition kept a sharp eye and from whom she extorted numerous victims.

One of our ancestors, A., Emanuel Da Costa, was burned at the stake. Gabriel Da Costa was born in Oporto in 1594, was raised a Catholic, studied law and, in 1615, took poluduhovnuyu the position of treasurer in the Chapter one of the cathedral church. But dry dogmatic Catholicism and Jesuit intrigue did not satisfy an inquiring mind and an honest soul 22-year old boy. He knew about his background and delving deeper into the reading of books of the Old Testament prophets, the cherished ideal of the soul of another religion – the biblical ideal of the Jewish people, and I thought to find it among the Jews of the free Holland.

After the death of his father, he left the service at the Chapter and with his mother and brothers, who shared his thinking, he moved in 1618 in Amsterdam, joined. Union Heb. faith, and changed his name to Gabriel Uriel, and in his writings instead of Portuguese form of the names of his Da-Costa, he began to use the Latin form – Acosta. But the Amsterdam Jews were not satisfied with AA and did not meet his ideal.

Deadly ritual Talmudic was repulsive to him no less than Catholic dogma, and arbitrary interpretation of the texts of St. resented his writings as well as duplicity Jesuits. He began to neglect the Talmudic prescriptions, publicly broke them and called the rabbis Pharisees. It was also well known that AA is preparing a book in refutation of Talmudic teachings. This book and appeared later (in 1624), entitled: "Ehamen traditionum Pharisaeicarum collatarum cum lege scripta, etc." (Research traditions of the Pharisees in relation to written laws). Of course, that the Amsterdam rabbis could not remain indifferent to all this. They decided to separate AA from the synagogue, and when his book, in which he incidentally denies the immortality of the soul, on the grounds that this is not stated directly in the St. Scriptures – they have appealed it before a magistrate as a book heretical and harmful. Magistrates Court actually condemned it, the author was sentenced to a fine of 300 guilders, and the book – to be burned at the stake. Pronounced over A. excommunication put him in an isolated position, even his close relatives, who were all ardent supporters of the synagogue, began to avoid him. It is however not lost heart and did not respond, he even called the book being printed already under anathema.

Only after 15 years, he saw himself compelled to seek reconciliation with the rabbis. It led to, for one – impending danger of losing all his fortune, who was in the back of one relative, also an admirer rabbinism and does not approve of his struggle with the synagogue on the other – the desire to finally arrange your home and find that it is inconceivable while he was under anathema. At the request of rabbis, VA signed a formal renunciation of his earlier views, was pardoned and again to the bosom of the synagogue. But soon it turned out that his repentance was not sincere: he once went ignored Talmudic. prescriptions, and although out of caution is not showed it in public, as he did before, but one of his relatives, a fanatic, waylaid him and turned him rabbinic tribunal. He was summoned for an explanation and asked him how old offender, undergo public and shameful synagogue repentance.He rejected the offer and was again excommunicated from the synagogue. This is his good fortune finally broke.

Marriage it could not take place; kin away from him, it all avoided, street urchins chased and mocked him. He could not find protection in a secular court, as the actions of his chief persecutors were secret, subtle, and not punishable by the court on unfounded. He still held out and survived, and the second excommunication for seven years, finally broke the summer of misery and his stamina and he appeared to rabbi with an apology, agreeing to undergo the required process of public penance. He had come to the synagogue, packed with people, to ascend the stage and read aloud a confession of all created their sins, then, immediately, before all the people, stripped him, laid bare to the waist, and subjected to 39 strokes with a belt installed on the back (Malkus) . Not satisfied with this, he was put on the threshold of the threshold of the synagogue so that all the exit had to step over him. This unprecedented public humiliation before his upset that he decided to do away with him.

It was an autobiography entitled "Exemplar humanae vitae" (a sample of human life), in which he strongly attacked the rabbinical Judaism, then, after loading two pistols, he lay in wait outside his worst enemy – the fanatical cousin, the culprit of all his troubles to seek revenge him, and shot at him but missed and missed, and the second a charge shot himself. According to his biographers, Alexander died in April 1647 aged 53 years of age. Sorrowful fate of the unfortunate A. was, as is known, to Carl Gutzkow subject for tragedy "Uriel Acosta, a well-known, and the Russian public, but before AA was a hero fictional story" Der Sadducaer v. Amsterdam "(1834). His autobiography, autograph which has been found in the apartment after his death, A. Philip Limborhom and first bishop belonged to Simon, was published the same Limborhom in the Latin original (Hood, 1687), and then a second time with a German translation by Wilhelm Jellinek (Leipzig, 1847), who also wrote "A. 's Leben u. Lehre" (Zerbst, 1847). Previously reported A. Pierre Baile wrote in his "Dictionnaire" (III. 69 Id.) Shudt, "Jud. Denkwurdigkeiten" (l, 286 Id.). – Gretts ("Geschichte d. Juden" X, ca. I) contested the years of birth and death of A., exhibited his biographers, and concludes that A. genus. ca. 1590 and the mind. 1640