Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-10-03
The Wandering Jew.


ages, many of which once held place
in grave histories, Here, for instance,
are some particulars OF the history OF
the Wandering Jew.
In the chronicles of the Abbey OF st.
Adams, copied and continued by Matthew
Paris Is the following entry, the first
extant notice of the "errant Jew under
the year 1858, A. D.: "Eodem tempore
floruit .ama longe lateque dispersa de
Josopho Cartaphila, QUEEN Ananias bap.
tizavit, ct qui yidit Cristum crucinxum, "
and the same chronicer records at
| length the visit TO the Abbey Of an
Armenian archbishop, who by his inter-
prefer communicated to the monks
minute particulars respecting this wan
derlng Jew, rived from personal know
ledge:
When the Jews were dragging Jesus
forth from Pilates judgment hall, and
had reached the door, Cartaphilus, q
porter in Pilates service, as Jesus was
going out OF the door, impiously struck
him on the back, and said in mockery,
GO quicker, Jesus, go quicker! Why
do you loiter?" And Jesus, looking
back on him with severe counteHauce
said TO him, " l am going, and you shall
wait till return" And accordingly, as
our Lord said, this Cartaphilus is still
waiting his return. At the time of our
Lord suffering he was 80 years old, and
when he attains the age of 1870 he always
returns to the same age as when our
Lord suffered. After Christ's death,
when the Catholic faith gained ground,
this Cartaphilus was baptised by Anan-
las, who also baptized St. Paul, and was
called Joseph.
OF this Joseph the Armenian bishop
went on to say that he dwelt in Arme-
mia and the East, greatly affected the
society Of bishops and prelates, was cir
cumspeCt, silent and charitable, and did
not speak except when spoken to, and
then only to tell of Christ's death, suf-
tering and resurrection. He was very
tenacious as to the character and rank
OF his questioners, and very Indifferent
in the matter Of gifts, food and raiment.
or this Jew, or mis- double, Mr.. Barring
Gould collects many and various &C
counts from the Netherlands, from Bohe-
mia and from Arabia, where be seems to
have passed for Elijah, but none ofthese
present any considerable discrepancy
from the account of the Armenian bishop
until we come to the testimony of Paul
Won Eitzen, Doctor of the Holy Scrip.
lures and Bishop of Schleswig, who de-
clared that when he was young, in the
winter of 1547 AID, zone Sunday, in
church, he observed tall man, with his
hair hanging over his shoulders, stand
ing barefoot during the sermon, over
against the pulpit, listening with deep
est attention to the discourse and when
ever the name Of Jesus was mentioned,
bowling himself profoundly and humbly,
with signs and beating o. the breast.
lie had no other clothing in the bitter
cold of winter except q pair of hose
which vera In tatters about his feet and
a coat with girdle which reached to
his feet. His general appearance was
that of a man Of fifty years.
After church the doctor obtained an
interview with the stranger, and elected
information which, though more cir.
cumstantial than the Armenian bishops
story, differed from it materially. The
Jew gave his name Ahasuerus, and pro-
fessed that he had been an uubelieving
cobbler at the time Of the cruciaxion.
Gazing from his doorstep at the sad pro-
cessiOn to Calvary, he tried to curry
favor with the Jews by hurrying Jesus
forward, when he fain would have rested
a moment from his heavy burden. Jesus
looking upon him rebuked him in these
words, 81 shall stand and rest, but thou
shalt 90 to the last day."
The doom presently began to work.
de was constrained to go forth into for.
eign lands, and on revisiting Jerusalem
after the lapse Of years, found not one
stone standing on another. 10 this &C
count as in the others, great stress is
laid on the Jews never smiling; in Won
Ettzen's narrative he is made to inter
pref the purpose of God in his judgment
upon him, and to confirm the truth of
his tale Of many wanderings by submit
ting to have his knowledge Of eastern
geography tested by the Rector of the
Hamburg University. Another new
feature is his strong indignation at the
protane use of Christ's name.
This was in 1547. He is spoken OF at
Madrid and Vienna in the same century,
but, as the world wakes older, writers
evinCe a care to say little of him on their
personal testimony. Burlenger in his
history of his own time, takes especial
pains to guard himself against the sus-
picion of belief in this story. In 1910
two burghers Of Brussels fell in with
this ubiquitous Jew, or one who an
swers this description, and lit does not
exactly appear WHY concluded that their
companion is Isaac Laquedom, the Jew
who would not let Christ rest on his
doorstep" (p. 2l) He turns up in Lon
don ut the beginning of the eighteenth
century, and seems to have won the ear
of the ignorant, but only the ridicule Of
the wealthy. The curious, however,
would appear to have questioned 9him
pretty rigidly over a range of history
extending from the Cruciixion to the
Crusades. He did not think much of
Arabic history. He professed acquaint-
ance with Mohammed and his father,
and said he was sojourning in Rome
when Nero set it on fire.