The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-05-16
STORY OF THE WANDERING JEW.


STORY OF THE WANDERING JEW.
With the outlines of the story of the
Wandering Jew all intelligent readers
are familiar. 1t tells of human being
existing in an undying condition and
travelling ceaselessly over the face of the
earth, seeking rest and finding none
The suggestion upon which the legend
is based may probably be found in the
words spoken by Christ: "Verily l say
unto you, There be some standing here
which shall not taste of death till they
see the Son of Man coming in His king
dom" 1t will be remembered also that
Christ said to Peter, speaking Of John {:
eff | will that he tarry till / come, what
is that to thee 2" These and one or two
other similar sentences from the lips of
our Savior have very naturally created
an impression that certain persons who
were living at the time of His appear
ance upon earth would remain alive
until His second coming upon the iudg-
meut-day. Precisely how and when this
opinion crystallized into the shape which
we are considering cannot be determined
with exactness, but the fact is hardly
doubted that the gospel utterances Just
quoted really supplied the germ which,
III some active fancy, perhaps that of a
monk of the Middle Ages, fructifed
into this wonderfully poetic and dramatic
story.
The first appearance of the Wandering
jew IN literature is in q book of the
chronicles of the Monastery of St Al
bans, England, which was copied and
continued 10y the famous Matthew Paris,
who, III the early part of the thirteenth
century, was an inmate and scribe of the
abbey.
Paris asserts that the Wandering Jew
visited England, in the person of an
Archbishop of Armenia, in 1928. The
story told of the Archbishop by one of
his servants was that the Archbishop at
the time of Christ was porter III the
palace of Pontius Plate, and his name
was Cartophilus. When Plate released
Jesus to the Jews, the latter dragged
him forth, and as they reached the door
the porter impiously struck him on the
back with his hand, and said, in a ieer-
ing tone, 600 quicker, Jesus, 90
quicker Why do you loiter % And
Christ, looking back upon him with a
severe countenance, said to him, q am
going, and you will wait till | return. +"
And accordingly as Christ said, Carlo
phllus is still awaiting His return.
At the time of this occurrence he was
30 years old and when he attains the
age of 100 years he returns to the same
age as he was when the Lord suffered.
After Christs death, when the Christian
faith gained ground, Cartophilus was
baptized by Ananais (who also baptized
the Apostle Paul }, and was called Joseph.
He became a man of holy conversation
and of devout life
This is one version of the legend. The
other and more popular one is that a
jew named Ahasuerus, by trade a shoe
maker, was standing in the door of his
shop III Jerusalem when Christ was pass
ing on his way TO Calvary Ahasuerus
had little child upon his arm, and, as
the Lord approached the house, bowed
under the heavy weight of the cross, He
tried to rest little, and stood still for
moment. But the shoemaker, in zeal
and rage, and for the purpose of OBJ
tanning credit from the Jews, drove the
Savior forward, and told Him to hasten
on His way. Jesus obeyed, but turned
and looked ut His assailant, and said,
% shall stand and rest, but thou shalt
go on until the last day"
AT these words Ahasuerus set down
the child; and, unable TO remain where
he was, he followed Christ, and saw how
cruelty Hewas crucified, how Hesuffered,
and how He died AS soon as the cruel
fxion was ended, it seemed as if he
could not return to Jerusalem nor see
again his wife and'child, but he felt that
he must go forth into foreign lands, one
after another like a mournful pilgrim.
He wandered to and fro over the earth
for many years, and then returned to his
ancient home, only to find the holy city
ruined and utterly RACED, SO that not one
stone was left standing upon another,
and 50 that he couldnot recognize former
localities. So forth he started upon his
journey again, and began anew the wan
behring's which shall not cease until all
things shall come to an end.
The old chronicles which contain this
touching and wonderful story also tell
something of the manners and peculiari-
ties of the jew. He is said TO be man
of few words and of circumspect be-
havior. He does not speak mt all, unless
when questioned by devout men, and
then he tells of the events of old times,
of the incidents which occurred at the
suffering and resurrection of the Lord,
and of the witnesses of the resurrection
namely, those who rose with Christ
and went into Jerusalem and appeared
unto men. He also tells of the apostles,
OF their separation and preaching All
this he relates without smiling, or levity
OF conversation, as one who is full of
sorrow and remorse, always looking for
ward to the judgment, lest he should
ind him IN anger who, when on His
way to death, he had provoked to just
vengeance. When invited TO become
guest of any one, the story is that
Ahasuerus eats little, drinks in great