The record-union., 1892-11-10
LEGEND OF THE WANDERING JEW
Supposed TO Have Originated in Con-
Stantinople.

Stantinople.
The legend of the Wandering Jew, of
which everyone has heard, but of which
most persons know so little, is not found
either in the apocryphal evangelists or in
the Latin fathers OF the church. Accord
ing to the best authorities it originated at
Constantinople. There were two versions
the Oriental. in which the Jew is called
Carthaphilus,and that OF Europe, in which
he is called Ahasuerus. In the Eastern
versions he is represented as Il porter Of
PontIuS Plate; in the Western as 4 cob
bier, living on the slope of Mount Cal
vary, by whose door Christ passed bear
ing his cross to the place of crucitiXion.
The Oriental legend attributes to him a
wife ana five children, details omitted in
that OF the Occident. The offense COM
n1tted was the same in both cases, a
brutal refusal to permit the Savior to
eEter into the residence of the porter or
cODDler-a favor asked by himself of the
Roman soldiers who were guarding him,
accompanied with the suggestion that he
had better walk on. With the greater
gentleness Of manner, according 10 the
legend, Christ informed the inhuman
jew that as punishment Of his unkind
ness IL would be his tate 10 walk on till
the Day OF Judgment, q sentence he has
been and IS believed by many to be still
eNplatlng. According 10 some authOri-
ties he started on his travels within an
nOur. others assert that he was given
until the following day to bid farewell to
his Wife and children and arrange his
scanty baggage.
No route appears to have been indicated
Tor that endless journey, but. the Glas-
gov -foii says, Ahasuerus appeared to
consider it the most natural to make a
tour Of the globe. no forest OF desert be-
ing pathIess to him, and the ocean heing
TN N~Ea1-- iNta Il i.f1n a
According to Eugene Sue he had a pref
erence Tor the land rs presenting the
fewer Obstacles, this author, in the intro
duction to his work, THE Wandering
jew" representing him crossing Ben
rings Straits accompanied By his wife.
This is believed to be the only appear
ance OF this lady III literature In the
thirteenth century knowledge OF the
wanderer began 10 be diffused 10y means
OF the bards and popular ballads among
the common people Of Europe, but il Was
only some 700 or 800 years later that the
extraordinary tale OF his sutlerings be-
came universally known, and his person
was made familiar to all by the accounts
OF those who had seen and cOuversed
with him. No one appears to have met
aim until late in the sixteenth century,
but after that date lie was often seen by
persons OF rank and education in Eng
land, Scotland, France, Italy, hungary,
Sweden, Persia. Denmark and other
countries. IN 1910 two ambassadors at
the court Of the Spanish monarch met
him at Madrid. In 1888 he was seen at
Vienna, and i'll 1901 at Lubbock. In 1916
many persons saw and talked with him
IN Livonia, GracoVia and at Moscow. The
German cities were particularly favored
with his lying visits, for he is heard of at
ROStOck, W eimar, Dantzig and kOnigS-
berg, al each OF which places lie was
treated with AL the hospitality the brief
time at his disposal permitted.
His positively last appearance was at
Brussels IN liza. lie would probably
have passed by this city with his usual
haste had not the burgesSeS, attracted by
the great venerability OF his appearance,
asked hlnI to stop a moment. He at first
replied that he could not stop, but, being
urged, paused briefly. Being invited
into an inn to partake Of pot Of Fleln-
ish beer, ne consented to drink the beer,
bat positively refused to sit down. How
ever, he delayed long enough to tell Of
the entire history OF his sin and its 800
years of eXpiation. From his personal
explanation it appeared that he crossed
seas, rivers, riVulets, deserts, mountains,
hills, valleys and plains with the same
facility. lie passed through fire and
water without harm. He had passed
among warning hosts in Europe and Asia
without deviation from his course, and
witnessed many deaths in America and
Africa. lie had neither house nor land,
nor any sort OF personal property,
and his only financial resources were 5
cents, which, when spent, were con-
stantly renewed in his pocket. Many
consider the W wandering } ew to be typical
of the people OF which he is representa-
tive, compelled to wander without pause
or rest i'll foreign lands, always, never
theless, with something in the purse sym
bolized by the cents replaced as fast as
expended in the pocket of the eternal
wanderer. Recent events in Russia have
given new meaning and a wider sug-
gestiveness to the legend, which bids iaIr
to last as long as there shall remain a
vestige of Christian literature.