Norwich bulletin., 1922-08-17
Famous Literary Mysteries
The Wandering Jew.

It has been a much discussed eues- tion for a number of centuries as to 1 how the popular legend of the Wander 1 ing Jew took its origin. Whether from an incident mentioned in some one of the many gospels unaceepted by the Crusaders or invented in the Dark Ages is not known.
 So far back as the year 1000 such a lasting vagabond has been talked of but since 1928 the tradition is known with certainty to have prevailed, and thus an ancient writer tells it: 'The Jews dragged Jesus from the judgment hall, and when He fell upon the thresh- old Cartaphilus, Caiaphilus, who was the porter of Pontius Pilate, ,insolently pushed him, striking Him on the back with his fist and saying to Him with mocking laugh: Co faster Jesus, go faster; why dost Thou hnger?"
 Thereupon Jesus looked on him with frown and said: 'T go, but thou shalt tarry until I come" And, indeed, ac- cording to the Lords word, Cartaphilus yet awaits the coming of Christ. He was about thirty years of age at the pe- riod of the Passion, and ever since, whenever he attains the age of a hum dred years, he Is seized with a. strange infirmity, which seems ineurabIe and becomes as young again as at the moment of the Passion.
 This same writer continues: "After the death of the Saviour, Cartaphilus became Christian, was baptized by the Apostle Avanius and took the name of Joseph. At the present day this Joseph generally resides in the one or other Armenia, and in various lands of the east He is man of holy conversa- ton and great piety, speaking little and never smiling. He perfectly remembers the death and resurrection of Christ" The whole story of this character is myth, the origin of which no one has ever been able to explain. There is certainly no mention of this character in the Bible.
 The earliest mention of the wanderer at present known is i1 the ancient book 1 of chronicles of the Abbey of St. AL | bans, dated in the year 1928.
 1 According to a variation of the story the name of the Wandering Jew was i not Cartaphilus, but Ahasuerus Though l so anxious to die. it is said the wan derer is looking forward with lear te | the second coming of Christ, lest the | latter be still angered with, him. He rests his hope of salvation on the fact that he sinned through ignorance. for the Lord. when suffering on the cross prayed. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"
 If the story of the Wandering Jew i, wholly a myth. it is certainly the mos
 authenticated of all tales suspected t;
 be fabulous. Within every century sine, the beginning of this story there hay, been the outcast, and many remarkable stories have been told by them sugges
 tions have been made that insane per
 sons afflicted with harmless mono mania, may have. with all sincerity, as sumed the part on some occasions. i'm
 posing their own delusion upon othe
 people. But whatever explanation o
 the matter may be given, the story 0
 this man who, through the centurie: ! continues to live against his will, eve
 passing on from place to place in seek
 ing the blessing of death that Is de nied him, is surely the most inpressiv |, tragedy we know.
 The story has been turned to aecour
 by numerous nevelists and painters. H l Is introduced in Edgar ouinet's "Ahau n serus" and by Chanisso, Schlegel. L. I nau, Anderson. Croly in his novel, 'SaIa
 thiel" and by Eugene Sue in his move
 'Le Huff Errant" Gustave Bere ulu.
 trated him in a series of wood cuts C T great originality.