Rodrigo Lopez
Letters exchange from The Jewish Question in Early Modern England and Examination of Rodrigo Lopez-
A Summary
Examination of Rodrigo Lopez
Lopez was a Portuguese Jew who converted to Christianity and lived in England. He served as the Queen’s physician, and was accused of conspiring with Spanish civilians to murder the queen. He claimed that he was innocent and only cooperated with the Spanish in order to reveal their dangerous intentions. Lopez was found guilty nonetheless, and was executed. Kaplan brings original documents from the time of the execution, and claims that they prove that Lopez was convicted because he was Jewish. The conviction documents compare Lopez to Judah who betrayed Jesus, and state that Lopez cannot be …show more content…
His first argument is that the Jews will bring profit to England, and that their trading skills will contribute to the English economy and trading connections. The second argument is more complicated and relates the loyalty of the Jews to the English king. In order to prove this loyalty, Ben Israel refutes some of the common false accusations against the Jews.
The first accusation he refutes is usury. According to Ben Israel, usury is not common among the Jews, and those who practice it are wicked Jews. Moreover, the Spanish Jews see it as forbidden, and compare it to the sin of robbing strangers. Then Ben Israel addresses the accusation of the murder of Christian children in Passover. He says that it is as baseless as the similar accusation which was made against Christians when they were foreigners in other countries. Ben Israel also explains that contrary to the common belief, the Jews do not aim to convert all Christians.
His final argument is related to the return of the messiah. Ben Israel explains that there are two preconditions for the return of the messiah: First - the Jews have to be dispersed all over the world including England; and after that they have return to Israel. According to this logic, the Jews have to return to England in order for this process to
A Summary
Examination of Rodrigo Lopez
Lopez was a Portuguese Jew who converted to Christianity and lived in England. He served as the Queen’s physician, and was accused of conspiring with Spanish civilians to murder the queen. He claimed that he was innocent and only cooperated with the Spanish in order to reveal their dangerous intentions. Lopez was found guilty nonetheless, and was executed. Kaplan brings original documents from the time of the execution, and claims that they prove that Lopez was convicted because he was Jewish. The conviction documents compare Lopez to Judah who betrayed Jesus, and state that Lopez cannot be …show more content…
His first argument is that the Jews will bring profit to England, and that their trading skills will contribute to the English economy and trading connections. The second argument is more complicated and relates the loyalty of the Jews to the English king. In order to prove this loyalty, Ben Israel refutes some of the common false accusations against the Jews.
The first accusation he refutes is usury. According to Ben Israel, usury is not common among the Jews, and those who practice it are wicked Jews. Moreover, the Spanish Jews see it as forbidden, and compare it to the sin of robbing strangers. Then Ben Israel addresses the accusation of the murder of Christian children in Passover. He says that it is as baseless as the similar accusation which was made against Christians when they were foreigners in other countries. Ben Israel also explains that contrary to the common belief, the Jews do not aim to convert all Christians.
His final argument is related to the return of the messiah. Ben Israel explains that there are two preconditions for the return of the messiah: First - the Jews have to be dispersed all over the world including England; and after that they have return to Israel. According to this logic, the Jews have to return to England in order for this process to