Manasseh ben Israel

Manasseh ben Israel
orig. Manoel Dias Soeiro

born 1604, Lisbon?
died Nov. 20, 1657, Middelburg, United Provinces of the Netherlands

Portuguese-born Dutch Hebrew scholar and Jewish leader.

He was born to a family of Marranos whom persecution drove to Amsterdam. A brilliant theology student, he became rabbi of a Portuguese congregation in Amsterdam in 1622 and established the first Hebrew printing press there in 1626. In the belief that the messiah would come only when the Jews were dispersed throughout the world, he lobbied the English government to allow Jews to live in England, and he wrote Vindication of the Jews (1656). His efforts led to unofficial English acceptance of Jewish settlement and, after his death, to the granting of an official charter of protection to the Jews of England in 1664.

* * *

▪ Dutch scholar
Manasseh also spelled  Menasseh,  original name  Manoel Dias Soeiro 
born 1604, Lisbon? [Port.]
died Nov. 20, 1657, Middelburg, Neth.

      major Hebraic scholar of the Jewish community of Amsterdam and the founder of the modern Jewish community in England.

      Manasseh was born into a family of Marranos (Marrano) (Jews of Spain and Portugal who publicly accepted Christianity but privately practiced Judaism). After his father appeared as a penitent in an auto da fé, the family escaped to Amsterdam, where Jewish settlement was officially authorized. Manasseh, a brilliant theological student, became the rabbi of a Portuguese Jewish congregation in Amsterdam in 1622. He founded that city's first Hebrew printing press in 1626, publishing his works in Hebrew, Latin, Spanish, and Portuguese.

      Among his writings, Conciliador, 3 vol. (1632–51), was an attempt to reconcile discordant passages in the Bible; it established his reputation as a scholar in the Jewish and Christian communities. Manasseh maintained friendships with Hugo Grotius and Rembrandt, corresponded with Queen Christina of Sweden, and was an early teacher of Benedict de Spinoza.

      Manasseh believed that the messiah would return to lead the Jews to the Holy Land only after their dispersal throughout the world was achieved. He considered immigrating to Brazil in 1640 and reported the alleged discovery in South America of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel in Esperança de Israel (“Hope of Israel”). To support the settlement of Jews in Protestant England, where their presence had been officially banned since 1290, he dedicated the Latin edition of this work (1650) to the English Parliament.

      Manasseh continued to plead for the formal recognition of Jewish settlement in England, and he appeared before Oliver Cromwell in London in 1655 to argue his cause. While in England he wrote Vindiciae Judaeorum (1656; “Vindication of the Jews”) in answer to contemporary attacks on Jews, including William Prynne's Short Demurrer. He returned to Holland in 1657, believing his mission to have been unsuccessful. His efforts, however, initiated the unofficial English acceptance of Jewish settlement and led to the granting of an official charter of protection to the Jews of England in 1664, after Manasseh's death.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Manasseh ben-Israel — (1604–67)    Amsterdam rabbi. Manasseh was the son of a Marrano family in Portuguese Madeira, and was baptized Manoel Dias Soeiro. Soon after his birth his parents settled in Amsterdam. There they became openly Jewish, the father adopting the… …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • Manasseh ben Israel — (1604 57)    Dutch rabbi. Born a marrano in Madeira, he was taken to Amsterdam as a child. He succeeded Isaac Uziel as preacher to the Neveh Shalom congregation in 1622. In 1626 he founded the earliest Hebrew printing press in Amsterdam and… …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Manasseh ben Israel — orig. Manoel Dias Soeiro (1604, ¿Lisboa?–20 nov. 1657, Middelburg, Provincias Unidas de los Países Bajos). Líder judío holandés, estudioso del hebreo, de origen portugués. Nació en el seno de una familia de marranos cuya persecución los llevó a… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • MANASSEH-BEN-ISRAEL —    a Jewish rabbi, born at Lisbon; settled at Amsterdam; wrote several works in the interest of Judaism (1604 1659) …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • MANASSEH (Menasseh) BEN ISRAEL — (1604–1657), Amsterdam scholar, printer and diplomat. Manasseh, who was born a Marrano in Lisbon or La Rochelle, was baptized as Manoel Dias Soeiro. According to an unreliable document of the Portuguese Inquisition, he was born on the island of… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Menasseh Ben Israel — Engraved portrait by Salomo d Italia, 1642 Born 1604 Madeira Island, Portugal Died 1657 Middleburg, Nether …   Wikipedia

  • Menasse ben Israel — Kupferstich von Salom Italia, 1642 Menasse ben Israel (* 1604 in Lissabon oder La Rochelle; † 20. November 1657 in Middelburg, Niederlande) war ein sephardischer Jude, Gelehrter, Diplomat …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ISSERLES, MOSES BEN ISRAEL — (1525 or 1530–1572), Polish rabbi and codifier, one of the great halakhic authorities. His full family name, Isserel Lazarus was shortened to Isserles, but he is usually referred to as the Rema (acronym of Rabbi Moses Isserles). Isserles was born …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Ben — /ben/, n. a male given name, form of Benjamin. * * * (as used in expressions) Akiba ben Joseph Alfasi Isaac ben Jacob Alkalai Judah ben Solomon Hai Abba Mari ben Moses ben Joseph Israel ben Eliezer Ben Ali Zine el Abidine Ben Bella Ahmed Ben… …   Universalium

  • Israel — /iz ree euhl, ray /, n. 1. a republic in SW Asia, on the Mediterranean: formed as a Jewish state May 1948. 5,534,672; 7984 sq. mi. (20,679 sq. km). Cap.: Jerusalem. 2. the people traditionally descended from Jacob; the Hebrew or Jewish people. 3 …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”