Other rabbis expressed more lenient views, and held that no one was to be deprived of their rights as a Jew as long as they were not seen to transgress the precepts of Judaism when there was no longer danger involved.
Some authorities ruled, however, that if the Marranos of a certain locality succeeded in fleeing to a country where they could return to Judaism, while others remained there to retain their material possessions, the latter were no longer presumed to have the privilege of being regarded as valid witnesses or even Jews.
#RITA MORENO HUSBAND JEWISH FULL#
The basis of this decision was the statement by Maimonides that although one should allow oneself to be put to death rather than abandon one’s faith in times of persecution, “nevertheless, if he transgressed and did not choose the death of a martyr, even though he has annulled the positive precept of sanctifying the Name and transgressed the injunction not to desecrate the Name, since he transgressed under duress and could not escape, he is exempted from punishment.” In accordance with this ruling, other rabbis ruled that those New Christians who remained in their countries because they were unable to escape and flee, if they conducted themselves in accordance with the precepts of Judaism, even if only privately, were full Jews their shehitah could be relied upon, their testimony in law cases accepted, and their wine was considered kosher. The New Christians who continued secretly to observe the precepts of Judaism as much as possible after their conversion were not regarded as voluntary apostates. Like the word Conversos, but unlike Marranos, the term New Christian carried no intrinsic pejorative connotation, but with the increasing power of the Inquisition and the growth of the concept of “ limpieza de sangre,” cleansing the blood, the name signaled the disabilities inevitably heaped on those who bore it. The third group, in Portugal, was converted by force and royal fiat in 1497. The second, also in Spain, were baptized following the decree of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492 expelling all Jews who refused to accept Christianity. The first group converted in the wake of the massacres in Spain in 1391 and the proselytizing fervor of the subsequent decades. “New Christians” is a term applied specifically to three groups of Jewish converts to Christianity and their descendants in the Iberian Peninsula. Today, the word Marrano is considered offensive by descendants who prefer the term “ Anusim.” “New Christians” Large numbers of middle-class Jews outwardly adopting Christianity to avoid the laws, while secretly practicing Judaism. The laws in 14th and 15th century Spain became increasingly oppressive toward practicing Jews, and conversion was provided as an alternative to death. Many were forced to convert to Christianity to save their lives. “Marranos” started appearing with the first riots in the Juderias of Spain. It is not clear if the “Old Christians” only, or the secretly practicing Jews, also called themselves “marrano.” In Latin America, as a rule, it is not found in official documents, and there is little evidence of its unofficial use in most places. Although romanticized and regarded by later Jewry as a badge of honor, the term was not as widely used, especially in official circles, as is often believed. The most probable is from the Spanish word meaning swine or pig, derived from the Latin verres “wild boar.” The term probably did not originally refer to the Jews’ reluctance to eat pork, as some scholars hold from its earliest use, it was intended to impart the sense of loathing conveyed by the word. All such derivations, however, are unlikely. Various origins for the term “marrano” have been suggested, which include the Hebrew marit ayin (“the appearance of the eye”), referring to the fact that the Marranos were ostensibly Christian but actually Jews mohoram attah (“you are excommunicated”) the Aramaic-Hebrew Mar Anus (“forced convert”) the Hebrew mumar (“apostate”) with the Spanish ending ano the Arabic mura’in (“hypocrite”) and the second word of the ecclesiastical imprecation anathema maranatha. Converso, from the Latin conversus, meant literally the converted. The terms “Marrano” and “converso” were applied in Spain and Portugal to the descendants of baptized Jews suspected of secret adherence to Judaism. Table of Contents| History & Overview| Martin LutherĬonversos and Marranos “New Christians” Anusim Movement From Spain Protestant Lands Jews And Popes The Colonies Jewish Professionals Conversos and Marranos
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