Nicholas Donin

Nicholas Donin, also Nicholas of Rupella (born in the 13th century, from La Rochelle ) was a Jewish apostate pays the Paris Talmud process of 1240.

Life

Little is known about the origin of Donin. His surname Rupella suggests that he came from La Rochelle. He was a student of Rabbi Yechiel ben Joseph of Paris and was excluded from the 1225 because of heretical behavior from the Jewish community. Reason of the ban was either that he dealt with karaitischem ideas, or more likely because he was impressed by the ideas of Maimonides. According to the testimony of his teacher since he meditated evil against us and tried to harm the Jews. Following the escalation of Maimonidesstreites of 1232, when at the instigation of French Tosafists books were burned by Maimonides, Donin finally turned off from Judaism. To be able to do better against his Jewish enemies and their " blasphemy and stupidity" ( blasphemiae in Deum and stultiae ), he was baptized in 1235 or 1236 and then entered a mendicant orders.

When, after the ritual murder accusations of Fulda of the year 1235 Frederick II in 1236 in Augsburg convened a meeting Donin participated as one of the invited converts also participate. However, he came with his slander that the ritual murder in the Talmud was founded, not by.

After Donin with the Emperor was not successful, he went in the same year to its opponents Pope Gregory IX. to Rome. After three years he had won the Pope for his cause. In June 1239 Gregory IX gave. the bishops of France, England and Spain instruction to seize all available Talmud copies on 3 March 1240 a Sabbath during the service. In the Talmud it subsequent process of Paris, the 35 points, the indictment made ​​against the Talmud of the Donin basis. Main point of contact on the Jewish side were his former teacher Yehiel ben Joseph and Rabbi Judah ben David of Melun. A main charge was that the Talmud ask the oral tradition of the Torah and that he was full of illicit anthropomorphism, obscenities and blasphemies against Jesus, Mary and the Church. A severe indictment contained point 10 in which Donin led, stand in the Jewish scriptures, one should be the best among the Christians kill ( optimum Christianorum occide ). The Jewish defenders succeeded for the time being to fend off the attacks. However, two years after the trial, it came in 1242 to the great Talmud burning of Paris. On two consecutive days were 24 truckloads of Hebrew books that had been previously collected from all over France, publicly burned.

The further career Donins is unclear. He is said to have continued his anti-Jewish activities for a long period. Whether he had become a really good Christian, is doubted. In 1287 his name was mentioned for the last time, because he had attacked in a pamphlet of his order.