Bodo-Éléazar

Bodo or Bodon (born in 814) was a Diacre palate and confessor of Louis the Piles, wire of Charlemagne, king d' Aquitaine (781 - 814) then emperor of Occident (814 - 840). After a life dissolue at the court, it illustrated by its Conversion with the Judaism at the beginning of 838, after having pretexted to carry out a Pèlerinage with Rome. It moreover would have sold his companions pilgrims in slavery with Spanish Musulmans , except for one of its nephews who would have converted like him.

It leaves in 839 the frank Royaume for Moslem Spain, takes the Jewish name of Eléazar , is made circoncire and Marie with Jewish. Its conversion, marking the rejection of the Carolingian culture and the Christian faith , doubles soon ignited proselytism: in 840, Bodo, installed with Saragossa, encourages the government Moor and the population to persecute the Spanish Christians and to force them to convert with Islam or the Judaism.

According to Leon Poliakov, it is in the light of bright conversions as his that it is necessary to read the ignited letters of Agobard and Amolon.

Correspondence with Alvare

In 840 Bodo-Éléazar begins an epistolary disputation with a Christian intellectual Paul Alvare, a knight saying to be of Jewish ascent, with Cordoue, then Moslem ground. Between the two converts reciprocally addressing by the formula “my brother to the distorted ideas,” a dialog begins where both try to bring back the other to its old faith. The dialog is made equal footing, without one finding there skews in favor of the typical Church of the Disputations Judeo-Christians which will be held a few centuries later.

Some of the exchanged letters could be preserved. The origins of the following letter are dubious but it is allotted to Bodo:

As for your assertion that the Christ is God, in association with Holy Spirit, and that you then venerate it because it does not have a human father, with him, you also must venerate Adam, the father of the human race, which has neither father nor mother, and whose flesh, blood, bones and skin were created starting from clay. Its breath was given to him by the Holy Spirit and it became an intelligent being. And also, Eve was created starting from a coast of Adam, without father nor mother, and its breath was also insufflated to him and it became intelligent. Also you must venerate them!

See too

References

Hirsch Graetz, translated from German by Misters Wogue and Bloch: History of the Jews in the Frank Empire
(in) : Alan D. Corré: The letter of the Bishop
(in) : Lawrence Epstein: The theory and practice to accommodate the converts with the Judaism
(in) : Richard Gottheil & Hermann Vogelstein, Bodo ~ Jewish Encyclopedia
(in) : Franklin abstr.: From Aix to Andalusia: the voyage of the deacon Bodo

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