Nicolas Antoine

Nicolas Antoine born with Briey towards 1602, is a theologist protesting French which adopted the beliefs of the Judaïsme and proclaimed to be converted with the Judaism, although it was never accepted by the Jewish community.

Living like a crypto-Jew, he died torture victim on roughing-hew it, the April 20th 1632, with Geneva.

Conversion refused by the Jewish community

Nicolas Antoine was born catholic parents in 1602 or 1603 in Briey, a small town of the Duché of Lorraine; During five years, it follows the courses of the college of Luxembourg, then is sent to Pont-à-Mousson, Trier and Cologne for higher learning at the Jésuite S. Their influence however seems to have been non-existent, because with the return of Briey, Nicolas Antoine, then twenty years old, is not any more one enthusiastic catholic.

The doctrines of the Protestantisme attract it and he agree to be converted by Ferri, Pasteur of the reformed church of Metz, preacher famous and of great eloquence. The young convert attends the academies of Sedan and Geneva to study the reformed religion, but there too, its enthusiasm decreases as it looks further into his studies. He arrives rather quickly at the conclusion, rather unexpected, that only the Old Testament contains the truth, and is defined secretly as Jew, although he is unaware of that the Judaism rests not only on the Hebraic Bible, but also on its tradition of oral interpretation which shaped in the Talmud.

The Rabbin At of Metz refuses to accommodate the young man in the Judaïsme, by pretexting the fear of reprisals on behalf of the authorities, and advises in Antoine to go to the Netherlands or in Italy, where the Juifs enjoy a greater freedom.
Accompagné of Christian Pasteur , which he knew in Sedan and that he tries in way to bring to his beliefs, it arrives at Venice, where it discovers that the living conditions of the Jews that one had described to him were largely exaggerated. The Jews are only tolerated by the République of Venice, for trade names; they are locked up in a lugubrious ghetto and are obliged to carry a yellow disc which exposes them to the mocking remarks of the population. The Venetian Jews can only bring their encouragement. With Padoue, it finds an identical situation.

According to the documents produced at the time of its lawsuit, the Italian Jews would have given him like “ diabolic council ” to continue its life of pious Jew under the clothes of the Church. Nicolas Antoine goes then to Geneva where it accepts a post of tutor in the family of Pasteur and professor Diodati. During some time, he teaches also the higher class of the college, but being a apostate Catholicism, he is not considered sufficiently orthodoxe so that one entrusts to him the pulpit of philosophy of the Academy of Geneva.

Pasteur protesting, although Jewish

Nicolas Antoine, wishing to marry, seeks another assignment. A new Protestant parish has just been created with Divonne, a small village of the Pays of Gex, which belonged to France until in 1602, and which now is attached to the religious jurisdiction of Geneva. There, Antoine obtains the station of Pasteur.

Once installed, he seeks to alleviate his conscience. Revealing its major convictions with nobody, it observes an entirely Jewish lifestyle secretly, saying its Hebrew prayers and observing all the mosaic rites. In its public offices, he as seldom pronounces the name of Jesus as possible. He would never have read the apostolic confession in an audible way and in the Communion, instead of the words: " This is my flesh, this is my sang" , it pronounces the sentence: " Your saver remembers vous" . Its sermons whose texts originate in only the Books of Isaïe and others Prophète S, become famous in the area, although they miss Christian characteristics curiously. The peasants of Divonne are satisfied perfectly with their Pasteur, who is eloquent to the extreme and full with kindness in their connection; they are not shocked by the vague form of its sermons.

However, the lord of the close castle is insult, and estimates that Antoine exceeds the terminals when, one Sunday, he preaches on the Psaume 2 (which according to orthodoxe Christian theology, announces the arrival of the son of God) by declaring that God does not have wire and that there is one God. The lord of the manor protests with vehemence against Pasteur heretic and threatens to denounce it with the Synode.

Nicolas Antoine falls into a deep despair; a nervous attack makes him lose the reason. Several of his colleagues of Geneva, who come to see it, he sings the sixty-fourteenth psalm, then stops abruptly and exclaims that he is Jewish and blasphemy Christendom. One recognizes his madness and one puts it at the bed, but he escapes his guards and vagrant in the countryside. The following day one finds it in Geneva in a miserable state, kneeling in the street and calling with high way God of Israel. The February 11th 1632, one places it in an asylum of insane. The medical care has only few effects. His/her ecclesiastical colleagues make all their possible so that it changes religion and returns to Christianity, but it do not cease proclaiming themselves Jewish and wish to remain Jewish.

Its imprisonment and its execution

A charge for heresy cannot be avoided more a long time; the chief of the police force of Geneva stops Antoine, and starts continuations. While it is in Prison, the clergy unceasingly tries to obtain its reconversion, trying in vain to make him sign an orthodoxe declaration of faith. Obliged to formulate his religious belief, Antoine writes twelve articles which are immediately subjected to a ecclesiastical Tribunal. These articles work out the principles of the Judaism in the style of the thirteen articlees of faith of Maïmonide to which he adds eleven objections philosophical against the dogma of the Trinité . At the same time, it sends to the judges three requests of which two were preserved. In spite of the efforts of Metrezat, Pasteur of Paris, and other pastors, the judges are intractable.

The lawsuit begins the April 11th; the attitude of Antoine, full with dignity, generates much sympathy. The threats of the judges do not have more effect than persuasions of his/her colleagues. He repeats constantly: I am a Jew and I ask for God the honor of die for the Judaism . The court tries to show that it tried to spread its doctrines heretics in Geneva, which it denies with greatest energy. All the efforts of the judges receive the same answer: With the assistance of God, I am determined to die in my current religion .

Fifteen members of the clergy and the professors of Théologie are quoted like witnesses. Several ask a light sentence, because in their opinion, Antoine did not make of sin while becoming a Jew, although because of his hypocrisy, it deserves to be défroqué and banished, or in the worst case the Excommunication. Moreover, they affirm that the decision should not be precipitated and that it would be desirable to know the opinion of various churches or academies. A fanatic majority however insists that the judges choose this occasion to show their faith, because it would be very dangerous to exonerate one as of their which professed the Judaism while wearing the dress of a Christian priest. During a few days, before making a decision, the judges still await an abjuration of Antoine.

The sentence is finally marked the April 20th 1632. Antoine is condemned to be connected, brought to the Bûcher, strangled and flaring. In vain the members of the clergy beseech a deferment. Antoine is carried out the very same day. He goes to dead peacefully, beseeching the forgiveness of God of Abraham.

References

References of Jewish Encyclopedia

(of) : Sammter, Ale. Zeit. D. Jud. 1894, Our. 4 and 5;
rev. And. Jewish , xxxvi. 163, xxxvii. 161-180.I

Other references

to rough-hew It of Nicolas Antoine (Talk with the Liberal Protestant Union, on September 17th, 1990 in Geneva)
(of) : Wohlan, lasst ones sterben zu Ehre of the grossen Gottes Israels! of A. Meier; Review: Judaica ISSN 0022-572X; 1992, vol. 48, NO3, pp. 132-141

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