1492 - 2002; 510
Years
Remembering a Discovery
& Forgetting a Degradation
Compiled & Edited by Messianic Rabbi Ed Rothman
Continued from page 1
Was Columbus Catholic or Jewish?
Research into historical documents has brought to light evidence
that there may be more to Columbus than has been told thus far.
The Spanish name for Columbus is Colon (pronounced Coh-lone), which
is Hebraic in origin. His father came from Catalonia, a region in
northeastern Spain, from which Jews fled pogroms (organized massacres
of the Jewish people) in 1391. He did not speak or write in Italian,
but in Castilian, the language spoken by the Jewish refugees of
Catalonia, who immigrated to Genoa, Italy, where Christobal Colon
was born. His trade was that of a weaver, one of the few open to
the Jews of that time period.
In 1476, Columbus traveled to Portugal, where his life became intertwined
with the Jewish community of Juderias, the Jewish ghetto of Lisbon.
There he met and befriended Don Isaac Abarbanel; Jewish theologian,
Biblical commentator, Financier and Treasurer to King Alphonso V.
Years later; Isaac Abarbanel became the Treasurer to King Ferdinand
V & Queen Isabella and helped to finance the first voyage of
Christopher Columbus.
He also made the acquaintance of Abraham Zacuto, Astronomer to
the King of Portugal and Scientific Advisor to his Sea Captains.
Zacuto invented the first metal Astrolabe (used for navigation),
which made the voyages that Columbus would make possible (considering
that he was sailing in uncharted waters).
Other useful tools Columbus used for navigation were the Baculus
Jacob (Jacob's staff), invented by Levi ben Gershon and the Quadrant
Judaicus, invented by Jacob ben Machir Tibbon. Yehuda Cresques
of Majorca, a center for Jewish Cartography, produced many of the
maps that Columbus used. All the nautical instruments and maps that
Columbus used for his voyages were produced by the most brilliant
Jewish minds of his time.
Luis de Cerda, the Count of Media-Celi, took Columbus in during
a difficult period in his life and introduced him to his cousin,
Cardinal Pedro Gonzales de Mendoza of Toledo. Both the Count and
the Cardinal were related through the same Jewish grandmother. Cardinal
Mendoza endorsed the plan that Columbus proposed to the Spanish
monarchs and Count de Cerda also lobbied them on his behalf.
Columbus gained the support of some of the most powerful and influential
Jews with access to the royal court. Abraham Senior, Luis de Santangel
and Isaac Abarbanel were among those who not only caught the imagination
of Ferdinand & Isabella but convinced them of their confidence
in Columbus by partnering with them in the financing of his expeditions
too. It is assumed that these men must have converted to have such
trust from and access to the King & Queen.
12 letters that Columbus wrote to his son Diego have survived to
this day. In the upper left hand corner are the Hebrew letters,
Bet & Hay, written in his own handwriting. Some scholars claim
that these letters stand for Be'Ezrat HaShem
(With the help of the Name of G-d). Others believe it stands
for Baruch HaShem (Blessed be the Name
of the L-RD). These 2 letters were a common code among the Jews
of that era. They were found only in his letters to his son, Diego,
the child of his marriage to Dona Felipa Perestrello e Moniz, who
was of Marrano descent on her mother's side.
All of his crewmembers were believed to be Christians, including
some Conversos (some having been baptized only days before the 1st
voyage). Luis de Torrez, the first to sight land, was hired as an
interpreter, because it was believed that when the ships reached
India, they would find remnants of the lost tribes of Israel and
would need to speak to them in Hebrew. Columbus made constant reference
to the Hebrew Scriptures, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, David
and Isaiah, as well as the City of Jerusalem. He even computed the
age of the world by reference to the Biblical Jewish calendar.
Near the end of his life he signed his will with a coded signature
in the shape of a triangle that was common among the Marranos. Scholars
suggest it stood for a Latinized Hebrew prayer. His signature read
as follow:
Which means: "Holy, Holy, L-RD you are
Holy. L-RD grant us Your mercy."
He strongly encouraged his son, Diego to use this type of signature
himself.
It is of further interest that within his will, Columbus asked
that a tenth of all his wealth be given to the poor by providing
a dowry for impoverished girls. This was to assist them in their
finding a good husband. He requested that he remain anonymous. He
also requested that ½ mark in silver be given to a certain
Jewish man who lived at the entrance to the Juderias, the Jewish
ghetto of Lisbon.
While there is no absolute proof that Columbus was a Jewish believer
in Jesus, there seems to be ample evidence that he was well connected
with the well-placed and influential Jews of his day. If it had
not been for the many Jewish financiers and cartographers, would
Columbus have been able to embark on so perilous a journey? Did
G-d use him to open us the way to a haven for the lost sheep of
the house of Israel, until Eretz Yisrael should be restored to us
in these latter days, to once again be our homeland, forever!
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