December 31, 2016 – Christmas + 6
Persecution of Jews by the Spanish Inquisition

On this date in 1492, an estimated 100,000 Jews experienced the culmination of their expulsion from Sicily. Here is a first hand account of this event.

“In the spring of 1492, shortly after the Moors were driven out of Granada, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain expelled all the Jews from their lands and thus, by a stroke of the pen, put an end to the largest and most distinguished Jewish settlement in Europe. The expulsion of this intelligent, cultured, and industrious class was prompted only in part by the greed of the king and the intensified nationalism of the people who had just brought the crusade against the Muslim Moors to a glorious close. The real motive was the religious zeal of the Church, the Queen, and the masses. The official reason given for driving out the Jews was that they encouraged the Marranos to persist in their Jewishness and thus would not allow them to become good Christians.” (Wikipedia)

Also in the year 1492, thousands of Jews were expelled from Spain. The expulsions were the culmination of “anti-Jewish” sentiment that flourished throughout the 14th and 15th centuries in Europe. Many Jews had converted to Christianity to avoid expulsion, but maintained much of their Jewish heritage in practice and inward piety. Thus the powers of the church and state looked to remove those converts who were not “sincere” in their Christian faith. Since much of Europe was under Christian rule, the best way to avoid influence and thus power on the part of Jews was simply to remove them from the country. It would take Vatican II and the actions of this ecumenical council to remove many of the decrees about Jews that still existed in writing in 1968.

We end this year remembering those who have been persecuted in the name of G-d, and those who struggle for the name of G-d to continue to be worshipped and remembered. Every year we begin anew – on January 1 – and often we make resolutions to make our lives better, more meaningful, and less unproductive. Let us resolve to worship G-d more, proclaim the name of Jesus more, and judge others less.

Pastor Dave