Disgruntled Karaite Or Jewish Convert To Christianity, Who Was Nicholas Donin?
Who was Nicholas Donin? Was he simply a disgruntled Karaite who took advantage of the fervid, sympathetic ear of the anti-Semitic church? Or was he a sincere convert to Christianity? Was his motivation for instigating the disputation of Paris in 1240 (which resulted in 3,000 Jewish deaths, 500 forced conversions, and 24 carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts set on fire in the streets of Paris) out of a desire to execute revenge on Jewish Orthodoxy or a desire to champion Christian doctrine? How did his actions, and later that of Pablo Christiani, influence today’s Messianic movement? Listen as Rabbi Tovia Singer sets the record straight.
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If he was a convert to Judaism could that be the reason for the stringent path to conversion today?
He was a Jewish convert to Christianity. First from Jewish orthodox, to Karaite, then, having found a favorable ear in the Christians, he identified with them in order to demonize the orthodox who rejected him.
That was a great show, Jono. Fascinating, informative and inspiring. I always look forward to you and Rabbi Singer on your podcast. Now I’m headed to the interweb to reference Donin and 1240 C.E. Paris. You see, I’m inspired. (From my FB post)