Tractatus de imposturis et ceremoniis Iudaeorum nostri temporis

professor of Cologne. During morning prayers, they give thanks to God that He has deigned to keep them pure and immune from the errors of the Christians, whom they claim worship a dead God, devoid of counsel and aid. Christoph Mandelius of Ofen explains the reasoning to Emperor Ferdinand in a certain letter, stating that the Turkish Emperor’s successes in Hungary—as if by his own wish—occurred because too much license was granted to the Jews to practice inexhaustible usury throughout Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Austria. From this, he says, a Trojan Horse of other evils emerges: they are entirely occupied in theft, plunder, slaughter, and betrayal, even to the point that they opened and pointed out a secret path for the Turks into Hungary and betrayed the island of Crete to them, for which crime they were driven into exile by the most illustrious Venetian Senate. Having learned this, Ferdinand took care that they should all be expelled from his kingdom and dominion; only the Jews of Prague bought their immunity with a great sum of money. Moreover, they utter the word Woric excrement/spittle, which signifies spittle, because it has the same numerical value as the word Jesus, with such loathing that they spit it out in indignation. Truly, in this way they are more contumacious than Satan himself, who, upon hearing this name, is struck with such fear and horror that he trembles and shudders. On the night of the Nativity of Christ, during which they read the book Doldum Iesum a derogatory title for Jesus in sport and jest, they vomit forth dire and impious blasphemies. "Let that God of the Christians, who is slaughtered and tormented with eternal tortures, be cursed for ages of ages." I omit the rest. Also, with a hideous and huge effigy raised, they shout three times, "Jesu, Jesu, Jesu," striking such terror into their children that, nearly dead with fear, they attempt to escape in every direction and save themselves by flight. Others, thinking that Christ is tormented with the most cruel and exquisite tortures that night, ask God that nothing of the punishment be remitted, saying: Schemohu vesichru May his name be blotted out. Lord Jesus, only and beloved Son of God, how long will You suffer Your patience to be mocked by this madness? By this means, they lead unwary infants to destruction and ruin.