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NOTES TO INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 1 Jewish Folk-Lore has preserved many stories illustrating the secret fidelity to Judaism of persons baptized under such circumstances. The most striking is the legend of Elhanan, the legendary Jewish Pope, kidnapped son of a learned Rhineland rabbi. 䊴 2 See Critique du nobilaire de Provence composé par M. l’Abbé Robbert de Briançon, contenant l’epurement de la noblesse du pays . . . l’abrégé de l’histoire des Juifs en Provence, le catalogue des nouveaux chrétiens de race judaique de ce pays, etc., by Abbé Barcilon de Mouvans (British Museum, Ms. Add. 15653: John Rylands’ Library, Manchester, Mss. Crawford 26 and 48). 䊴 3 After the Greek occupation and the systematic Hellenization of Salonica, the Donmeh migrated, particularly to Smyrna, Adrianople, etc. It is difficult therefore to give exact details of their condition and distribution at the present day. It may be mentioned that the Young Turk movement of 1913 was to a large extent led by members of this sect (Djavid Bey, etc.). 䊴 4 According to one theory, the famous ceremony of the Annulment of Vows on the eve of the Day of Atonement, the Kol Nidre service, was instituted for the benefit of these Spanish cryptoJews, in order to absolve them from any undertaking for the observance of Christianity in the following year. According to this view, the congregation cover their heads with the Tallit at this point, so that any crypto-Jew amongst them should avoid recognition; while the initial reference to the ‘Abaryanim (i. e. “the transgressors”) is taken as a cryptic allusion to the Iberians! 䊴 5 Almoravides derives from the same root as the English marabout, with the Arabic definite article prefixed: Almohades is from the same root as the Hebrew Ehad (“One”), its followers vaunting their devotion to strict monotheism. 䊴 6 A close parallel to these secret Jews was provided by the Mavali, or secret Christians of Moslem Spain. 䊴 7 It is only right to add that the temporary apostasy of Maimonides, and even his authorship of the treatise here under discussion, are strenuously denied by many scholars. 䊴
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