Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/398

350 "

Alexander, Bernhard Alexander Jagellon

THE JEWISH

ll'ijoiciiwhnft. S.V.; Herzoir, RfnleiicyMnptlilie fllr l'r<ilf»tautififlu- Tln'ohniii s.v.; Schiirpr. (irsch. i. i:U. 17H-1H:J. and on J). ,K: (inltz, fii'ni-h. it. Juilfn., 'm note 111 nil J). 17H; (irillz, flfnrli. ,1. Jiulen, 'M pd., II. IIKI'.I; Winer,, It. II. S.V.: l<<hiMik.'l, IliliiUrriliini. s.v

L.

ALEXANDER, BERNHAKD:

iirdlVssnr nf ]iliiliis(i|iliy niiil fStlii'lics; Biuliipisl April i:!. 1S.")0. He wa.-icducatcd iu native town, and later attended German universi-

writer

born liis

O.

Ilunirmian

iiMcl


 * il

pursuing eliietlv the study of pliilosophy, estlietrpon his return to Ilunfrarylie ics. and pedairo^'V. was appointed to a professorsliip in a reiilnchiile { Budapest, and in 1878 was admitted as a doeent into ties,

the faculty of

iiliilo.sopliy at

the rniversity of IJuda-

where he hecame professor in 18!t.'>. Since 1892 he lias been lecturing on dramaturgy and esthetics at the National Theater Acaileniy, and on the latter science and the history of civilization at the Francis pest,

Josejih I'olytechnicum. He isacorrespondin!; nieinbcr of t he I funjiarian Academy of Science and a memberof the Kisfaludy Society, llischief worksare: " A

Torteneteuek Kszmeje Tekintctli'l a Ti'irtenetrcAltalaban" (Ibidapest, 1878); "Kant Elete. Fejlodese es Filosofiaja " (crowned by the Academy Filosjilia

of Science, 1889);

"A XIX.

A/.szad Pes.simismus!i, 1884, prize essay), .Tozef Hanoczi, is now editinjr the "Filosoliai Irok Tara series. AmDiie; the ten volumes already pulilished there are his popular translations, to which he has added annotations, of Descartes, Hume, and the " Prolefiomena " to Kant. Conjointly with Banoezi he translated Kant's " Kritik der ]{eiiieu Vcrniuift." He has also been a very active writer on pedagogical subjects. From 1882 to 188(! Alexander edited the pedagogical journal "Magyar Taniigy," and in 1891 the review "Orszagos Kiizepiskolai Tamirok

Schopenhauer

Ilartmann" (Budajiest, Alexander, together with Prof. es

Kozlouye." Bibliography: Pallm Le.ricim, Tnrit.

I.;

Szinnyci Magyar Ir6k

i.

-M.

ALEXANDER, THE FALSE



A

W.

pretender to

the throne of .ludea. Almut 4 n.c, a .Tewish youth living in Sidou and reared by a Homan freedniau claimed the throne. He asserted that he was Alexander, the son of Herod and ^larianuie, pretending that the assassins who had been instructed by Herod to slay both his sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, had taken pity on them, allowed tlieiu to escape, and substituted two corpses in their )ilace. The striking resemblance borne by the pretender to the real .lexander

the

was

deceived even

tho.se

who had known

It seems, however, that the youth in reality the tool of a man intimately acquainted

lat ter clo.sely.

with the Herodian coiut, who hoped by placing his creature upon the throne, though for (mly a sliort interval, to secure enough plunder and then to disappear. The deceivers appeared first in circles in which Alexander had not been ])ers(]nally very well known. Thus he was welcomed in Crete and in Melos by the Jews, who willingly furnished him with ample fluids and ii royal equipment to undertake the journey to Koine, necessary to substantiate his claims with the emperor. The Jews in Rome likewise received him with open arms, and offered public thanks to God for the wonderful preservation of a scion of the beloved Ilasnionean house. Augustus himself, however, was not so credulous. He knew Herod too well to believe that he would have allowed one he had condemned to death to escape he

was

also closely acquainted with Alexander's fea-

On seeing the young man's robust form and toil-marked hands he was convinced of the fraud, and sought to move the pretender to confession by tures.

K.NC

VCLOPEDIA

360

solemnly pledging him his life. The youth acknowledged the deception and told li. and "Ii. ,1," 11. 7. Si l-:!i. (J. I..

ALEXANDER DE BRiEUS



FRANCISCIS,

Author and bishop

at

Forli;

HE-

lived

in

His Jewish name was Elislia de Uoma. After his baptism he entered the order of the Dominican friars, in whiih he distinguished himself as an orator. Pope Cliiiieiit VIII. appointed him proctor, then vicar geiiersil, anil, finally, bishoji of Korli. which otlice he held from l.^iili to l.')97. The hitter part of his life he spent as a civilian in Home. He wrote: (1) Hebrew notes on Genesis and Exodus, with special reference to the textof the Vulgate; (2) a book entitled " De Tempore et de Knirir

the sixteenth century.

ill

Sanctis." liiHLKioKAPiiY: VoRplsteln and Kleger, Ge»ch." he for the first lime made extensive use in the systematic treatment of Christian theology of Aristotle's " Logic " and such otlii'r works of this philosopher as were accessible in Latin translations. The dialectic method, which was afterward employed in the works of Christian scholastics, was probably develojied and improved by him, whence he acquired among his conteniporaries the title of " Doctor irrofragaliilis et thi'ologorum monarchus." Although steadfast in his theological coiiviclious, he was not in the least intolerant toward other denominations; indeed, toward the. lews he exhibited exceptional clemency and iiiijiartiality. .s to the iiuestiou whether

Jewsand pagans with their religious practises should be tolerated among Christians, he deprecates the classing of Jews with pagans or Saracens who" usurp the Holy Land," and luaintains that the .lews

.should be treated with forbearance for the reason that through them the Christians received the I.,aw .lesusof Nazareth was descended from their race, and theirpres;

enjoined by Holy Writ. In answer to an argument against the toleration of the Jews namely, that the Talmud in many jilaccs slanders Jesus and his mother he maintained that the Jews committed no wrong in writing such statements, as it was their religious belief that the Messiah had not yet come. He justified Ihepuni'hnienl of Jews when they were guilty of juiblic defamation or blasiihemy, claiming, however, that even then it should not be more severe than the punishment of Christians committing like otTenses; but all books containing revilings he held should be burnt ("Summa Cniversit Theologia'," tiook ii. p. 179, g 1), This verdict refiects the state of mind prevailing at that time in Paris, occasioned by the discussionsand jiroceedings then pending relative to the burning of tlie Talmud. Relying upon a del ision of the Council of Toledo (.'589), and moved by other motives as well, .VIexander was opposed to constraining the Jews by punishment and menaces to embrace the Christian faith {il>i<l. bookii. p. 179, i;4). I'lilikc other theologians of histime who eagerly sanctioned the confiscation or ]ilun(l(ring of the property of the Jews, he ervation

is

—

—