Reichlin argument

In 1509, Reichlin was called to dispute by a baptized Jew, Pfefferkorn . The lengthy literary conflict that arose between the two is justly considered the highest point in the development of German humanism. Pfefferkorn proposed to burn all Jewish books and force Jews to attend Christian churches, he invited Reichlin to determine which books should be burned and which should be left. Reichlin opposed the offer of burning books in principle. He divided all Jewish books into several categories (Holy Scripture, Old Testament, Talmud, etc.) and proved that in each of them there is a lot of good for Christians.

Works and literary struggle

Initially, the main leader of obscurantism was Pfefferkorn with his essay Handspiegel (Hand Mirror, 1511), in which he openly accused Reichlin of aiding Jews and raised the question of his competence in the Jewish language. He enlisted the support of the Dominican Order and Cologne theologians.

Reichlin could not ignore such a frank attack in his direction and after a while he published a pamphlet entitled “Eye of the Mirror” accusing Pfefferkorn of immorality, discrediting his arguments. He appealed to the solidarity of all the learned forces of Germany against Pfefferkorn and his party. Cologne Dominicans, led by Hochstraten, could not leave unanswered the Reichlin pamphlet; the argument of the latter with Pfefferkorn was transferred to the church forum. The theological faculty of the University of Cologne demanded from Reichlin that he withdraw from sale all his writings for Jews and publicly renounced the Talmud.

The following year, Cologne theologians published a Latin pamphlet against Reichlin, depicting in an insulting manner all his behavior in this matter, and one of their minions, Ortuin Grazius, a man who received a humanist education, and therefore became a traitor to the common cause, wrote Latin poems about how hell rejoiced over the protection of the Jews by Reichlin and the celestials were saddened, “Jovis alma parens” (that is, the Holy Virgin) cried, and Christ felt pain in his old wounds. In the same year, Pfefferkorn wrote a new pamphlet (Brandspiegel) proposing to evict old Jews and Jews to an uninhabited island, and raise Jewish children in the Christian faith; there were new attacks on Reichlin. Then the famous humanist printed the pamphlet Defensio contra calumniatores colonienses (1513) in the form of a petition to the emperor for protection, although this did not prevent him from expressing himself sharply about his literary opponents, like donkeys and pigs, ignorant and impudent people, and even cast a shadow over the marital fidelity of the wife of Pfefferkorn. In response to this, the imperial chancellery issued a “silentii mandatum”, that is, forbade the continuation of the polemic until a decision was made on this matter by competent persons, as universities continued to consider it. The question excited all the learned and educated Europe by this time. Even sovereigns became interested in him. Louis XII turned to Paris theologians on his occasion, recommending that they do not indulge the Talmud defender, and his successor Francis I directly sided with the scholastics, as did the young King of Spain Charles I (future Emperor Charles V), while Maximilian supported, on the contrary , Reichlin, who found a patron, in addition, and in the Duke of Württemberg. The case finally came straight to the trial of the Reichlin. At first, Hochstraten took up it, but then, by order of Pope Leo X, it was transferred to the Speyer bishop, who acquitted Reichlin. Then the Cologne theologians, not wanting to abandon their plans, nevertheless began to judge Reichlin and sentenced him “Augenspiegel” to be burnt with the executioner's hand. Both parties then appealed to the curia, and the Cologne theologians even threatened, in the event of losing their case, to appeal to the ecumenical council. Then Papa ordered an end to further controversy and postponed the final decision of the case.

The news of the upcoming Reichlin trial aroused great sympathy among the humanists. It was expressed in a number of letters sent to him, which he hastened to publish in the form of a collection entitled: “Letters of famous people” (Epistolae illustrium virorum, 1514). The young humanist poet Ulrich von Gutten published the poem pamphlet The Triumph of Kapnion (1517), Kapnion was the Hellenized name of Reichlin, in which he presented the embarrassment of the scholastics and Pfefferkorn due to the victory of the learned humanist. These publications interested all educated people in the matter and inclined public opinion to the side of Reichlin. But the most severe blow of the entire nasty party was dealt by the appearance at the end of 1515 of the famous " Letters of Dark People " (Epistolae obscurorum virorum). The success of the book was extraordinary: at the beginning of 1516 its second edition was needed, and in the same year the third appeared with the addition of new letters, and when the second part was published in 1517, it very soon demanded a new edition.

“Letters of Dark People” was the work of a circle of young humanists who had been grouping at one time near the University of Erfurt. One of the main employees in this collective enterprise was Johann Jäger from Dorningheim, humanistically Mole Rubian; Ulrich von Gutten probably also participated in the second volume. These letters, written in barbaric Latin and filled with stupidities and obscenities, were composed on behalf of various "dark", that is unknown, mostly fictional people with funny names and addressed to the deserter Ortuin Graz. The fake was made so skillfully that many scholasticists at first rejoiced at how different doctors and masters belittled the Reichlinists and Reichlin himself in his letters. Obscurantists have become a universal laughing stock. The book contained a concise program of humanistic enlightenment as the basis for the liberation of the country from the spiritual dominance of orthodoxy and extortion of the papacy. The output of the Letters became a symptom of the civic maturity of the radical part of the movement, which had outlived the tradition of compromise with the old church.

• The history of the culture of Western Europe in the Renaissance // Ed. L. M. Bragin. M .: Higher school, 2001;
• “Letters of Dark People” (translation by S. P. Markish) ;
• Dove Strauss, “Ulrich von Gutten” (Russian translation, edited by E. Radlov, St. Petersburg, 1896);