FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

Pietro Galatino’s Work on the Secrets of Catholic Truth.

As much as I am able to perceive from those things which have been said back and forth by you in my presence until now: there is a significant dispute between you regarding the Talmud The central text of Rabbinic Judaism, which became a focal point of intense Christian debate in the early 16th century., from which your entire controversy takes its origin. For one of you indeed attempts to condemn the Talmud as entirely evil and utterly repugnant to the Christian religion; and he strives to prove this by many articles framed against the other’s little book, titled the EYE-GLASS original: "Oculare Speculum," referring to Johannes Reuchlin’s Augenspiegel (1511), a defense of Jewish books against the Cologne inquisitors.. The other, however, strives with the greatest zeal to defend the Talmud itself as being good in many respects, and extremely profitable, convenient, and necessary for the Catholic truth in order to crush the most stubborn neck of the Jews. Since, therefore, both of you seem to seek nothing else but the truth—nor indeed (as I myself believe) did you both meet with me for any other reason than for the sake of searching out that Truth—and since I too intend to say nothing except what savors of the Christian truth for the purpose of defining the articles to be discussed, I judge that I shall perform a worthwhile service for the Christian Commonwealth if, before we come to the articles themselves, I do not neglect to unlock the secrets of the Catholic faith itself lying hidden in the Talmud, both for the foundation of your dispute and for the understanding of the Truth to be investigated. For through these Talmudic Galatino argues that ancient Jewish writings actually contain evidence for Christian doctrines, a common theme in Christian Kabbalah. writings of the ancient Jews, not only are all the cavillations Deceptive or distracting arguments; here, Galatino refers to the interpretations used by Jewish contemporaries to reject Christian claims. of the more recent ones—who strive with every effort to pervert the prophecies of the Prophets—completely refuted, but the Truth of the Orthodox dogma also shines forth most clearly.