Faith Strengthened

Of the many polemic works written in defense of Judaism in response to the relentless missionary activities of the Church none gained as wide a recognition by both Jews and Christians as Hizzuk Emunah. Written by the Karaite, Isaac Troki (1533-1594), it combines the forceful defense of Judaism with a bold refutation of Christian doctrines. In the first part of the book the author refutes the divinity of Jesus and demonstrates that he was not the Messiah predicted by the Prophets. He concludes this part with explaining all those obscure and difficult passages in the Bible which are repeatedly used in support of various Christian doctrines. The second part is devoted to a systematic critical examination of each book of the New Testament exposing their many glaring inconsistencies and contradictions. Hizzuk Emunah is a powerful polemic work which may well be considered an early forerunner of later textual criticism of the New Testament. In fact, through Wagenseil’s Latin translation its arguments became the object of passionate debate in Christian circles as early as the 17th century and were used by all freethinkers in the period of French Enlightenment including Voltaire. Thus it could be stated that this work, written by a Jew in defense of Judaism, had contributed to the intellectual ferment of the 18th century, which ultimately led to the French Revolution.