An English Translation of Agobard of Lyon's 'De Baptismo Judaicorum Mancipiorum'

Agobard of Lyons was a ninth century Christian bishop well-known to students of early medieval jewish history in part because he was involved in encouraging the active prosecution of the jews in Frankish kingdom under Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious. He wrote several treatises against the jews; none of which are more than a few pages long, which are filled with information about them and scholars agree (often grudgingly) that Agobard was well acquainted with jewish culture and Judaism (although as far as we know he himself wasn't of jewish origin) in spite of being a fanatical opponent of both. 'On the Baptism of Jewish Slaves' is the first of Agobard's writings against the jews appearing in 823 A.D. and was followed by four others in the next five years, which charts his struggle against the power of the jews in the Frankish court.

As no English translation I know of has appeared of these texts I have decided to translate the Latin original into modern English as these texts are not well-known but are of inherent value to anti-jewish thought precisely because they are rich in contextual information as well as highlighting a period of time when Christianity was a major force against Judaism as opposed to trying to placate it as is common now.

To do this I have taken the text of Agobard's work from the 'Patrologia Latina' (Vol. 104, Col. 173-178) and translated it in relation to the meaning of text as to translate much of what Agobard says literally would be largely meaningless to most readers. I have also taken the liberty here and there of inserting qualifying words and phrases as to make the meaning clear without resorting to footnotes and thus hopefully making Agobard's text less stilted than it originally was.

To wit:

'On the Baptism of Jewish Slaves

To the most holy and blessed of men, Bishop Hilduin and the Abbot Wala from Agobard their most humble servant.

In your prudent gentleness I have presumed to write the following to you both, because without you I would know little and as you are known to be helpers of our most Christian emperor: therefore you will always be well regarded at court and will always be vigilant in searching out doctrinal error and heresy.

If this influence and search for the enemies of the faith is to be maintained: you have to be prudent in your suggestions and encouragement to those who would aid us in this struggle. I write to each of you to relate the conversion of a Jewish woman to Christianity; who is now blessedly transferred to the grace of Christ, and suffering of severe persecution for the faith she has received in Christ and in this case there is little better example of womanhood.

And so now the cause of this persecution of Christians; which is a common error of the wicked, which I hope you will be pleased to read signifying your continuing regard for my work.

The Jews use a law; as given to them by the Emperor, to boast that without the consent of the owner no one can baptise Jewish slave. That is not believed by us; as Christians, at all, as that is to claim that from the court of the most Christian of Christians came forth a decree which is un-Christian in nature.

For the Emperor knows very well that your eminences; beloved of God, have instructed him in the same way that the holy apostles did from the beginning of the Church. From his teaching we see that Christianity is in reality a precept of the truth, by which; without any discrimination between the nations or any exceptional conditions, it is instructed of us as Christians that we shall: 'Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and Holy Spirit.'

And again: 'You shall go into the world, and preach the gospel of the Almighty. He that believes and is baptised shall be saved.' That and all the rulers of the faith and who are consistent in that faith, all the successors of the early Church, all of the servants, and not only the men, but also the women and children of the Emperors and Consuls, and by preaching to convert them to the faith, with no mention of having scrupled to ask for permission to baptise the servants from the masters. This is easy to recognize historically, especially in light of the apostolic letter that clearly demonstrates this. For at the end of the Epistle to the Philippians (4:22) we read: 'All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household.'

This refers; as it was written in the time of Nero who was one of the most impious men who has ever lived, to those of Caesar's household who ministered to his court and as no one doubts that the preaching of the apostles converted these servants: they would never have been able to be sanctified by the grace of baptism if Caesar's permission had been sought. For in this matter those who live in the greatest fear of persecution are not only the unbelievers; lest they should come to the faith, but also those who have already embraced the faith. Hence the generals of Christianity; the masters and teachers of the faith, saw in Christian doctrine a science that was to be propounded among the nations in order to furiously slay the atrocity of unbelief.

In the Epistle of Timothy; after he had commanded that all men should pray to God, the Apostle states: 'For this is good and they took in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For we are one again, and there is but one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.' And to Titus; in relation to old men and women, children, young men and all slaves, he explained the proper law: 'For the grace of God our Saviour has appeared to all men, instructing us,' and so on.

If therefore; in order to clearly proves these examples, it is the will of God our Saviour that all men are to be saved and should be brought to a knowledge of the truth and are to be reconciled through one mediator between God and man (the man who gave himself as a ransom for all). Then if by the grace of reconciliation and salvation to all without shedding light on distinctions or putting limitations on the goodness of God: it is wrong to make such laws if one is a Christian and in addition to this it appoints the wicked as a court of appeal over those who would be righteous. This then would put the wicked Jews in a position where their stubborn disbelief in the faith of Christ allowed them the ability to blaspheme in public and private without legal recourse, which would therefore only strengthen their disbelief.

In short it is easy to see that if we piously consider the one omnipotent God; the just creator of  all, who formed the first man out of the clay of the earth and the first woman out of man's rib: then the whole human race is from a single source and has grown from a single root, which means that all men and women are but one large family.

And although the equal and just judgement of sin and of all secret things past and present occurs: some are born to a variety of honours (i.e. are wealthy and influential – KR) while others are born cowering in the yoke of bondage (i.e. to be low-born or more precisely to be born into slavery – KR). There can be a way shown to all these men and women; from the ministry of Christ, an equality of spirit as we need but inwardly imagine man to be his own foundation beholden to no other man, to no angels and to no one at all other than the only creature he wants himself to be subject to: God.

Hence; in divine law, every man is a slave of the mind beholden only to God expressed when we are admonished: 'Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.'

And the Apostle; in regard to the diversity of the nations and the freedom of all to worship his Creator, teaches in just such a way: 'Regard the old man within you by his own deeds, and look to your neighbours, who are being renewed in the divine knowledge, and see the image of him that created them: where there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, Barbarian or Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.'

When, therefore, those who are to be baptised; by doing so acknowledge the Creator in their inner life so that they may be free of spiritual slavery, are held by back by the wishes of their wicked masters who can hinder or help them in achieving the renewal of their souls: should this be legal?

In his letter to Timothy the Apostle gave the following instruction: 'Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honour, that the name of the Lord and his doctrine be not blasphemed. They that have believing masters, let them not despise them, by which they are brethren, but do them service, because they are faithful,' and so on. (1 Tim. 6:1)

In these words evidently directed towards the servants, some of whom were Christians and of whom some were unbelievers, he is speaking to both believers and unbelievers. In these words the apostle is evidently speaking to the servants; who he assumes to be Christian believers, but also he is also talking to unbelievers who serve their master. This is because the unbelieving servant can be lead into the true faith by the example of the believers or of a believing master.

We learn that Onesimus a slave of Philemon's; whom the Apostle Paul had converted to and baptised in the faith of Christ in prison, complains that he has been rejected by Philemon and Philemon is instructed by Paul to take him back.

Those who wish to follow the commands which stem, as it were, from the imperial authority and fear to transgress these are caught between two dangers. If we observe this imperial command, ignoring the rules of the Church, we offend God and if we follow God's command: we face the wrath of the Emperor. The Jews cannot be trusted not to use their influence in the palace to attack our efforts on behalf of Christ. Do not count on their meekness as doing so will bring problems and persecution for ourselves and also those who we have been able to convert to the faith as it will throw an impediment in the way of the spread of Christianity among the Jews.

Hence, representatives of the most high and loving God, as it were, as your special strength is your pious minds and learning, intercede with the most Christian Emperor and see if this obstacle can be removed from the path of the holy work of the Church.

To great men, and the greatest of which is the most just, have been given the reigns of government. We should trust that the love of the merciful goodness of Christ himself should come to our aid, lest the souls, from which he was able to be increase the flock of the faithful and for the salvation of which the universal Church; by the Passion of the Lord God, has been entrusted should become imperilled by removal of legal sanction against public opposition to the commandments of God which are the snares of the devil intended to deceived man.

In all events we have established from the sacred canons that if any of the Jews wish to be baptised, the bishop, if he wishes, to redeem them or any other of the faithful should have jurisdiction and not the Emperor.

What we do willingly admit is that this only requires them to come to faith. This shouldn't be taken  as removing their material status as slaves, but rather that sons of Christ are no longer slaves in spirit so that they might come to the faith as unbelievers should.’

To read my English translation of Agobard’s ‘On Jewish Insolence’ see here: https://karlradl14.substack.com/p/an-english-translation-of-agobard