The Talmud Unmasked
Encyclopedia
The Talmud unmasked is book written in 1892 by Justinas Bonaventure Pranaitis
(1861–1917). The book, generally regarded as antisemitic, is a collection of quotes from the Talmud
and Zohar
which purports to demonstrate that Judaism despises non-Jews and promotes the murder of non-Jews. While most of the quotes are accurate, some are fabricated, and others are taken out of context. Pranaitis was not able to read Aramaic, the primary language of the Talmud, and so he relied primarily on the works of Jakob Ecker and August Rohling
. Various elements tend to prove that the author, whose incompetence was established unambiguously at the time of the Beilis trial, ignores the rabbinical literature which he intends to describe, unlike other Christian polemists from which he largely borrows.
, the Zohar
, and other talmudic works. The book claims that the Talmud urges Jews to do a variety of harms to Christians, such as murder and theft, and that each death of a Christian serves as a substitute for the Temple sacrifices, which would then hasten the arrival of the Jewish messiah. The Talmudic prohibitions about consuming blood were circumvented, according to the book, by boiling the blood.
, which it precedes by a few years. The book, generally regarded as antisemitic, is a collection of quotes from the Talmud and Zohar which purports to demonstrate that Judaism despises non-Jews and promotes the murder of non-Jews. While most of the quotes are accurate, some are fabricated, and others are taken out of context. Pranaitis could not read Aramaic or Hebrew (the languages of the Talmud), and probably used works by August Rohling and others as his sources.
(1871) and The Traditions Of The Jews by Johann Eisenmenger (1711).
This text is widely used for antisemitic purposes on the Internet and it regularly is translated or republished nowadays and put online by various antisemitic websites such as negationnists, islamist, altermondialists, far right neo-Nazis, fundamentalist catholics. Extracts from this book or the whole book are published in pdf on these websites or on other, similar ones.
and the Zohar
, and Pranaitis presents the Zohar as if it were part of the Talmud, however the Zohar is a thirteenth century Kabbalistic work and is not part of the Talmud. It is also written in a sensibly different and more difficult aramaic than the Talmud and there are no sources supporting that Pranaitis knew it. His ignorance of some simple Talmudic aramaic concepts and definitions, such as "hullin" has been demonstrated during the Menahem Mendel Beilis
blood libel
case in which he testified as a "Talmud expert".
describes how the book was used by cults to support apocalyptic theories, particular relating to the end-of-times.
Justinas Pranaitis
The Reverend Justinas Bonaventura Pranaitis or Pronaitis was a Lithuanian Catholic priest, Russian Master of Theology and Professor of the Hebrew Language at the Imperial Ecclesiastical Academy of the Roman Catholic Church in Saint Petersburg, Russia...
(1861–1917). The book, generally regarded as antisemitic, is a collection of quotes from the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
which purports to demonstrate that Judaism despises non-Jews and promotes the murder of non-Jews. While most of the quotes are accurate, some are fabricated, and others are taken out of context. Pranaitis was not able to read Aramaic, the primary language of the Talmud, and so he relied primarily on the works of Jakob Ecker and August Rohling
August Rohling
August Rohling was a German Catholic theologian, student of anti-Semitic texts, and polemical author....
. Various elements tend to prove that the author, whose incompetence was established unambiguously at the time of the Beilis trial, ignores the rabbinical literature which he intends to describe, unlike other Christian polemists from which he largely borrows.
Presentation of the book
The book is a compilation of selective quotes from the TalmudTalmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, the Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
, and other talmudic works. The book claims that the Talmud urges Jews to do a variety of harms to Christians, such as murder and theft, and that each death of a Christian serves as a substitute for the Temple sacrifices, which would then hasten the arrival of the Jewish messiah. The Talmudic prohibitions about consuming blood were circumvented, according to the book, by boiling the blood.
Accuracy and fabrication
The Talmud unmasked, is actually a misleading and inaccurate book, presenting false quotations of the Talmud, intended inter alia making believe that the Jews would not regard the non-Jews as human beings and that it would conceal blasphemous towards Jesus Christ and offensive passages towards the Christians. This work is comparable with The Protocols of the Elders of ZionThe Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fraudulent, antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for achieving global domination. It was first published in Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the twentieth century...
, which it precedes by a few years. The book, generally regarded as antisemitic, is a collection of quotes from the Talmud and Zohar which purports to demonstrate that Judaism despises non-Jews and promotes the murder of non-Jews. While most of the quotes are accurate, some are fabricated, and others are taken out of context. Pranaitis could not read Aramaic or Hebrew (the languages of the Talmud), and probably used works by August Rohling and others as his sources.
Structure and themes
Pranaitis organized the book as a compilation of extracts from the Zohar and Talmud that contained material that could be construed as disparaging to Christrians. A portion of the book's outline is:- Chapter I. Christians are to be Avoided
- Art. 1. Christians Unworthy to Associate with Jews
- Art. 2. Christians are Unclean
- Art. 3. Christians are Idolaters
- Art. 4. Christians are Evil
- Chapter II. Christians are to be Exterminated
- Art. 1. Christians to be Harmed Indirectly
- 1. By not helping them
- 2. By interfering in their work
- 3. By deceit in legal matters
- 4. By harming them in things necessary for life
- Art. 2. Christians to be Harmed Directly
- 1. Renegades to be killed
- 2. Apostates
- 3. Princes especially the Prince of Rome (the Pope) to be exterminated
- 4. All Christians to be killed
- 5. Killing a Christian is an acceptable sacrifice to God
- 6. Heaven promised to those who kill Christians
- 7. A Christian may be beheaded on the most solemn festivals
- 8. The Messiah expected will be revengeful
- 9. Jewish prayers against Christians
- 10. Christian prayers for the Jews
- Art. 1. Christians to be Harmed Indirectly
Antisemitism
Scholars classify The Talmud Unmasked as an antisemitic and anti-Talmudic work, comparable to Der Talmud Jude by August RohlingAugust Rohling
August Rohling was a German Catholic theologian, student of anti-Semitic texts, and polemical author....
(1871) and The Traditions Of The Jews by Johann Eisenmenger (1711).
This text is widely used for antisemitic purposes on the Internet and it regularly is translated or republished nowadays and put online by various antisemitic websites such as negationnists, islamist, altermondialists, far right neo-Nazis, fundamentalist catholics. Extracts from this book or the whole book are published in pdf on these websites or on other, similar ones.
Zohar and Talmud
The book includes numerous quotes from the TalmudTalmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and the Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
, and Pranaitis presents the Zohar as if it were part of the Talmud, however the Zohar is a thirteenth century Kabbalistic work and is not part of the Talmud. It is also written in a sensibly different and more difficult aramaic than the Talmud and there are no sources supporting that Pranaitis knew it. His ignorance of some simple Talmudic aramaic concepts and definitions, such as "hullin" has been demonstrated during the Menahem Mendel Beilis
Menahem Mendel Beilis
Menahem Mendel Beilis, 1874 – July 7, 1934, was a Ukrainian Jew accused of ritual murder in Kiev in the Russian Empire in a notorious 1913 trial, known as the "Beilis trial" or "Beilis affair". The process sparked international criticism of the antisemitic policies of the Russian Empire...
blood libel
Blood libel
Blood libel is a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, usually Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays...
case in which he testified as a "Talmud expert".
Use by apocalyptic cults
Jeffrey KaplanJeffrey Kaplan (academic)
Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan is an American academic who has authored and edited a number of books on religious violence, terrorism and the far right. He is an Associate Professor of Religion at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and a member of the Board of Academic Advisors of the university's Institute...
describes how the book was used by cults to support apocalyptic theories, particular relating to the end-of-times.
See also
- Antisemitism
- Criticism of the Talmud
- Criticism of JudaismCriticism of JudaismCriticism of Judaism has existed since Judaism's formative stages, as with many other religions.-Heretical views within Judaism:In many religions ex-members and excommunicates became known for doctrinal disputes with their former faith. In Judaism a process similar to excommunication is called cherem...
- Johann Eisenmenger