Bernard Respected and Protected the Jews

Bernard’s boss and mentor in C;teaux Abbey was the famous Stephen Harding – one of the founders of the Cistercian Order and the principal author of the Harding Bible. For the Old Testament, Harding reached out to rabbis who supplied the Chaldean and Hebraic versions to resolve problematic passages and worked closely with the abbot to ensure the accuracy of translation.

Being a close associate of Harding, Bernard most definitely came in close contact with these rabbis – and possibly even befriended them. Which made them respect and (when he got the power to do so) protect them.

As in the First Crusade, the preaching of the Second one led to attacks on Jews as the latter were (mostly incorrectly) viewed – in modern terms – as the “fifth column” of Muslims.

A fanatical French monk named Radulf was apparently inspiring massacres of Jews in the Rhineland, Cologne, Mainz, Worms, and Speyer. The archbishop of Cologne and the archbishop of Mainz were vehemently opposed to these attacks and asked Bernard to denounce them.

This he did, but when the campaign continued, Bernard travelled from Flanders to Germany to deal with the problems in person. He then found Radulf in Mainz and was able to silence him, returning him to his monastery.

Bernard composed a letter of protest against persecution of Jews which was sent to England, eastern France, and Germany. In this letter he laid down the general lines of policy with regard to the Jews by which the Roman Catholic Church has since been guided.

According to Bernard, Jews were not to be disturbed or destroyed, because they are living symbols of the Passion; for which they were to be punished mainly by dispersion, so that they shall be witnesses. But (un his not-so-humble opinion) they will ultimately be converted.

One statement in that letter was especially powerful: “Whosoever touches a Jew to take his life, is like one who harms Jesus himself”. Which makes complete sense – being the son of a Jewish woman, Jesus was… well, a Jew.

Close contact with Jewish rabbis made Bernard understand and respect Judaism and made it easier for him to accept conversion of Hugh of Champagne and 11 other knights into a reincarnation of Old Testament religion with Jews replaced by Knights Templar (the “New Israelites”). The religion of Ark Templar.