Conciliator

Written with a Marrano readership in mind, offering an insight into Rabbinic Judaism by reconciling seemingly discordant passages in the Bible. Menasseh’s magnum opus, the Conciliador—first printed in Spanish, and a year later in Latin translation—assured its author a place of prominence in Amsterdam’s Jewish community. The Spanish edition received the hearty endorsement of Frankfurt’s rabbi, Sheftel Hurwitz. The volume attempts resolutions of no less than 180 seeming discrepancies in the Pentateuch. The breadth of Menasseh’s encyclopedic knowledge is breathtaking. There are citations from no fewer than 221Jewish and 54 non-Jewish authorities. “No reader could fail to be impressed by the amazing range of titles which the author proudly appended to the work” (Cecil Roth, A LIfe of Menasseh ben Israel: Rabbi, Printer, and Diplomat [Philadelphia, 1945], p. 88).