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May 22, 2012 · Some scholars, after analyzing Columbus' will and other documents, have devised a new theory about the explorer. They believe he was a Marrano, or a Jew who pretended to be a Catholic to avoid religious persecution.
Unfortunately, there is no physical historical evidence of Columbus’s roots, according to Prof. Ram Ben-Shalom, director of Hebrew University’s Center Hispania Judaica.
Years of speculation suggest that most stories about him are probably based on legend. However, one theory seems particularly persistent: For many years, it has been rumored that Christopher Columbus was Jewish or of Jewish descent.
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May 22, 2012 · Christopher Columbus' Jewish roots examined by historians. Over five centuries after the famed explorer's death, historians are taking a fresh look at what motivated Christopher Columbus...
Another piece of evidence lies in the fact that all the personalities who supported Columbus before the kings are of Jewish origin and that his voyage was mainly funded by two Jewish conversos and a prominent Jew: Luis de Santángel, Gabriel Sánchez (treasurer of the Crown of Aragón, d. 1505), and Don Isaac Abarbanel, respectively.
Unlike his entirely negative attitude to the Muslims, Columbus saw the Jews and Jewish tradition in a more positive light, as part of the religious quest of humanity. The discoveries of Columbus were echoed in Jewish sources; a collection of correspondence from 16 th century Italy (Firenze, Biblioteca Medicea Laurentiana, Ms. Plut. 88.12 p. 13v ...
Oct 8, 2015 · Many mysteries surround the origins of Christopher Columbus. One recurrent claim is the explorer had Jewish roots. The arguments are based on a number of observations or interpretations: First, Columbus was knowledgeable of Jewish history and traditions, such as referring to the Second Temple as “The Second House,” a term used only in ...
