About
"The wandering Jew" by Moncure Daniel Conway is a comparative folklore and religious study written in the late 19th century. It investigates the legend’s origins, variants, and meanings across Eastern, Hebrew, and Christian mythologies and European folk tradition. Centering on figures like Cartaphilus/Ahasuerus and other “undying ones,” it explores how the tale reflects humanity’s fears, hopes, and the social treatment of Jews.
The opening of this study explains why the subject deserves serious attention, then gathers the earliest attestations: a 13th-century account recorded by Matthew Paris about Cartaphilus, a related version in Philippe de Mousket, and a 16th–17th-century wave of pamphlets and claimed sightings of “Ahasuerus” from Hamburg across Europe. It recounts Westphalus’s influential 1613 report of a penitent Jewish shoemaker cursed by Jesus to wander, notes both skeptical and credulous responses, and catalogs further notices (including the Turkish Spy letter), early English
Source and licence
This work is public domain or openly licensed. The licence terms are published by the source.
How do I open it?
Use the Shopy 101 app to download it or read it in place. Anything you add to your library stays the same on every device.