Johannes Pfefferkorn

Johannes Pfefferkorn was a German convert from Judaism whose attacks on Jewish books prompted a major early sixteenth-century controversy with the humanist Johannes Reuchlin.

Holy Roman Empire: A Central European political entity that existed from the Middle Ages until 1806. Its fragmented jurisdictions shaped the authorities Pfefferkorn appealed to.
Confiscation of Jewish books: The seizure of Jewish texts by Christian authorities or communities. Pfefferkorn’s principal demand was that Jewish books be taken from their owners.
Johann Pfefferkorn: A German convert from Judaism who campaigned against Jewish books in the early sixteenth century. This spelling is an alternate form of Pfefferkorn’s name in historical references.
Letters of Obscure Men: A satirical Latin collection that mocked scholastic opponents of Johannes Reuchlin. Its parody transformed the controversy into a widely read attack on Reuchlin’s adversaries.
Anti-Judaism: Hostility toward Judaism and Jewish religious practice, especially when grounded in Christian theological claims. Pfefferkorn’s attacks expressed Christian anti-Judaism through demands to destroy or seize Jewish books.
Jewish books: Texts produced within Jewish religious, legal, philosophical, and literary traditions. Their alleged danger to Christianity became the central charge in Pfefferkorn’s campaign.
Emperor Maximilian I: The Habsburg ruler who was Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until 1519. He authorized inquiries into Pfefferkorn’s claims and the fate of Jewish books.
Jakob van Hoogstraten: A Dominican theologian who supported action against Reuchlin during the book controversy. He became a prominent institutional ally of Pfefferkorn’s campaign.
Humanism: An intellectual movement centered on classical learning, eloquence, and the study of ancient texts. The dispute tested humanist scholarship against clerical authority and censorship.
Christian Hebraism: The study of Hebrew and Jewish texts by Christian scholars for theological and linguistic purposes. Reuchlin’s scholarship offered a learned alternative to Pfefferkorn’s case for suppression.

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Johann ReuchlinRelated: His campaign prompted Reuchlin’s defense of Jewish writings.