Although in many ways the
disbelief of the Jews must be reproved, since
nevertheless through them our own faith is
truly proved, they must not be oppressed grievously
by the faithful as the prophet says: "Do
not slay them, lest these be forgetful of
Thy Law," [Ps. 58 (59):12] as if he were
saying more openly: "Do not wipe out
the Jews completely, lest perhaps Christians
might be able to forget Thy Law, which the
former, although not understanding it, present
in their books to those who do understand
it."
Just as, therefore there ought not to be
license for the Jews to presume to go beyond
what is permitted them by law in their synagogues,
so in those which have been conceded to them,
they ought to suffer no prejudice. These men,
therefore, since they wish rather to go on
in their own hardness than to know the revelations
of the prophets and the mysteries of the Law,
and to come to a knowledge of the Christian
faith, still, since they beseech the help
of Our defense, We, out of the meekness proper
to Christian piety, and keeping in the footprints
of Our predecessors of happy memory, the Roman
Pontiffs Calixtus, Eugene, Alexander, Clement,
and Celestine, admit their petition, and We
grant them the buckler of Our protection.
For we make the law that no Christian compel
them, unwilling or refusing, by violence to
come to baptism. But if any one of them should
spontaneously,a nd for the sake of faith,
fly to the Christians, once his choice has
become evident, let him be made a Christian
without any calumny. Indeed, he is not considered
to possess the true faith of the Christianity
who is recognized to have come to Christian
baptism, not spontaneously, but unwillingly.
Too, no Christian ought to presume, apart
from the juridicial sentence of the territorial
power, wickedly to injure their persons, or
with violence to take away their property,
or to change the good customs which they have
had until now in whatever region they inhabit.
Besides, in the celebration of their own
festivals, no one ought to disturb them in
any way, with clubs or stones, nor ought any
one try to require from them or to extort
from them services they do not owe, except
for those they have been accustomed from times
past to perform.
In addition to these, We decree, blocking
the wickedness and avarice of evil men, that
no one ought to dare to mutilate or diminish
a Jewish cemetery, nor, in order to get money,
to exhume bodies once they have been buried.
If anyone, however shall attempt, the tenor
of this decree once known, to go against it
- may this be far from happening! - let him
be punished by the vengeance of excommunication,
unless he correct his presumption by making
equivalent satisfaction.
We desire, however, that only those be fortified
by the guard of this protection who shall
have presumed no plotting for the subversion
of the Christian faith.
Given at the Lateran, by the hand of Raynaldus,
Archbishop of Acerenza, acting for the Chancellor,
on the 17th day before the Kalends of October,
in the second indiction, and the 1199th year
of the Incarnation of the Lord, and in the
second year of the pontificate of the Lord
Pope, Innocent III.
We decree that no Christian
shall use violence to compel the Jews to accept
baptism. But if a Jew, of his own accord,
because of a change in his faith, shall have
taken refuge with Christians, after his wish
has been made known, he may be made a Christian
without any opposition. For anyone who has
not of his own will sought Christian baptism
cannot have the true Christian faith. No Christian
shall do the Jews any personal injury, except
in executing the judgments of a judge, or
deprive them of their possessions, or change
the rights and privileges which they have
been accustomed to have. During the celebration
of their festivals, no one shall disturb them
by beating them with clubs or by throwing
stones at them. No one shall compel them to
render any services except those which they
have been accustomed to render. And to prevent
the baseness and avarice of wicked men we
forbid anyone to deface or damage their cemeteries
or to extort money from them by threatening
to exhume the bodies of their dead....
From: Oliver J. Thatcher, and Edgar Holmes
McNeal, eds., A Source Book for Medieval History,
(New York: Scribners, 1905), 212-213.
Despite the opposition of the Church, the Jews,
under the protection of western monarchs, still possessed Christian
serfs in the thirteenth century.
Letter of the Pope to King Philip Augustus of France:
Moreover, although it has been decreed by the Lateran
Council that Jews should not be allowed to have Christian slaves in
their houses, either under pretext of nursing their children, or as
servants, or for any other reason whatsoever, but that those who presume
to live with them should be excommunicated, yet they do not hesitate
to have Christian servants and nurses, upon whom they sometimes practice
abominations such as it rather becomes you to punish than us to point
out.