Bishop Bodo
Encyclopedia
Bodo was the palace deacon
to Frank
ish Emperor Louis the Pious
(814 to 840). In early 838, Bodo intended to make a pilgrimage
to Rome
but instead converted to Judaism
. His conversion was regarded as a rejection of the Carolingian
culture and the Christian faith. Bodo left the Carolingian
Kingdom for Muslim Spain in 839. He took the Jewish name Eleazar
, had himself circumcised and married a Jewish woman. In 839 Bodo moved to Saragossa
, where he incited the Moorish government and the people to persecute the Spanish Christians. Poliakov notes that this conversion is evidence of the high regard in which Jews were held in Carolingian France.
of Cordova
(Cordova was also a Muslim area of Spain). Alvaro was born a Jew, but had converted to Christianity. Because Bodo and Alvaro were both converts, they began a dialogue to try to convince each other to go back to their old faith. Some of their letters have been preserved.
The source of the following letter is disputed, but it is attributed to Bodo:
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
to Frank
Frank
Frank may refer to:* A member of the medieval Germanic people, the Franks* Frank * Frank * Crusaders or any persons originating in Catholic western Europe, in medieval Middle Eastern history...
ish Emperor Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
(814 to 840). In early 838, Bodo intended to make a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
but instead converted to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. His conversion was regarded as a rejection of the Carolingian
Carolingian Renaissance
In the history of ideas the Carolingian Renaissance stands out as a period of intellectual and cultural revival in Europe occurring from the late eighth century, in the generation of Alcuin, to the 9th century, and the generation of Heiric of Auxerre, with the peak of the activities coordinated...
culture and the Christian faith. Bodo left the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
Kingdom for Muslim Spain in 839. He took the Jewish name Eleazar
Eleazar
Eleazar , was a priest in the Hebrew Bible, the second Kohen Gadol - succeeding his father Aaron. He was a nephew of Moses.-Life:...
, had himself circumcised and married a Jewish woman. In 839 Bodo moved to Saragossa
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, where he incited the Moorish government and the people to persecute the Spanish Christians. Poliakov notes that this conversion is evidence of the high regard in which Jews were held in Carolingian France.
Correspondence with Álvaro
In 840 Bodo began a correspondence with a Christian intellectual Pablo AlvaroPablo Alvaro
Pablo Álvaro was a knight of Jewish ancestry from Córdoba, Spain who converted to Catholicism.In 840, Álvaro began a correspondence with the former Bishop Bodo, a Christian convert to Judaism, wherein each tried to convince the other to return to their old faith...
of Cordova
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
(Cordova was also a Muslim area of Spain). Alvaro was born a Jew, but had converted to Christianity. Because Bodo and Alvaro were both converts, they began a dialogue to try to convince each other to go back to their old faith. Some of their letters have been preserved.
The source of the following letter is disputed, but it is attributed to Bodo:
As for your assertion that Christ is God, joined with the Holy Spirit, and you worship him because he had no human father, then along with him you ought to worship Adam the father of the human race, who had neither father nor mother, whose flesh, blood, bones and skin were created from clay. Breath was put in him by the Holy SpiritHoly SpiritHoly Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, and he became an intelligent being. Then too, Eve was created from Adam's rib without a father or mother, and breath came into her and she became intelligent. So worship them too!