From Deacon to Jewish Convert: The Riveting Journey of Elazar

In the year 839, a deacon from the palace of the Frankish Kingdom departed the city. A deacon holds a high rank in the Christian clerical hierarchy. This deacon's name was Bodo. To the court and King Louis, ruler of the Franks, he claimed he was heading to "holy" Rome to delve into complex matters at the roots of the esteemed Christian faith. He left the Kingdom of the Franks (which would later become France) and traveled towards Rome, but instead of heading to the Vatican—he turned to the Jewish community, from which he sought to learn the principles of Judaism.

Bodo was of Alamanni descent. The Alamanni were ancient tribes inhabiting the northern Rhine Valley of Germany, then known as "Alamannia." Like the Frankish Kingdom, the Alamanni adopted Christianity, forsaking their pagan idols about a hundred years earlier. Bodo, being philosophical and reflective, rose through the ranks of this new, more logical faith compared to paganism. Yet, he was unsatisfied. Christianity's principles seemed puzzling and strange to him. Could the Messiah truly be considered a god himself? While in the Frankish Kingdom, he heard of the Jewish faith, whose followers lived in the Rhine Valley, in an area later known as the 'ShUM communities' of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz. Christianity had not yet institutionalized the degradation and persecution of Jews as routine, and Bodo wondered: Could it be that the Jews, the source of Christianity, are actually right? While in the Frankish king's palace, a Jewish book, whose name is now unknown, came into his possession and seemed to influence him to investigate the Jewish religion.

Rome had a large and well-established Jewish community even before the destruction of the Second Temple, especially afterward. Many exiles descended with the Romans to Rome, some of whom settled in the city and became prominent there. Bodo presented his queries to the Jewish elders and received their answers. With these responses, he returned to the Vatican, attempting to compare the two religions.

The outcome was unequivocal. Bodo decided to convert to Judaism. He underwent circumcision, and in Israel, his name was Elazar. However, Roman law did not allow a Christian to convert to Judaism, prompting Bodo to leave Rome for Spain, then under Muslim control. With his diplomatic experience in the royal court, he advanced within the ranks of the Cordoban kingdom, serving as a military officer in Zaragoza.

In Cordoba, there were also Christians, and one of them, named Pablo Alvaro, accused Bodo of betrayal against Christianity. Bodo explained that his step was logical and well-reasoned, and furthermore, he invited Alvaro to prove Christianity's truth to him. Alvaro took the challenge seriously, writing a letter filled with "proofs" of Christianity. In response, Bodo sent back decisive answers based on what he learned from Jews in Italy. This correspondence became extensive and prolonged, with Bodo's arguments apparently more convincing, as they stirred great turmoil, and the Cordoban kingdom seriously considered denouncing Christianity. Meanwhile, senior figures in the Christian hierarchy of the Frankish Kingdom approached King Charles the Bald, son of Louis and Bodo-Elazar's former patron, requesting that he demand Cordoba surrender the traitor undermining Christianity.

The Cordoban kingdom seemingly had more pressing matters. Charles the Bald was also entangled in warfare against the fierce Norsemen attacking from the north, allowing Bodo-Elazar to continue his role and actions unhindered. Christians remembered him for generations as the Jew who defeated Christianity and harmed it, with the anti-Semitic Archbishop Amulo documenting the entire story in his book, warning that one must not speak or argue with Jews, lest they defeat you...