The detestible Jewish custom, viler than any other superstition, dividing food into clean and unclean, accepts the former, while it rejects the latter. Whoever is convicted of the commission of the error of this practice, that is to say, who acts differently from the custom observed, under similar circumstances, by all true Christians, shall receive a hundred lashes and be scalped, by order of the judge in whose district the offence was committed. The provisions of this law shall be observed in every respect concerning drink, as well as food; and the punishment hereinbefore specified shall be inflicted upon all who abstain from the wines or other beverages of Christians. In regard to the flesh of swine, we hereby decree that no distinction shall be made on account of religious prejudice; but if any Jew should avoid such food through natural abhorrence, and not from a regard to the usages of their perverse sect, especially if their behavior, in other respects, is similar to that of Christians, and if they have embraced Christianity, and observe its rules, and are known to be sincere believers, they shall not be liable to punishment under the aforesaid law, merely because they have rejected the flesh of swine; for the reason that it appears contrary to justice, that those whom the faith of Christ has openly ennobled, should be rendered liable to punishment on account of their rejection of a single article of food.
VIII. A Jew shall not Marry a Person Nearly Related to him by Blood, or Contract Marriage without the Benediction of a Priest.
No Jew, of either sex, shall be permitted to marry a relative, either on the side of the wife or the husband, within the sixth degree, except according to the law imposed upon Christians; nor shall any Jew commit the crime of incest by marriage with a near relation. Those who violate the law by such an illicit union, shall undergo the following punishment, to wit: having been separated from one another each party shall receive a hundred lashes; they shall have their heads shaved, be subjected to severe penance, and then be driven into exile; their property shall be given to such children as they may have had by a preceding marriage—provided the latter have been in no way contaminated with the Jewish superstition, or polluted with the infamy of incestuous marriage. If, however, they should have no children, or, having them, the latter should be tainted with the Jewish error, or with the crime of incest, as aforesaid, then the property of said offender shall be forfeited to the king. The following, moreover, we direct shall be carefully observed in every respect, namely: that if any Jew, of either sex, after being converted, should desire to marry, he or she shall not be allowed to do so, unless a dowry is given, and a marriage contract entered into, as has been prescribed in the case of Christians; nor shall such ceremony be permitted, where it is not accompanied with the sacerdotal benediction within the bosom of the Church. If any Jew should marry without the benediction of the Church, as aforesaid, or should transgress, in any way, the provision of the law relating to marriage contracts, said Jew, after purification by baptism, shall be compelled to pay a hundred solidi to the king, or shall receive fifty lashes in public. Each of the persons aforesaid, that is to say, the husband as well as the wife, shall be liable to said penalty or fine; and the parents of said parties shall also be liable to the same punishment for their infraction of the law.
IX. Jews who Insult our Religion, while Attempting to Defend their own Sect, shall not Betake themselves Elsewhere; nor shall Anyone Shelter them while Fugitives.
If any Jew should presume to offer an insult to the Christian religion; or, by arguments, should induce anyone to abandon the Christian faith; or should defend the weakness of his own sect; or, while fleeing from the doctrines of the Christian religion, should conceal himself in any part of our kingdom; or should escape to foreign countries, for the purpose of concealment; or if anyone should offer a hiding-place to a transgressor of this law, knowing he is a fugitive; any of said parties guilty of any of the above-named offences, shall be punished with a hundred lashes, have his head shaved, and, after his property has been confiscated for the benefit of the king, shall be subjected to the miseries of slavery.
X. No Christian shall Accept a Gift from a Jew, to the Detriment of the Christian Faith.
Let him be considered as violating the rules of the Christian faith who pretends to be a defender of that faith, and, at the same time, defiles the truth by the acceptance of improper gifts; and let him hear what the Lord has said against him by the mouth of his prophet: “For the reason that you have sold the just man for silver, and the poor man for the price of your sandals, behold I will thunder over you as thunders a wagon loaded with hay; and he who is swift will lose his power of flight; and the strong man will lose his strength; and he who is brave, his courage; and he who wields the bow, shall not stand; and he who runs shall not be saved by his swiftness; and the rider shall not escape; and he who is strong of heart shall flee naked among the brave.” Who, then, is meant by the just man who was sold for silver, and the poor man for the price of your sandals, unless the only begotten Son of God the Father, whose innocent blood was formerly sold by the Jews for thirty pieces of silver, and is even now daily sold by those who pervert and deny the truth? And, indeed, there are certain of the people who, influenced by zeal for the faith, and by the most righteous intentions, promise to detect and punish the offences of the Jews, who are, nevertheless, corrupted by the common vice of avarice. For when, perchance, they have received gifts of some kind from these perfidious infidels, they unlawfully hold their peace, and those whom they formerly promised to expose and bring to justice, after the acceptance of a paltry bribe, they permit to go unpunished. Wherefore, we hereby decree that it shall be lawful for no Christian of whatever lineage, rank, or degree, whether he belong to the clergy, or to the laity, to receive a gift from a Jew, of either sex, or from any intermediary of the same, as a reward for acting against the faith of Christ; or to implicate himself in any other act against the interests of the Christian religion by the defence of such persons, for the sake of a reward. And if any person should be corrupted by the acceptance of any such gift, or should conceal the notorious errors of the Jews, and should interpose any obstacle whatever, in order that such wickedness may go unpunished, he shall be liable to the penalties laid down by the ancient Fathers, and shall pay double as much to the treasury as he shall have been proved to have received from the Jew.
ERVIGIUS, KING.
XI. Jews shall not Dare to Read Such Books as the Christian Faith Rejects.
To show favor to those readers whom it is not right to assist, is rather a mark of wickedness than of piety. For this reason, where any Jew reads books, or studies doctrines, in which the Christian faith is denied, or keeps or conceals such books in his house, he shall either receive a hundred lashes in public, or shall have his head shaved. Let all persons be cautious and beware of having books containing such doctrines in their possession, or of studying the same, or of even meditating upon them. And if, henceforth, anyone should attempt to repeat such an offence, he shall receive a hundred lashes, shall have his head shaved, and shall be condemned to perpetual exile; and because he has committed the offence a second time, he shall also lose his property, which shall be bestowed upon whomever the king may direct. Those shall be liable to a similar penalty, who presume to instruct children in the false doctrines contained in such books; and the teacher himself, when detected in the first transgression, shall receive a hundred lashes, and have his head shaved, and shall bind himself by a written agreement never to teach such doctrines again. If, after this, he should violate his agreement, and attempt to repeat what he had formerly renounced, all his property shall be forfeited to the king, and he himself shall receive a hundred lashes, shall have his head shaved, and be condemned to perpetual exile. All children under ten years of age, who are proved to have studied said false doctrines, shall be exempt from the penalties aforesaid. But any child over the age of ten years, who studies or meditates upon such doctrines, shall be liable to the fines and punishments hereinbefore mentioned.