Arachne
Member
This is a legend that originated some time in the Middle Ages, but has sporadically continued up to at least the 20th Century.
Supposedly, as Jesus Christ was being whipped and abused as he was led out of the city, a particularly cruel man in the crowd spit on him, or punched him the face, or commited some other vicious act against him. Jesus allegedly responded by cursing him, saying that he would never rest and would walk the earth until Christ's Second Coming.
This story is of course just a legend, and a pretty implausible one considering what the Bible says about how Jesus spoke about the people who killed him. But during the Middle Ages and more recent centuries, it was commonly believed (at least in Christian Europe) that there was a Jew living somewhere in the world who had not aged a day since the death of Christ over a millenium before.
This Jew - his real name is either unknown, or else varies in the different versions of the legend - simply became known as the Wandering Jew. He hasn't converted to Christianity, but is terribly guilt-ridden because of what he did to Jesus. All of his family and friends are long-dead; no longer having any reason to live in Jerusalem, he eventually left and wandered all across the world. He generally avoids people for fear of bonding with somebody, only to watch them grow old and die while he remains young.
"Sightings" of the Wandering Jew have been reported for the past 1000 years on every inhabited continent. He has supposedly participated in battles, sailed on famous ships, and accompanied explorers in the New World. Of course the story has only been told by Christians of European origin, and there is no reason to believe it is more than a story.
Most "sightings" of the Wandering Jew were likely based on random encounters with rogues, adventurers, or outcasts who may or may not have even been of Jewish origin.
Supposedly, as Jesus Christ was being whipped and abused as he was led out of the city, a particularly cruel man in the crowd spit on him, or punched him the face, or commited some other vicious act against him. Jesus allegedly responded by cursing him, saying that he would never rest and would walk the earth until Christ's Second Coming.
This story is of course just a legend, and a pretty implausible one considering what the Bible says about how Jesus spoke about the people who killed him. But during the Middle Ages and more recent centuries, it was commonly believed (at least in Christian Europe) that there was a Jew living somewhere in the world who had not aged a day since the death of Christ over a millenium before.
This Jew - his real name is either unknown, or else varies in the different versions of the legend - simply became known as the Wandering Jew. He hasn't converted to Christianity, but is terribly guilt-ridden because of what he did to Jesus. All of his family and friends are long-dead; no longer having any reason to live in Jerusalem, he eventually left and wandered all across the world. He generally avoids people for fear of bonding with somebody, only to watch them grow old and die while he remains young.
"Sightings" of the Wandering Jew have been reported for the past 1000 years on every inhabited continent. He has supposedly participated in battles, sailed on famous ships, and accompanied explorers in the New World. Of course the story has only been told by Christians of European origin, and there is no reason to believe it is more than a story.
Most "sightings" of the Wandering Jew were likely based on random encounters with rogues, adventurers, or outcasts who may or may not have even been of Jewish origin.