Source of "Prester John"
The influence of Eldad's narrative extended beyond Jewish circles. It was the source of the apocryphal letter of the so-called "Prester John," which appeared in the twelfth century. Intending to refute Eldad's assertion of the existence of independent Jewish states — an assertion contrary to the teaching of the Roman-Catholic Church— the Christian writer told of a priest who ruled over the great kingdom of Ethiopia, to which were subject some Jewish tribes, including the Bene Mosheh who dwelt beyond the River Sambation. However, many writers of the Middle Ages expressed doubts as to the genuineness of Eldad's narrative and his halakot, most explicitly Abraham ibn Ezra (Commentary to Exodus ii. 22) and Meïr of Rothenburg (Responsa, No. 193).
Read more about this topic: Eldad Ha-Dani
Famous quotes containing the words prester john, source of, source, prester and/or john:
““... It may be Prester John’s balloon
Or an old battered lantern hung aloft
To light poor travellers to their distress.”
She then: “How you digress!””
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativeness, and the playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding of his capacities and talents.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)
“The practice of S/M is the creation of pleasure.... And that’s why S/M is really a subculture. It’s a process of invention. S/M is the use of a strategic relationship as a source of pleasure.”
—Michel Foucault (1926–1984)
““... It may be Prester John’s balloon
Or an old battered lantern hung aloft
To light poor travellers to their distress.”
She then: “How you digress!””
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“Take heed of enemies reconciled, and of meat twice boiled.”
—Collected in John Ray, English Proverbs. English proverb (1670)