The Wandering Jew is a figure from medieval Christian mythology whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century.
The original legend concerns a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion and was then cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming. The exact nature of the wanderer's indiscretion varies in different versions of the tale, as do aspects of his character; sometimes he is said to be a shoemaker or other tradesman, while sometimes he is the doorman at Pontius Pilate's estate.
Read more about Wandering Jew: Name, In Ideology (19c. and After), On Stage, and In Other Media
Famous quotes containing the words wandering and/or jew:
“Lest, once more wandering from that heaven,
I fall on some base heart unblest,
Faithless to thee, false, unforgiven,
And lose my everlasting rest.”
—John Wilmot, 2d Earl Of Rochester (1647–1680)
“Pessimism is a luxury that a Jew can never allow himself.”
—Golda Meir (1898–1978)