ITALIA JUDAICA - Direzione generale per gli archivi

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Abraham Melamed
rage opt1m1sm concerning possibilities of creative action in politics. Humanist
historians generally felt themselves to be on the upswing of a new cycle destined
to witness great events 36• Luzzatto's optimistic revaiuation of the future of
the Jewish people, amidst the reverberations of the greatest catastrophe which
befell the Jewish peopie since the destruction of the Second Tempie, presents
the same optimistic interpretation of the cyclicai theories in a Jewish context.
This application to the history of the J ewish people of the Machiavellian
assertion that decay is naturally followed by renewed grouth can be viewed
as a rationalistic, even secuiar interpretation of the Messianic idea which was
widespread in Jewish thought after the Iberian catastrophe. These Messianic
ideas often appeared in mysticai and cabbalistic contexts 37• In Luzzatto's case,
being influenced by the politicai theory of the « Ragione di Stato », we aiready
find the Messianic idea in a modern, almost secular presentation.
The attempt to prove the superiority and uniqueness of the Jewish people
has been a traditional theme in Jewish thought since the Hellenistic period.
This attempt was generally reiated to the Jewish achievements in the fields
of theoiogy, science and philosophy 38 • Luzzatto presents a new variation on
the old theme, the Jewish nation as unique in human history, being the only
ancient peopie to survive the pressurs of time. Despite the fact that the Jews
suffered more then any other nation, and - paradoxically - because of this
reason, the Jewish nation was seen by Luzzatto as about to rise again. Thus,
the Jews are perceived as the only peopie that could escape the historical cycle
and evade the natural processes. This is a Machiavellian interpretation of the
Messianic idea.
Machiavelli and his followers based the theory of the cyclicai iaw of history
upon a pessimistic approach to human nature and the theory of «necessità ».
History repeats itself since human nature always remains the same. Man is
Iazy and indoient in his very nature. He is active only because of the pressures
of existence, which force him to be industrious and virtuous in order
to provide for ali his needs and ensure his continuous existence. When he reaches
materia! success, however, the pressures of existence abide and man Ioses the
good virtues he acquired. This necessarily causes the Ioss of his material
36 J. A. MAZZEO, Renaissance and Revolution ... cit., p. 42.
37 Y. H. YERUSHALMI, Clio and the ]ews ... cit., pp. 626-627; A. DAviD, R. Gedalya
ibn Yahia ... cit., pp. 67-68; A. A. NEUMAN, The Shebetb Yehudah ... cit., p. 259; B. NETA­
NYAHU, Don Isaac Abravanel, Statesman ... cited.
38 Y. H. YERUSHALMI, From Spanish Court to Italian Ghetto, New York 1971, eh. 6;
N. RoTH, The T be/t of Philosophy by the Greeks from the ]ews, in « Oassical Folla »,
32 (1978), n. l, pp. 53-67; R. BoNFIL, Bituyym le' Yehud Am Israel be' Italia be' Tekufat
ba' Renaissance, in « Sinai », 76 (1975), pp. 1-11. In Abravanel (see B. NETANYAU,
Don Isaac Abravanel, Statesman ... cit., p. 304, n. 34); in Ibn Yahia (see A. DAVID, R. Gedalya
Ibn Yahia ... cit., pp. 70-73); in de' Rossi (see S. W. BARON, Azariah de' Rossi's
Attitude .... cit., pp. 29-30, 37); in Luzzatto himself, Discorso ... cit., eh. 16.
The Perception of Jewish History in Italian fewish Thought 151
acievements. Then, the Iaw of «necessità » - the renewed pressures of
exl te ce - forces man to endeavour again and return to virtuous behaviour.
Th1s 1s the perpetuai rise and fall in human nature ( « così girono le cose del
mondo » ). The continuai rise and fall of governments, nations and states is
a by-product of the basic weakness inherent in human nature 39•
Luzzatto a . dheres to the Machiavellian theory and maintains that by the
p : essures of ex1stence ( « bisogni o »), man is forced to work, to morally refine
h1mself and develope arts and crafts and the various institutions of human
culture 40• Adapting the theory to Jewish history, he argues that since the
pressures of existence are stronger on the Jews than on any other peopie
they consequently also excel more then any other peopie 41• Again, we find
how . Lu zatto empioyed a basic Machiavellian concept in order to prove the
supenor1ty of the Jewish nation.
* * *
The same tendency to explain Jewish history by rational and natura!
processes can also be found in Luzzatto's famous refutation of Tacitus' libels
against the Jewish nation in the fifteenth chapter of his Discorso. When Luzzatto
attempted to prove to contemporary Christians - via Tacitus - that
the Iibels against the J ews were unfounded and to expiain to them the real
meaning of Jewish religion and customs, he consciously refrained from theoiogi
al explanatons wich he regarded as irrelevant for a Pagan and a politicalmmded
man hke Tacltus. Luzzatto employed politica! and utiiitarian reasoning
which a man like Tacitus could comprehend 42•
Tacitus exerted a profound influence upòn sixteenth and seventeenth centur
historiography and political thought. The influence of his ideas is most
n ? tlceaIe upon Machiavellism and the ensuing politicai theory of the « Ragwne
d1 Stato » 43•
39 N MA A D " . . .
· cm . ELLI, zscorsz ... c1 ., p. 82: « ... gh uomini non operano mai nulla bene,
ogru cosa d1 confusione e di disordine ». See also P. BuRKE, Tradition and Èxperience ...
se on pe : necess ta; ma, dove la eleziOne abonda, e che vi si può usare licenza si riempie
40 · LuzTTO IJ_iscorso ... cit., c. 18r: «Reclama il comune de gl'huomini che la
nat ra . li h . abl . mca 1c t1, et vessati d'urgentie, e necessita in gran copia più che a gl'altri
J.>.mm mv1 . di ag1om : t_n a mtra dovere si lamenta, perche l'indigenza et il bisogno sono
h ver St
uli et 1mpuls1v1 ali mventioni, e rit rovamenti dell'arti più degne, et eccellenti... ».
. .
1
Iz., c . . 18v: . « . N_ella Sc la . el d1sagg10 sotto la rigorosa disciplina di esso bisogno,
sono ;ud1 1, et mstrultl h . Hebrel pm che ogn'altra natione ... ».
Ibzd., c. 70 : «Disputando con un Gentile non occorre portarli ragioni de quali
egh vuole esserne mcapa