Wandering Jew

This article is about the legendary figure. For other uses, see Wandering Jew (disambiguation).

The Wandering Jew by Gustave Doré

The Wandering Jew (occasionally referred to as the Eternal Jew, a calque from German "der Ewige Jude") is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century.[a] In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion 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 the estate of Pontius Pilate.

  1. ^ Baring-Gould, Sabine (1876). "The Wandering Jew". Curious myths of the Middle Ages. London: Rivingtons. pp. 1−31.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Zafran was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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