Amnon of Mainz or Amnon of Mayence is the subject of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

legend that became very popular. It tells of

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

Amnon, of

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

(Mayence), Germany, in the 11th century, whom the

Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

, at various times, tried to convert to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. On one occasion Amnon evasively asked to be given three days' time for consideration, but when he left the Archbishop's palace he immediately regretted even appearing to waver in his Jewish faith. When he failed to appear on the appointed day, the archbishop had him brought guarded into his presence. Amnon, rebuked for his failure to keep his promise, pleaded guilty, and said that his tongue should be amputated, because it had expressed a doubt as to the truth of

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

. The archbishop, however, pronounced the sentence that Amnon's feet, which had refused to come, and his hands, be cut off. This was accordingly done. Amnon gave orders that he be carried into the

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, where

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

was being observed. The reader was about to begin the Kedushah, when he was asked by Amnon to wait. The latter then recited the prayer known as "

Unetanneh Tokef ''Untanneh'' ''Tokef'', ''Unthanneh Toqeph'', ''Un'taneh Tokef'', or ''Unsanneh Tokef'' (ונתנה תקף) ("''Let us speak of the awesomeness ''") is a piyyut that has been a part of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy in some tra ...

," ("Let us tell how overwhelming s the holiness of this day) which is a description of the

Day of Judgment The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

. No sooner had he finished the prayer than he died. Three days later he appeared to Rabbi Kalonymus (died 1096) in a dream, taught him the prayer, and asked him to spread it throughout all Jewry. The notes on Asheri, written by Israel of Krems or Kremsier, about 1400.Rosh Hashanah i. § 4, in the

Vilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

edition of the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

, folio 36a says: The "

" was written by Amnon of Mayence with reference to his own history. He gives Isaac ben Moses of Vienna's work, "Or Zaru'a," as his source. The story, as given above, is found in the Mahzor of the Roman rite for the New Year's Day, published 1541. From it Gedaliah ibn Yahya ben Joseph took it; and the other historians followed him. The Mahzor editions reprinted it; and so the story became very popular. The Russian poet Semyon Frug adapted it into an epic; and Schakschansky wove it into a drama in

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

References

Sources

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography: Heilprin, '' Seder ha-Dorot'', ed. Maskileison, p. 218, where older sources are quoted Heidenheim's edition of the '' Mahzor'', introduction, where an alphabetical index of the liturgical poets is given; Landshuth,'' 'Ammude ha-'Abodah,'' 1857, i. 45.

External links

Chabad.org: Rabbi Amnon of Mayence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amnon Of Mainz Rabbis from Mainz Jewish martyrs 11th-century German rabbis he:ונתנה תוקף#אגדת ר' אמנון ממגנצא