Elias of London also known as Elijah ben Moses or Elias le Evesque, was

Presbyter Judaeorum The Presbyter Judaeorum was the chief official of the Jews of England prior to the Edict of Expulsion. The office appears to have been for life, though in two or three instances the incumbent either resigned or was dismissed. Prynne argues that t ...

in 13th-century

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He is not to be confused with

Eliyahu Menachem of London Eliyahu Menachem of London (1220-1284) was a rabbi and communal leader in 13th-century England. He is not to be confused with Elias of London (Elijah ben Moses or Elias le Evesque), the chief rabbi of English Jewry from 1243-1257. Biography He w ...

, one of the

Rishonim ''Rishonim'' (; ; sing. , ''Rishon'') were the leading rabbis and ''posek, poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' (, "Set Table", a common printed code of Jewis ...

who lived from 1220-1284. Some of the below details, taken from the Jewish Encyclopedia article, may refer to Eliyahu Menachem.

Biography

Elias of London succeeded

Aaron of York Aaron of York or Aaron fil Josce, was a Jewish People, Jewish financier and chief rabbi of England. He was born in York before 1190 and died after 1253. He was probably the son of Josce of York, the leading figure in the York Castle#12th centur ...

and represented

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

at the so-called " Jewish Parliament" at

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

in 1240, and in 1249 was allowed to have Abraham fil Aaron as his assistant.

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...

exacted from him no less a sum than £10,000, besides £100 a year for a period of four years. Elias headed the deputation which asked the king's permission to leave the country in 1253. In 1255 he was imprisoned as a surety for the

tallage Tallage or talliage (from the French , i.e. a part cut out of the whole) may have signified at first any tax, but became in England and France a land use or land tenure tax. Later in England it was further limited to assessments by the crown up ...

of the Jews, and two years later he was deposed from office, being succeeded by his brother, Hagin (Hayyim). In 1259, according to

Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris (; 1200 – 1259), was an English people, English Benedictine monk, English historians in the Middle Ages, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts, and cartographer who was based at St A ...

, he was said to have been converted to Christianity and confessed to having prepared

poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

for certain of the English nobles. In 1266, he was again treated as a Jew and compensation to the amount of £50 was granted him for losses he had incurred during the

First Barons' War The First Barons' War (1215–1217) was a civil war in the Kingdom of England in which a group of rebellious major landowners (commonly referred to as English feudal barony, barons) led by Robert Fitzwalter waged war against John of England, K ...

. Elias remained one of the most important Jews of London in 1277, being one of the few who were granted permission to trade as merchants though they were not members of the Gild Merchant. He appears to have been a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

of some note for his aid was invoked by

John II, Count of Holland John II (1247 – 22 August 1304) was Count of Hainaut, Holland, and Zeeland. Life John II, born 1247, was the eldest son of John I of Hainaut and Adelaide of Holland.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte d ...

in 1280, and he obtained permission to visit the count in that year. At Elias' death, an inquest made upon his estate declared him to be possessed of personal property to the value of 400 marks and of houses of the yearly rental of 100 shillings. His widow Fluria was permitted to retain on payment to the king of 400 marks. One of his houses appears to have been located on Sporier Street near the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

; at the

Edict of Expulsion The Edict of Expulsion was a royal decree expelling all Jews from the Kingdom of England that was issued by Edward I of England, Edward I on 18 July 1290; it was the first time a European state is known to have permanently banned their prese ...

in 1290, it was granted to

Chicksands Priory Chicksands Priory is a former monastic house at Chicksands in Bedfordshire. History The Gilbertine priory of Chicksands was founded about 1152 by Rohese, Countess of Essex, and her second husband Payn de Beauchamp, Baron of Bedford. Payn ...

. Elias was an expert in

halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...

, summoned before the king to decide questions. A responsum of his is quoted in one of the manuscripts of ''The Mordechai''.See A. Berliner, "Hebräische Poesien Meïrs aus Norwich," p. 3, London, 1887

Sources

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography: Prynne, Short Demurrer, part ii., sub annis; Jacobs, in Papers of the Anglo-Jew. Hist. Exh. pp. 22, 45, 49-51; M. Paris, ''Chronica Majora'', v. 398, 441, 730; Select Pleas of the Jewish Exchequer, ed. Rigg, pp. xxxiii., 86, 88, 130, London, 1902; Jacobs, in R. E. J. xviii. 259.G. J. {{Rishonim Court Jews 13th-century English rabbis 13th-century English medical doctors Medical doctors from London Medieval Jewish physicians of England English Orthodox Jews Rabbis from London