El carácter sintético de las creencias de Luis de Carvajal el Mozo

Abstract

The article analyses the synthetic nature of the beliefs of Luis de Carvajal el Moso, the founder of Jewish literature in Spanish Mexico at the end of the 16th century. His legacy consists of an autobiography, letters and the case in the Inquisition. Unable to get a good religious education in accordance with the rules of the Law of Moses, Luis de Carvajal tried to build his identity, based solely on the Latin tradition of the Bible and on historical works about biblical antiquities. In his religious work, he combined Jewish and Christian elements, which reflects the nature of crypto-Jewish culture in the intellectual climate of New Spain in the 16th century. Polemics with Catholic dogmas and the Inquisition, Luis de Carvajal in his works creates a positive Jewish identity based on Jewish sources and Christian literature. The article also explores the mystical experience of Luis de Carvajal, which is based on the Bible (especially the prophetic books), and also is under the influence of some Christian authors, in particular St. Augustine. All this served as the basis of his work and created the concept of prophetic service in his life.

Keywords

• luis de carvajal el moso
• latin american judaism
• textual community