Identity and conversion in Exemplar Humanae Vitae by Uriel da Costa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14672/1.2023.2178Keywords:
Uriel da Costa, conversion, judeoconversos, Sephardic identity, judaism, baroqueAbstract
This paper studies the autobiographical text by Uriel da Costa regarding the process of his conversion in the context of a crypto-Jewish family in Portugal and their transition to Sephardim in 17th century Amsterdam. A close and critical analysis of the text reveals the struggle of the identity of Jews reverted from Christianity confronted with the Sephardim of the community. In Exemplar Humanae Vitae, da Costa used baroque motifs and anthropocentric mindset to question the place of a man in relation to his environment. For this reason, it is one of the most revealing autobiographical texts, in which this ancient dichotomy between church and synagogue is reflected.
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