Reuchlins jüdische und nichtjüdische Leser aus Italien

The article presents, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Johann Reuchlin's death, a comprehensive survey of the testimonies of Italian Jewish and non-Jewish readers of Johannes Reuchlin. It emerges clearly that the non-Jewish reception of Reuchlin was strictly related to Giovanni Pico della Mirandola's posthumous fame and with Pietro Galatino's oeuvre (with which Reuchlin's masterpiece, De arte cabalistica was frequently reprinted), whereas the few Jewish readers of Reuchlin perceived him more as dangerous than as useful for the cause of Judaism. A few exceptions and some hypothetical cases (such as Mordekay Dato) are also presented. A peculiar, but very influential intermediate instance is the one represented by Jewish converts: the most important instance, the one represented by Ludovico Carretto is elucidated in detail.