PFEFFERKORN, JOHANN JOSEPH

(1469-after 1521)

Moravian apostate and anti-Jewish agitator. He was a butcher by trade. He was baptized at Cologne in 1504 and published a number of anti-Jewish tracts. In 1509 he was authorized by Emperor Maximilian to examine Jewish books in Germany and destroy any which blasphemed the Christian faith. As a result of various protests, the matter was referred to a group of scholars, including Johannes Reuchlin. Reuchlin's defence of the Talmud gave rise to a polemical dispute with Pfefferkorn. In 1520 the pope decided against Reuchlin, but the censorship of Jewish books was not revived and the Talmud was printed byDavid Bomberg.