Confirmation that remains of Christopher Columbus in Seville – and he likely was Jewish

[Michie]

After an investigation lasting two decades scientists in Spain claim to have confirmed that the remains of Christopher Columbus are entombed within Seville Cathedral. They have also addressed another long-standing mystery that has swirled around the great explorer more than five centuries after his death, regarding his exact origins.

Speculation has remained febrile across the years about whether the navigator who changed the course of world history by discovering the New World was actually from the Italian city of Genoa – as generally claimed – or whether he was actually Basque, Catalan, Galician, Greek, Jewish or Portuguese, reports the Guardian.

It notes that the “long-running and often competitive theorising” was fulled by the “posthumous voyages” of Columbus’s corpse. Although he died in the Spanish city of Valladolid in 1506, he wanted to be buried on the island of Hispaniola, which is today divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic. His remains were taken there in 1542, but then moved to Cuba in 1795, before reportedly being brought to Seville in 1898 after Spain lost control of Cuba following the Spanish-American war.

The forensic medical expert José Antonio Lorente announced on 10 October that after two decades of DNA testing and research the investigating team could confirm that the incomplete set of remains in Seville Cathedral were indeed those of Christopher Columbus.

“Thanks to new technology, the previous partial theory that the remains in Seville are those of Christopher Columbus has been definitively confirmed,” said the expert, who led the study at the University of Granada. The conclusion followed comparisons of DNA samples from the tomb with others taken from two of Columbus’s close relations.

Continued below.

Confirmation: Christopher Columbus’s remains entombed in Seville Cathedral – and he likely was Jewish - Catholic Herald

After an investigation lasting two decades scientists in Spain claim to have confirmed that the remains of Christopher Columbus are entombed within Seville Cathedral. They have also addressed another long-standing mystery that has swirled around the great explorer more than five centuries after...

catholicherald.co.uk

 

[RileyG]

I wonder if his relatives were forced to convert?

Thanks for posting.

 

[Michie]

Did you read this?

He goes on to tell JNS that the historical record “would seem to indicate that he was a converso, or New Christian as they are often called – that is, a descendant of Iberian Jews who had converted to Christianity under duress during the century leading up to Spain’s expulsion of the Jews in 1492″.

He adds that “some of these conversos remained steadfast to Judaism, albeit in secret”, while others “fully embraced Christianity and eventually integrated into Iberian society”. Thus knowing which applies to Christopher Columbus is all but impossible to conclusively establish.

Sounds like Columbus fully embraced the Christian faith.

 

[RileyG]

Yeah, I was aware of that. Very interesting indeed.