The Scroll of Ovadiah

Ovadiah the Proselyte

Megilat ‘Ovadyah

Early 12th Century

It happened at that time regarding Archbishop Andraeas the high priest in the city of Bari, that the Lord put the love of the Torah of Moses into his heart. He forsook his land, [his] priesthood [and a]ll his glory and came to the city of Constantinople, [where] he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. There [pa]ssed over him sufferings and…

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The partially surviving autobiographical account of Ovadiah ha-Ger’s life, known as The Scroll of Ovadiah (Megilat ‘Ovadyah), is written in the third person. Found in the Cairo Geniza, this text traces Ovadiah’s transformation and travels through various Middle Eastern cities before he finally reached Egypt. The text, however, cuts off with him in Tyre, Lebanon. Ovadiah recounts his youth as a Christian, meeting with Karaites, and encountering Crusaders. This excerpt covers his initial journey from Italy and his travels in Iraq and elsewhere.

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Related Guide

Early Medieval History and Travel Writing

7th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

Ovadiah the Proselyte

b. ca. 1070

Ovadiah ha-Ger (“the Proselyte”) is one of the only medieval converts to Judaism to have left behind any record of his motives or life. Born as Johannes in Oppido Lucano, in Italy, Ovadiah became a priest as a young man. He explains that he was moved to convert to Judaism by factors that include the persecutions that Jews faced at the hands of the Crusaders. He moved to Constantinople and Baghdad before settling in Egypt. In addition, Ovadiah wrote the earliest surviving musical notation for a Hebrew song (see Visual and Material Culture), which follows the format of Gregorian chant.

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