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David NietoFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rabbi David Nieto

Grave of David Nieto

David Nieto (1654 – 10 January 1728) was the Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese

Jewish community in London, later succeeded in this capacity by his son, Isaac Nieto. 

Nieto was born in Venice. He first practised as a physician and officiated as a Jewish preacherat Livorno, Italy. There he wrote in Italian a work entitled "Paschologia" (Cologne, 1702), in which hedealt with the differences of calculation in the calendars of the Greek, Roman, and Jewish churches,and demonstrated the errors which had crept into the calendar from the First Council of Nicaea until1692.

In 1702 Nieto succeeded Solomon Ayllon as ecclesiastical chief of the Portuguese Jews in London;and two years after his settlement in that city he published his theological treatise, Della Divina

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Providencia, ó sea Naturalezza Universal, ó Natura Naturante(London, 1704). He explained that'nature' was a modern word, and in reality referred to the action of God in governing naturalphenomena. This work provoked opposition against him, including accusations of  Spinozism (whichin the atmosphere of the time meant pantheism or  atheism), but some of the accusers were believedto be heretics motivated by their support for Shabbetai Zevi. Tzvi Ashkenazi, who was called in asarbitrator, decided in his favor (Hakham Tzvi, Responsa, No. 18). Not only was he exonerated, but

he was highly praised for his teachings. Nieto was also highly praised by Rabbi Chaim Azulay (the'Chida'). He died in London. 

Nieto was a powerful controversialist. In his Matteh Dan, or Kuzari Heleq Sheni (London, 1714),written in Hebrew and Spanish on the model of the Kuzari of  Judah ha-Levi, he defended the OralTorah against the Karaites, and showed that the disagreements in the Talmud lay not in essentiallaws but in minor matters. (Within the fictional framework of the book, his spokesman argues againstthe historic Karaite etc., even quoting from Karaite literature, but as there were few if any actualKaraites in Western Europe at the time of writing, the real attack was against Jewish dissidents suchas Uriel Acosta.) He also waged war untiringly on the supporters of the Shabbethaian heresies,which he regarded as dangerous to the best interests of Judaism, and in this connection wrotehis Esh Dat  (London, 1715) against Hayyun(who supported Shabbetai Zevi).

Nieto was one of the most accomplished Jews of his time and was equally distinguished as

philosopher, physician, poet, mathematician, astronomer, and theologian. A prolific writer, hisconnection with Christian scholars was extensive, especially with Ungar, the bibliographer. Nietowas the first to fix the time for the beginning of Sabbath eve for the latitude of England.

References[edit] 

  Steinschneider , Cat. Bodl., col. 881

  Meyer Kayserling, Gesch. der Juden in Portugal, pp. 325 –326

  Jewish World, Dec. 19, 1879

  Wolf, Johann Christoph, Bibliotheca Hebræa iii

  Cat. Anglo-Jew. Hist. Exh. 1887

  Portrait in Jewish Chronicle, June 28, 1901  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Joseph Jacobs and

Goodman Lipkind (1901 –1906). "Nieto, David". Jewish Encyclopedia.