On the Jewish Epic among Iberian Jews and Conversos: From Machabea to Macabeo

The Biblical epic of the seventeenth century represents a genre that was remarkably popular among both Conversos and Iberian Jewish authors. In extensive poetical compositions written in Spanish, Jewish heroes as David (by David Uziel), Samson (by Antonio Enríquez Gómez) or Judah Maccabee were celebrated. Epic poetry enjoyed an undisputed reputation in Iberia as the most prestigious vehicle of literary expression, exceptionally suited to enhance an nascent national awareness – the most famous examples being Os Lusiadas by Camoes and Ercilla‘s La Araucana. In such a context, biblical epic poetry written by Conversos or Jews reflects a sense of pride, even of challenge, celebrating Hebrew heroes in a context where the Jewish or Muslim Iberian past had come under attack. Analyzing two epic poems on the Maccabees – La Macabea (1604) by the anonymous „Estrella Lusitano“ and El Macabeo (1638) by the converso physician Miguel de Silveira, I will comment on the vindicative and on religious content of both compositions situating them in the broader framework of Iberian epic poetry.