When the Earth Shook Europe: Lisbon, the Enlightenment, and the Jewish Question

In 1755, a massive earthquake, firestorm, and tsunami devastated Lisbon and sent shockwaves through European thought. The catastrophe shattered old religious certainties, ignited debates led by Voltaire and Kant, and reshaped the fate of Iberian Jews and “New Christians” long-bound by the Inquisition. In this episode, we trace how one morning of destruction helped usher in modern ideas of reason, justice, and identity—and how Lisbon’s rebuilding reframed the Jewish story within Europe’s emerging Enlightenment. Links for Additional Reading The Earthquake That Changed History – BBC REELhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVLGo_SgRfs The Jesuit and the Jew -The Lisbon Earthquake in Modern PerspectiveRevista by Kenneth Maxwell, 30 December 2007https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/the-jesuit-and-the-jew/ Pombal and the Inquisition in PortugalHistory Today by Richard Cavendish, 5 May 2001https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/pombal-and-inquisition-portugalFollow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!Find more at j2adventures.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.