The Wandering Jew is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion was then cursed to walk the Earth until the Second Coming. The exact nature of the wanderer's indiscretion varies in different versions of the tale, as do aspects of his character; sometimes he is said to be a shoemaker or other tradesman, while sometimes he is the doorman at the estate of Pontius Pilate.
The Wandering Jew by Gustave Doré
Adaptation of the motif of the wandering Jew, Basel, 1820–1840, Jewish Museum of Switzerland
The Wandering Jew by Samuel Hirszenberg (1899)
The Wandering Jew (left) meets Christ on his way to Calvary, as depicted in the Chronica Majora
Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess 'biological immortality' due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit.
The Fountain of Eternal Life in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is described as symbolizing "Man rising above death, reaching upward to God and toward Peace."
Adam and Eve condemned to mortality. Hans Holbein the Younger, Danse Macabre, 16th century
Representation of a soul undergoing punarjanma. Illustration from Hinduism Today, 2004
