Fashioning Jewish Identity in Medieval Western Christendom

This 2003 study examines the techniques of persuasion adopted by the Jewish polemicists.

Robert Chazan (Author)

9780521100564, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 29 January 2009

396 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.58 kg

"Chazan has written an incredibly well-organized, well-argued book. Each piece of evidence presented is laid on a solid foundation created in previous chapters, and his progression from antiquity to the middle ages is well thought out." - Melissa Bruninga-Matteau, History, UC Irvine

During the course of the twelfth century, increasing numbers of Jews migrated into dynamically developing western Christendom from Islamic lands. The vitality that attracted them also presented a challenge: Christianity - from early in its history - had proclaimed itself heir to a failed Jewish community and thus the vitality of western Christendom was both appealing and threatening to the Jewish immigrants. Indeed, western Christendom was entering a phase of intense missionising activity, some of which was directed at the long-term Jewish residents of Europe and the Jewish newcomers. This 2003 study examines the techniques of persuasion adopted by the Jewish polemicists in order to reassure their Jewish readers of the truth of Judaism and the error of Christianity. At the very deepest level, these Jewish authors sketched out for their fellow Jews a comparative portrait of Christian and Jewish societies - the former powerful but irrational and morally debased, the latter the weak but reasonable and morally elevated - urging that the obvious and sensible choice was Judaism.

Foreword
Short titles for frequently cited texts
Introduction
Part I. Backdrop: 1. Jesus and the Jews: the gospel accounts
2. Post-Gospel Christian argumentation: continuities and expansions
3. Pre-twelfth-century Jewish argumentation
Part II. Data and Foundations: 4. The Jewish polemicists of southern France and northern Spain
5. Scriptural and alternative lines of argumentation
Part III. Jesus as Messiah: 6. Biblical prophecy: messianic advent
7. Biblical prophecy: the Messiah reviled and vindicated
Part IV. Rejection of the Messiah and Rejection of the Jews: 8. Biblical prophecy and empirical observation: displacement of the Jews
9. Biblical prophecy: redemption of the Jews
10. Biblical prophecy and empirical observation: Christian failures
Part V. The Messiah Human and Divine: 11. Biblical prophecy: the Messiah human and divine
12. Human reason: the Messiah human and divine
Part VI. Jewish Polemicists on the Attack: 13. Christian Scripture and Jesus
14. Comparative behaviors: Jewish achievement and Christian shortcoming
Part VII. Underlying Issues: 15. Techniques of persuasion
16. Fashioning identities: other and self
Bibliography
Index of subjects and proper names
Scripture index.

Subject Areas: Jewish studies [JFSR1], History of religion [HRAX], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], European history [HBJD]