Monday:

• Review discussion topics

• Read Breslauer, chapter 5• Be aware of how your congregation is a

reaction to modernity.

Jews in Christendom.

• Early Church distrusts Jews.

• Blamed Jews for Jesus’ death.

New Testament: Matt. 27:24-25

When Pilate saw that he was

accomplishing nothing, … he took water

and washed his hands in front of the

crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this

Man's blood; see to that yourselves." And

all the people said, "His blood shall be on

us and on our children!"

4-11 century

• Western Church ROME

• Eastern Church CONSTANTINOPLE / Istanbul

• Formal split: Mid 11th century– Catholic – Orthodox

Eastern ChurchConstantinople / Istanbul

• Often Treated Jews better than in West• But often:

– Forced segregation– Conversion to Judaism banned– Moments of persecutions.

Blood Libel in Syria: late 4th century• Soon afterwards the Jews renewed their malevolent and impious

practices against the Christians ... At … Inmestar, the Jews … indulged in many absurdities, and at length impelled by drunkenness they were guilty of scoffing at Christians and even Christ himself; and in derision of the cross and those who put their trust in the Crucified One, they seized a Christian boy, and having bound him to a cross, began to laugh and sneer at him. But in a little while becoming so transported with fury, they scourged the child until he died under their hands.

• And thus the Jewish inhabitants of this place paid the penalty for the wickedness they had committed in their impious sport.

• http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/socschol-bloodlibel.htm

Rome: Christianized 4th century

• Christianity separates itself from Jewish heritage: – Synagogue construction banned. – Easter no longer same days as Passover.– Easter liturgies fanned anti-Jewish sentiment

Europe 800-1000

• Jews move into Europe along with Christian expansions

• Protection by some Christian rulers • Jewish traders important to economy.

– Resentment

Crusades• 1095 First Crusade• 1145 2nd Cr.• 11893rd Cr.

• Attacks on Jews as Christian armies head for Middle East.

Spain 12-15 century

• Continual advancement of Christian Europeans

• Islamic discriminations against Jews.

Re-christianized Spain

• First: Attempts to win favour of Jews– Help with advance against Islam.– Sephardic Jews flee

to Christian landsTurkey, Middle East

European Laws• Conversion to Judaism = death penalty• Jews barred from public office.• Jews cannot have Christian servants• No mixed marriages.• Jews must wear badge, pointed hats.• Jews “owned” by rulers.

– Feudal society

Forced Conversions

• 1391 in Castile and Aragon• Massacres of Jews

• “Conversos” called “Marranos” (Pigs).Never trusted as “true” ChristiansFrequent violence

European Economy

• Jewish banking becomes necessary• Christians forbidden to loan money on

interest

Resentment

• Pope Innocent III (13 century) complains of French legal protection of Jewish contracts against Christian witnesses

Heresy

• Divergent forms of Christianity = Heresy.

• Beginnings of witch-hunts.

• Jewish rejection of Christianity

Talmud Trial

• Jews forced to defend Talmud in trials before Christian judged.

• Found to be heretical

• Book burnings.

Blood Libel

• Claims that Jews used the blood of a Christian baby in Passover rituals.

• Frequent accusations in late middle ages, persist to present.

• Easter time dangerous.• http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/117

1blois.html (1171 ce)

Popes

• Anti-Jewish laws, but refused to accept Blood-libel claims

• Failed to stop popular bigotry.

17th century blood-libel

• http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rinn.html

• Cult of Saint Anderl von Rinn

Expulsions

• England 1290• France 1254 1394• Spain 1492• Germany 13th century• Poland 15th century• http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/149

2-jews-spain1.html

Ghettos

• Jews forced to live in specific parts of a city.

2 cultural groups by 13th century

• Islamic regionsSephardi

• Christian RegionsFrance and Germany

• Ashkenaz

Sephardi

• N. Africa, Spain Middle East

• Very cosmopolitan• Educated in non-Jewish subjects

science, literature

• Humanistic: universal values often upheld.

Ladino language

• Mix of • Spanish / Hebrew / Aramaic / Arabic

• Spoken in Turkey, Balkans after Spanish expulsions.

• In danger of being lost

Judah Halevi

• 1075-1142• Poet• Influenced by Arabic poetry• Poems entered Jewish liturgy• Tisha B’Av

J. Halevi Kuzari

• Fictive dialogue illustrating superiority of Judaism and proper life.

• God both distant and near• Humanity, low and privileged to approach

God.

Shulkhan Arukh: “Set Table”

• Joseph Caro 1488-1575.

• Most important Handbook on Sephardic Halakhah

Ashkenazi Judaism

• France, Germany, • Education more based on Jewish tradition• Ethics more devoted to Jewish unity.• Reaction to frequent expulsions,

migrations.

Yiddish

• German / French with Hebrew / Aramaic influences

• Widely spoken today

Yiddish

• Schtik = routine• Goy = non-Jew Heb. “nation”• Schpeel = A salesman’s pitch

Ger. Spiel, to play.

Ashkenazi Education

• Women would often write religious works in Yiddish– Often assumed leadership roles

Yeshiva

• Jewish School.• Torah, Talmud.

• Scholarly elite develops.• Bar Mitzvah become important.

Mappah (tablecloth)

• Moses Isserles (1530-1572)• Ashkenazi commentary on Shulkhan

Arukh.

RAMBAM and RASHI

Maimonides: Sephardic 1135-1204– Physician– Summarizes Torah (14 vols.)– Guide for the Perplexed:

• Philosophy not superior to Jewish knowledge.• Miracles do not conflict with science• Revelation, divine justice, are not contrary to

reason.

RAMBAM and RASHI

• Maimonides: Abstract, comprehensive theology and philosophy.

• R. Shlomo Iskaki: Practical, accessible to a wider audience.– Responsa:

RASHI 1040-1105Askenazic

• God concerned with all humanity and Judaism’s place in the world.

• Biblical commentaries give a digest of Jewish Law, Lore and Culture.

• Torah scholars are “fathers” of students.

• Torah study brought into the house

Askenazi culture

• Dominant in Israel, USA

• Immigrants from East Europe.

Mysticism.Pp. 113-115

http://jewfaq.org/kabbalah.htm

Modernity and discontinuity with the past

3 ways of confronting discontinuity

• Baruch Spinoza disc. a virtue

• Moses Mendelssohn balance possible

• Hasidim: disc. a fact: but can return to idealized past

Excellent exam essay question.

• J. Neusner says most of middle ages Jews were pessimistic in the short term but remained optimistic in the long term.

• After the rise of modernity and its hopes for liberation but increased anti-semitism, this changed to long term pessimism unless a radical change occurred.

B. Spinoza (1632-1677)

• Spanish decent in Holland• Traditional and secular education

• Philosopher.

• Broke with Jewish tradition.

First “Free Jew”??

• Lives independent of Jewish community.

• Theological-Political Treatisecritical analysis of Bible. Bible result of politics, not revelation.Religion is rules that bring happiness

• Any such rules are “word of God”.

Spinoza & rituals

• Rituals served the purposes of the ancient society and were valid in that time.

• No longer necessary.

• Irrelevant in modern state.• Says Bible supports separation of religious

institution and state

Spinoza:

• State and philosophy to be kept separate

• Inclusive and universalistic

• Issues with spinoza• Example of his biblical intepretation• Role in Zionism

• Backlash against him.

Moses Mendelssohn.

• 1729-1786• Accommodation. • Individual Citizen and Jewish

• Defense of Judaism as a modern faith