Monday:

1. Monday: • Review discussion topics • Read Breslauer, chapter 5 • Be aware of how your congregation is a reaction to modernity.

2. Jews in Christendom. • Early Church distrusts Jews. • Blamed Jews for Jesus’ death.

3. 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. 4-11 century • Western Church ROME • Eastern Church CONSTANTINOPLE / Istanbul • Formal split: Mid 11th century • Catholic • Orthodox

5. Eastern ChurchConstantinople / Istanbul • Often Treated Jews better than in West • But often: • Forced segregation • Conversion to Judaism banned • Moments of persecutions.

6. 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

7. 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

8. Europe 800-1000 • Jews move into Europe along with Christian expansions • Protection by some Christian rulers • Jewish traders important to economy. • Resentment

9. Crusades • 1095 First Crusade • 1145 2nd Cr. • 1189 3rd Cr. • Attacks on Jews as Christian armies head for Middle East.

10. Spain 12-15 century • Continual advancement of Christian Europeans • Islamic discriminations against Jews.

11. Re-christianized Spain • First: Attempts to win favour of Jews • Help with advance against Islam. • Sephardic Jews flee to Christian lands Turkey, Middle East

12. 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

13. Forced Conversions • 1391 in Castile and Aragon • Massacres of Jews • “Conversos” called “Marranos” (Pigs). Never trusted as “true” Christians Frequent violence

14. European Economy • Jewish banking becomes necessary • Christians forbidden to loan money on interest

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

16. Heresy • Divergent forms of Christianity = Heresy. • Beginnings of witch-hunts. • Jewish rejection of Christianity

17. Talmud Trial • Jews forced to defend Talmud in trials before Christian judged. • Found to be heretical • Book burnings.

18. 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/1171blois.html (1171 ce)

19. Popes • Anti-Jewish laws, but refused to accept Blood-libel claims • Failed to stop popular bigotry.

20. 17th century blood-libel • http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rinn.html • Cult of Saint Anderl von Rinn

21. Expulsions • England 1290 • France 1254 1394 • Spain 1492 • Germany 13th century • Poland 15th century • http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/1492-jews-spain1.html

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

23. 2 cultural groups by 13th century • Islamic regions Sephardi • Christian Regions France and Germany • Ashkenaz

24. Sephardi • N. Africa, Spain Middle East • Very cosmopolitan • Educated in non-Jewish subjects science, literature • Humanistic: universal values often upheld.

25. Ladino language • Mix of • Spanish / Hebrew / Aramaic / Arabic • Spoken in Turkey, Balkans after Spanish expulsions. • In danger of being lost

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

27. J. Halevi Kuzari • Fictive dialogue illustrating superiority of Judaism and proper life. • God both distant and near • Humanity, low and privileged to approach God.

28. Shulkhan Arukh: “Set Table” • Joseph Caro 1488-1575. • Most important Handbook on Sephardic Halakhah

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

30. Yiddish • German / French with Hebrew / Aramaic influences • Widely spoken today

31. Yiddish • Schtik = routine • Goy = non-Jew Heb. “nation” • Schpeel = A salesman’s pitch Ger. Spiel, to play.

32. Ashkenazi Education • Women would often write religious works in Yiddish • Often assumed leadership roles

33. Yeshiva • Jewish School. • Torah, Talmud. • Scholarly elite develops. • Bar Mitzvah become important.

34. Mappah (tablecloth) • Moses Isserles (1530-1572) • Ashkenazi commentary on Shulkhan Arukh.

35. 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.

36. RAMBAM and RASHI • Maimonides: Abstract, comprehensive theology and philosophy. • R. Shlomo Iskaki: Practical, accessible to a wider audience. • Responsa:

37. 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

38. Askenazi culture • Dominant in Israel, USA • Immigrants from East Europe.

39. Mysticism.Pp. 113-115http://jewfaq.org/kabbalah.htm

40. Modernity and discontinuity with the past

41. 3 ways of confronting discontinuity • Baruch Spinoza disc. a virtue • Moses Mendelssohn balance possible • Hasidim: disc. a fact: but can return to idealized past

42. 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.

43. B. Spinoza (1632-1677) • Spanish decent in Holland • Traditional and secular education • Philosopher. • Broke with Jewish tradition.

44. First “Free Jew”?? • Lives independent of Jewish community. • Theological-Political Treatise critical analysis of Bible. Bible result of politics, not revelation. Religion is rules that bring happiness • Any such rules are “word of God”.

45. 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

46. Spinoza: • State and philosophy to be kept separate • Inclusive and universalistic

47. Issues with spinoza • Example of his biblical intepretation • Role in Zionism • Backlash against him.

48. Moses Mendelssohn. • 1729-1786 • Accommodation. • Individual Citizen and Jewish • Defense of Judaism as a modern faith