The Ways of Jewish Martyrdom

by Goldin, Simha; Levin, Yigal; Copeland, C. Michael

• ISBN13: 9782503525235
• ISBN10: 2503525237
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-04-30
• Publisher: Isd

Summary

Jewish martyrdom in the Middle Ages is a most intriguing social, cultural, and religious phenomenon. It was stimulated by ancient Jewish myths, and at the same time it was influenced by the Christian environment in which the Jews lived and operated. The result was a unique and unprecedented event in which the Jews did not simply refuse to convert to Christianity; they were ready to kill themselves and their children so they would not be forced to convert. The Ways of Jewish Martyrdom discusses the phenomenon of Jewish Martyrdom in medieval Germany, northern France, and England from the time of the First Crusade (1096) until the mid-fourteenth century (that is, the time of the 'Black Death'), in light of modern research and with ample use of hitherto-neglected primary sources. In order to understand the unique phenomenon of Jewish martyrdom, the various Jewish and Christian antecedents that might have influenced the notion of Jewish martyrdom in the Middle Ages need analysis. The texts on which the analysis is based are various, ranging from chronicles through memorial books to liturgical materials and piyyut. The last part of the book reviews the development of this phenomenon after the fourteenth century and delineates the essential changes and transformations therein at the dawn of the early modern period and beyond.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
List of Abbreviations	p. xiii
List of Maps and Tables	p. xv
The Idea of Martyrdom: Nine Hundred Years
April, May, June and July of the Year 1096	p. 3
Christianity: the First Nine Hundred Years	p. 13
Who Were the Martyrs?	p. 13
What Was the Source of the Martyr's Behaviour?	p. 18
The First Martyrs	p. 28
From Martyrs to Martyr-Warriors	p. 36
The Jews: The First Nine Hundred Years	p. 47
During the Religious Persecutions of the Second Century of the Common Era	p. 48
The Death of Rabbi Akiba: 'I Have Said, When Will I Have My Opportunity to Fulfil this Commandment?'	p. 49
The Question of the Destruction and Suffering: 'This is the Torah and this is its Reward?'	p. 52
The Nations of the World and the Ultimate Sacrifice: 'Who is Like You Among the Gods, O Lord'	p. 59
The Halakhic Perspective: 'Be Killed and Do Not Transgress'	p. 69
Additional Heroes	p. 73
The Book of Josippon	p. 80
In the Face of the Victorious Sister: 1096-1348
'We Were Silent and We Sat in Darkness Like the Dead	p. 85
'Death in Sanctification of God's Name: Ritual, Myth, and Message	p. 95
The Central Motifs	p. 96
Figures from the Past	p. 98
The Covenant at Mount Sinai	p. 101
The Sacrifice in the Temple	p. 101
Community and Family Behaviour and the Question of Leadership	p. 103
The Commandment to Die	p. 106
Heaven	p. 106
Women and Children	p. 112
The Concept of Being 'Perfect'	p. 117
Converts and Forced Converts	p. 119
Methods of Commemoration	p. 123
Prayer	p. 124
Memorial Books	p. 129
Martyr Texts in Prose: The Chronicles	p. 130
The Story of Mainz	p. 137
Koln and Other Towns	p. 144
Prose and Poetry: The Writings of R. Eliezer bar Nathan	p. 150
Methods of Education	p. 163
Circumcision	p. 167
The Ceremony upon Beginning Education	p. 174
The Myth Becomes a Norm	p. 179
The Crusades of the Twelfth Century	p. 179
France	p. 193
England	p. 202
Germany	p. 209
The Destruction of the Jewish Communities	p. 213
Introduction to Explusion and Destruction	p. 213
A Halakhic (Jewish Legal) Opinion: 'Perhaps it is Like the Case of Saul'	p. 223
Memorial Days	p. 240
Theology, Sociology, and Memory
Theology and Sociology of Christian Martyrs	p. 247
Theology and Sociology of Mekadshei Hashem (Those Who Died for Sanctification of God's Name)	p. 263
Use of the Term	p. 263
'Death for Sanctification of God's Name': Tradition or Innovation?	p. 270
Theological Aspects and their Application in Reality	p. 276
The Religious and the Practical Struggle	p. 290
Memory as Action	p. 313
Theology and Memory	p. 325
Isaac, Father of Jewish Martyrs	p. 325
An End and a Beginning
An End and a Beginning	p. 341
Postscript	p. 363
The Sources for the Attacks on the Jews During the Crusades and their English Translation	p. 369
Bibliography	p. 375
Index	p. 393
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