MAJOR ISSUES IN JEWISH HISTORY I: Antiquity to the 16th Century
| Professor Magdalena Teter X - 5356 E-mail: mteter@wesleyan.edu |
Office Hours: PAC 208 Tuesday: 9:00-10:20 Wednesday: 5:00-6:30 Or by appointment |
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is the first part of a two-semester survey course in Jewish history. The first segment begins with Antiquity and ends with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and the forced conversion of Portuguese Jews at the end of the 15th century. The HIST248 sequel will cover topics in Jewish history from the sixteenth century until modern times. The emphasis of the whole course will be on the diversity of Jewish experience throughout history. We will address questionable stereotypes and presuppositions of Jewish life and history, including -- what the historian Salo W. Baron dubbed -- the "lachrymose concept of Jewish history." This will be attained by discussing Jewish culture, politics, economic activities, social and legal status; their relations with non-Jewish authorities and neighbors. While the course will follow a chronological order, it will focus on themes. It is a lecture course, but student participation is expected.
Additional Sources: Wesleyan University's Library offers a lot of valuable research resources, including a guide to Israel and Jewish studies. Contact Alan Nathanson to guide you through the Library's treasures. LINKS Guidelines for analysis of historical documents: http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/hist100.81/stow.html |
1. Tu. 09/02 Introduction
2. Th. 09/04 The Bible and the “Biblical Period” (On E-RESERVES: Philip Davies In Search of Ancient Israel; chapter 1-2, pp. 11-46; Bible: Genesis; Kings II) Timetable
3. Tu. 09/09 The Second Temple and Hellenism (H.H. Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 191-271; On E-RESERVES: Shaye Cohen The Beginnings of Jewishness, 25-68; Bible: Maccabees I and II).
4. Th. 09/11 Jewish Sectarianism (Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 271-276; On E-RESERVES: Texts and Traditions, pp. 266-300; Gospels of Luke and Mark).
5. Tu. 09/16 Emergence of Christianity (Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 277-295; On E-RESERVES: W. Meeks "Breaking Away" and M. Simon "History or Theology", the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John; Letters of St. Paul: Romans, Corinthians, Galatians)
6. Th. 09/18 Emergence of Rabbinic Judaism (Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 315-342, 373-382; On E-RESERVES: Texts and Traditions, 117-120, 517-531; 535-537). Bibliographic Assignment Due.
7. Tu. 09/23 Roman Legacy: Roman Church and Empire. (Jacob Marcus Jew in the Medieval World, Section I “State and the Jew” chapters 1-2; Section II “Church and the Jew”, chapters 19-20; Medieval Sourcebook: Justinian: Novella 146: On Jews)
8. Th. 09/25 Church and the Jews I: The Church Fathers. (Jacob Marcus The Jew in the Medieval World ch. 21; Augustine of Hippo (Hand-out); John Chrysostom, Homilies against Jews, nos. .... Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Homilies Against the Jews) FIRST PAPER ASSIGNED
9. Tu. 09/30 Jewish Settlements in Western Europe and Byzantine Jewry Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 343-373, 385-402.
Jews under Islam:
10. Th. 10/02 Emergence of Islam and the Jews' Legal Status (Mark Cohen Under Crescent and Cross chapters: Introduction, ch. 1, 2, 4; the Qur'an Suras: 1-5, 17, 24, 26, 56, 63, 68, 75, 112, 114; Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 403-406)
FIRST PAPER DUE on FRIDAY 10/03 by 5 PM
11. Tu. 10/07 Jewish Culture and Intellectual Traditions (Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 421-432; 439-448; Stillman: Part Two, ch. 2 pp. 171-189, 208-211, 226-229; 233-246; Jacob Marcus Jew in the Medieval World chapters 57,58,62,75; Jewish Poetry)
12. Th. 10/09 Jews in Muslim Spain (Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 452-458; Stillman Jews of Arab Lands, 211-225 ADD MORE; Jacob Marcus Jew in the Medieval World ch.59, 63-I).
13. Tu. 10/14 Messianic and Sectarian Movements (Jacob Marcus Jew in the Medieval World ch.47; Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 448-452; On E-RESERVES: S.W. Baron “Messianic and Sectarian Movements”) FINAL DRAFT DUE
Jews in Christian Europe
14. Th. 10/16 Legal Status: Protection and Vulnerability. (Mark Cohen Under Crescent and Cross ch.3; Jacob Marcus The Jew in the Medieval World ch.4,6,7,8; Robert Chazan Church, State and Jew, part II, chapter 5 "Local Charters," chapter 6 "General charters")
MID-SEMESTER BREAK 10/17-10/22
15. Th. 10/23 MIDTERM EXAM.
16. Tu. 10/27 Church and the Jews II: Papal Attitudes. (Chazan Church, State and Jew, ch. 7 "Pope Alexander II" and "Pope Gregory IX", Marcus The Jew in the Medieval World ch. 22, 27, 30; On E-RESERVES: Bernard Bumenkranz "The Roman Church and the Jews;" Solomon Grayzel "The Papal Bull Sicut Judeis")
17. Th. 10/30 The Crusades and the Aftermath (R. Chazan European Jewry and the First Crusade, Appendix (texts of the Chronicles), On E-RESERVES: Y. Yerushalmi Zakhor ch.2). BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE DISCUSSED YOUR TEXT OF CHOICE WITH ME
18. Tu. 11/04 Jews and Christians: (Marcus The Jew in the Medieval World, ch. 25, 26, 28, 31; Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 477-487; On E-RESERVES: Jacob Katz "Social and Religious Segregation"; Yeshu and Joshua b. Perachiah ; Baraitha Sanhedrin 43a ; Toledoth Yeshu; (+Handout, Midrash) ). PAPER TOPICS (TEXTS) DUE
19. Th. 11/06 Church and the Jews III: Friars, the Popes and the Jews – New Anti-Judaism. (Jeremy Cohen "Scholarship and Intolerance in Medieval Academy" American Historical Review 91 (1986):592-613; reprinted in Essential Papers on Judaism and Christianity in Conflict ch.11, Chazan Church, State and Jew, ch. 16 "Attack on the Talmud," ch.18 "Forced Sermon;" Marcus The Jew in the Medieval World ch. 28-29).
20. Tu. 11/11 Church and the Jews IV: Jewish-Christian Polemic and Debates in the Middle Ages. (On E-RESERVES: D. Berger "Jewish Christian Debate in the Middle Ages: Introduction", Mark Cohen Under Crescent and Cross ch.9; Chazan Church, State and Jew, ch.19 "Forced disputation").PAPERS DUE
21. Th. 11/13 Jews in Medieval Economy (Cohen Under Crescent and Cross ch. 5-8; Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 462-476; On E-RESERVES: Jacob Katz "Economic Intercourse and Religious Factor")
22. Tu. 11/18 Age of Expulsions: France and England. (Marcus Jew in the Medieval World ch.5; Chazan Church, State and Jew, ch. 22: all documents except the last one)
23. Th. 11/20 . Medieval Jewish Community and Culture: Communal Organization and Rabbinic Culture. (Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 432-438; 458-461; Marcus The Jew in the Medieval World ch. 60, 61, 63-II,74,77;Medieval Sourcebook: A Rabbinic Responsum: The Shabbat Goy: Angevin England ; Medieval Sourcebook: Rashi: Jewish Community in Troyes, c.1100 ; Intellectual and Mystical Heritage (On E-RESERVES: G. Scholem Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism ch. 3; Marcus Jew in the Medieval World ch. 49, 50) Medieval (Christian) Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library; + HANDOUT in class.
24. Tu. 11/25 Medieval Jewish Community and Culture III: Jewish Family and Rituals (Ivan Marcus The Rituals of Childhood); Medieval Sourcebook: Reciting the Grace after Meals: The Status of Jewish Women, from Berakhot, chapter 7)
Thanksgiving Break
25. Tu. 12/02 Between Ashkenaz and Sepharad: the Maimonidean Controversy (Marcus Jew in the Medieval World , ch. 39) FINAL DRAFTS PAPERS DUE.
26. Tue. 12/04 Rise and Decline of Iberian Jewry (Ben-Sasson History of the Jewish People, 487-489; Marcus Medieval Sourcebook: Jewish Community of Barcelona: The Book of Document Forms; Medieval Sourcebook: Barcelona Jewish Court Documents, 1293: A Daughter's Inheritance; Medieval Sourcebook: Barcelona Jewish Court Documents: A Jewish Widow and her Daughter, 1261-1262; HANDOUT) Barcelona Haggadah
TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM DISTRIBUTED VIA EMAIL. DUE VIA EMAIL ON THE DAY OF THE REGISTRAR'S SCHEDULED EXAM.