More detailed than the survey lecture covering similar period of time, this course will allow students to explore Jewish experience under Christian and Muslim rule during the Middle Ages through close examination and analysis of primary sources.  We will discuss issues related to Jews' legal status, economic activity, intellectual and cultural developments and their contacts with their neighbors on many level, official and unofficial.   We will attempt to discern what their live may have been like and address commonly held presuppositions about Jewish experience during the Middle Ages.

1.  Th.  08/31 Introduction: Middle Ages and the Jews.

2.  Tue. 09/05 Biblical Foundations for Christian Attitudes toward the Jews: Genesis, Isaiah 1-12; 30, 42-44; 48-49; 52, 53; 59; 61; Jeremiah 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, 31, 32, 44; Psalms: 2, 8, 13; 15; 16; 18; 59; 84; 85; 86;111; 119;132;

3.  Th.  09/07 Emergence of Christianity the Jews I: Hellenistic Traditions and Jewish Religion.  Three Jewish Philosophers: Philo (HANDOUT)

4.  Tue. 09/12 Emergence of Christianity the Jews II: The Gospels and St. Paul.

5.  Th.  09/14 Jewish Responses to the Destruction of the Second Temple and the Emergence of Rabbinic Judaism.  The Mishnah and the Talmud. (HANDOUT)

6.  Tue. 09/19 Early Christianity and the Jews: Roman Law and Christian Emperors. Jewish History Sourcebook: Jews and the Later Roman Law 315-531 CE (also in Jacob Marcus’ Jew in the Medieval World; Jewish History Sourcebook: Julian and the Jews 361-363 CE (also in Jacob Marcus’ Jew in the Medieval World); Medieval Sourcebook: Justinian: Novella 146: On Jews

7.  Th.  09/21 Church Fathers  Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Homilies Against the Jews ; Augustine and his Legacy (HANDOUT)

8.  Tue. 09/26 Jewish Responses to Early Christianity and  Jewish Attitudes toward non-Jews (pagans and Christian, Jesus in Jewish Sources): Testimonium Flavianum - Josephus ;  Celsus on Jesus- 2nd Century ;Tertullian Mocks Jewish 'Slanders' ; Yeshu and Joshua b. Perachiah ; Baraitha Sanhedrin 43a ; Toledoth Yeshu

9.  Th.  09/28  Islam and Its Impact on the Jews (Stillman Jews of Arab Lands, Part One, ch.  1; Part Two, ch.  1, ch.  2: pp.  152-170; Cohen) Paper Topics and Bibliography Due

10. Tue.  10/03 Jews Self-Government under Islam: The Exilarchs and the Gaonim, and others  (Stillman: Part Two, ch.  2 pp.  171-189, 208-214, 217-226; Medieval Sourcebook: Abraham Ibd Daud: On Samuel Ha-Nagid, Vizier of Granada, 11Cent

11.  Th.  10/05  Jewish Culture and Society under Islam I: Learning and Art (Poetry): Three Philosophers: Saadya Gaon; Solomon Ibn Gabirol  The Fountain of Life (reader). Poems (reader).

12.  Tue. 10/10 Jewish Culture and Society under Islam II: Schisms and Messianic Movements: Karaite Anthology (Nemoy): Anan ben David pp.  3-20; Benjamin al-Nehawandi pp.21-30; Jacob al-Kirkisani pp.  42-69;Solomon Ben Jeroham pp.69-82 in Stillman p. 198-199; .Maimonides: Iggeret Teman (in the Maimonides Reader) PAPER OUTLINES/DRAFTS DUE

       Th.  10/12 NO CLASS – Fall Break

13.  Tue. 10/17 Moses Maimonides: The Maimonides Reader pp. 42-86; 99-108; 121-131; 135-139, 155-170, 174-179, 222-227, 235-358, 402-423, 478-480 + HANDOUT;

14.  Th.  10/19. Jews and Non-Jews:  Medieval Sourcebook: The Medieval Jewish Kingdom of the Khazars  (also in Jacob Marcus’ Jew in the Medieval World); Medieval Sourcebook: Judah Ha-Levi, The Kuzari, part I. ;

15.  Tue. 10/24 Jewish-Christian Relations:HANDOUT + Medieval Sourcebook: Gilbert Crispin: Disputation of a Jew with a Christian about the Christian Faith (Before 1096) ; Medieval Sourcebook: Anselm of Canterbury: How to Treat a Convert (before 1100) ; Medieval Sourcebook: Contact between English Jews and Christians: Two Twelfth-century Views ; Medieval Sourcebook: An Israelite Bishop without Guile (ca. 1168) ; Medieval Sourcebook: Gerald of Wales: Two Cistercian Monks turn Jews (before 1200)Medieval Sourcebook: Medieval Converts to Judaism: France and Germany
PAPERS DUE

16.  Th.  10/26  Church, State and the Jews I: Chazan pp. 15-43; 167-205;

17.  Tue. 10/31 Church, State and the Jews II:  Medieval Sourcebook: Royal Grants to the Jewish Community of Barcelona, 1241-1271 Chazan pp. 53-95;

18.  Th.  11/02 Church, State and the Jews III: Chazan pp. 95-167.

19.  Tue. 11/07 The Crusades I: The Chronicles: Chazan European Jewry and the First Crusade pp. 223-end. +Handout (Christian documents).. SECOND PAPER TOPICS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE

20.  Th.  11/09 . The Crusades II: S. W. Baron Social and Religious History of the Jews vol. IV(HANDOUT) and Chazan European Jewry and the First Crusade pp. 1-222

21.  Tue. 11/14 Jewish Economic Activity: I: Before the Crusades:HANDOUT + Medieval Sourcebook: Fourth Council of Toledo: On the Keeping of Slaves, 633 ; Medieval Sourcebook: Accounts of the Routes of the Jewish Merchants to the East, 847 ; Medieval Sourcebook: King Louis the Child of Germany: An Inquiry into the Tolls of Raffelstettin, c. 905
After the Crusades: Medieval Sourcebook: Note of a Double Loan Arising from a Tax, 1203 ; Medieval Sourcebook: Pope Innocent III: Protest to Philip Augustus of France Against Royal Protection of Money-Lenders, 1204 ; Medieval Sourcebook: Pope Innocent III: The Keeping of Slaves by the Jews, 1204 ; Medieval Sourcebook: A Business Partnership between a Jew and Christian in Barcelona, 1235-1242 CE ;

22.  Th.  11/16 Jewish Culture under Christianity: Self-Government.HANDOUT + 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 ;
 

Tue. 11/21 NO CLASS – Thanksgiving Break

Th.  11/23 NO CLASS – Thanksgiving Break

23.  Tue.  11/28  Jewish Communities and Learning.HANDOUT + Medieval Sourcebook: A Rabbinic Responsum: The Shabbat Goy: Angevin England ; Medieval Sourcebook: Rashi: Jewish Community in Troyes, c.1100 ; Medieval Sourcebook: Jewish Ethical Wills, 12th & 14th Centuries ; Medieval Sourcebook: Reciting the Grace after Meals: The Status of Jewish Women, from Berakhot, chapter 7;  PAPER OUTLINE/DRAFT DUE
 

24.  Th.  11/30 New Christian Learning and New Anti-Judaism: Chazan 221-224; 229-238; 255-261;

25.  Tue. 12/05 Polemic and Disputations: Maccoby (entire); Chazan 224-229; 261-277;

26.  Th.  12/07 Jews under Christianity and Islam: Recapitulation PAPERS DUE