Jewish-Christian Dialogue in Medieval French Literature

<b>Examines a range of vernacular works within the context of Jewish and Christian exegetical traditions.</b><br><br><br>Just as Jews and Christians encounter each other in unequal power relations in the contact zones of medieval cities so the Hebrew Bible meets two Christian Testaments in dynamic tension. Vernacular literature mirrors that confrontation whenever it integrates biblical material whether quotations and images translation and paraphrase people events or practices. In whatever shape or form the use of biblical matter introduces vital questions as competing claims to possession and authority are enmeshed with new approaches to interpretation. Christians and Jews Judaism and Christianity meet each other figuratively around the reinvention of their shared sacred texts to define and dispute their identities. <br><br>This study examines how biblical material enters into a variety of twelfth- and thirteenth- century French works by following the way literal and spiritual meanings are intimately entwined. In examples ranging from the romances of Chrétien de Troyes and bestiaries to theatre and moralized bibles biblical citation serves as an expression of belief a tool of persuasion and a weapon of aggression. As current debates on antisemitism intensify a brief epilogue considers what this study can contribute to Jewish-Christian dialogue when medieval and modern past and present challenge each other to deepen knowledge and expand possibilities.