Jews and Christians in Twelfth-Century Europe

<p>In the summer of 1096 marauding crusaders attacked Jewish communities in three Rhineland cities. These violent episodes disrupted what had been a fairly peaceful history of coexistence between Jews and Christians for more than two centuries. Although the two groups inhabited fundamentally different religious universes Jews and Christians lived in the same towns on the same streets and pursued their lives with minimal interference often with considerable cooperation. However the events of 1096 caused relations between the two communities to deteriorate with Jewish communities suffering as a result.</p><p>The careful analyses of people events and texts provide a balanced perspective on the fate of twelfth-century Jewish communities. The contributors reveal considerable evidence that old routines and interactions between Christians and Jews persisted throughout this volatile period. The essays intentionally highlight areas of common or parallel activity: in vernacular literature in biblical exegesis in piety and mysticism in the social context of conversion in relations with prelates and monarchs in coping in a time of change renewal and upheaval. Most importantly the contributors insist on integrating both Jewish and Christian perspectives into the larger history of a very complex and increasingly urban twelfth-century Europe.</p><p>Contributors: John Van Engen Jeremy Cohen Ivan G. Marcus Robert Chazan Jonathan M. Elukin William Chester Jordan Walter Cahn Jan M. Ziolkowski Michael A. Signer Elliott R. Wolfson Susan Einbinder Maureen Boulton Alfred Haverkamp Gérard Nahon and Robert C. Stacey.</p>