260,000 digitized images of Jewish art and artifacts now online
The Hebrew University’s Center for Jewish Art has launched the world’s largest index of Jewish Art, a collection of more than 260,000 digitized images of Jewish objects and artifacts from all over the world.
The Medieval Magazine (Volume 3, Issue 7)
In our latest issue: Being lovesick was a real disease in the Middle Ages! Judaism, War, and Chivalry: Why is this Knight Different than Other Knights? Travel Tips: San Lorenzo’s Medici Crypt! Crusade in Europe
The Resurrection of Jesus and Human Beings in Medieval Christian and Jewish Theology and Polemical Literature
This article will first look at intra-religious discussion among medieval Christians and Jews about resurrection in general to see how they understood it theologically in their respective religious communities.
“Now if this is your wish, I cannot blame you” – asking for a divorce in 1204
All day long I have a lonely heart and am pained by our separation. I feel that pain while writing these lines. But the choice is with you; the decision is in your hand: if you wish to carry the matter through, do so; if you wish to leave things as they are, do so.
Material Culture in the Geniza Society
Miriam Frenkel examines the Cairo Geniza records as a source of Jewish life in the Middle Ages.
The Golden Haggadah now online
The Golden Haggadah, created in Catalonia around the year 1320, is among several hundred items that have recently been digitised by the British…
Jewish Law and Litigation in the Secular Courts of the Late Medieval Mediterranean
Although medieval rabbinic law generally forbade Jews from suing their co-religionists in state courts, this practice was widely accepted among some Mediterranean Jewish communities.
The Attitude Towards Democracy in Medieval Jewish Philosophy
By and large, medieval Jewish philosophers conceived the ideal government to be that of a perfect philosopher-king of the Platonic mold
Medieval Mass Media and Minorities
The portrayal and (mis)use of the figure of the Jew and the Muslim in vernacular sermons and wall paintings from medieval Denmark and Sweden.
Cultural Exchange in the Languages and Literatures of Medieval Spain
Professor David Wacks’s fascinating discussion of the Iberian Peninsula and it’s incredible linguistic heritage.
5 Medieval Hanukkah Foods
What was on the table of medieval Jews? Here is a list of five foods that would have been enjoyed during Hanukkah in the Middle Ages.
The Struggle is Real: Where are the Medieval Economists?!
Another fascinating paper from “Making the Medieval Relevant” was given by Daniel Curtis, a specialist in Social and Economic History, and a professor at the University of Utrecht.
Curse or Blessing: What’s in the Magic Bowl?
I intend to look at magic bowls in order to see how and for what purpose they were used, and to get a glimpse at the way they worked and what hidden treasures can be found within them.
Rosh Hashanah in the Middle Ages
As the Jewish High Holy Days takes place, we take a look at how Jews celebrated Rosh Hashanah in the Middle Ages.
The Problem of Old Debts: Jewish Moneylenders in Northern Castile
Focusing especially on Jewish moneylending, the article explores economic relations between Jews and Christians in Northern Castile at the turn of the fourteenth century.
Mosaics discovered at Byzantine-era Synagogue in Israel
Excavations of a medieval synagogue in Israel dating to the Byzantine period (4th—7th c. CE) have uncovered a partially-preserved colorful mosaic floor.
Medieval Jews on Christianity
Whatever medieval Jews said, or thought, about Christianity, one may be sure that very little of it was good.
Explore the Medieval Jewish Trail in Winchester
Visitors to Winchester have a new way to explore the English city’s medieval Jewish past. Winchester City Council and the University of Winchester have launched a new city trail telling the story of this community.
‘But Where are the Dungeons?’: How to Engage the Public at the Tower of London
A talk about how historical sites, like the Tower of London engage the public. How to handle visitor expectations, what do people come t see and how to tell history in a captivating but accurate manner.
David Nirenberg on ‘Religion and Violence’
Do the respective claims of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic holy texts contribute to the violence between the various communities that read them? Or do they provide a basis for solidarity between the three Abrahamic religions?
Moses as a Germanic hero? Biblical Poetry in Anglo-Saxon England
Samantha Zacher talks about Anglo-Saxon Jewish heroes.
Dragons: A Symbol of Evil in European Synagogue Decoration?
At first glance, images of evil would seem to be an unexpected element in synagogue art. Only during a relatively short period in eighteenth-century eastern-European synagogues were paintings of predatory beasts and birds catching their prey depicted to convey the idea of the People of Israel pursued by enemies.
The Medieval Myth of Jewish Ritual Murder: Toward a History of Literary Reception
An analysis of this myth, beginning with the events around Hugh of Lincoln, is illustrative: The various literary and cultural transformations of the story provide an insight into the transition of the myth from its medieval genesis to its post-medieval reception.
The Regional Impact on Medieval Text and Image: Exploring Representations of Anti-Semitism in English and Northern French Medieval Bestiaries
This thesis endeavors to explain the variations in representations of anti-Semitism between medieval bestiaries.
‘Forget Your People and Your Father’s House’: Teresa de Cartagena and the Converso Identity
Religion is a very important factor to take into consideration in discussions about the identity of the conversos [converts] or New Christians, an emerging group in 15th-century Castile.