A Thirteenth-Century Polymath Considers the Jews

A Thirteenth-Century Polymath Considers the Jews

Paper by William Chester Jordan

Given as part of the University of Oxford Medieval Studies program, on January 21, 2021

Overview: Christian polemics against Judaism and its adherents in the Middle Ages range from mild to dyspeptic. These polemics have come down to us in many sorts of texts, not simply those in the so-called ‘Contra Judaeos’ genre. A huge body of material to which scholars have paid insufficient attention in the discussions on the thirteenth century is the poetic oeuvre of the polymath, John of Garland. The goal of the lecture is to introduce some of the poet’s main themes into the conversation.

William Chester Jordan is Dayton-Stockton Professor of History at Princeton University. A celebrated scholar of the European Middle Ages and particularly of high medieval France, his most recent book is Servant of the Crown and Steward of the Church: The Career of Philippe of Cahors.

Top Image: 15th century cover from Synónoma magistri, by John of Garland.