By: Paola Tartakoff

Hardcover

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In 1341 in Aragon, a Jewish convert to Christianity was sentenced to death, only to be pulled from the burning stake and into a formal religious interrogation. His confession was as astonishing to his inquisitors as his brush with mortality is to us: the condemned man described a Jewish conspiracy to persuade recent converts to denounce their newfound Christian faith. His claims were corroborated by witnesses and became the catalyst for a series of trials that unfolded over the course of the next twenty months. Between Christian and Jew closely analyzes these events, which Paola Tartakoff considers paradigmatic of inquisitorial proceedings against Jews in the period. The trials also serve as the backbone of her nuanced consideration of Jewish conversion to Christianity-and the unwelcoming Christian response to Jewish conversions-during a period that is usually celebrated as a time of relative interfaith harmony.

The book lays bare the intensity of the mutual hostility that existed between Christians and Jews in medieval Spain. Tartakoff's research reveals that the majority of Jewish converts of the period turned to baptism in order to escape personal difficulties, such as poverty, conflict with other Jews, or unhappy marriages. They often met with a chilly reception from their new Christian brethren, making it difficult for them to integrate into Christian society. Tartakoff explores Jewish antagonism toward Christians and Christianity by examining the aims and techniques of Jews who sought to re-Judaize apostates as well as the Jewish responses to inquisitorial prosecution during the course of an actual investigation. Prosecutions such as the 1341 trial were understood by papal inquisitors to be in defense of Christianity against perceived Jewish attacks, although Tartakoff shows that Christian fears about Jewish hostility were often exaggerated. Drawing together the accounts of Jews, Jewish converts, and inquisitors, this cultural history offers a broad study of interfaith relations in medieval Iberia.

"An outstanding book and a compelling read, this is the first thorough account of a trial of Jews by the papal inquisition, under whose jurisdiction Jews did not normally fall. This is also the first work to attempt an overview of the phenomenon of Jewish conversion to Christianity in medieval Spain prior to the watershed of 1391, and Tartakoff's conclusions regarding the motives for conversion are very important."-Mark Meyerson, University of Toronto

Note on Names, Money, Terminology, and Transliterations Map 1 Map 2 Map 3 Introduction PART I. BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL Four Arrests Chapter 1. Defending the Faith: Medieval Inquisitors and the Prosecution of Jews and Converts Chapter 2. From Resistance to Surrender: Jewish Responses to Inquisitorial Prosecution Four Condemnations PART II. AT THE FONT OF NEW LIFE Alatzar and Abadia, Baptized Chapter 3. Between Doubt and Desire: Jewish Conversion, Converts, and Christian Society Chapter 4. Homeward Bound: The Fates of Jewish Converts Two Converts, Repentant PART III. BY THE FIRE The Intervention Chapter 5. Apostasy as Scourge: Jews and the Repudiation of Apostates Chapter 6. Recruiting Repentance: The Re-Judaization of Apostates The Road to the Stake Conclusion List of Abbreviations Notes Glossary Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

ISBN: 9780812244212
ISBN-10: 0812244214
Series: The Middle Ages Series
Audience: Tertiary; University or College
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 264
Published: 6th July 2012
Dimensions (cm): 22.9 x 15.2  x 2.3
Weight (kg): 0.476