The Jews in Medieval Normandy: A Social and Intellectual History

by Norman Golb

Overview

This is the first comprehensive account, based on manuscript and archaeological evidence, of the high Hebraic culture developed by the Jews in Normandy during the Middle Ages, and in particular during the Anglo-Norman period. The book explores the origins of this remarkable community, beginning with topographical evidence pointing to the arrival of the Jews in Normandy as early as Roman and Gallo-Roman times, and finally uses the rich manuscript evidence of twelfth- and early thirteenth-century writers. The text is illustrated copiously with maps and other illustrations, many reproduced here for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781107406872
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/30/2012
Pages:	654
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.69(h) x 1.30(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. The earliest sources; 2. Extent and antiquity of Jewish settlement in Normandy; 3. From Robert of Normandy until the First Crusade; 4. The Jewish quarter of Rouen in the twelfth century; 5. School and community in the reign of Henry I and Angevin times; 6. Masters of the law in the mid-twelfth century; 7. Abraham Ibn Ezra and his literary activities in Normandy; 8. Disciples of the masters: Rouennaise scholars during the reign of Henry II Plantagenet; 9. The civil status of the Jews from Henry II to John Lackland; 10. The Tosafists; 11. From the last years of Philip Augustus to the reign of Louis IX; 12. The final decades; Appendices; Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

"Golb's massive study, the first exhaustive account of the Hebraic culture of the Jews of medieval Normandy, especially during Anglo-Norman times, will be a welcome addition to studies of Jewish life and culture during the Middle Ages." Choice

"Don't be put off by the scholarly tone of this work. Although it is a ‘social and intellectual history', it will have relevance to many readers. ...this work is a fascinating reading of materials hitherto unknown." Sybil Kaplan, National Jewish Post & Opinion

"Golb's new study presents a rich and variegated history of the Jews of medieval Normandy and England that will revlutionize our understanding of Ashkenazi Jewry." Steven Bowman, Religious Studies Review

"One the whole, medievalists in general, not only specialists in Jewish history, will find in The Jews in Medieval Normandy a well-documented, fascinating regional history. Golb skillfully presents the intricate scenario of medieval Jewish life in all its nuances, with demographics, society, politics, law, and learning woven together in a harmonious way." Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies

From the Publisher