Dying in the Law of Moses: Crypto-Jewish Martyrdom in the Iberian World

by Miriam Bodian

Overview

Miriam Bodian's study of crypto-Jewish martyrdom in Iberian lands depicts a new type of martyr that emerged in the late 16th century—a defiant, educated judaizing martyr who engaged in disputes with inquisitors. By examining closely the Inquisition dossiers of four men who were tried in the Iberian peninsula or Spanish America and who developed judaizing theologies that drew from currents of Reformation thinking that emphasized the authority of Scripture and the religious autonomy of individual interpreters of Scripture, Miriam Bodian reveals unexpected connections between Reformation thought and historic crypto-Judaism. The complex personalities of the martyrs, acting in response to psychic and situational pressures, emerge vividly from this absorbing book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253348616
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	05/22/2007
Series:	The Modern Jewish Experience
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Miriam Bodian is Professor of Jewish History in the Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Touro College. Her book Hebrews of the Portuguese Nation: Conversos and Community in Early Modern Amsterdam (IUP, 1998) received a National Jewish Book Award for History and a Koret Prize for History.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations

1. The Historical Setting
2. The Dogmatista Crypto-Jewish Martyrs
3. A Conquistador's Nephew in New Spain
4. A Monk of Castanheira
5. A Converso Surgeon in the Viceroyalty of Peru
6. A Hebrew Scholar at the University of Salamanca
7. Echoes in the Portuguese-Jewish Diaspora

Appendix A: Commemoration of Individual Martyrs in the Literature of the Portuguese-Jewish Diaspora, to 1683
Appendix B: Summary of Luis Carvajal's Nine Reasons for Adhering to the Law of Moses, Audience of February 15, 1595, PLC, 235–238
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Allison P. Coudert

[A]n important and timely book. . . . While a great deal of work has been done on the Inquisitionthe approach taken here is very readable and up to date in its findings about this controversial institution; the intricacies of its operation are really brought home in the individual case studies.

Editorial Reviews

"Miriam Bodian's study of crypto-Jewish martyrdom in Iberian lands depicts a new type of martyr that emerged in the late 16th century—a defiant, educated judaizing martyr who engaged in disputes with inquisitors. By examining closely the Inquisition dossiers of four men who were tried in the Iberian peninsula or Spanish America and who developed judaizing theologies that drew from currents of Reformation thinking that emphasized the authority of Scripture and the religious autonomy of individual interpreters of Scripture, Miriam Bodian reveals unexpected connections between Reformation thought and historic crypto-Judaism."—Joseph Haberer, Book Editor, SHOFAR, Summer 2008, Volume 26, No. 4

". . . an excellent study that successfully brings together many diverse strands of scholarship and will appeal to students of religion, Judaism, and Iberian history alike. 61.2 (Summer 2008)"—Sara T. Nalle, William Paterson University

"Bodian's study is both moving and illuminating. . . . a major contribution to converso studies and a demonstration of intellectual honesty.Vol. 33.2"—AJS Review

"Throughout, Bodian has crafted a rich and accessible narrative.... [This] is a readable and thoughtful volume that raises many important questions....Vol. 87. 3 May 2010"—DEAN PHILLIP BELL, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Chicago

"[A]n important and timely book. . . . While a great deal of work has been done on the Inquisitionthe approach taken here is very readable and up to date in its findings about this controversial institution; the intricacies of its operation are really brought home in the individual case studies."—Allison P. Coudert

From the Publisher

Throughout, Bodian has crafted a rich and accessible narrative.... [This] is a readable and thoughtful volume that raises many important questions....Vol. 87. 3 May 2010

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Chicago - DEAN PHILLIP BELL

Bodian's study is both moving and illuminating. . . . a major contribution to converso studies and a demonstration of intellectual honesty.Vol. 33.2

AJS Review

. . . an excellent study that successfully brings together many diverse strands of scholarship and will appeal to students of religion, Judaism, and Iberian history alike. 61.2 (Summer 2008)

William Paterson University - Sara T. Nalle

Miriam Bodian's study of crypto-Jewish martyrdom in Iberian lands depicts a new type of martyr that emerged in the late 16th century—a defiant, educated judaizing martyr who engaged in disputes with inquisitors. By examining closely the Inquisition dossiers of four men who were tried in the Iberian peninsula or Spanish America and who developed judaizing theologies that drew from currents of Reformation thinking that emphasized the authority of Scripture and the religious autonomy of individual interpreters of Scripture, Miriam Bodian reveals unexpected connections between Reformation thought and historic crypto-Judaism.

SHOFAR - Joseph Haberer

Miriam Bodian's study of crypto-Jewish martyrdom in Iberian lands depicts a new type of martyr that emerged in the late 16th century—a defiant, educated judaizing martyr who engaged in disputes with inquisitors. By examining closely the Inquisition dossiers of four men who were tried in the Iberian peninsula or Spanish America and who developed judaizing theologies that drew from currents of Reformation thinking that emphasized the authority of Scripture and the religious autonomy of individual interpreters of Scripture, Miriam Bodian reveals unexpected connections between Reformation thought and historic crypto-Judaism.

SHOFAR - Joseph Haberer]]>

"[A]n important and timely book.... While a great deal of work has been done on the Inquisitionthe approach taken here is very readable and up to date in its findings about this controversial institution; the intricacies of its operation are really brought home in the individual case studies." —Allison P. Coudert

Allison P. Coudert

"Throughout, Bodian has crafted a rich and accessible narrative.... [This] is a readable and thoughtful volume that raises many important questions...." —DEAN PHILLIP BELL, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Chicago, Bulletin of Spanish Studies, Vol. 87. 3 May 2010

— DEAN PHILLIP BELL, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Chicago

Bulletin of Spanish Studies

"... an excellent study that successfully brings together many diverse strands of scholarship and will appeal to students of religion, Judaism, and Iberian history alike." —Sara T. Nalle, William Paterson University, Renaissance Quarterly, 61.2 (Summer 2008)

— Sara T. Nalle, William Paterson University

Renaissance Quarterly

Miriam Bodian’s study of crypto-Jewish martyrdom in Iberian lands depicts a new type of martyr that emerged in the late 16th century—a defiant, educated judaizing martyr who engaged in disputes with inquisitors. By examining closely the Inquisition dossiers of four men who were tried in the Iberian peninsula or Spanish America and who developed judaizing theologies that drew from currents of Reformation thinking that emphasized the authority of Scripture and the religious autonomy of individual interpreters of Scripture, Miriam Bodian reveals unexpected connections between Reformation thought and historic crypto-Judaism.Joseph Haberer, Book Editor, SHOFAR, Summer 2008, Volume 26, No. 4

— Joseph Haberer, Book Editor

Shofar