The "1007 anonymous" and papal sovereignty : jewish perceptions of the papacy and papal policy in the high Middle Ages / Kenneth R. Stow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stow, Kenneth R., author.

Series:

Hebrew Union College annual. Supplements ; no. 4.

Hebrew Union College Press reprints

Hebrew Union College annual supplements ; no. 4

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Catholic Church--Relations--Judaism.

Catholic Church.

Relations.

Judaism.

Judaism--Relations--Catholic Church.

Papacy--History--To 1309.

Papacy.

History.

Jews (Canon law).

Physical Description:

89 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Edition:

Paperback edition.

Other Title:

One thousand and seven anonymous and papal sovereignty

Place of Publication:

Cincinnati : Hebrew Union College, 2015.

Summary:

Papal policy toward Jews in the Middle Ages has long been understood as a function of protection. The papacy either serves as the Jews' foremost protector, wants assiduously to expel the Jews from Western Europe, or originally wanted to protect the Jews but allowed pressure from outside sources to sway them into a policy of repression instead. Kenneth R. Stow shows that these views result from a misreading of stock formulae found in the prefatory clauses of papal letters. When Jewish discussions are taken into account, it becomes clear that papal policy was much more elaborate and complex, seeking to fully define the role of Jews within an ideal, pure Christian society. Stow's sources include Meir ben Simeon of Narbonne (late thirteenth century) and the anonymous narrative of "The Terrible Event of 1007." Many Jews saw continuities linking the principles of papal theory to those governing papal policy on Jews. Unlike so many kings who had made arbitrary decisions against Jews, the popes were proving themselves to be consistent in the enforcement of their established policies, good and bad. Because of this quality, Jewish thinkers advocated the acquisition of papal support. The authority of papal canons was eventually challenged and the papal policy mandating a specific role for the Jews in Christian society ultimately failed. Against everything the popes and men like Augustine and Bernard of Clairvaux said and wrote, one by one, the Jews were partially or totally expelled from all of Western Europe. Eventually, the popes themselves abandoned their ideal of due legal process and succumbed to political realism. This volume was originally published as a supplement to the Hebrew Union College Annual. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Old and New Views: An Introduction

Popes, Jews and Historians 1

Three Jewish Perspectives 4

Chapter 2 The Growth of Papal Policy

Fundamental Principles of Papal and Royal Policy 9

Sicut ludaeis and the Maturing of Papal Jewry Policy 12

Chapter 3 Jewish Perceptions of Papal Jewry Policy

Basic Trends 21

The Milhemet Misvah 24

The Limits of Papal Action

The "1007 Anonymous" and the Time of Its Writing 26

The Meaning of the "1007 Anonymous" 33

The Esoteric Approach of the "1007 Anonymous" 44.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index (pages 73-81) and index.

ISBN:

0822963752

9780822963752

OCLC:

905524704

Publisher Number:

99966041470