Abstract
Most scholars of the Christian–Jewish debate have assumed that sermons played a crucial role in the flow of ideas about Jews and Judaism from the Christian intellectual elite to members of the clergy and to the laity. But all too often these assumptions have not been substantiated by hard evidence. This volume of essays, edited by Jonathan Adams and Jussi Hanska, provides welcome evidence of sermons as well as their delivery. Particularly exciting is the presentation of a great deal of vernacular sermon material. A useful introduction to Christian and Jewish medieval preaching and sermon studies is provided by the editors of the volume. They highlight how very sparse medieval Jewish sermon material is in comparison with Christian sources before the fifteenth century. The introduction is followed by a dozen essays divided into three sections—Regional Studies, Preachers and Occasions, and Symbols and Images. Most of the essays introduce fresh material, often from unedited manuscripts. Raúl González Salinero’s essay demonstrates convincingly that anti-Jewish sermons in late antique and Visigothic Iberia were aimed at Christians, not Jews. These sermons were meant to protect Christians from any Judaising influences. On the other hand, Jonathan Adams’s essay on anti-Jewish themes in Danish sermons demonstrates that absence of real Jews did not entail the absence of anti-Jewish rhetoric. Jews were admitted to Denmark in 1622.
Published Version
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