History 255: Transformational Moments in the Arab/Israeli Conflict

In late antiquity, Christianity was born from Judaism, yet by the late Middle Ages the Church had become actively hostile toward the Jews and their religion. In this course, we will examine how and why this dramatic shift came about, tracing both violent persecution and more benign religious and cultural interaction. We will explore historical manifestations of medieval anti-Judaism, including the massacre of entire communities of Jews in Germany during the first Crusade, the emergence of the blood libel, and the burning of the Talmud in Paris in 1240. But we will also consider the rich heritage of coexistence, as when medieval Christian commentators consulted with Jews in order to better understand the Bible, or when Jewish scribes used Christian motifs to illuminate their manuscripts. Other topics to be covered include the representation of Jews in medieval Christian art, Jewish-Christian disputations, and the origins and development of the Inquisition.