Imagining the Jew in Anglo-Saxon Literature and Culture

Description

Most studies of Jews in medieval England begin with the year 1066, when Jews first arrived on English soil. Yet the absence of Jews in England before the conquest did not prevent early English authors from writing obsessively about them. Using material from the writings of the Church Fathers, contemporary continental sources, widespread cultural stereotypes, and their own imaginations, their depictions of Jews reflected their own politico-theological experiences. The thirteen essays in 'Imagining the Jew in Anglo-Saxon Literature and Culture' examine visual and textual representations of Jews, the translation and interpretation of Scripture, the use of Hebrew words and etymologies, and the treatment of Jewish spaces and landmarks. By studying the "imaginary Jews" of Anglo-Saxon England, they offer new perspectives on the treatment of race, religion, and ethnicity in pre- and post-conquest literature and culture. List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Notes on Contributors Abbreviations Introduction: The Jew in the Anglo-Saxon Imagination / Samantha Zacher Defining the Jew: A Question of Race, Ethnicity, or Religion? 1. Anglo-Saxons, Israelites, Hebrews, and Jews / Stephen J. Harris 2. Nathan the Jew in the Old English 'Vindicta Salvatoris' / Thomas N. Hall The Jew in Anglo-Saxon Theology and Liturgy: Aspects of Language, Place, and Time 3. 'Hebraeam scire linguam': Bede’s Rhetoric of the Hebrew Truth / Damian Fleming 4. Building Anti-Semitism in Bede / Kathy Lavezzo 5. Transition and Renewal: Jews and the Church Year in Anglo-Saxon England / Andrew P. Scheil Literary Types and Anglo-Saxon Audiences 6. Abraham’s Children: Jewish Promise and Christian Fulfilment / Daniel Anlezark 7. Time, Liturgy, and History in the Old English 'Elene' / Thomas D. Hill 8. Jewish Magic and Christian Miracle in the Old English 'Andreas' / Charles D. Wright Visual Media: Representations of Jews and Jewish Spaces 9. Hagar and Ishmael: The Uncanny and the Exile / Catherine E. Karkov 10. King Edgar Leaping and Dancing before the Lord / Adam S. Cohen 11. 'In those days': Giants and the Giant Moses in the Old English Illustrated Hexateuch / Asa Simon Mittman Epilogue: Pre- and Post-Conquest Identifications: Continuity and Difference 12. Reading Ælfric in the Twelfth Century: Anti-Judaic Doctrine Becomes Anti-Judaic Rhetoric / Heide Estes Illustrations 281 Bibliography 309 Index 345