Introduction

In this introduction the author gives some comments on the Hebrew or Jewish Bible and the literature of the rabbis, based on the Bible, and then presents the background of the articles included in this volume

Jødisk polemik mod kristne dogmer i middelalderen fra det første korstog i 1096 til uddrivelsen af jøderne fra Spanien i 1492

From the start there has been a conflict between Christianity and Judaism. In the New Testament the Pharisees are objects of polemics, and during the next centuries a great number of texts claiming the Christian superiority were written. During the 14th and 15th centuries in France and Spain Jews experienced forced conversion to Christianity, which was supported by secular authorities. The Jews reacted to this not only by defending their Jewish faith and way of life&&they also criticized the Christian faith and way of life. Jewish polemic texts against Christianity can thus be viewed as a reaction to the writings from the Christian side. This is the background to the extensive number of Jewish polemic texts written during the 14th century in France and during the 15th and 16th centuries in Spain, but these texts are not primarily directed toward Christians

Toravimpelsamlingen i Danmark: en illustration til de danske jøders historie

A Torah binder is a long piece of cloth consisting of mostly four smaller pieces sewn together. It is used to tie a Torah scroll together when not in use. On the binder is embroidered or painted a standardized Hebrew inscription stating the Hebrew name of a newborn boy and his father, his Hebrew date of birth and the phrase: “May God raise him to the Torah, to the marriage canopy and to good deeds. Amen. Selah”. A border of motif of flowering vines and an illustration of the name of the boy and his father and the child’s zodiac sign are very common on the Danish binders. The Danish collection belonging to the Jewish community in Copenhagen is unique, since nearly all of them have been identified, which is rarely true for other collections. The Danish collection of Torah binders can tell us different things according to the perspective adopted, especially when they are combined with all the facts yielded by other ceremonial artifacts and by Danish-Jewish cultural history

Jüdische Reaktionen auf die Hallische protestantische Judenmission 1728 – 1765

Based on published missionary reports and two conversion stories the missionary tactics and the used arguments from the Bible are presented alongside the Christian use of the conversion storie

Jødisk polemik mod kristne dogmer i middelalderen fra det første korstog i 1096 til uddrivelsen af jøderne fra Spanien i 1492

From the start there has been a conflict between Christianity and Judaism. In the New Testament the Pharisees are objects of polemics, and during the next centuries a great number of texts claiming the Christian superiority were written. During the 14th and 15th centuries in France and Spain Jews experienced forced conversion to Christianity, which was supported by secular authorities. The Jews reacted to this not only by defending their Jewish faith and way of life&&they also criticized the Christian faith and way of life. Jewish polemic texts against Christianity can thus be viewed as a reaction to the writings from the Christian side. This is the background to the extensive number of Jewish polemic texts written during the 14th century in France and during the 15th and 16th centuries in Spain, but these texts are not primarily directed toward Christians

Jewish polemics against Christianity and the Christians in Northern and Southern France from 1100 to 1300

Jewish polemics against Christianity in the Middle Ages show a striking change in contents and in the linguistic form of the texts after the First Crusade. While the texts up to about 1100 are reports on religious discussions between Jews and Christians, often held in a friendly tone, the texts after 1100 contain aggressive or bitter attacks on the Christians. An example of how this was put into words appears in a Jewish text from the 1250s. In seven points the author gives voice to this protest against the introduction by the French king of a number of harsh edicts against the Jews. There is a marked dividing line between the predominantly aggressive texts from Northern France and the more sober ones from Southern France. On the one hand every single Jewish polemical passage should be analyzed as to form and content, including the context and text type in which the passage occurs, on the other hand the passages should be related to each other including their historical background. By this procedure of comparison every single passage can contribute towards creating a more differentiated and comprehensive picture of the conditions of the Jewish minorities in Christian Europe

Skjold og sværd. En replik til Tryggve Kronholm

Hanne Trautner-Kromann comments on Tryggve Kronholm's review of her doctoral dissertation, published in Nordisk Judaistik Vol. 11 No 1-2, 1990

Jewish polemics against Christianity and the Christians in Northern and Southern France from 1100 to 1300

Jewish polemics against Christianity in the Middle Ages show a striking change in contents and in the linguistic form of the texts after the First Crusade. While the texts up to about 1100 are reports on religious discussions between Jews and Christians, often held in a friendly tone, the texts after 1100 contain aggressive or bitter attacks on the Christians. An example of how this was put into words appears in a Jewish text from the 1250s. In seven points the author gives voice to this protest against the introduction by the French king of a number of harsh edicts against the Jews. There is a marked dividing line between the predominantly aggressive texts from Northern France and the more sober ones from Southern France. On the one hand every single Jewish polemical passage should be analyzed as to form and content, including the context and text type in which the passage occurs, on the other hand the passages should be related to each other including their historical background. By this procedure of comparison every single passage can contribute towards creating a more differentiated and comprehensive picture of the conditions of the Jewish minorities in Christian Europe