Christians and Jews in the Twelfth-Century Renaissance - 9780415000123

Taylor & Francis

Anna Sapir Abulafia examines the way Europe was transformed in the central middle ages, a period which has come to be known as the `twelfth century renaissance.' She reveals the consequences for the only non-Christian minority in Europe: the Jews. > \nThe twelfth century was a period of rapid change in Europe. The intellectual landscape was being transformed by new access to classical works through non-Christian sources. The Christian church was consequently trying to strengthen its control over the priesthood and laity and within the church a dramatic spiritual renewal was taking place.\n\nChristians and Jews in the Twelfth-Century Renaissance reveals the consequences for the only remaining non-Christian minority in the heartland of Europe: the Jews. Anna Abulafia probes the anti-Jewish polemics of scholars who used the new ideas to redefine the position of the Jews within Christian society. They argued that the Jews had a different capacity for reason since they had not reached 7