During the first months of the First Crusade, groups of crusaders attacked the Jewish communities in the Rhineland, forcing them to choose between death and conversion. Many converted, but others chose to die as martyrs. Among these, some were killed by the crusaders, some killed themselves, each other, or even their own children in order to prevent forcible conversion. These events are described in a number of Latin accounts, but also in three Hebrew chronicles and in a number of Hebrew liturgical poems. These Hebrew chronicles introduce many new ideas connected to martyrdom which are not found in earlier Jewish martyr texts. They also differ considerably from contemporary texts on martyrdom, written by Jews living under Muslim rule.
The purpose of the present study is as follows: to outline the most salient features of this new ideology of martyrdom found in the Hebrew Crusade Chronicles and how it differs from earlier Jewish tradition; to try to trace the roots of these new ideas, both by showing how the Chroniclers develop earlier Jewish ideas and also how they borrow notions and concepts from their Christian surroundings; to show what rhetorical means the Chroniclers use in order to present these innovations as firmly anchored in tradition; to attempt to explain why this ideology develops at this particular time and place, and thereby contribute some further methodological reflections on the nature of religious change, especially in a situation of persecution and oppression; to challenge the old paradigm that the Ashkenazic Jewish communities lived in isolation from their non-Jewish surroundings, and to suggest that a serious study of any medieval Jewish text must take into consideration the culture and current notions of the non-Jewish community in which the text was composed.
Author(s): Lena Roos
Series: Medieval Church Studies, 6
Publisher: Brepols
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 438
City: Turnhout
Acknowledgements xi
Note to the Reader xv
List of Abbreviations xvii
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
1.1. Introduction and Purpose 1
1.2. Theoretical Considerations 4
1.3. Manuscripts, Editions, and Translations 6
1.4. Contents, Purpose, and Style of the Chronicles 16
1.5. Previous Research 21
1.6. Terminology for Martyrs and Martyrdom 24
1.7. Outline and Method 24
Part I: Background
Chapter 2: Jews and Christians in Germany during the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries 31
2.1. Introduction 31
2.2. Neighbourly Relations in the Rhineland Towns 34
2.3. Common Languages 42
2.4. Business and Professional Relationships 46
2.5. Scholarly Contacts 49
2.6. Religious Propaganda and Polemics 51
2.7. Summary 56
Chapter 3: Martyrdom in Judaism and Christianity 59
3.1. Introduction 59
3.2. Judaism 60
3.3. Christianity 76
3.4. Summary 82
Part II: The Ideology of Martyrdom in the Hebrew Crusade Chronicles
Chapter 4: Pious Prototypes for Martyrdom 87
4.1. Introduction 87
4.2. The Binding of Isaac 87
4.3. The Martyrdom of R. Aqiva 105
4.4. The Woman with Her Seven Sons 107
4.5. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah 110
4.6. Differences Between the Chronicles 111
4.7. Summary 113
Chapter 5: The Reward for the Martyrs 117
5.1. Introduction 117
5.2. The Joy of Martyrdom 118
5.3. Remission of Sins 121
5.4. A Passage to Paradise 125
5.5. Differences between the Chronicles 149
5.5. Summary 151
Chapter 6: The Suffering of a Righteous Generation 155
6.1. Introduction 155
6.2. The Cruelty of the Christians 157
6.3. A Righteous Generation — Righteous Deeds 165
6.4. The Child Martyrs — The Jewish Holy Innocents 168
6.5. The Women Martyrs 179
6.6. Martyrdom instead of Marriage 187
6.7. Differences between the Chronicles 195
6.8. Summary 196
Chapter 7: Through Obedience toward Redemption 199
7.1. Introduction 199
7.2. Obeying a Heavenly Decree 199
7.3. The Public Testimony 204
7.4. Martyrdom as Ritual Slaughter and Sarifice to God 210
7.5. Going to Jerusalem 212
7.6. Merit, Vengeance, and Messianic Redemption 215
7.7. Differences between the Chronicles 221
7.8. Summary 222
Chapter 8: Crossing the Boundaries 225
8.1. Introduction 225
8.2. Why Kill Rather Than Be Killed? 228
8.3. Battlefield Martyrs 232
8.4. Killing One Another 234
8.5. Killing One’s Own Children 239
8.6. Suicide 246
8.7. Active and Passive Martyrdom: A Comparison 252
8.8. Summary 253
Chapter 9: Summary, Final Analysis, and Conclusions 257
9.1. Introduction 257
9.2. The Ideology of Martyrdom in the Chronicles 258
9.3. Tradition and Innovation 260
9.4. Differences between the Chronicles 262
9.5. Legitimizing an Innovation 265
9.6. Religious Change during Times of Conflict 268
9.7. Conclusions 270
Bibliography 273
Index 293
Appendix: Translation of the Hebrew Crusade Chronicles A1
