Der 'Judenknabe'

Examines the German versions of the legend, already found in Greek and Latin patristic literature, of the little Jewish boy who goes to church with Christian friends and there takes the sacrament. For this, the Jews (in most versions, his own father) throw him into a fiery oven, but the Virgin Mary saves him through a miracle and he is not burned. Places the story in the context of medieval adoration of the Virgin and anti-Judaism. Discusses the texts in chronological order, from the 13th-century "Jüdel" to 19th-century Catholic devotional literature, including variations in the portrayal of the Jews (mostly, but not inevitably, hostile). Includes the texts, with translations into modern German. The last 60 pages contain facsimiles.