Jews and Judaism in the Middle Ages

Steinberg (English, SUNY at Fredonia; Reading the Middle Ages) presents a well-researched yet highly accessible overview of medieval Jewry that takes neither a predominantly Western Christian approach to medieval history nor one limited to Hebrew-speaking audiences. Steinberg bridges the gap between works by medieval historians possessing a deep knowledge of the period but having almost no knowledge of the unique role and contributions of Jews during the era, and works by Jewish scholars presuming in the reader a prior knowledge of Jewish identity, history, culture, and language. He clears up many misconceptions along the way, e.g., that "Jewish life in the Middle Ages was a succession of horrors," arguing that an overemphasis on Jewish suffering has left scholars with a distorted picture of Jewish history. He also highlights major contributions from Jewish philosophers and scholars of the period that culminated in the greatest achievement of the era, the rise of Rabbinic Judaism. Scholarly yet highly accessible, this book fills a significant gap in the literature of the field and is recommended for all academic and most public libraries.--Brian Greene, Northeastern Univ. Libs., Boston Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.