The Fabric of Religious Life in Medieval Ashkenaz (1000-1300)
Author | : Jeffrey R. Woolf |
Publisher | : BRILL |
Total Pages | : 262 |
Release | : 2015-07-14 |
ISBN-10 | : 9789004300255 |
ISBN-13 | : 9004300252 |
Rating | : 4/5 (252 Downloads) |
Download or read book The Fabric of Religious Life in Medieval Ashkenaz (1000-1300) written by Jeffrey R. Woolf and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2015-07-14 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Fabric of Religious Life in Medieval Ashkenaz, Jeffrey R. Woolf presents the first integrated presentation of the ideals and beliefs that comprised the self-image and worldview of Ashkenazic Jews in the Central and High Middle Ages (900-1300). Through careful examination of a wide range of sources (legal, customal, liturgical, artistic), Woolf shows how religious practice played a dual role in creating and sustaining Jewish life in a hostile environment. They instilled these values, and recast religious traditions to reflect them. The author demonstrates how hitherto underappreciated ideals such as Purity, Sanctity, and a palpable sense of Divine In-Dwelling played a central role in Ashkenazic religiousity and merged to form the texture, or the "Sacred Canopy," of their lives.