Jewish Dogs

Kenneth Stow, now Emeritus, was Professor of Jewish History at the University of Haifa for nearly thirty years. He is author of Theater of Acculturation: The Roman Ghetto in the Sixteen Century (2001), The Jews in Rome, Volumes I and II (1995, 1997), and Alienated Minority: The Jews in Medieval Latin Europe (1992), among others.

• @fmct:Contents @toc4:Preface iii @toc2:Introduction: Equality, Supersession, and Anxiety 000 @toc2:1. Ambivalence and Continuity 000 @toc2:2. The Bollandists and Their Work 000 @toc2:3. Richard of Pontoise and Philip Augustus 000 @toc2:4. The Jewish Version: The Bollandist Reconstruction Vindicated 000 @toc2:5. A Usable Past 000 @toc2:6. Purity and Its Discontents 000 @toc2:7. Denouement 000 @toc4:Appendix One: Rigord and the Bollandist text 000 @toc4:Appendix Two: Translation of the Blois Letters 000 @toc4:Notes 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000

"Exploring the Catholic doctrine of physical purity, the purity of the 'one loaf' spoken of by Paul in Corinthians and its interpretation by John Chrysostom, Stow provides a framework to understand Spanish early modern anti-Jewish attitudes and utterances so prevalent in 16th- and 17th-century cultural productions."—The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies "Raising unsettling questions about contemporary Christian attitudes toward Jews and Judaism despite the conciliatory actions taken over the past half-century... Stow's book provides a stimulating examination of the history of the enduring image of Jews as dogs in Christian thought from the New Testament to modernity."—Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations "This book is a tour-de-force on the level of the last great work of the original Warburg group, Isaiah Shachar's study of the Judensau... It is a book that every serious student of the history of anti-Semitism and the Jewish response will use again and again."—Catholic Historical Review "There is no question that we are in the hands of an accomplished historian who has enlarged the canvas and opened fresh questions and perspectives on this vexing subject."—Renaissance Quarterly "This richly researched and lucidly written study makes for a fascinating read. It will remain an indispensable contribution to our understanding of Christian attitudes toward Jews in the last eight centuries."—Church History "Jewish Dogs provokes a lot of food for thought. It points to roots of Christian hostility toward Judaism, but also points to trends in Christians revoking such behavior and beliefs... It is essential background for understanding how Sephardic Jewry and Jews in general were viewed and treated by the Catholic Church and other churches in Western Europe."—Sefarad