Contents

• General
• Jewish Communities and Individuals
  • Khazaria
  • In Islam
  • In Christian Iberia
  • In France/Germany
  • Relations Between Christians and Jews
• Jewish Economic Activity
• Jews and the State
  • Roman Empire
  • Islam
  • Christian Iberia
  • France/Germany
  • England
• Jewish Intellectual and Religious Life
• Anti-Semitism

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General

• WEB Internet Jewish History Sourcebook

Jewish Communities and Individuals

• A Rabbinic Responsum: The Shabbat Goy
• Khazaria
  • The Medieval Jewish Kingdom of the Khazars, 740-1259, various contemporary accounts.
  • 2ND Arthur Koestler: The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire and its Heritage, full text, 1976 [At SMOM-ZA.ORG]
• In Islam
  • Abraham Ibd Daud: On Samuel Ha-Nagid, Vizier of Granada, 993-d after 1056.
    Includes an account of first Muslim violence against Spanish Jews.
• In Christian Iberia
  • Benjamin of Tudela (1160-1173): The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela Critical Text, Translation and Commentary by Marcus Nathan Adler. [At Traveling to Jerusalem/U Sth Colorado]
  • Jewish Community of Barcelona: The Book of Document Forms, 13th century, trans. Elka Klein
  • Gerald of Wales: Two Cistercian Monks turn Jews, before 1200
  • Royal Grants to the Jewish Community of Barcelona, 1241-1271, trans. Elka Klein
  • Reciting the Grace after Meals: The Status of Jewish Women, from Berakhot, chap. 7, trans. Elka Klein
  • Barcelona Jewish Court Documents: A Daughter's Inheritance, 1293, trans. Elka Klein
  • Barcelona Jewish Court Documents: A Jewish Widow and her Daughter, 1261-1262, trans. Elka Klein
• In France/Germany
  • Rashi (1040-1105): Communal Affairs in Troyes, c.1100.
  • Jewish Ethical Wills (12th and 14th Centuries).
  • Converts to Judaism: France and Germany, trans. Elka Klein
• Relations Between Christians and Jews
  • Gilbert Crispin: Disputation of a Jew with a Christian about the Christian Faith, before 1096
  • Anselm of Canterbury: How to Treat a Convert, before 1100
  • Contact between English Jews and Christians: Two Twelfth-century Views
  • An Israelite Bishop without Guile, c. 1168
  • Gerald of Wales: A Witty Jew, c. 1185

Jewish Economic Activity

• Fourth Council of Toledo: On the Keeping of Slaves, 633
• Accounts of the Routes of the Jewish Merchants to the East, 847
• King Louis the Child of Germany: An Inquiry into the Tolls of Raffelstettin, c. 905
  Information on Jewish merchants in Eastern Europe.
• Bishop of Speyer: Grant of Lands & Privileges to the Jews, 1084
• Note of a Double Loan Arising from a Tax, 1203
• Innocent III (r.1198-1216):  Protest to Philip Augustus of France Against Royal Protection of Jewish Money-Lenders, 1204
• Pope Innocent III: The Keeping of Slaves by the Jews, 1204
• A Business Partnership between a Jew and Christian in Barcelona, 1235-1242 CE
  Documents on exploitation of royal mills by Jews and Christians in Barcelona.

Jews and the State

• Roman Empire
  • Jews and the Later Roman Law, 315-531
    Laws by Constantine the Great, Constantius (337-361), Theodosius II (408-410), and Justinian (527-565).
  • Julian and the Jews, 361-363
    From Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History written about 443-450
• Islam
  • Pact of Umar (another version), 9th century CE?
  • The Status of Jews and Christians in Muslim Lands, 1772
    A question on the position of Jews in Islam, and the answer of the Shaikh Hasan Al Kafrawi, The Shafiite [Professor of canon law in Cairo, d. 1788 CE]
• Christian Iberia
  • The Jews of Spain and the Visigothic Code, 654-681
  • Jews and Christians in Teruel: The Fuero of Teruel, 1176 CE
    Excerpts from the Fuero, or urban ordinance.
  • The Siete Partidas: Concerning Jews, 1265.
  • Jewish Views of  Royal Monetary Policy in Aragon, 13th Century, trans. Elka Klein.
  • Ordinance of the Jews of the Crown of Aragon, 1354 CE
    This ordinance or takkanah was the product of  an increased sense of Jewish vulnerability in the years after the Black Death (1348).
  • Synod of Castilian Jews, 1432
    Ordinances from  assembly of the Jews of the kingdom of Castile at Valladolid in 1432.
  • The Expulsion from Spain, 1492
    Account by an Italian Jew.
  • Yirmiyahu Yovel: Converso Dualities in the First Generation: The Cancioneros, Jewish Social Studies Volume 4, Number 3
• France/Germany
  • Charlemagne: Capitulary for the Jews, 814
  • The Expulsion of the Jews from France, 1182
    Account by Rigord from the Gesta Philippi Augusti.
  • St. Louis and the Jews of France, before 1270
    Account by Joinville.
  • The Charter of the Jews of the Duchy of Austria July 1, 1244.
  • An Oath Taken by Jews Frankfort on the Main, about 1392
• England
  • From the Dialogue of the Exchequer: On Usury, c.1170
  • Richard I of England: Charter by Which Many Liberties are Granted and Confirmed to the Jews, 22 March, 1190
  • English Jewry is Organised: The Ordinances of the Jews, 1194
  • Appointment of an Archpriest of the Jews in England, July 1199
  • King John of England and the Jews: Charters, c.1201

Jewish Intellectual and Religious Life

• Toledoth Yeshu, A sixth-century Jewish (negative) account of Jesus. [At UPenn].
• WEB Jewish Views of Jesus a page with more texts.
• Sepher Yetzirah [or Sefer Yatzira], translated from the Hebrew by Wm. Wynn Westcott, [At Wolf's Den]
  The Sepher Yetzirah is one of the most famous of the ancient Qabalistic texts. It was first put into writing around 200 C.E. Westcott's Translation was first published in 1887.
• Judah Ha-Levi (ca 1075-1141): The Kuzari, also known as The Book of Argument and Proof in Defense of the Despised Faith (Kitab al Khazari).
  The entire first book of the Kuzari, a philosophical treatise written by the Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet, Judah Ha-Levi. It is written in the form of a dialogue, purportedly between the king of the Khazars and the representatives of various belief systems, culminating with a rabbi.
• Maimonides (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, or Rambam): The Thirteen Principles of Judaism.
• Maimonides: The 613 Mitzvot.
• Maimonides: The Laws and Basic Principles of the Torah.
• Maimonides: The Laws Concerning Mashiach, Chapters 11 & 12 of Hilchos Melachim from the Mishneh Torah of the Rambam.
• Maimonides: Oath of Maimonides.
• The Hypertext Halacha.[At Project Genesis/torah.org]
  A translation of the Shulchan Aruch and Mishna Berurah. An excellent source for the details of Jewish religious law.

Anti-Semitism

• Legislation Affecting the Jews, 300 to 800 CE
  Index to Roman, Western and canonical laws
• Professions of Faith Extracted from Jews on Baptism, Visgothic and Byzantine
• Prayers for Making a Synagogue into a Church, in Latin.
  From the Liber Sacramentorum Romanae Ecclesiae
• Socrates Scholasticus: The Blood Libel in Syria, (late 4th century).
• Byzantine Liturgy for Good Friday.
  This is a current English translation. It shows how the very negative Christian message that Jews were "Christ-killers" was conveyed to the people - through the liturgy of the churches. Latin Catholic Good Friday services were just as anti-Semitic, although it has now been reformed. This aspect of Christian liturgy made Holy Week an extremely dangerous time for Jews thoughout Christian-majority lands.
• John Chrysostom (c.347-407): Homilies Against the Jews
• Justinian I: Novella 146: On Jews
• Antiochus Strategos: The Sack of Jerusalem, 614.
  An example of Byzantine Antisemitism, and a version of the Blood libel.
• Elliott Horowitz: "The Vengeance of the Jews Was Stronger Than Their Avarice": Modern Historians and the Persian Conquest of Jerusalem in 614, Jewish Social Studies Volume 4, Number 2
• Agobard of Lyon: On the Insolence of the Jews To Louis the Pious, trans. William L. North, 826/827
• Agobard of Lyon: On the Baptism of Slaves Belonging to Jews (to Adalard, Wala, and Helisachar), trans. William L. North
• Ralph Glaber (d.c.1044): The Year 1000 AD from the Miracles de Saint-Benoit, discusses early 11th century anti-semitism.
• Soloman bar Samson: The Crusaders in Mainz, 1096, written in mid 12th century.
• Gerald of Wales: Barnacle Geese Should Convince the Jew of the Immaculate Conception, 1188
• The Abbey of St. Edmund’s and the Jews, 1173-1182
• Peter of Blois: Against the Perfidy of the Jews , before 1198
• Thomas of Monmouth: The Life and Miracles of St. William of Norwich, 1144, excerpts.
  One of the major accusations against Jews of the charge that they killed Christian children. This blood-libel was the center of a number of saint's cults. See the Catholic Encylopedia [1913] article William of Norwich for much background information. [Note that this article, while rejecting the Ritual Murder and Blood Libels, does end by suggesting that some of the cases were based on real incidents.]
• WEB Image and Story of Anderl von Rinn: A Blood Libel Saint, supposedly 1462, in fact 17th century.
  An image from Rinn showing the ritual murder of Anderl von Rinn. This file also contains many links to other "blood libel" information.
• Ephraim ben Jacob: The Ritual Murder Accusation at Blois, May, 1171.
• Roger of Hoveden: Persecution of Jews Following Coronation of Richard I, 1189.
• Ephraim of Bonn: On the York Massacre of 1189-90.
• [Tierney 61.1] Innocent III: Letter on the Jews: toleration, 1199.
• Innocent III: Constitution for the Jews - toleration, 1199.
• [Tierney 61.2] The Fourth Lateran Council: Canon - on Jews.
• [Tierney 61.3] Gregory IX: Letter on the Jews - against Talmud [r.1227-1241], copyrighted
• [Tierney 61.4] Gregory X (r.1271-1276): Letter on the Jews.
• Martin V: From Declaration on Protection for the Jews, 1419.
• Anti-Semitic Legends, Translated and/or edited by D. L. Ashliman. [At Pitt]
• "On The Jews and Their Lies", a treatise by Martin Luther (translated by Martin H. Bertram, Luther's Works, Vol. 47: The Christian In Society IV, ed. by Franklin Sherman (c) 1971 Fortress Press, pages 121-306) has been removed because of copyright objections. We will attempt to provide a new translation of the German text at some point, but meanwhile welcome a translation any scholar wishes to supply.

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NOTES:

copyrighted means the text is not available for free distribution. In some cases alternate versions are available, and are working through the pipeline.

Dates of accession of material can be seen in the New Accessions Page. The date of inception was 1/20/1996.

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