At 12:35 PM 12/20/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Richard,
>
> I suppose Pat refers to Focillon's old walnut, Terrors of the Year
>1000 (its so old that its fallen off my shelf and was probably recycled by
>a squirrel), and the oft-cited 'white robe of churches' from
>you-know-where. Art historians seem to follow historians in the
>traditional reading of this area, as far as I know.
there's an exhibit here at the fogg on this. similar lack of historical depth.
> But I'm very interested in what you're saying about Talmudic
>communities in the 11th century. I'm not familar with this area. Could you
>suggest some basic studies, and/or shall we look forward to something by
>you?
see another post for details. unfortunately i'm neither trained nor
knowledgeable enuf to write such a book, but i cd collaborate. back to the
conference idea.
>In the meantime, how would jews in Islamic Spain have contributed to
>the genesis of an intellectual (rabbinic) culture in northern E, was there
>a northeast migration of people as well as texts? and what about Jewish
>communities in the south of France?
very strong, more or less contemporaneous devt, altho it seems to predate
1000 (islamic politico-cultural context) and not develop a strong
independent intellectual community until the 12/13th cn (Maimonides and
Nachmanides). south of france sees the 12th cn appearance of the Zohar,
the kabbalistic text that claims to go back to Simon bar Yochai (mid 2nd cn
-- the generation after the bar-Kochba catastrophe), but may be either the
literate articulation of an oral tradition going back who knows how long,
or even a relatively recent "creation."
>Leah Rutchick
lots to chew on. lots of parallels (how many intersections) with xn
religiosity, some indicated (Smalley and biblical exegesis, relationship of
text and commentary to page, etc), some debated (German-Ashkenazic hassidim
[pietists] of the 12/13th cn and the various xn apostolic movts, some
suggested (apoc, millennial). Gary Dickson has interesting thoughts on the
mnl currents in early 13th crusading and the "aliya" of the french rabbis
to israel 1210-40.
r
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