The Middle Ages
Share this post
Prof. Jeremy Cohen
In the centuries leading into the Middle Ages, attitudes toward Jews and Judaism became increasingly hostile and brutal. The roots of many of the antisemitic stereotypes and tropes still familiar to us today can be found in Christian Medieval Europe.
How did early Christian thought and perceptions of the Jews, and especially the Augustinian legacy calling for the safekeeping of Jews, morph into violent, and often murderous, actions and rhetoric?
For additional visual material please see “downloads” below.
References
-
Biale, David , Blood and Belief: The Circulation of a Symbol Between Jews and Christians (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007).
-
Berger, David, “From Crusades to Blood Libels to Expulsions: Some New Approaches to Medieval Anti-Semitism,” in David Berger, ed., Persecution, Polemic, and Dialogue: Essays in Jewish Christian Relations (Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2010), pp. 15 – 39.
-
Chazan, Robert, Medieval Stereotypes and Modern Antisemitism (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997).
-
Cohen, Jeremy, The Friars and the Jews: The Evolution of Medieval Anti-Judaism (Ithaca, N.Y., Cornell University Press, 1982).
-
Lipton, Sara, “The Root of All Evil: Jews, Money and Metaphor in the Bible moralisée,” Medieval Encounters, vol. 1, no. 3 (1995), pp. 301 – 322.
-
Nirenberg, David, Communities of Violence: Persecution of Minorities in the Middle Ages (Princeton, N.J : Princeton University Press, 1996).
-
Stowe, Kenneth R., Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe (Cambridge, M.A: Harvard University Press, 1992).
Share this post
Antisemitism: From Its Origins to the Present

Antisemitism: From Its Origins to the Present

Our purpose is to transform access to education.
We offer a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. These are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life.
We believe learning should be an enjoyable, social experience, so our courses offer the opportunity to discuss what you’re learning with others as you go, helping you make fresh discoveries and form new ideas.
You can unlock new opportunities with unlimited access to hundreds of online short courses for a year by subscribing to our Unlimited package. Build your knowledge with top universities and organisations.
Learn more about how FutureLearn is transforming access to education
Register to receive updates
-
Create an account to receive our newsletter, course recommendations and promotions.
Register for free