Preachers of the Italian Ghetto

By the mid-sixteenth century, Jews in the cities of Italy were being crowded into compulsory ghettos as a result of the oppressive policies of Pope Paul IV and his successors.The sermons of Jewish preachers during this period provide a remarkable vantage point from which to view the early modern Jewish social and cultural landscape.

In this eloquent collection, six leading scholars of Italian Jewish history reveal the important role of these preachers: men who served as a bridge between the ghetto and the Christian world outside, between old and new conventions, and between elite and popular modes of thought. The story of how they reflected and shaped the culture of their listeners, who felt the pressure of cramped urban life as well as of political, economic, and religious persecution, is finally beginning to be told. Through the words of the Italian ghetto preachers, we discover a richly textured panorama of Jewish life more than 400 years ago.

List of contents

Contributors:
Robert Bonfil
Elliott Horowitz
Moshe Idel
David B. Ruderman
Marc Saperstein
Joanna Weinberg

About the author

David B. Ruderman is Frederick P. Rose Professor of Jewish History at Yale University. His books include The Valley of Vision (1990), Kabbalah, Magic, and Science (1988), and The World of a Renaissance Jew (1981).

Summary

Revealing the importance of Jewish preachers in the ghettos of 16th-century Italy, this title demonstrates how these men served as a bridge between the ghetto and the Christian world outside, between old and new conventions, and between elite and popular modes of thought.

Product details

• Authors: David B. Ruderman
• Assisted by: David B. Ruderman (Editor), Ruderman David B. (Editor)
• Publisher: University Of California Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 22.10.1992
• EAN: 9780520077355
• ISBN: 978-0-520-07735-5
• No. of pages: 180
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Judaism; European History, RELIGION / Judaism / General, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / Jewish, HISTORY / Europe / Italy, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Jewish Studies, Italy, Jewish Studies, Judaism, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Social and cultural history, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, 16th century, c 1500 to c 1599, c 1500 to c 1600, Relating to Jewish people and groups, Social groups: religious groups and communities