1: The Myth Of The Medieval Jewish Moneylender: Volume I (palgrave Studies In Cultural And Intellectual History)
by Julie L. Mell /
2017 / English / PDF
5.7 MB Download
This book challenges a common historical narrative, which
portrays medieval Jews as moneylenders who filled an essential
economic role in Europe. It traces how and why this narrative was
constructed as a philosemitic narrative in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries in response to the rise of political
antisemitism. This book also documents why it is a myth for
medieval Europe, and illuminates how changes in Jewish history
change our understanding of European history. Each chapter
offers a novel interpretation of central topics, such as the
usury debate, commercial contracts, and moral literature on money
and value to demonstrate how the revision of Jewish history leads
to new insights in European history.
This book challenges a common historical narrative, which
portrays medieval Jews as moneylenders who filled an essential
economic role in Europe. It traces how and why this narrative was
constructed as a philosemitic narrative in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries in response to the rise of political
antisemitism. This book also documents why it is a myth for
medieval Europe, and illuminates how changes in Jewish history
change our understanding of European history. Each chapter
offers a novel interpretation of central topics, such as the
usury debate, commercial contracts, and moral literature on money
and value to demonstrate how the revision of Jewish history leads
to new insights in European history.