God, Humanity, and History: The Hebrew First Crusade Narratives (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780520221277)

Although closely focused on the remarkable Hebrew First-Crusade narratives, Robert Chazan's new interpretation of these texts is anything but narrow, as his title, God, Humanity, and History, strongly suggests. The three surviving Hebrew accounts of the crusaders' devastating assaults on Rhineland Jewish communities during the spring of 1096 have been examined at length, but only now can we appreciate the extent to which they represent their turbulent times.

After a close analysis of the texts themselves, Chazan addresses the objectives of the three narratives. He compares these accounts with earlier Jewish history writing and with contemporary crusade historiography. It is in their disjuncture with past forms of Jewish historical narration and their amazing parallels with Latin crusade narratives that the Hebrew narratives are most revealing. We see how they reflect the embeddedness of early Ashkenazic Jewry in the vibrant atmosphere of late-eleventh- and early-twelfth-century northern Europe.

Author: Robert Chazan
ISBN-10: 0520221273
ISBN-13: 9780520221277
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 08/09/2000
Pages: 281
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.32h x 6.33w x 1.04d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2001 pg. 1135