Rabbis and Jewish Communities in Renaissance Italy

Jonathan Chipman

ISBN 10: 187477417X / ISBN 13: 9781874774174

Published by Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, The, 2005

About this Item

pp. 392.

Seller Inventory # 2651401365

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rabbis and Jewish Communities in Renaissance Italy
• Publisher: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, The
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 187477417X
• ISBN 13: 9781874774174
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Focusing on the figure of the rabbi, this book provides a vivid picture of Italian Jewry during the Renaissance. The author discusses Jewish life of the period (c.1450–1600) in its social, institutional, and cultural aspects, placing them against the backdrop of the wider Catholic environment to give an original interpretation of how Jewish cultural and religious life developed in the Renaissance context. Particular attention is given to changes in the status and functions of the rabbis and to the relations between the rabbinate and the lay leadership. Of special interest is the exploration of the cultural world of the rabbis and the broader issue of intellectual developments at the time.

Essentially a translation of Part I of the Hebrew edition, which won wide acclaim for its perspective, Rabbis and Jewish Communities in Renaissance Italy has been carefully adapted for an English-speaking readership. Substantial excerpts from the appendices have been incorporated into the text so that the evidence necessary to support the arguments is easily accessible.

About the Author

Robert Bonfil is Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of 'Jewish Life in Renaissance Italy' (1994) and of several articles and translations in different languages.