Sanctifying the Name of God

Sanctifying the Name of God Jewish Martyrs and Jewish Memories of the First Crusade Jeremy Cohen "A feast of ideas worthy of our very careful attention."--Speculum "A major contribution to the study of medieval Jewish history."--Robert Chazan, New York University "This is an important book, beautifully written and cogently argued. Some of Cohen's readings are daring indeed and will surely arouse dissent. Long live debate!"--American Historical Review "The sufferings of the Rhineland Jews in 1096 were commemorated in three Hebrew narratives, which Professor Jeremy Cohen reexamines in this beautifully written book. . . . The cumulative effect of Cohen's analysis is overwhelming."--Catholic Historical Review "The slaughter of the Jews in the Rhineland in 1096 is one of the better-known events of the First Crusade. Cohen analyzes the texts of the Jewish accounts of these massacres in light of the martyrdom tradition of Masada, well-known at that time, and the contemporary Christian cult of self-sacrifice. . . . Recommended."--Choice "Cohen's fresh reading of the chronicles opens up a new vista to these complicated sources."--Journal of Jewish Studies "This is a beautifully written and thought-out work that raises valuable questions and draws unprecedented attention to important features of these texts; it is sure to provoke fruitful discussion"--Journal of Religion How are martyrs made, and how do the memories of martyrs express, nourish, and mold the ideals of the community? Sanctifying the Name of God wrestles with these questions against the background of the massacres of Jews in the Rhineland during the outbreak of the First Crusade. Marking the first extensive wave of anti-Jewish violence in medieval Christian Europe, these "Persecutions of 1096" exerted a profound influence on the course of European Jewish history. Jeremy Cohen is Professor of Jewish History at Tel Aviv University. Among his books are The Friars and the Jews: The Evolution of Medieval Anti-Judaism and Living Letters of the Law: Ideas of the Jew in Medieval Christianity. Jewish Culture and Contexts 2004 224 pages 6 x 9 8 illus. ISBN 978-0-8122-1956-2 Paper $28.95s £19.00 ISBN 978-0-8122-0163-5 Ebook $28.95s £19.00 World Rights Religion, History Short copy: "The slaughter of the Jews in the Rhineland in 1096 is one of the better-known events of the First Crusade. Cohen analyzes the texts of the Jewish accounts of these massacres in light of the martyrdom tradition of Masada, well-known at that time, and the contemporary Christian cult of self-sacrifice. . . . Recommended."--Choice