Historical Issues

Church policy towards Jewish populations

The animosity against Jews, insensitive among Christians, outside of theologians by profession, at the beginning of the Middle Ages , has been especially strengthened by the efforts of secular clergy, popes and councils. The church is the soul of medieval society: its attitude toward Jews was eventually determined that the entire society. The Church, daughter and heiress born enemy of the synagogue does not want to exterminate the Jews in his eyes, it is good that there are still a few specimens of the people once elected, now cursed, which serve as witnesses to the old law, evidenced by their humiliating punishment of deicide and disbelief. But it is also necessary to mark very clearly in the eyes of people who have recently converted the difference between the two religions, they had long been a tendency to confuse and it must above all prevent the religious propaganda of the Jews. These principles govern the policy of the Church toward Judaism. On the one hand, it is against forced baptisms, were charged as the Merovingian kings and Visigoths, the overthrow of synagogues, cemeteries, the devastation, killing and looting: Pope Callistus II grants Jews to protect against these excesses, a patent which has been repeatedly renewed by his successors. (Jewish Encyclopedic Handbooks, 1946)

The Jews should have no authority over Christians, therefore excluding any public office, defending the Jews to own slaves or even servants, nurses, midwives, etc. Christians, and the slave born in the Jew if he embraces Christianity, becomes free if purchased at a slave market, the Jew must be sold within three months. In addition to this, the cult Jew shall suffer no extension, defense to have more of a synagogue by community, to build new synagogues or beautifying the old, to circumcise slaves heathen Jew named relapsed and is punished severely. Christians must avoid social contact Jewish prohibition of mixed marriages, the familiar relations with the Jews; defense to sit at their table; defense to have Jewish doctors, etc. At these prohibitions, which for the most part, back to the laws of Christian emperors, the Church or legislations born under its influence by adding others, for complete isolation and lowering of the Jews. (Jewish Encyclopedic Handbooks, 1946)

Yeshivot of Sura and Pumbedita

The Yeshivot is described as a continuation of the Babylonian Yeshivot of Sura and Pumbedita, which had functioned under the pre-Islamic rulers. It is recorded that the Moslem rulers granted them recognition almost from the moment they conquered Babylonia. However, differences in character and structure very soon became apparent. It is possible that the initial stages of these changes or a trend towards such changes had already become evident under the Persians. (Abraham and Haim, 1976) In any case, the specific pattern of development of the Yeshivot under Moslem rule marks their special character as institutions for leadership and the study of Torah. These Yeshivot were centralized to a degree unknown in the Yeshivot of Babylonia and Ere Israel that had produced the ...