The Jews In Sicily Volume 7 1478 1489

This volume in the series "Documentary History of the Jews in Italy" illustrates the history of the Jews in Sicily from 1478 to 1489. It is the sequel to the first six volumes and covers the events during the first years of the rule of King Ferdinand II. These include the prelude to the expulsion, which witnessed a further deterioration in the position of the Jews on the island. At the same time, the Jewish community on the island reached the points of its greatest expansion in population as well as economic prosperity. Some 900 documents--many of them published here for the first time--record the fortunes of the Jews and their relationship with the authorities and their Christian neighbours. Much new information has come to light, and many facets of Jewish life in Sicily have been uncovered. The abundance of historical records in the archives of the Crown and of local authorities again compares favourably with the relative scarcity of surviving documentation in earlier centuries. Therefore, many documents had to be reported in summary form. The volume is provided with additional bibliography and indexes, while the introduction will appear at the end of the series on the history of the Jews of the island.

This volume in the series Documentary History of the Jews in Italy illustrates the history of the Jews in Sicily from 1478 to 1489. It is the sequel to the first six volumes and covers the events during the first years of the rule of King Ferdinand II. These include the prelude to the expulsion, which witnessed a further deterioration in the position of the Jews on the island. At the same time, the Jewish community on the island reached the points of its greatest expansion in population as well as economic prosperity. Some 900 documents--many of them published here for the first time--record the fortunes of the Jews and their relationship with the authorities and their Christian neighbours. Much new information has come to light, and many facets of Jewish life in Sicily have been uncovered. The abundance of historical records in the archives of the Crown and of local authorities again compares favourably with the relative scarcity of surviving documentation in earlier centuries. Therefore, many documents had to be reported in summary form. The volume is provided with additional bibliography and indexes, while the introduction will appear at the end of the series on the history of the Jews of the island.

Demonstrating that similarities between Jewish and Christian art in the Middle Ages were more than coincidental, Cultural Exchange meticulously combines a wide range of sources to show how Jews and Christians exchanged artistic and material culture. Joseph Shatzmiller focuses on communities in northern Europe, Iberia, and other Mediterranean societies where Jews and Christians coexisted for centuries, and he synthesizes the most current research to describe the daily encounters that enabled both societies to appreciate common artistic values. Detailing the transmission of cultural sensibilities in the medieval money market and the world of Jewish money lenders, this book examines objects pawned by peasants and humble citizens, sacred relics exchanged by the clergy as security for loans, and aesthetic goods given up by the Christian well-to-do who required financial assistance. The work also explores frescoes and decorations likely painted by non-Jews in medieval and early modern Jewish homes located in Germanic lands, and the ways in which Jews hired Christian artists and craftsmen to decorate Hebrew prayer books and create liturgical objects. Conversely, Christians frequently hired Jewish craftsmen to produce liturgical objects used in Christian churches. With rich archival documentation, Cultural Exchange sheds light on the social and economic history of the creation of Jewish and Christian art, and expands the general understanding of cultural exchange in brand-new ways.

Every 3rd issue is a quarterly cumulation.

This volume in the series Documentary History of the Jews in Italy illustrates the history of the Jews in Sicily from 1415 to 1439. It is the sequel to the first three volumes and covers the events during the first half of the rule of King Alphonso the Magnanimous. The King took a personal interest in the affairs of the Jewish communities and exercised his authority through master Moyse Bonavogla, his personal physician, whom he appointed dienchelele, chief justice. During that period the Jewish minority of the island flourished economically and socially. Some 700 documents, many of them published here for the first time, record the fortunes of the Jews and their relationships with the authorities and their Christian neighbours. Much new information has come to light, and many facets of Jewish life in Sicily have been uncovered. The abundance of historical records in the archives of the Crown and of local authorities compares favourably with the relative scarcity of surviving documentation in earlier centuries. Therefore, again, many documents had to be reported in summary form. The volume is again provided with additional bibliography and indexes, while the introduction has been relegated to the end of the series on the Jews of the island.