Blood and Belief: The Circulation of a Symbol Between Jews and Christians"A wonderful, rich, and fascinating book, and a great read. Biale explores the meanings of blood within Jewish and Christian cultures from the blood of the sacrifices of the book of Leviticus to the blood of the Eucharist to the blood of medieval blood libels and the place of blood in Nazi ideology. Biale shows that blood symbolism stands at the center of the divide between Judaism and Christianity. This book will be the point of departure for all future studies of the subject."—Shaye J.D. Cohen, Harvard University "I know of no other work that, through numerous insights and useful distinctions, so alerts us to and comprehensively documents the ongoing constitutive role of Christian and anti-Semitic perceptions of Jewish existence and the interactions between them. Whereas much contemporary historiography has become so specialized that historians have surrendered the larger picture, David Biale's panoramic perspective reveals the great value and interest of this work."—Steven E. Aschheim, author of Beyond the Border: The German-Jewish Legacy Abroad |
Contents
Writing with Blood | 1 |
Blood in the Hebrew Bible | 9 |
The Jewish and Christian Careers of a Biblical Verse | 44 |
Medieval Jews and Christians Debate the Body | 81 |
The Medieval and the Modern in Nazi AntiSemitism | 123 |
SelfDefense and SelfAssertion in Modern Jewish Culture | 162 |
Blood and Belief | 207 |
Notes | 215 |
261 | |
281 | |
Other editions - View all
Blood and Belief: The Circulation of a Symbol Between Jews and Christians David Biale Limited preview - 2007 |
Blood and Belief: The Circulation of a Symbol between Jews and Christians David Biale Limited preview - 2007 |
Blood and Belief: The Circulation of a Symbol between Jews and Christians David Biale Limited preview - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
accusation altar ancient animal anti-Semitism argued argument Aryan atonement baptism belief Beta Israel Bible biblical Bischoff blood community blood libel blood of Christ blood of circumcision Blood Ritual Blut body century Christian circumcision claim covenant of blood cult culture death defilement demonic Der Stürmer Dinter discourse divine eating blood Eucharist Exodus 24 Ezekiel female genetic German God’s Greek Greenberg Hebrew Hermann Strack Hess holy Ibid idea impurity Israel Israelites Jesus Jewish Jewish blood Jews and Christians Jubilees Judaism Kabbalah land language of blood Leviticus limpieza de sangre literal martyrdom martyrs medieval menstrual blood Middle Ages midrash Milgrom modern Moses Moses Hess mystical Nahman nation Nazi polemic pollution priestly priests prohibition purity rabbinic race racial religion ritual murder ritual-murder Rome and Jerusalem Rosenzweig sacrifice Sefer semen sexual shed shekhinah spilled spiritual Strack Stürmer symbolic Talmud taurobolium temple theology tion tradition trans translation women York Zionism Zionist Zohar