Mother of Mercy, Bane of the Jews : Devotion to the Virgin Mary in Anglo-Norman England

Mother of Mercy, Bane of the Jews explores a key moment in the rise of the cult of the Virgin Mary and the way the Jews became central to her story. Benedictine monks in England at the turn of the twelfth century developed many innovative ways to venerate Mary as the most powerful saintly intercessor. They sought her mercy on a weekly and daily basis with extensive liturgical practices, commemorated additional moments of her life on special feast days, and praised her above all other human beings with new doctrines that claimed her Immaculate Conception and bodily Assumption. They also collected hundreds of stories about the miracles Mary performed for her followers in what became one of the most popular devotional literary genres of the Middle Ages. In all these sources, but especially the miracle stories, the figure of the Jew appears in an important role as Mary's enemy. Drawing from theological and legendary traditions dating back to early Christianity, monks revived the idea that Jews violently opposed the virgin mother of God; the goal of the monks was to contrast the veneration they thought Mary deserved with the resistance of the Jews. Kati Ihnat argues that the imagined antagonism of the Jews toward Mary came to serve an essential purpose in encouraging Christian devotion to her as merciful mother and heavenly Queen. Through an examination of miracles, sermons, liturgy, and theology, Mother of Mercy, Bane of the Jews reveals how English monks helped to establish an enduring rivalry between Mary and the Jews, in consolidating her as the most popular saint of the Middle Ages and in making devotion to her a foundational marker of Christian identity. Examines the development of the cult of Mary in England during the period 1066-1154, as manifested in monastic sources of the time: in liturgy and prayer, in theological treatises, and in miracle stories. In many of these texts, the figure of the Jew is depicted as the perennial antagonist of Mary. In theological treatises the Jew appears as a doubter, refusing to believe in Mary's virginity or the holiness of Christian objects, etc. In the miracle stories, the Jew appears as Mary's active enemy: he refuses to venerate her, he blasphemes her, he does evil deeds to believing Christians, desecrates Mary's images, and also cheats his friends, gives bribes, etc. The texts end with the Jew admitting the truth of Christian dogma (in the theological works) or with their baptism, having been touched by miracles performed by the Virgin. Ch. 4 (pp. 138-181), "Enemies of Mary: Jews in Miracle Stories", examines tales of Marian miracles written or re-written in Norman England. Some of them have Byzantine origins: the Theophilus legend, the tale of the Jewish Boy, the story of Mary's image at Lydda, the tale of Theodore and Abraham, etc. Some others have Western European origins, like the story of the Jews of Toledo. The Jews in miracle stories were particularly useful to demonstrate Mary's triumph over nonbelievers, and thus her worthiness of veneration. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) This book explores a key moment in the rise of the cult of the Virgin Mary and the way the Jews became central to her story. Benedictine monks in England at the turn of the twelfth century developed many innovative ways to venerate Mary as the most powerful saintly intercessor. They sought her mercy on a weekly and daily basis with extensive liturgical practices, commemorated additional moments of her life on special feast days, and praised her above all other human beings with new doctrines that claimed her Immaculate Conception and bodily Assumption. Drawing from theological and legendary traditions dating back to early Christianity, monks revived the idea that Jews violently opposed the virgin mother of God; the goal of the monks was to contrast the veneration they thought Mary deserved with the resistance of the Jews. This book argues that the imagined antagonism of the Jews toward Mary came to serve an essential purpose in encouraging Christian devotion to her as merciful mother and heavenly Queen. Through an examination of miracles, sermons, liturgy, and theology, the book reveals how English monks helped to establish an enduring rivalry between Mary and the Jews, in consolidating her as the most popular saint of the Middle Ages and in making devotion to her a foundational marker of Christian identity. Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 Praising Mary: Liturgy and Prayer -- Chapter 2 Understanding Mary: Theological Treatises -- Chapter 3 Hagiographies of Mary: Miracle Collections -- Chapter 4 Enemies of Mary: Jews in Miracle Stories -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Index