Transforming Relations: Essays on Jews and Christians throughout History in Honor of Michael A. Signer (Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies (Hardcover))

Transforming Relations is a collection of original essays on the history of Jews and Christians in antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the modern era that honors the influential work of Michael A. Signer (1945-2009). Reflecting the breadth of Signer's research and pedagogical interests, the essays treat various aspects of the Jewish-Christian relationship through the centuries, from the divine law in antiquity to philosemitism in contemporary Christianity, from scriptural interpretation in the twelfth century to Christian Hebraism in the fifteenth, and from the presentation of Christianity in the Talmud and Midrashim to modern Christian understandings of Judaism. The essays are unified in their emphases on two principles that pervade Signer's own scholarly work: that the sacred texts shared by Jews and Christians serve simultaneously as a point of convergence and divergence for the two religious communities, and that modern practitioners of Judaism and Christianity must recognize and appreciate the other as part of a living tradition. A fitting tribute to Signer's wide-ranging work, the volume aims to complement and continue his passionate and learned work of transforming relations between Jews and Christians. It will appeal to a broad readership, including historians of Judaism and Christianity, scholars of the Middle Ages, students of the history of biblical exegesis, and systematic theologians. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Foreword Acknowledgments Contributors Introduction Part I: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL PERSPECTIVES: EXEGESIS, POLEMIC, AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE Chapter One: The Making of a Medievalist Chapter Two: The End of the Law Chapter Three: Christianity in Talmud and Midrash Chapter Four: The Psalms at the Abbey of Saint-Victor Chapter Five: Historia and Sensus litteralis Chapter Six: The Harmony of Similar and Dissimilar Things Chapter Seven: “Following with Unequal Step” Chapter Eight: “And Rebekah Loved Jacob,” But Why? Chapter Nine: Two Introductions by Rabbi Samuel ben Meir (Rashbam) Chapter Ten: Wandering to the End Chapter Eleven: Hugh of St. Cher and Medieval Collaboration Chapter Twelve: Wessel Gansfort’s (1419–1489) Use of Hebrew Chapter Thirteen: “The Guardian of Israel neither Dozes nor Sleeps” Part II: MODERN PERSPECTIVES: THEOLOGY, PRAXIS, AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE OTHER Chapter Fourteen: “To Get to Know, to Understand, and to Respect Each Other” Chapter Fifteen: Biblical and Historical Perspectives on “the People of God” Chapter Sixteen: Rabbi Hayim David Halevi on Christianity and Christians Chapter Seventeen: Michael Signer’s Theological Philosophy of the Plain Sense Chapter Eighteen: Can We Speak of a Theological Bond between Christians and Jews? Chapter Nineteen: Philosemitism and “Judaizing” in the Contemporary Church Chapter Twenty: Contempt for the Jews and Disregard for the Old Testament Publications of Michael A. Signer Index