Customer Reviews

Barcelona and Beyond: The Disputation of 1263 and Its Aftermath

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In "Barcelon and Beyond," Robert Chazan attepmts to rebuild the Disputation of 1263 by comparing the Hebrew and Latin accounts as well as the events that took place after 1263. An important aspect of this book is that Chazan presents the reader with some some of the opinions about the disputation by Y. Baer and Martin A.Cohen. Chazan also provides a background of what life was like in Aragon during the time of the disputation as well as information on the main participants: King James the Conqueror, Friar Paul Christian, and Rabbi Moses ben Nahmanides. Unfortunately, Chazan's attepmt on avoiding the partisan views of other historians such as Baer seems to contradict the fact that he focuses mostly on analysing the Hebrew text composed by Nahamanides (Rabbi Moses ben Nahman) around 1265. Chazan gives little credit to Nahamanides by presenting the Hebrew text as a product of a great writter. On the other hand, Chazan provides interesting conclusions when comparing both accounts. The book provides an interesting analysis of the Disputation of 1263, but like Baer and Cohen, Chazan seems to be influenced by partisant views. This book is useful for those familiar with the Latin and Hebrew texts, which the author does not provide.

Alexis has cheek saying the Rabbi actual whent and exagerated the acount, he must allso be quite foolish, as if any Jew however talented would have gone and written a report of an event presented by the King in a nonfactual manner, this is classic ingnorence of how the times were.

He would obviously have been killed, in fact he had to run for his life even as the christion acounts claim because of his intelligance.

While for believer there are no questions, for non-believers there are no answers, dur to a prior conviction a person will not excep the content of this book,

Woe to him