The Devil and the Jews: The Medieval Conception of the Jew and Its Relation to Modern Anti-Semitism [Paperback]

Joshua Trachtenberg (Author), Marc Saperstein (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 2002

A JPS bestseller, this is the definitive work of scholarship on the medieval conception of the Jew as devil—literally and figuratively. Through documents, analysis, and illustrations, the book exposes the full spectrum of the Jew’s demonization as devil, sorcerer, and ritual murderer. The author reveals how these myths, many with origins traced to Christian Europe in the late Middle Ages, still exist in transmuted form in the modern era.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society; 2nd edition (September 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827602278
• ISBN-13: 978-0827602274
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Singular and exceptional work, August 7, 2001

By 

J. A Magill (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil and the Jews: The Medieval Conception of the Jew and Its Relation to Modern Anti-Semitism (Paperback)

Trachtenberg's the Devil and the Jew has only recently returned to print after decades of being unavailable. The book is so good, that it was even hard to find in libraries because it was so often stolen. Now at last it is available to the modern reader without having to resort to theft or exauting searches.

In this work, the author traces the history of the christian association between the Jew and the Chritian devil from early church history, but with a particular focus on the middle ages. Many of the myths that many Jewish murders have been based on, right up to the 20th century, have their roots in this period and Tractenberg does a tremdous job exploring them. While many others have written about this topic, (Moss, Towards the Final Solution being a particularly fine example) none of the more recent works have in any way displaced Trachtenberg's careful study.

This is a must for the collection of anyone intersted in this topic or anything else related to European Jewish History. Buy it now before it again goes out of print.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive book on the ill-painted role Jews were given., August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Devil and the Jews: The Medieval Conception of the Jew and Its Relation to Modern Anti-Semitism (Paperback)

Though this is not a new book, it should still be much sought out for it offers readers--scholars and the general public--the opportunity to discover how the Jews in the medieval era were cast the heinous role as servants of the Devil. This study details the Anti-Semitism of that age with chilling color. I highly recommend this title.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant and important book, January 3, 2009

By 

David Dressler (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil and the Jews: The Medieval Conception of the Jew and Its Relation to Modern Anti-Semitism (Paperback)

The roots of anti-Semitism, and of many Jewish stereotypes date to the Middle Ages. This book details the birth of many of the myths and misconceptions that derived from that time. In so doing, this book also helps to explain many everyday realities about Christian belief and culture. Why does the devil have a beard and horns? This book explains it, and helps the reader to understand the chilling melding that was done of the Christian conception of the Devil and that of the Jews.

This book will haunt you; but it will also open your eyes to see the world in a very different way.