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Abstract:
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In this dissertation , I describe social , economic and political relations between Jews and Christians in medieval Europe before presenting the intellectual and religious context of Jewish life in Christian Spain . The purpose of this endeavor is to provide the framework for analyzing two works , one in Hebrew and one in Castilian , by the Spanish Jewish author Sem Tob de Carrión (1290 - c .1370 ) . Proverbios morales (1355 -60 ) , the Castilian text , is important to the Spanish literary canon because it is one of the first works of Semitic sapiential literature to be transmitted , in the vernacular , to a Christian public . However , it has generally been read by scholars of medieval Hispanic literature in isolation from his Hebrew writings . Given that Ma’aseh ha Rav (c . 1345 ) reveals essential aspects of his thought structure and intellectual milieu not found in Proverbios morales , it should be required reading for a thorough understanding of his worldview . In the Hebrew work , I draw parallels between the polemical language used by Sem Tob and historically documented ideological conflicts that took place among Jews in late medieval Spain and Provençe . Because it is written in a style that involves the weaving together of biblical quotations and allusions , the polemical language must be read in relation to the biblical contexts to which these allusions refer . When analyzed in this way , allegory pertaining to the ongoing dispute among Jews about philosophy and scriptural interpretation , and rebuttals of Christian truth claims , become apparent . Additionally , kabbalistic references and messianic allusions lend the work an esoteric character that sharply distinguishes it from Proverbios morales . This analysis of Ma’aseh ha Rav is used as a basis for comparing rabbinic and philosophical concepts that appear in both works . The general movement from opposition to unity that characterizes each text , and the ubiquitous “golden mean ,” link the two works conceptually , and underscore Sem Tob’s preoccupation with harmonizing contradictions on both the spiritual and social levels of existence . This aspect of his thought reflects the general intellectual climate of his milieu , which is characterized by the blending , or intertwining , of the main doctrines of medieval Judaism - -philosophy , mysticism , and Talmudic -traditionalism . |