JWST 235 Lecture Pre Modern Jewish History How did Jews survive under the power and under the control of daughter religions For Christianity Judaism has a specific religious function The world will be saved only by the conversion of the Jews o Christianity o Islam The nature and form of Jewish separateness what right to we have to talk about the Jews as individuals and separate Jews became citizens This makes modernity for Jews They mostly lived in local smaller communities that were licensed by the government and they were subject to their community or kehila Kehilas were mostly self autonomous and governed by local elders recognized by outside government Periodization at what point did Jewish history become modern WWII Establishment of a Jewish state Everything before points to pre modern o No such thing as equality in a pre modern state Jews were given charters as a group to live Jews under Christian Rule Notion of Jewish survival as a minority o Assuming continuity hostility and persecution o Tolerance On some level a recognition that the Jewish religion is legal o religio licita o By the 3rd century all Jews under the Roman empire are citizens and NOT separate Christianity moves into the culture and society Christianity gave Jews a special role portrayed with the notion that Jews killed Jesus Jews are not rejected but why then do they reject Christ It was in the plan so that gentiles would accept him The whole point of the system is to save the Jews Christianity believed that the Jews should and must survived they are the root that supports the Christian branch between the legal precedent of being recognized as a group and having a special function gives us Christian policy that says Jews will be allowed to continue o Christianity is an aggressive missionary faith the ONLY people they allowed to survive were the Jews o Hard for society to tolerate the Jews inevitable tension JEWS ARE UNIQUELY TOLERATED Jews under Islamic Rule Islam conquered the Roman Empire and created a new dynamic world was full of people who were not Muslim there were LARGE religious minorities As a result Islam developed a method of tolerance that was much broader than the Christian method that basically said As long as you know you re place in society we will all get along Difference between Modern and Early modern Jews are exiled suffereing from the Inquisition From a religious point of view Jews become obsessed with mysticism and lose the ability to think freely