[Avodah] medieval jewish history

[Arie Folger]

I wasn't commenting on what should be called jewishly the Middle Ages,
but rather how most people use the word, likely including the Jewish
Encyclopedia of 1905, which was given as the source of the Wikipedia
article. The scholarly ruminations of the last 40 years were
irrelevant to those writing 60 years earlier.

Kol tut, --arie folger

On 8/3/09, Shlomo Pick <picksh at mail.biu.ac.il> wrote:
> Arie wrote:
>
>> 1) Mediaeval generally means between the fall of Rome in 476 (or even
>
> earlier, from the split between the Eatern and Western Roman empire)
>
> and the discovery of the New World in 1492. Jewishly, this is a very
>
> long period. When we use the adjective Mediaeval, we often think
>
> Rishonim, but this period includes not only the Geonim and Rishonim,
>
> but also the Savoraim and even some of the Amoraim. Hence, it doesn't
>
> mean the Midrash is particularly late.
>
>
>
> Just to note:
>
>        1.
>
> The issue of periodization of Jewish medieval history has been an issue for
> the last 30-40 years.  See the article by haim Hillel ben sasson, in rezef
> vetemurah, tel-aviv, pp. 359-378. his opinion is that jewish medieval
> history starts with the rise of islam and arab conquests.
>
> See also Jacob kate, mechkarim bemadaei hayahadut, ed. m. bar-asher,
> Jerusalem 1986, pp. 209-225.
>
> There is more by profs. C.z. dimitrovsky and moseh david heer.
>
> I heard a lecture by the late prof. m breuer of the jewish history
> department in bar ilan suggest other dates.
>
> Almost no one views the Talmud period or even the post Talmud period as
> medieval, especially in terms of rabbinic writings.
>
> Then again, some ultra nationalists would suggest between 70 CE or 135 CE
> and 1948..
>
> The end of the period ranges from 1492 to 1648 to 1789.  Harvard university
> holds that jewish medieval history ends with the French revolution. So does
> Touro in Israel which is run by a  Harvard grad.
>
> Shlomo
>
>

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Arie Folger,
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