Medieval Jewish Manuscript Analysis
Explore how physical manuscripts reveal historical insights through the study of a 13th-century Jewish prayer book.
Explore how physical manuscripts reveal historical insights through the study of a 13th-century Jewish prayer book.
This course examines how medieval Jewish manuscripts serve as windows into historical communities and cultural changes. Led by Professor Elisabeth Hollender, students analyze a late 13th-century Jewish prayer book from Western Ashkenaz to understand Jewish communal life and liturgical practices. The course explores manuscript analysis techniques, focusing on physical characteristics, marginal notes, and signs of use and damage to reconstruct historical narratives. Through detailed examination of page layouts, prayer rites, and community annotations, students learn how material objects illuminate medieval Jewish religious and cultural life.
Instructors:
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What you'll learn
Analyze medieval Ashkenazi liturgical traditions
Interpret manuscripts as material historical sources
Examine prayer book layouts and their practical implications
Understand Jewish geographical variations in prayer rites
Study marginal notes for historical insights
Skills you'll gain
This course includes:
PreRecorded video
Graded assignments, exams
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Limited Access access
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There are 5 modules in this course
This course demonstrates how physical manuscripts serve as historical documents, using a 13th-century Jewish prayer book as a case study. Students learn to analyze manuscripts as material objects, examining page layouts, marginal notes, and physical conditions to understand medieval Jewish communities. The curriculum covers Ashkenazi liturgical traditions, manuscript analysis techniques, and the interpretation of physical changes in historical documents. Through careful examination of a single manuscript, students gain insights into medieval Jewish religious practices, community life, and cultural evolution.
An Introduction to Jewish Prayer Books
Module 1
What Page Layout Can Teach Us about How the Book Was Used
Module 2
Jewish Geography and the Different Prayer Rites
Module 3
Times Were Changing—How about the Manuscript? Reading the Notes Jotted in the Margins
Module 4
Fire and Theft! Interpreting the Scars on the Physical Manuscript
Module 5
Fee Structure
Instructor
1 Course
Expert in Medieval Jewish Poetry and Liturgical Studies
Elisabeth Hollender serves as Professor of Jewish Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt, where she has established herself as a leading authority in medieval Ashkenazic poetry and liturgical commentary. Her scholarly work focuses on medieval Jewish liturgical poetry (piyyut) and its interpretation in medieval Ashkenaz (Franco-German Jewish communities). Her 2008 monograph "Piyyut Commentary in Medieval Ashkenaz" represents a significant contribution to understanding how medieval Jewish communities interpreted and transmitted liturgical poetry. As Professor at the Seminar für Judaistik at Goethe University, she specializes in the study of Hebrew liturgical poetry, its commentaries, and the broader cultural context of medieval Ashkenazic Jewish communities.
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