Between Ashkenaz and Sepharad, Judaism and Christianity: Asher ben Jehiel as a Liminal Figure in the High Middle Ages

The central figure of this dissertation, Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel (Rosh, c.1250-1327), is explored as a liminal figure of the Middle Ages, in a variety of ways. Using the scholarship of Homi Bhabha on the topic of cultural hybridity, in addition to other thinkers, this medieval rabbi is presented as an individual who situated himself between various borders, often as a consequence of historical circumstances. The first border he crossed was from his birthplace of Ashkenaz to Sephardic lands, a result of a persecutory environment in his place of origin. Beyond geographic borders, Rosh traverses a communal boundary that exists between Jews and Christians. As a result of being a leading Jewish thinker in Christian lands, his encounter with Christianity was necessary and regular. Subsequently, we see many references to Christianity in his works, with a duality emerging. This dissertation examines this collision vs. conversation narrative, noting that Rosh takes different stances on Jewish-Christian relations in different texts. The collision narrative emerges in his Pentateuch commentary, while the conversation approach stems from his legal writings.

This dissertation, therefore, presents texts that help understand this liminal image of Rosh. Some of these primary sources have not been explored sufficiently in current Jewish scholarship.

This work also provides a more robust understanding of Jewish-Christian relations in the High Middle Ages while offering insight into whether or not more modern critical approaches (postcolonial and otherwise) are useful to current scholars of the Middle Ages.