Sharon Koren | Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (original) (raw)
Papers by Sharon Koren
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2009
... 46. Indeed, even though married couples were encouraged to pay their marriage debt (&#x... more ... 46. Indeed, even though married couples were encouraged to pay their marriage debt ('onah) after the Gregorian Reforms in the eleventh century, 47 the notion of the dangers inherent in ... The observations of the Glossa Ordinaria on the story of Rachel hiding Laban's idols (Gen ...
Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Nov 1, 2004
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2005
Liverpool University Press eBooks, Sep 1, 2017
This chapter talks about Jewish culture in Castile from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries and... more This chapter talks about Jewish culture in Castile from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries and returns to two early mothers. It examines Rachel and Mary's lives and their respective transformations in Jewish mystical literature and Christian theology. The chapters examines the cultural transformations and metamorphosis of Rachel into a symbol of the Shekhinah as an attempt to cope with the particular cultural situation of exile within the dominant Christian culture of the time. It also explains how Rachel becomes the divine mother suffering for her children in exile. The chapter illustrates the theological transformation of Rachel that enabled Jews to respond to the Christian devotion to Mary on a cosmic scale in order to grapple with their exilic condition. It recounts stories of Rachel and Mary in the sacred texts of the Jewish and Christian faiths which have inspired devotees, religious scholars, and historians for thousands of years.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, Apr 1, 2005
In 1499, seven years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the conversa Ines of Herrera env... more In 1499, seven years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the conversa Ines of Herrera envisioned an apparition foretelling the advent of the messianic age and the salvation of conversos faithful to the laws of Moses. Her visions fomented a messianic movement that became especially popular among women, who adopted Jewish rituals in the hopes of hastening their redemption. The Inquisition responded quickly. Ines was arrested in April 1500 and burned at the stake by August. Seventy-seven followers were burned in an auto da fe in Toledo in 150 1,1 and the movement was completely eradicated by 1502. Interesting research has emerged on the Jewish aspects of this movement in the Southern Castilian region of Extremadura. Yitzhak Baer focused on its messianic character as proof of the essential Jewishness of the conversos (Jews who had converted to Christianity or their descendants; f. conversa).2 Haim Beinart uncovered many of Ines's followers' inquisition trial records and used these to demonstrate the conversos' deep allegiance to the Jewish faith.3 Most recently, Renee Levine Melammed focused on Ines's many female followers. She reviewed the women's inquisition records, documented their judaizing practices, and presented a detailed social history of the movement.4 Levine Melammed 's research offers evidence that conversas in general were far more likely to judaize than their male counterparts. This incongruity is understandable, given the very different roles afforded to men and women in traditional Judaism, in which men enjoyed a more public role in Jewish institutional life, while women were expected to be managers of the household. When Judaism was pushed inside, into the private sphere, women retained such forms of devotion as keeping kosher and lighting Sabbath lamps, thus becoming the transmitters of Jewish piety.5 Retaining Jewish rituals, however, does not necessarily indicate animosity toward Christianity or Christian practice. In his study of Inquisition records from
Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, Jan 2, 2014
Viator, 2010
The dichotomy between Sarah and Eve in the Zohar evokes the well-known dichotomy between Mary and... more The dichotomy between Sarah and Eve in the Zohar evokes the well-known dichotomy between Mary and Eve in medieval Christianity. Though many rabbinic texts posit that the nonagenarian Sarah never menstruated until three angels arrived to announce the birth of Isaac, the Zohar interprets Sarah’s amenorrhea as a mark of her sanctity and unique status among women. Untainted by menstruation, Sarah is able to achieve a level of sanctity denied Eve and her other descendants. Sarah was free of the stain of impurity, just as Mary was free of the stain of concupiscence. This notion of Sarah emerges among Kabbalists at the same moment that the Immaculate Conception became popular in Catalonia and Castile. Maria Immaculada was a prominent symbol in thirteenth-century religious polemic, Castilian poetry, and Gothic sculpture. Jewish Mystics acculturated this newly ubiquitous symbol to create a Jewish heroine with features that bring an essential difference between medieval Judaism and Christianity into high relief.
AJS Review, 2004
Science and faith were inextricably intertwined in the Latin Middle Ages. Clerics would attend to... more Science and faith were inextricably intertwined in the Latin Middle Ages. Clerics would attend to both spiritual and physical needs because the need to care for the body coincided with the need to care for the soul. Until the rise of universities in the twelfth century, monasteries were the centers of scientific knowledge. And, even after the professionalization of medicine in the thirteenth century, Christian physicians continued to look to the Bible, in addition to their license, as the source of their authority. Indeed, many Christian physicians who received medical degrees went on to pursue higher degrees in theology. It is therefore not surprising that several Christian theologians used medical theories in the service of theology.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2005
... In the 1480s, María González, the wife of Rodrigo Foronda of Ciudad Real, confessed to having... more ... In the 1480s, María González, the wife of Rodrigo Foronda of Ciudad Real, confessed to having learned the prayer "Holy, Holy, Holy" (Is. ... how much Jewish material Inés was exposed to, or the nature of it, but we do know, as Miriam Bodian explains, that "in the absence of ...
Viator, 2010
The dichotomy between Sarah and Eve in the Zohar evokes the well-known dichotomy between Mary and... more The dichotomy between Sarah and Eve in the Zohar evokes the well-known dichotomy between Mary and Eve in medieval Christianity. Though many rabbinic texts posit that the nonagenarian Sarah never menstruated until three angels arrived to announce the birth of Isaac, the Zohar interprets Sarah’s amenorrhea as a mark of her sanctity and unique status among women. Untainted by menstruation, Sarah is able to achieve a level of sanctity denied Eve and her other descendants. Sarah was free of the stain of impurity, just as Mary was free of the stain of concupiscence. This notion of Sarah emerges among Kabbalists at the same moment that the Immaculate Conception became popular in Catalonia and Castile. Maria Immaculada was a prominent symbol in thirteenth-century religious polemic, Castilian poetry, and Gothic sculpture. Jewish Mystics acculturated this newly ubiquitous symbol to create a Jewish heroine with features that bring an essential difference between medieval Judaism and Christianity into high relief.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & …, 2009
... 46. Indeed, even though married couples were encouraged to pay their marriage debt (&#x... more ... 46. Indeed, even though married couples were encouraged to pay their marriage debt ('onah) after the Gregorian Reforms in the eleventh century, 47 the notion of the dangers inherent in ... The observations of the Glossa Ordinaria on the story of Rachel hiding Laban's idols (Gen ...
Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, 2014
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2009
... 46. Indeed, even though married couples were encouraged to pay their marriage debt (&#x... more ... 46. Indeed, even though married couples were encouraged to pay their marriage debt ('onah) after the Gregorian Reforms in the eleventh century, 47 the notion of the dangers inherent in ... The observations of the Glossa Ordinaria on the story of Rachel hiding Laban's idols (Gen ...
Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Nov 1, 2004
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2005
Liverpool University Press eBooks, Sep 1, 2017
This chapter talks about Jewish culture in Castile from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries and... more This chapter talks about Jewish culture in Castile from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries and returns to two early mothers. It examines Rachel and Mary's lives and their respective transformations in Jewish mystical literature and Christian theology. The chapters examines the cultural transformations and metamorphosis of Rachel into a symbol of the Shekhinah as an attempt to cope with the particular cultural situation of exile within the dominant Christian culture of the time. It also explains how Rachel becomes the divine mother suffering for her children in exile. The chapter illustrates the theological transformation of Rachel that enabled Jews to respond to the Christian devotion to Mary on a cosmic scale in order to grapple with their exilic condition. It recounts stories of Rachel and Mary in the sacred texts of the Jewish and Christian faiths which have inspired devotees, religious scholars, and historians for thousands of years.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, Apr 1, 2005
In 1499, seven years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the conversa Ines of Herrera env... more In 1499, seven years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the conversa Ines of Herrera envisioned an apparition foretelling the advent of the messianic age and the salvation of conversos faithful to the laws of Moses. Her visions fomented a messianic movement that became especially popular among women, who adopted Jewish rituals in the hopes of hastening their redemption. The Inquisition responded quickly. Ines was arrested in April 1500 and burned at the stake by August. Seventy-seven followers were burned in an auto da fe in Toledo in 150 1,1 and the movement was completely eradicated by 1502. Interesting research has emerged on the Jewish aspects of this movement in the Southern Castilian region of Extremadura. Yitzhak Baer focused on its messianic character as proof of the essential Jewishness of the conversos (Jews who had converted to Christianity or their descendants; f. conversa).2 Haim Beinart uncovered many of Ines's followers' inquisition trial records and used these to demonstrate the conversos' deep allegiance to the Jewish faith.3 Most recently, Renee Levine Melammed focused on Ines's many female followers. She reviewed the women's inquisition records, documented their judaizing practices, and presented a detailed social history of the movement.4 Levine Melammed 's research offers evidence that conversas in general were far more likely to judaize than their male counterparts. This incongruity is understandable, given the very different roles afforded to men and women in traditional Judaism, in which men enjoyed a more public role in Jewish institutional life, while women were expected to be managers of the household. When Judaism was pushed inside, into the private sphere, women retained such forms of devotion as keeping kosher and lighting Sabbath lamps, thus becoming the transmitters of Jewish piety.5 Retaining Jewish rituals, however, does not necessarily indicate animosity toward Christianity or Christian practice. In his study of Inquisition records from
Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, Jan 2, 2014
Viator, 2010
The dichotomy between Sarah and Eve in the Zohar evokes the well-known dichotomy between Mary and... more The dichotomy between Sarah and Eve in the Zohar evokes the well-known dichotomy between Mary and Eve in medieval Christianity. Though many rabbinic texts posit that the nonagenarian Sarah never menstruated until three angels arrived to announce the birth of Isaac, the Zohar interprets Sarah’s amenorrhea as a mark of her sanctity and unique status among women. Untainted by menstruation, Sarah is able to achieve a level of sanctity denied Eve and her other descendants. Sarah was free of the stain of impurity, just as Mary was free of the stain of concupiscence. This notion of Sarah emerges among Kabbalists at the same moment that the Immaculate Conception became popular in Catalonia and Castile. Maria Immaculada was a prominent symbol in thirteenth-century religious polemic, Castilian poetry, and Gothic sculpture. Jewish Mystics acculturated this newly ubiquitous symbol to create a Jewish heroine with features that bring an essential difference between medieval Judaism and Christianity into high relief.
AJS Review, 2004
Science and faith were inextricably intertwined in the Latin Middle Ages. Clerics would attend to... more Science and faith were inextricably intertwined in the Latin Middle Ages. Clerics would attend to both spiritual and physical needs because the need to care for the body coincided with the need to care for the soul. Until the rise of universities in the twelfth century, monasteries were the centers of scientific knowledge. And, even after the professionalization of medicine in the thirteenth century, Christian physicians continued to look to the Bible, in addition to their license, as the source of their authority. Indeed, many Christian physicians who received medical degrees went on to pursue higher degrees in theology. It is therefore not surprising that several Christian theologians used medical theories in the service of theology.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2005
... In the 1480s, María González, the wife of Rodrigo Foronda of Ciudad Real, confessed to having... more ... In the 1480s, María González, the wife of Rodrigo Foronda of Ciudad Real, confessed to having learned the prayer "Holy, Holy, Holy" (Is. ... how much Jewish material Inés was exposed to, or the nature of it, but we do know, as Miriam Bodian explains, that "in the absence of ...
Viator, 2010
The dichotomy between Sarah and Eve in the Zohar evokes the well-known dichotomy between Mary and... more The dichotomy between Sarah and Eve in the Zohar evokes the well-known dichotomy between Mary and Eve in medieval Christianity. Though many rabbinic texts posit that the nonagenarian Sarah never menstruated until three angels arrived to announce the birth of Isaac, the Zohar interprets Sarah’s amenorrhea as a mark of her sanctity and unique status among women. Untainted by menstruation, Sarah is able to achieve a level of sanctity denied Eve and her other descendants. Sarah was free of the stain of impurity, just as Mary was free of the stain of concupiscence. This notion of Sarah emerges among Kabbalists at the same moment that the Immaculate Conception became popular in Catalonia and Castile. Maria Immaculada was a prominent symbol in thirteenth-century religious polemic, Castilian poetry, and Gothic sculpture. Jewish Mystics acculturated this newly ubiquitous symbol to create a Jewish heroine with features that bring an essential difference between medieval Judaism and Christianity into high relief.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & …, 2009
... 46. Indeed, even though married couples were encouraged to pay their marriage debt (&#x... more ... 46. Indeed, even though married couples were encouraged to pay their marriage debt ('onah) after the Gregorian Reforms in the eleventh century, 47 the notion of the dangers inherent in ... The observations of the Glossa Ordinaria on the story of Rachel hiding Laban's idols (Gen ...
Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, 2014