Mordechay Lewy - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Videos by Mordechay Lewy

Dias ohne Ton aus dem Zoom Vortrag , gehalten in Bonn am 1.12.2022.

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Zoom Vortrag beim katholischen Bildungswerk Bonn, gehalten am 1.12.2022.

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Ein am 11- Oktober 2021 gehaltener Zoom Vortrag im Rahmen der Reihe "Toldot & Tarbut" des Katholi... more Ein am 11- Oktober 2021 gehaltener Zoom Vortrag im Rahmen der Reihe "Toldot & Tarbut" des Katholischen Bildungswerks, DIG Bonn und der Uni Bonn. Der Bericht betrifft neben allgemeinen Beobachtungen auch persönliche Erfahrungen aus der Zeit von 2008 bis 2012.

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Books by Mordechay Lewy

An Anthology published by the Austrian Academy of Science in 2021 and now released to an open ac... more An Anthology published by the Austrian Academy of Science in 2021 and now released to an open access. It includes a variety of contributions reflecting the impact of Habsburg Empire on the Eastern bassin of the Mediterranean.

New Book has been published by Pennsylvania State University Press. My contribution is a revised... more New Book has been published by Pennsylvania State University Press. My contribution is a revised and updated version of "Jerusalem under the Skin: The History of Jerusalem Pilgrimage Tattoos" on pages 85-123..

Why Shoa and not Holocaust. A contribution to the culture of memory

The text is a revised version of a lecture I held during my tenure as Israeli Ambassador to the H... more The text is a revised version of a lecture I held during my tenure as Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See. My aim was and still is to demonstrate that the use of the term SHOA is a better chosen term than HOLOCUST to describe the unique annihilation of a Third of the Jewish people during WWII.

The leading question before us is how to shape a culture of memory for any near future in order n... more The leading question before us is how to shape a culture of memory for any near future in order not to forget a traumatic event of gigantic dimension which is called, for the sake of keeping its uniqueness,-SHOA. As time is passing by, we must assess the significance of generations as a vehicle to transport the memory. Traumatic memories as the Shoah, are characterized by different reactions among following generations accordingly. The first generation of the victims and the survivals themselves, were marked by a traumatic silence. The second generation of the off springs was the one who got active because they were afraid of the biological disappearance of the first generation which did not yet tell their stories. This second generation after Shoah, was the one who established the culture of memory we know today. It is a secular one, which reflects a-religious mood of the public space since decades. The third generation which is taking over now is characterized by a certain polarization between hyperactivity or increasing indifference. This present polarization is triggering a question how the memory should be kept for future generations.
What options do we have, can we choose them at all?
What would be the better one in terms of viability to keep Shoah in memory?
What does it entail to ritualize memory in religious or secular categories?
Are they contradictory, and how can they be reconciled?
These remain open questions. What becomes clear is that we are afraid that without ritualization in whatever form memory will fade away.

It is suggested that the term Shoa is preferable while describing the extermination of the Jews... more It is suggested that the term Shoa is preferable while describing the extermination of the Jews through the Nazis. The term holocaust is not only theologically flawed . Today it is inflationary as every human catastrophe is labelled as a holocaust. The term Shoa might preserve the uniqueness of the specific event concerning the Nazi effort to annihilate the Jewish people,

The Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs 1/1 (2006), 102-107.

:K.Faber,J.H. Schoeps und S. Stawski, Hrg.,Neu –alter Judenhass, Berlin 2006, pp. 239-244, 2006

Grosse Philosophen werden schon zu ihrer Lebzeit missverstanden; noch öfter werden sie von ihrer ... more Grosse Philosophen werden schon zu ihrer Lebzeit missverstanden; noch öfter werden sie von ihrer Nachwelt missinterpretiert. So wurde Derridas Konzept der Dekonstruktion von seinen linken Anhängern als Plädoyer für die unbedingte Aufrechterhaltung der Unterschiede der verschiedenen Kulturen und für die Unterstützung der bislang von der herrschenden abendländischen Zivilisation Ausgeschlossenen verstanden. Man wollte den Ausgeschlossenen zu ihrer eigenen

This is my draft paper of an article whose last version was published later in the volume "Th... more This is my draft paper of an article whose last version was published later in the volume "The Habsburg Mediterranean 1500-1800". I am not allowed to distribute the final version due to the fact that I did not sponsor the publisher with 2000 Euro in order to buy the status of "free access". So far the euphemism of "free access" which suits rather robber barons than scholarly publications.

Zur Zeit dieses Vortrags hoffte der Beiträger, dass seine umfassende Monographie zum gesamten Phä... more Zur Zeit dieses Vortrags hoffte der Beiträger, dass seine umfassende Monographie zum gesamten Phänomen der lutherischen Wunderbrunnen bis zur Drucklegung dieses Tagungsbandes bereits als Habilitationsschrift an der Universität Leipzig eingereicht sein würde. Da das Buch aber bislang noch nicht abgeschlossen ist, wurde auf den Beitrag verzichtet.

Andacht oder Abenteuer , 2020

The study aims to apply methods of ambiguity studies in assessing degrees of cooperation and conf... more The study aims to apply methods of ambiguity studies in assessing degrees of cooperation and confrontation between protestant pilgrims visiting 17th century Jerusalem and hosted by catholic friars of the Franciscan order.

Pilgerspuren , 2020

On pages 270- 281 you will find "Die Wahrnehmung des Stadtbildes von Jerusalem in der Malerei des... more On pages 270- 281 you will find "Die Wahrnehmung des Stadtbildes von Jerusalem in der Malerei des Spätmittelalters.
On pages 222- 225 "Gothaer Pilgertafel".
On pages 252-255 Pilgertätowierungen im Heiligen Land".

Silvio Calzolari et al., Paradiso - Giardino di Speranza, 2012

Dalla Caduta dell'Uomo, il Paradiso è andato Perduto. Il tentativo di riconquista di un mondo per... more Dalla Caduta dell'Uomo, il Paradiso è andato Perduto. Il tentativo di riconquista di un mondo perfetto, che sia il paradiso in Terra o il Non Dove [Utopia] ha contrassegnato le aspirazioni ed il pensiero degli esseri umani sin da allora. Tutte le religioni che credono in una vita dopo la morte, hanno un comune denominatore: quasi tutte credono in una qualche forma di paradiso. In questo contesto, il paradiso è, anche per gli ebrei, sinonimo di paradiso celeste. Alessandro Scafi si chiede nel suo importante libro "Mapping Paradise-A History of Heaven on Earth"-dove si trova il non-dove? Origine del termine paradiso Il termine paradiso deriva dall'antico persiano pairi [intorno] daeza [mattone o forma]. Uniti in un'unica parola, il significato diviene giardino recintato da mura. Il termine è stato introdotto nelle lingue europee attraverso il greco, quando Senofonte lo ha tradotto in paradeisos. La tradizione persiana di costruire giardini cintati, con bacini idrici rettangolari e piante odorose, deriva dalla tradizione della dinastia Achemenide dei terreni recintati utilizzati per la caccia ai leoni, pratica rituale dell'autorità reale divina. In seguito, la tradizione del giardino paradisiaco si estese all'India dei Moghul (Taj Mahal), poi sotto l'Islam, nella regione del Medio Oriente fino all'Andalusia (Alhambra, Granada) e più tardi, in Europa. La parola ebraica pardes deriva dal greco o dal persiano e significa giardino, frutteto. Il paradiso biblico in ebraico si dice gan eden che fu tradotto in latino hortus deliciarum. Il latino medievale usava più spesso il termine paradisus. La descrizione del Paradiso nella Genesi 2:8-15. "8-Poi il Signore Dio piantò un giardino in Eden, a oriente, e vi collocò l'uomo che aveva plasmato. 9-Il Signore Dio fece germogliare dal suolo ogni sorta di alberi graditi alla vista e buoni da mangiare, tra cui l'albero della vita in mezzo al giardino e l'albero della conoscenza del bene e del male. 10-Un fiume usciva da Eden per irrigare il giardino, poi di lì si divideva e formava quattro corsi. 11-Il primo fiume si chiama Pison: esso scorre intorno a tutto il paese di Avìla, dove c'è l'oro 12-e l'oro di quella terra è fine; qui c'è anche la resina odorosa e la pietra d'ònice. 13-Il secondo fiume si chiama Ghicon: esso scorre intorno a tutto il paese d'Etiopia. 14-Il terzo fiume si chiama Tigri: esso scorre ad oriente di Assur. Il quarto fiume è l'Eufrate. 15-Il Signore Dio prese l'uomo e lo pose nel giardino di Eden, perché lo coltivasse e lo custodisse". (Traduzione autorizzata dalla Conferenza Episcopale Italiana).

This is a draft in English which was not yet published .

Dias ohne Ton aus dem Zoom Vortrag , gehalten in Bonn am 1.12.2022.

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Zoom Vortrag beim katholischen Bildungswerk Bonn, gehalten am 1.12.2022.

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Why Shoa and not Holocaust. A contribution to the culture of memory

The Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs 1/1 (2006), 102-107.

:K.Faber,J.H. Schoeps und S. Stawski, Hrg.,Neu –alter Judenhass, Berlin 2006, pp. 239-244, 2006

Andacht oder Abenteuer , 2020

Pilgerspuren , 2020

Silvio Calzolari et al., Paradiso - Giardino di Speranza, 2012

This is a draft in English which was not yet published .

A volume of contributions written by disciples of Johannes Fried embracing his scope of his studi... more A volume of contributions written by disciples of Johannes Fried embracing his scope of his studies, mainly memory in history.

berlegungen zum Grundriss einer Geschichte der Tätowierung in Europa. docx, 2024

This is the first outline in German of a history of tattooing culture which took placce in Europe... more This is the first outline in German of a history of tattooing culture which took placce in Europe from Prehistory until the threshold of Early modern history. The gist is the distinction between Europe north of the Alps and the Mediterranean basin which should be extended to the Nile valley, North Africa and the Near East until Iran and the Caspian Sea. Whereas the Mediterranean basin cultivated Tattooing practice since times immemorial , North Europe and British Isles were still under the last period of the Ice Age which did not enable the adaptation of new impact from Central Asia with regard to the penetration of tattooing cultures. This had a long lasting impact on Medieval Europe which cultivated a brandmarking and incision cultures but not a tattooing culture.

On the occasion of the 700th Anniversary of Marco Polo's deaththe time has come to end the debat... more On the occasion of the 700th Anniversary of Marco Polo's deaththe time has come to end the debate whether he made his travel to China or not. The following pptx in PDF formate is my contribution to bring a final proof that Polo visited not only China but talso neighbouring regions. The proof is his accurate description of tattooing technique he saw in Caugigu (in Burma, today's Myanmar), a technique which was not known at his time in Medieval Europe.

Zeitschrift Fur Religions-und Geistesgeschichte, 2003

Israel Affairs, Oct 1, 2010

The pontificate of Benedict XVI is undoubtedly shaped by his personality as a profound thinker an... more The pontificate of Benedict XVI is undoubtedly shaped by his personality as a profound thinker and one who is much more a philosopher than a politician. Management seems not to be his trade. With his intellectual mind he shuns anything that smells of populism. The mass media has an inherent difficulty in placing him within their traditional parameters. The paradigm of Pope Benedict can serve as a microcosm that reflects the complexity imprinted on relations between Israel and the Holy See. Any effort to simplify those relations according to the vocabulary of conventional bilateral relations may do injustice to their essence.

Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 2006

MoriJecbay Lewy joineJ the !Jraeli diplomatic Jervice in 1975. He haJ t~erved varwu.Jly aJ ambaJJ... more MoriJecbay Lewy joineJ the !Jraeli diplomatic Jervice in 1975. He haJ t~erved varwu.Jly aJ ambaJJador to Thailand and Camhodia, the jirJt conJuL generaL in BerLin ;itA after reunificatwn and later, mini.Jter at the newLy e.JtahLiJhed !Jraeli embaJJY in the German capital. In !Jrael he WaJ deputy head of the Policy Planning Department of the Mini.Jtry of Foreign AffairJ anJ i.J pre.Jently aJJigned by the Mini.Jtry of Foreign Affairt~ to the Jerwalem municipality aJ the mayor'.J advi.Jor for religwuJ communitiu

Osservatore Romano, 2011

Ipotesi per una nuova attribuzione della più antica imitazione del Santo Sepolcro in Europa Gerus... more Ipotesi per una nuova attribuzione della più antica imitazione del Santo Sepolcro in Europa Gerusalemme in Acquapendente Tutto lascia pensare che l'opera sia riconducibile al conte Ugo di Toscana di MORDECHAY LEWY Il Santo Sepolcro di Acquapendente, il cosiddetto sacello, è un enigma: non è ancora chiaro quando sia stato realizzato, da chi sia stato fondato, per quale ragione, quale edificio abbia cercato di imitare. La madre fondatrice Matilda è una leggenda, dato che le quattro potenziali candidate non rispondono ai dati biografici richiesti. Tenendo presente che il monastero del Santo Sepolcro è stato citato in una bolla papale intorno al 1025, due famose Matilde, Matilde di Canossa, contessa di Toscana (1046-1115) e Matilde degli scozzesi (1080-1118), erano nate troppo tardi per fondarlo. Le due Matilde tedesche (la prima madre di Otto I il Grande e l'altra la sorella di Otto II) vissero nell'epoca giusta, nel X secolo, ma non risulta in alcun documento che abbiano fondato una casa religiosa in Italia.

Mediaevistik, 2021

The present paper aims to question the textual narratives and the visual means which were employe... more The present paper aims to question the textual narratives and the visual means which were employed by the Franciscans to increase the credibility of St. Francis's stigmata. Following the doubts and skepticism which accompanied the Franciscan efforts to monopolize the saintly status of its stigmatized founder through a Seraphic vision, an urgent need to increase credibility has emerged. The study suggests that the Florentine Giotto di Bondone and the Sienese Pietro Lorenzetti employed widely disseminated optical knowledge about burning mirrors to invent a durable and credible iconographic formula of Francis's stigmatization.

The Israel Review , 1 /1 (2006), 202-207.

This is the English version of a paper which was written as a response to the European intellec... more This is the English version of a paper which was written as a response to the European intellectual's tendency to adhere to conspiracy theories which were disseminated by Third world protagonists that the perpetrators who blew up the twin towers in NY were Western powers themselves. What I called 2006 "European self-denial and postmodern western ignorance" is still prevailing in all issues in which the EU and Europe as a whole are required to defend their own interests and values.

Robert E. Lerner reminded us that research designed to find the origins of eschatological texts a... more Robert E. Lerner reminded us that research designed to find the origins of eschatological texts and motifs resemble the Sisyphean effort of a gardener to liberate the ground from weeds. Once you think you have succeeded you are likely to find out that deeply rooted branches are still there. 1 In my dissertation 2 I labelled an Abyssinian legendary figure as apocalyptical because I have followed early Islamic apocalyptical narratives embedded in early hadiths which Nu'aym b. Hammad al-Marwazi has mentioned in his "Book of Tribulations" (Kitab al-Fitan) 3. Nu'aym drafted his book about the year 820 CE. David Cook regards it as the first Arab Muslim apocalyptical text. In the chapters on the role of Abyssinians at the End of the Days a figure with a distinctive physiognomic attribution appears which has a strange epithet "the one with two small [or narrow] shanks"-Dhū al Suwayqatān-al Habashi. This Abyssinian aimed to destroy the Ka'ba 4. His epithet was enlarged with additional physiognomic characteristics of being bald and crooked boned. 5 The historical context seems quite clear. It insinuated the threat of the Abyssinian Viceroy of the Aksumite Kingdom Abraha to invade and destroy pre-Islamic

Historisch-Politische Mitteilungen, 2016

Was ich im Folgenden über Helmut Kohl und die deutsch-israelischen Beziehungen ausführen werde, i... more Was ich im Folgenden über Helmut Kohl und die deutsch-israelischen Beziehungen ausführen werde, ist die Sicht eines zeitweiligen Zeugen, der nur in einigen Episoden nahe genug an den Ereignissen war, um persönliche Eindrücke und Erfahrungen wiederzugeben. Da die Kanzlerschaft Helmut Kohls 16 Jahre gedauert hat, ist es notwendigerweise ein nur fragmentarisches Bild von der israelischen Dimension seines politischen Schaffens. Neben den eigenen Erfahrungen habe ich einige kürzlich veröffentlichte Dokumente aus dem israelischen Staatsarchiv zu Rate gezogen. Sie sind alle im Internet verfügbar, allerdings auf Hebräisch. Auf autobiographische und andere gedruckte Quellen habe ich nur gelegentlich zurückgegriffen. Außerdem, mit der gebotenen Zurückhaltung, auf Pressematerialien. Auffallend ist, dass die deutsche Berichterstattung über Helmut Kohl häufig weniger sachlich denn wertend, ja, teilweise außerordentlich meinungsstark ausfiel. Im Vergleich dazu ist die israelische Berichterstattung über Kohl geradezu wortkarg. Die Priorität des öffentlichen Interesses in Israel war damals wie auch heute eher nach innen gerichtet. Henry Kissinger sagte einmal, dass Israel keine Außenpolitik habe, sondern nur Innenpolitik. Bei meinen Ausführungen lege ich die Schwerpunkte auf folgende Episoden der deutsch-israelischen Beziehungen: Erstens die Abdankung Menachem Begins und den nicht zu Stande gekommenen Besuch Kohls in Israel Ende August 1983; zweitens Kohls Besuch bei Begins Nachfolger Itzhak Schamir Ende 1984 und sein Bemühen, sich dabei als Vertreter eines neuen, geläuterten Deutschland zu präsentieren – Stichwort Gnade der späten Geburt; drittens die Schwierigkeiten Israels, die deutsche Einheit zu akzeptieren und in diesem Zusammenhang den diesbezüglichen Briefwechsel zwischen Kohl und Schamir 1989; viertens schließlich das Eintreten Helmut Kohls für die Sicherheit Israels seit dem ersten Irakkrieg 1991. In seiner jüngst erschienenen Biographie Helmut Kohls unterteilt Hans-Peter Schwarz dessen Kanzlerschaft in zwei große Teile. Der erste, von 1982 bis 1989, steht unter der Überschrift: „Ein mittelmäßiger Bundeskanzler?“ Der zweite von 1989 bis 1998 stellt den erfolgreichen Kanzler der Einheit und Architekten eines neuen Europa in den Vordergrund.1 Ich werde versuchen, aus israelischer Sicht zu beantworten, ob das Fragezeichen hinter der Charakteri-

Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, 2011

Osservatore Romano, 2010

A reprint published in Oss Ro of an article published in Pagine ebraice in 2009.

An English translation of a the original Italian version which has been published in 2010 in its ... more An English translation of a the original Italian version which has been published in 2010 in its shortened version in "Pagine ebraice" and reprinted in "Osservatore Romano". It is an appeal to mainstream Jewish Orthodoxy to get involved in the Interreligious dialogue with Catholics.

IMAGO MUNDI, 2021

The Vercelli map has never been accorded its due place in the mappaemundi canon. Faced with probl... more The Vercelli map has never been accorded its due place in the mappaemundi canon. Faced with problems of illegibility, few scholars have dared to research it. The availability of multispectral imaging (MSI), however, has provoked closer investigation. In this short note, attention is limited to the question of its date. Attempting to discover the genesis of a medieval map remains largely a matter of reasoned guesswork in stages. In this article, based on new assessments, a process of evolution is suggested that may enable us to reconcile the dating proposed more than hundred years ago by Carlo Errerà (1270-1285), half a century ago by Carlo Felice Capello (1191-1218) and, more recently, by Dan Terkla (1217). It is hoped that further MSI will challenge scholars to detect additional layers in the map.

Der Begriff Bat Kol kommt nicht in der hebräischen Bibel vor. Er taucht erst im 3. oder 4.Jahrhun... more Der Begriff Bat Kol kommt nicht in der hebräischen Bibel vor. Er taucht erst im 3. oder 4.Jahrhundert n. Chr. in der Talmudischen Literatur auf, und zwar 116 Mal. In dem halachischen rechtsprechenden Teil des Talmuds wird Bat Kol kaum erwähnt. In dem agadischen narrativen legendenhaften Teil, der sich u. A. mit Prophetien, Eschatologie und Hellseherei befasst ist er jedoch häufiger anzutreffen.

This is the first outline in German of the history of tattooing in Europe from Prehistory until ... more This is the first outline in German of the history of tattooing in Europe from Prehistory until the threshold of Early modern period. The gist of the ourline is the geographic distinction between Europe north of the Alps and the extended Mediterranean basin in reference to the penetration of tattooing cultures from Central Asia. Due to the Ice Age in Northern Europe, tattooing culture was never cultivated there in prehistoric and ancient time. As a result Medieval Europe cultivated rather a brandmarking and incision culture with regard to body marks and not a tattooing culture.

This is the powerpoint part of my lecture held in the Forschungskolloquiums des Instituts für G... more This is the powerpoint part of my lecture held in the Forschungskolloquiums des Instituts für Geschichtswissenschaften – Europäische Geschichte der frühen Neuzeit an der Humboldt - Universität zu Berlin,
Wednesday , 22th May 2024.

This is the text of my 20 minutes' presentation on medieval body marks delivered in session 77 of... more This is the text of my 20 minutes' presentation on medieval body marks delivered in session 77 of the International Vongress of Medieval Studies (ICMS) in Kalamazoo on 09.05. 2024. Slides of the ppt presentation are following

On the occasion of 700th anniversary of the death of Marco Polo this is my contribution to increa... more On the occasion of 700th anniversary of the death of Marco Polo this is my contribution to increase the veracity of his travel account to the Far East by bringing a Final proof through his description of tattooing technique which was otherwise unknown in Europe at his time.

Jerusalem under the skin pilgrim tattoos, 2011

This is a slightly revised version which includes two slides of a much frequented powerpoint pre... more This is a slightly revised version which includes two slides of a much frequented powerpoint presentation.

Opening remarks at the first International colloquium on History of tattooing , at the Campus of... more Opening remarks at the first International colloquium on History of tattooing , at the Campus of the Pontifical University Urbaniana, Vatican City, on 5 th -6 th of December 2011.

This is the PowerPoint presentation of my opening lecture of the international conference PILGER... more This is the PowerPoint presentation of my opening lecture of the international conference PILGERSPUREN in Lüneburg on 3.04.2019 (now in pdf version).

Unser heutiges Thema ist sowohl für die Kunstgeschichte wie auch für die historische Geographie b... more Unser heutiges Thema ist sowohl für die Kunstgeschichte wie auch für die historische Geographie bzw. Kartografie und für die Religionsgeschichte von einigem Interesse. Bis vor ein paar Jahrzehnten wurden Jerusalemer Stadtbilder hauptsächlich im kartographischen Rahmen erfasst. Es waren eben vor allem Kartografen, die aus dem nicht unbeträchtlichen Fundus der ungedruckten Jerusalemkarten aus dem Mittelalter und der gedruckten in der Renaissance und Neuzeit schöpften um das Jerusalembild zu bewerten und klassifizieren 1. Professor Rechav Rubin aus Jerusalem prägte 1990 den Begriff Karto-Genealogie als er eine Stemma für den Borculo Kupferstich von Jerusalem aufstellen wollte. 2 Karten sind in der Regel zweidimensional und manchmal heben sie sich ab und bedienen sich der Vogelperspektive. Die strikte Trennung zwischen Karte und Bild ist im Laufe der Neuzeit entstanden. Dem Mittelalter war sie nahezu unbekannt. In meinem Vortag werde ich versuchen, aufgrund von ikonografischen Gemeinsamkeiten, 2 verschiedene Picto-Genealogien auszumachen, die sich vor allem auf ungedruckten bildlichen Darstellungen von Jerusalem beziehen. Den Ursprung der 2 Bild-Genealogien kann man jeweils in Nürnberg und Utrecht lokalisieren. In Utrecht kennen wir auch den Urheber der Genealogie. Es ist Erhard Reuwich, der die Holzschnitte für die Reisebeschreibung des Mainzer Domherrn Breydenbach nach Jerusalem herstellte. In unserer Untersuchung werde ich mich der herkömmlichen Begriffspaarung realistisch-virtuell bedienen. Diese gegensätzliche Paarung speist sich aus zwei verschiedenen Konzepten. Das eine ist von dem religiös geprägten Umgang mit den zwei Urbildern Jerusalems bedingt,-die des himmlischen Jerusalems einerseits und die des irdischen Jerusalems andererseits. Das Himmlische war verklärt, vergeistigt und fest 1 .

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2010

This is the opening lecture of an international conference at Münster University , Germany, which... more This is the opening lecture of an international conference at Münster University , Germany, which took place in March 2010, on Eugenio Pacelli , the later Pope Pius, XII and its attitude towards Holocaust, Jews, Antisemitism, Zionism and the newly established State of Israel. The main argument is, that his inhibitions to speak up cleary and loudly during WWII on behalf of the Jews can be understood within his effort to keep diplomacy of neutrality. After the Nazi threat was removed on Catholics in 1945 he changed however his mode of speech towards clear and loud critic of Communist threat to annihilate the Ukrainian Catholic Church. He abstained of such public critic when the Polish Catholic clergy suffered atrocities from the Nazis as much as he abstained from reprimanding clearly the annihilation of Jews . In order to evaluate Pope Pius diplomatically and morally one should compare his mode of behaviour during WWII and after WWII . The opening of the Vatican archives after 2. 3. 2020 hopefully may bring some clarification on this issue .

Updated Text accompanying the PowerPoint presentation at Anne Schimmel Kolleg in Bonn on 7.May ... more Updated Text accompanying the PowerPoint presentation at Anne Schimmel Kolleg in Bonn on 7.May 2018.

Updated version of PowerPoint presentation

This PowerPoint presentation is complementary to the IMC presentation

This contribution in the IMC is a very concised summary in English of my Ph.D. which I have just ... more This contribution in the IMC is a very concised summary in English of my Ph.D. which I have just submitted in German at Goethe University in Frankfurt.

Die Haltung Pius' XII. zur Vernichtung der Juden lässt sich nicht nur als politisches- diplomatis... more Die Haltung Pius' XII. zur Vernichtung der Juden lässt sich nicht nur als politisches- diplomatisches Kalkül während der Herrschaft der Nationalsozialisten erklären. Was hielt er von Juden und Zionismus, was dachte er über Israel? Um diese Fragen zu beantworten sollen seine Äußerungen nach 1945 überprüft werden, da Pius XII damals seine Meinung zwangsfrei ohne das bedrohliche nationalsozialistische Damoklesschwert äußern konnte.

This paper has been presented at the 3rd Symposium of the International Society for the History ... more This paper has been presented at the 3rd Symposium of the International Society for the History of Map (ISHMap), Encounters and Translations: Mapping and Writing the waters of the World , held at Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, Lisbon, on June 03-04, 2016. A far reaching novelty before the age of discovery was the re-invention of the Caspian Sea as a landlocked sea. Until the midst of 13th century the antique concept prevailed according to which the Caspian Sea was a gulf, being an extension of the northern Ocean. The Caspian Gulf was marginalized and became the enclosed habitat of evilness represented by Gog and Magog. As consequence the European horizon of Asia was reduced for almost thousand years. The Mongol invasions to Eastern Europe and the Near East during the 13rd century were the trigger to widening the geographical horizon towards Asia. Today it is considered as a closed historical chapter which is overshadowed by the discoveries of the Americas. This presentation aims to clarify why the experimental knowledge of the Friars Andrew Longjumeau (1249-1251) and William Rubruk (1253-1254) was not easily accepted by medieval mapmakers geographical treatises. Both missionaries concluded jointly that the ancient authorities were wrong and that the Caspian Sea was landlocked. Roger Bacon embraced this experimental conclusion ten years after because it did not contradict Christian doctrine. Marco Polo, Hethom of Korykos and Marignolli reported later the same. It appears however that various inhibitions prevented this experimental evidence to be widely accepted. Firstly, the medieval domination of scriptura over the pictura was still strong enough in the 14th century. Seventy years after, Pietro Vesconte (1321) and Paolino Veneto (1326-1334) introduced the landlocked Caspian Sea in their planisphere maps but depicted it twice without a stable name in their world maps. If to judge from the outline of the sea, it seems that they were inspired rather from Arabic Idrisi related maps and not from Rubruks account. Traits of hesitations in marking the Caspian Sea three times and diversity of names are indication to their inhibition how to deal with new knowledge. They solved it in a medieval pattern: to accumulate side by side what seems today contradicting evidence. Strategies to cover up contradictory geographical knowledge through placing cartouche, legends and ornamental devices were developed only later in Renaissance and Baroque cartography. The early humanist Giovanni Boccaccio was undecided whether to opt for classical authorities (the antiqui) or for the new knowledge (the moderni) left. This dichotomy was created since the classical authorities which pleaded for a landlocked Caspian Sea like Herodotus (Histories), Aristoteles (Meterorologica) and Ptolemy (Geographika) were translated into Latin only in the 15th century or respectively did not circulated enough (Moerbeke's translation of Meteorologica from 1260's). The gulf and landlocked theories on the Caspian Sea existed next to each other in Antiquity but only the gulf theory prevailed among medieval authors until Longjumeau and Rubruk travels. The gulf theory prevailed until the 17th century in quite a few maps. We can join Margriet Hoogvliets view that when it comes to cartography, one can speak of a long middle ages until the 17th century.

Die Beziehungen zwischen dem Vatikan und dem Staat Israel gelten heute als stabil, sie nahmen sei... more Die Beziehungen zwischen dem Vatikan und dem Staat Israel gelten heute als stabil, sie nahmen seit der Staatsgründung 1948 jedoch nur langsam konkrete und positive Gestalt an: So konnte die Erklärung "Nostra Aetate" des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils (1962-65) eine allmähliche Änderung in der Einstellung der katholischen Kirche gegenüber Juden und Israel anbahnen. Doch erst 1993 kam es zu einem Grundlagenvertrag zwischen dem Vatikan und Israel sowie zur Aufnahme diplomatischer Beziehungen. Welchen Herausforderungen auf politischer, religiöser und struktureller Ebene sahen und sehen sich beide Seiten gegenüber? Inwiefern prägen theologisch begründete Differenzen und politische Entwicklungen im Nahen Osten seit 1948 das Verhältnis zwischen dem Staat Israel und dem Heiligen Stuhl in der heutigen Zeit? Diese Herausforderungen und Entwicklungen werden von Dr. Mordechay Lewy, der in den Jahren 2008-2012 als Botschafter beim Heiligen Stuhl tätig gewesen ist, im Rahmen eines Gastvortrags aufgegriffen und beispielhaft erörtert.

Am 18.6.2019 halte ich im Forschungskolloquium Euroasia einen Vortrag über den Wandel eines bisla... more Am 18.6.2019 halte ich im Forschungskolloquium Euroasia einen Vortrag über den Wandel eines bislag unerkannten frühislamischen eschatologischen Motivs in der Literatur und Kartografie des lateinischen Mittelalters.

A lecture on the 5th of December 2019 within the forum MAPS AND SOCIETY at the Warburg Institue i... more A lecture on the 5th of December 2019 within the forum MAPS AND SOCIETY at the Warburg Institue in London

This PowerPoint slides belong to the text of the the apocalyptic Abessinian

Ziel der Arbeit ist es anhand einer textkritischen Bestandsaufnahme den Transfer eines apokalypti... more Ziel der Arbeit ist es anhand einer textkritischen Bestandsaufnahme den Transfer eines apokalyptischen frühislamischen Motivs bis zu seiner Einverleibung in den Prophetien des 5. Kreuzzugs und sein Weiterleben in der recuperatio Literatur nach dem Verlust von Akkon in 1291 zu rekonstruieren. Gleichzeitig soll die Studie kartografische Belege für eine bislang kaum beachtete eschatologische Gefahrenzone am Horn von Afrika aufdecken. Die Arbeit befasst sich unter anderem mit folgenden Fragen:  Wie wurden eschatologische Erwartungen vom Ende der Welt in mittelalterlichen Weltkarten konfiguriert?  Wie konnte das Horn von Afrika zu einer gegen Islam gerichtete eschatologische Region in Weltkarten werden?  Wie konnte ein frühislamisches apokalyptisches Motiv in anti-islamische Prophetien und in die recuperatio-Literatur Eingang finden? Der Auslöser zu diesen Fragestellungen war ein Enigma im SO der Londoner Psalterkarte, wo eine eingeschlossene Region am Horn von Afrika konfiguriert wurde ohne selbst eine Erklärung geliefert zu haben. Frappierend ähnlich ist sie jedoch mit dem NO der Karte, die als Habitat der endzeitlichen Gog und Magog bekannt ist. Ist diese aemulatio im Sinne von Michel Foucaults Kategorien der Ähnlichkeiten, ein Hinweis für ihre eschatologische Bedeutung? Aber bevor wir in die Materie einsteigen, möchte ich zunächst eine Nomenklaturfrage klären. In der Zeitspanne zwischen dem 12. und 14. Jahrhundert unterscheiden lateinische Quellen kaum zwischen Nubien und Äthiopien. Dieses Unvermögen geht vor Allem auf die Kontaktarmut Europas mit Afrika im Allgemeinen und mit dem Horn von Afrika im Besonderen zurück. Der Begriff Horn von Afrika war im Mittelalter unbekannt. Die in der Antike unbekannte Bezeichnung Nubia wurde in Europa durch arabische astrologische Tabellen und Klimata-Karten eingeführt. Die Bezeichnung Abessinia, die aus dem Arabischen al-Habascha stammt, erschien, Ausnahmen abgesehen, erst im 14. Jahrhundert. In 15 von 37 enzyklopädischen Weltkarten aus dem 12.bis zum 14. Jahrhundert ist der Archetyp der endzeitlichen Region im NO am Rand der Welt vertreten. Die Vernordung der endzeitlichen Bedrohung ist durch die biblischen Prophetien von Jeremias und Ezekiels festgelegt worden. Die übrigen 22 Weltkarten, die mehrheitlich dem Kartentyp von Beatus Liebana angehören, haben keine Verortung der endzeitlichen Gog und Magog. Sie halten sich nämlich an den Text der Offenbarung Johannes, der diese Bedrohung von allen 4 Enden der Welt erwartet und dadurch keine Richtlinie für Kartenmacher hinterlegt hatte. Im NO befindet sich das Habitat der legendären wilden Völker Gog und Magog. Sie wurden gemäß der Legende von Alexander d. Großen im Kaukasus hinter den Kaspischen Toren eingeschlossen.

This is an updated English summary of my dissertation which is written in German. It was publish... more This is an updated English summary of my dissertation which is written in German. It was published in 2018 in German by Peter Lang.

This is originally a Powerpoint presentation which I have prepared in 2004. The material has been... more This is originally a Powerpoint presentation which I have prepared in 2004. The material has been published until now only in Italian and German. This is its first exposure in English

This is the summary of my forthcoming book which was delivered in Hebrew as a lecture at the Heb... more This is the summary of my forthcoming book which was delivered in Hebrew as a lecture at the Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus Campus on the 4.6. 2018.

Independent scholar and formerly Advisor for Christian and Muslim Communities to the Mayor of Jer... more Independent scholar and formerly Advisor for Christian and Muslim Communities to the Mayor of Jerusalem in Jerusalem Holy Places the ruling Status Quo 1. The original document dealing with the status quo is an Ottoman firman, issued by the Sultan in 1852. It freezes the relationship of the property of 5 Christian denominations: Greek Orthodox; Latins (represented by the Franciscan Custodia Terra Santa); Armenian Orthodox; Copt Orthodox and Syrian Orthodox during the year of issue. The document is incorporated in the international law since the Berlin treaty 1878. 2. The firman is related to 4 Holy places in which it regulates the regime of the status quo: Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Old City of Jerusalem; Chapel of Ascension on Mt. Olive; Church of Mary's Tomb in Kidron valley next to Gethsemane; Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. 3. The British mandatory power enlarged in 1928 the list of sites under Status quo regime by 2 Holy places: the Western wall in the Jewish quarter and Rachel's tomb next to Bethlehem. The Israeli Government exempted the Western Wall from the rule of Status Quo in 1967. 4. Status quo applied only on disputed sites which created conflict. Where the property is uncontested the status quo does not apply. 5. There is an inflationary use of the term status quo, especially when one party, even when not relevant under this rule, would like to claim an ancient right. 6. The status quo is not defining what is a Holy place. Each party interprets status quo according to his interests. 7. The sovereign authority can intervene in the status quo matters not only in case of dispute, but also to safeguard public safety and health.

The original document dealing with the status quo is an Ottoman firman, issued by the Sultan in 1... more The original document dealing with the status quo is an Ottoman firman, issued by the Sultan in 1852. It freezes the relationship of the property of 5 Christian denominations: Greek Orthodox; Latins (represented by the Franciscan Custodia Terra Santa); Armenian Orthodox; Copt Orthodox and Syrian Orthodox during the year of issue. It was confirmed in the Berlin treaty 1878 and since then it is considered an international law. 2. The firman is related to 4 Holy places in which it regulates the regime of the status quo: Church of the

Dr. Mordechay Lewy is an Independent scholar and formerly Advisor for Christian and Muslim Commun... more Dr. Mordechay Lewy is an Independent scholar and formerly Advisor for Christian and Muslim Communities to the Mayor of Jerusalem. The paper deals with the changing dominance in the Holy Sepulcher which was determined by the political conditions in the Holy Land throughout the history and the internal strenght of the various Christian denominations which were performing their cult in the Church of Holy Sepulcher.

Wie kommt ein Jude in den Himmel. Eschatologie im Judentum, 2020

Die 6-teilige Vortragserie wurde November 2020 per zoom webinar im Evangelischen Forum , Bonn geh... more Die 6-teilige Vortragserie wurde November 2020 per zoom webinar im Evangelischen Forum , Bonn gehalten. Es ist eine revidierte Ausgabe der Englischen Version, die im "Angelicum" in Mai 2019 gehalten wurde und die in Kürze ebenfalls in ihrer revidierten Version in academia.edu upgeloadet wird.

• The lack of Jewish doctrine of eschatology.

Synopsis, 2019

On 29.4. I will start my 6 lectures during two weeks upon the invitation of the Berrie Foundation... more On 29.4. I will start my 6 lectures during two weeks upon the invitation of the Berrie Foundation in the JPII Institute for Interreligious Studies in the Pontifical University of St. Thomas of Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. Since there is no doctrine of Eschatology in Judaism the lectures are going to expose different approaches to eschatological themes such as different types of Redemption, a typology of the variety of Messias , Resurrection, apocalyptic thinking and prophetic performances. The chronological frame will be from priesterly- levitic approach in the Bible (OT) through the formation of the Halakha in its Rabbinical version after the destruction of the Second Temple. The Jewish apocalyptical narratives and Messianic thought emerged for the first time in the period between the end of the third century BCE and first century CE. In exile the Rabbinic Judaism became in the dispersion the dominant factor as a vehicle of survival. Messianism and any antinominalist movement were practically rejected since they would have infringed the immutability of Halakhic texts and its strict observance. The medieval Jewish Mysticism which emerged in 13th century Spain (Zoharic Kabbalah) was some what a secret outlet of the intellectual elite to escape from rabbinic strictness. In its highly speculative approach towards eschatological themes the Kabbalah was influenced by some traits of Christian thought from Latin Europe and by astrological science from Islamic regions. The sin of Adam and the imperfect creation due to the contraction (Zimzum) of the infinite divinity(En Sof ) called for a correction. Whereas the corrective of the creation in Christianity is taken over by a Messiah who is considered son of God , the Lurianic Kabbalah, which took shape after the expulsion of Jews from Spain, believed that the correction (Tikkun) could be done by sincere believing and Kabbalists devices such as theurgic action and special prayers. The antinominalist Messianic movement of Shabtai Zvi, which was neglected by scholars before Gershom Scholem, was an offspring of the Lurianic Kabbalah. Its claim to establish a theology in which the redemption can be achieved through sin and apostasy to Islam (Dönmeh) and later to Catholicism (Jakob Frank) is on one hand mindboggling but on the other hand a unique intellectual effort which caused a trauma among its followers. The Hasidic movement diverted the messianic drive into the person of the Tzaddik (Righteous) who lead with Charisma his Hasidic believers. In modern era the Rabbinic Judaism lost its dominant role, except in Israel. In the diaspora is only one of the streams next to Conservative and Reform movements. The Zionist ideology of making possible the return from Exile by human action with political means, caused a debate whether the redemption is on the verge to begin or even has actually begun. A dormant political Messianism emerged to a visible factor as a consequence of the 1967 war and Israels territorial gains. It is too early to tell how this debate will shape the future of Israel and its relationship towards the Jewish diaspora.

Ziel und Aufbau des Vortrages. Ziel: Ziel: Die Elemente des eschatologischen Denkens in den versc... more Ziel und Aufbau des Vortrages. Ziel: Ziel: Die Elemente des eschatologischen Denkens in den verschiedenen jüdischen Denominationen chronologisch zu umreißen. Es ist ein Versuch eschatologisches Denken zu rekonstruieren und sich vom präfigurativen Schatten der christlichen Eschatologie loszulösen.

This paper takes up the motive bigfoot and tries to trace it in the antique cosmographic theories... more This paper takes up the motive bigfoot and tries to trace it in the antique cosmographic theories of Antipodes as the habitable unknown southern continent. Antipodes (= counter feet) are considered also as a people which were supposed to live in an upside-down continent in the southern hemisphere. This theory generated the geographic lore of sciopodes: the people who live in torrid climate and own a bigfoot which was used as an umbrella to create a shadow for themselves.In order to explain how come that antipodes had a bearing on determining the toponym Patagonia one must return to two basic concepts of antique geography and to their long-term impact on geographic lore. The one is the antipodes which is integrated in the so-called Macrobius-type map and its derivations (Beatus-type maps) and the second is the development of the monstrous sciopod in medieval art and cartography.

Christian pilgrims in the early modern period used to locate mistakenly Ramah between Bethlehem a... more Christian pilgrims in the early modern period used to locate mistakenly Ramah between Bethlehem and Hebron. The origin of this geographic mistake lies in the Benjamite-Davidic conflict. The conflict was about acquiring dynastic legitimacy by locating Rachel's tomb in their own tribal territory. The Benjamite Jeremiah prophesized in 31: 14-15 the location of Rachel's mourning next to Rama where according to Jeremiah 40:1 the Israelites were deported to Babylon. From Samuel 10:2 one can deduce that Rachel's tomb was in Benjamite territory. Davidic scribes glossed the text of Genesis 35:16-20 and 48:7 and added Bethlehem to Ephrata to transfer the tradition of placing the tomb next to Bethlehem. It’s getting complicated with Matthews 2: 17-18 who truncated Jeremiah's prophecy and considered it as a prefiguration for Rachel's mourning due to the massacer of the children in Bethlehem. For Matthew and Eusebius in his Onomastikon it was clear that the tomb and Rama must be next the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem. The Christian appropriation of the Jewish Matriarch Rachel caused in Midrash Genesis Raba 82:9-10 a polemic response ridiculing the exegetic application of typology and perfiguration of biblical figures.

"Wie kommt ein Jude in den Himmel“. Im Anschluss an den zoom Vortrag in der Reihe „Toldot und Tar... more "Wie kommt ein Jude in den Himmel“. Im Anschluss an den zoom Vortrag in der Reihe „Toldot und Tarbut“ beginnt eine wöchentliche Vortragsreihe über eschatologische Elemente im Judentum an sechs Vormittage, beginnend am 26.10.2020 um 10.00. Wie berechnen Juden die Endzeit und was denken sie über das Ende der Welt, wie gestaltet sich die nächste Welt? Glauben Juden an die Auferstehung der Toten und wie kommt man überhaupt in den Himmel bzw. in die Hölle? Was bedeutet für Juden Erlösung und welche Rolle spielt dabei der Messias? Da es im rabbinischen Judentum eine Abneigung gab, sich mit eschatologischen Fragen zu befassen, konnte sich auch keine Doktrin entwickeln. Die marginale Rolle der Eschatologie in jüdischen Glaubensrichtungen (ausgenommen gewisse Strömungen in der Kabbala) steht schließlich im Gegensatz zu der Bedeutung des eschatologischen Denkens im Christentum.

I submit here the slides to the text which I have posted yesterday to our session. Please note th... more I submit here the slides to the text which I have posted yesterday to our session. Please note that the first third is new in its content.

In meinen Ausführungen werde ich zunächst einige Worte vorausschicken, die ihnen den Unterschied ... more In meinen Ausführungen werde ich zunächst einige Worte vorausschicken, die ihnen den Unterschied und das Gemeinsame zwischen einer modernen und einer mittelalterlichen Weltkarte, auf Lateinisch mappa mundi, geläufiger machen. Was erwarten wir eigentlich von einer Karte? • Die präzise Wiedergabe eines Raumes auf einer glatten Fläche, die wir Karte nennen. Diese Erwartung kann in keiner Karte vollauf erfüllt werden, da die Projektion einer Kugel auf eine zweidimensionale Fläche immer mit einer Verzerrung verbunden ist. Das Gemeinsame in der modernen und in der mittelalterlichen Karte ist, dass beide verzerrt sind (SLIDE 2 Mercator und Gall-Peters Projektionen, St. Viktoriner Isidor Karte). Dabei werden wir verleitet diese Verzerrung auf den limitierten geographischen Horizont im Mittelalter zurück zu führen. Das Mittelalter hat die antike Auffassung von drei Kontinenten (Asien, Afrika und Europa) übernommen und in dem häufigen Grundmuster einer T-Karte erfasst (SLIDE 3). Ebenso teilte das Mittelalter mit der Antike die Auffassung, dass die Welt kugelförmig und keine Scheibe sei. Diese irrtümliche Zuschreibung ist eine aufklärerische Märe, die im 18. Jahrhundert verbreitet wurde, um das vermeintlich dunkle Mittelalter in Verruf zu bringen. Man braucht (SLIDE 4) nur den Reichsapfel in der mittelalterlichen Krönungsdarstellung zu betrachten, um darin die Weltkugel wiederzuerkennen. Die mittelalterlichen Weltkarten haben ein auffälliges Merkmal. Die Kontinenten erscheinen auf Kosten des Gewässers im Verhältnis 6:1. (SLIDE 5 Polychronikon der Ramsey Abtei). So entwickelte sich das Erscheinungsbild des Ozeans in der Mappa mundi als äußerer Ring, der die Kontinente einschloss. Dieser Proporz ist aus dem Vierten Buch Esra entnommen und ich zitiere Kapitel 6 Vers 42: "Am dritten Tage gabst du den Wassern Befehl, sich am siebenten Teile der Erde zu sammeln; sechs Siebentel aber legtest du trocken und bestimmtest sie, dass ein Teil davon von dir bebaut werden sollte". • Eine klare Orientierung, unseren Weg zum Ziel zu finden. Eine Karte hat die Funktion einen Weg zu erkunden, um ein Ziel zu finden. Das Ziel kann ideologisch bzw. religiös artikuliert sein wie z. B. wie man zum Paradies oder zur Erlösung gelangt oder wo das apokalyptische Szenario des Weltendes beginnen wird. Das Ziel einer Karte kann aber auch weniger hochtrabend sein und schlicht auf den Weg nach Hause zu weisen. Hierbei kann man sich einer Stadtverkehrskarte bedienen (SLIDE 6), die mehr wie ein Diagramm als eine Karte aussieht. Auf genaue Wiedergabe der Entfernungen zwischen den Stationen wird verzichtet. Was zählt ist die Reihenfolge der Stationen und die maßgebliche Richtung die mit der

Journal of Early Modern History, 2023

A very readable review on STIGMA , an anthology of recent studies on marking skin in the early ... more A very readable review on STIGMA , an anthology of recent studies on marking skin in the early modern period, published in 2023.

Sehepunkte, 23, No.9, 2023

The book under review is Tolan's first monograph dedicated to another medieval "Other"- the Jews,... more The book under review is Tolan's first monograph dedicated to another medieval "Other"- the Jews, after decades have passed since his dissertation on the converted Jew Petrus Alfonsi was published. He sums up a dramatic process in a readable style, directing it not only towards the experts but towards the average person interested in medieval history. What occupies him most is the neglect of the medieval presence of English Jewry which fell into oblivion. According to Tolan, this is the source of the deeply rooted antagonism towards Jews which still prevails in English society. This is what makes his book so valuable to the reader.

MICROLOGUS, 110, 2022

The volume of Micrologus 110 under review presents 16 articles on aspects of the face and its gaz... more The volume of Micrologus 110 under review presents 16 articles on aspects of the face and its gaze which consist of the lectures held in a conference which took place at St. Petersburg in July 2019 under the same name. 'The Orient' here is neither the Near nor the Far East (with minor exceptions) but rather means the largely Russian Orthodox culture. It enabled the participation of Russian mediaevalists gathered by Oleg Voskoboynikov who acted as an academic bridge between St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Florence. The volume is, to some extent, a showcase for Russian Medieval scholarship, making up 6 out of the 16 authors. 'The Occident' means the culture in Western Europe shaped by the medieval church. Muslim or Jewish thinking about faces is neglected, probably due the erroneous concept that they are anyway iconoclastically inclined and cannot provide evidence for art historians. The articles do not include issues related to defacement targeted by religious zealots. The term "L'éloquence du visage" follows the German "Gesprächsakt des Gesichts" which Hans Belting has coined in his book Faces-Geschichte des Gesichts. [1]

IMAGES, 2022

Katrin Kogman-Appel, Catalan Maps and Jewish Books: The Intellectual Profile of Elisha ben Abraha... more Katrin Kogman-Appel, Catalan Maps and Jewish Books: The Intellectual Profile of Elisha ben Abraham
Cresques (1325–1387). Turnhout: Brepols, 2020, 358 pp., €125 (hardback), ISBN: 9782503585482.

The book under review stands for a bold effort to place one of the most famous medieval maps "The... more The book under review stands for a bold effort to place one of the most famous medieval maps "The Catalan World Map" as a product of Jewish erudition and an exceptional cartographic craftmanship. It

Aethiopica, 2020

Reviews Aethiopica 23 (2020) 286 MORDECHAY LEWY, Der apokalyptische Abessinier und die Kreuzzü-ge... more Reviews Aethiopica 23 (2020) 286 MORDECHAY LEWY, Der apokalyptische Abessinier und die Kreuzzü-ge: Wandel eines frühislamischen Motivs in der Literatur und Karto-grafie des Mittelalters, Beiträge zur Erforschung des Alten Testaments und des antiken Judentums, 61 (Berlin: Peter Lang, 2018). 443 pp. Price: 97.70 CHF, €78.54, $95.50. ISBN: 978-3-631-74977-7.

Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken, 91(2011), 516- 517.

Der Name Jerusalem bedeutet Stadt des Friedens. Was hat sie jedoch gemeinsam mit Buenos Aires und... more Der Name Jerusalem bedeutet Stadt des Friedens. Was hat sie jedoch gemeinsam mit Buenos Aires und La Paz. In der argentinischen Hauptstadt soll es keine gute Luft geben und La Paz hat mindestens 672 Palastrevolutionen erlebt. Nomen ist eben kein Omen. Kurz vor Beendigung meines Postens als Gesandter in Berlin wurde im Frühling 2004 ein internes Rundschreiben der zu besetzenden Aufgaben im Außenministerium in Jerusalem verkündet. Darunter erschien erstmalig der Posten eines Sonderberaters für christliche Gemeinschaften beim Oberbürgermeister von Jerusalem Uri Lupolianski. Ein Außenposten bedeutet vom Außenministerium an eine andere Dienststelle ausgeliehen zu sein. Das Gehalt wird weiter vom Mutterministerium bezahlt, aber man wird praktisch von der Nabelschnur entbunden. Man wechselt das gewohnte Ambiente und entfernt sich physisch von dem Entscheidungszentrum, das über deine weitere Karriere entscheidet, d.h., wohin wird man zukünftig nominiert. Es ist daher nicht jedermanns Geschmack sich dafür zu bewerben, aber trotz dieses Vorbehalts war ich nicht der einzige Bewerber. Mich reizte die Aufgabe, da ich meinte fachliche Kompetenz in der Geschichte Jerusalems und im christlichen Mittelalter in die Praxis umsetzen zu können. Zu meiner Überraschung bat mich der OB im ersten Arbeitstreffen auch das Portfolio für muslimische Gemeinschaften zu übernehmen. Es kam völlig unerwartet, da bislang diese Beraterstelle von einem ehemaligen Offizier des militärischen Nachrichtendienstes besetzt war. Hinzu kam, dass ich weder ein Arabist war noch die Sprache beherrschte. Der OB meinte, ich werde die Aufgabe dennoch meistern. Sein Angebot war ein zusammengeschnürtes Packet, also make or break. Ich habe mich dennoch in dieses Wagnis begeben und es nicht bereut. Die arabische Sprache habe ich zwar nicht gelernt, aber ich habe einige Ratschläge angenommen, wie man faux pas verhindert.

Eine erweiterte Version des Zoom Vortrages zum gleichen Thema das am 1.12.2022 in Bonn gehalten w... more Eine erweiterte Version des Zoom Vortrages zum gleichen Thema das am 1.12.2022 in Bonn gehalten wurde.

Mordechay Lewy's Introductory remarks at the opening of the first International conference on the... more Mordechay Lewy's Introductory remarks at the opening of the first International conference on the History of Tattooing at the Pontifical University Urbaniana , Vatican City, 5.-6. of December 2011.