Blood and Belief: The Circulation of a Symbol between Jews and Christians
Search in google:
"A wonderful, rich, and fascinating book, and a great read. Biale explores the meanings of blood within Jewish and Christian cultures from the blood of the sacrifices of the book of Leviticus to the blood of the Eucharist to the blood of medieval blood libels and the place of blood in Nazi ideology. Biale shows that blood symbolism stands at the center of the divide between Judaism and Christianity. This book will be the point of departure for all future studies of the subject."—Shaye J.D. Cohen, Harvard University"I know of no other work that, through numerous insights and useful distinctions, so alerts us to and comprehensively documents the ongoing constitutive role of Christian and anti-Semitic perceptions of Jewish existence and the interactions between them. Whereas much contemporary historiography has become so specialized that historians have surrendered the larger picture, David Biale's panoramic perspective reveals the great value and interest of this work."—Steven E. Aschheim, author of Beyond the Border: The German-Jewish Legacy Abroad
Preface XIIntroduction: Writing with Blood 1Pollution and Power: Blood in the Hebrew Bible 9Blood and the Covenant: The Jewish and Christian Careers of a Biblical Verse 44God's Blood: Medieval Jews and Christians Debate the Body 81Power in the Blood: The Medieval and the Modern in Nazi Anti-Semitism 123From Blood Libel to Blood Community: Self-Defense and Self-Assertion in Modern Jewish Culture 162Epilogue: Blood and Belief 207Notes 215Selected Bibliography 261Index 281
