Download or read book Medieval Jews and the Christian Past written by Ram Ben-Shalom and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2015-10-29 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The focus in this book is on the historical consciousness of the Jews of Spain and southern France in the late Middle Ages, and specifically on their perceptions of Christianity and Christian history and culture. Ram Ben-Shalom offers a detailed analysis of Jews' exposure to the history of those among whom they lived. He shows that the Jews in these southern European lands experienced a relatively open society that was sensitive to and knowledgeable about voices from other cultures, and that this had significant consequences for shaping Jewish historical consciousness.