Description
Anti-Jewish accusations of host desecration and ritual murder, both of medieval origin and nature, became characteristic of the early modern period in Poland. Despite their medieval roots, some of the medieval characteristics of the accusations were gradually lost in the early modern period, even though their traces continue to appear in the sources. The presentation discusses the loss of theological significance of the accusations. The host desecration accusations gradually become church robbery cases, even if some theological rhetoric is retained, and the blood libels become cases of Jewish hostility and not of reenacting of the Crucifixion.
This presentation is for the following text(s):
- A Decree by the Tribunal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1700)
- Stefan Zuchowski's Criminal Trial Concerning the Innocent Child Jan Krosnowski (after 1718)
Streaming Media
Start Date
25-8-2004 10:00 AM
End Date
25-8-2004 10:00 AM
Location
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Included in
Anti-Jewish Accusations in Poland: A Medieval or Early Modern Phenomenon?
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Anti-Jewish accusations of host desecration and ritual murder, both of medieval origin and nature, became characteristic of the early modern period in Poland. Despite their medieval roots, some of the medieval characteristics of the accusations were gradually lost in the early modern period, even though their traces continue to appear in the sources. The presentation discusses the loss of theological significance of the accusations. The host desecration accusations gradually become church robbery cases, even if some theological rhetoric is retained, and the blood libels become cases of Jewish hostility and not of reenacting of the Crucifixion.
This presentation is for the following text(s):
- A Decree by the Tribunal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1700)
- Stefan Zuchowski's Criminal Trial Concerning the Innocent Child Jan Krosnowski (after 1718)
