Antisemitism and Forced Conversion in the Medieval World | Dr. Jacob Lackner

The Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages

In this lecture by Dr. Jacob Lackner we are taken into the very heart of violence, martyrdom and intolerance within Medieval Europe.

We explore Christian and Jewish reactions to forced conversion and baptism with the sword as we enter into a controversial subject that split the church and society of the Medieval world.

From seeing different stances within the church and the head of the papacy to watching as Christians attempt to defend their Jewish neighbors from radical crusaders an intense and bitter image develops as we watch an older society attempt to discover what it believes about a minority within that society.

What I found most interesting is that in this world of child abduction, forced conversion, mass murder and martyrdom we watch as the Jewish faith evolves into three forms of martyrdom which will include those who go humbly to the slaughter, suicides often including entire families who rather than being forced to convert to what they viewed as idolatry chose to die righteously and finally we come to my personal favorite and that is the Jewish Martyrs who decided to make a stand and meet violence with violence, armor with armor and sword with sword.

From powerful stories to tragedy and triumph, once again the superb Dr. Lackner makes the already complicated medieval world even more complicated.

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