The Jews of Byzantium (1204-1453)

Book excerpt: A survey of Jewish life in the Byzantine Empire during its last 300 years. Ch. 1 (pp. 9-48), "Byzantium and the Jews, " discusses the Jews' political and legal status. Notes that while emperors attempted to use force to create religious unity and eradicate Judaism, the Church objected to forced conversion while pressuring the Jews to convert voluntarily. The anti-Jewish liturgy also encouraged popular antisemitism. Analyzes ecclesiastical rulings, the question of a special tax for Jews, and anti-Jewish polemics. Includes translated excerpts from Jewish and Byzantine official and ecclesiastical documents illustrating the status of the Jews and describing persecutions (pp. 209-332).