(Source: Brill)
We learned of the publication of
a new book on early modern Jewry and the law in Metz.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In Law’s Dominion,
Jay Berkovitz offers a novel approach to the history of early modern Jewry. Set
in the city of Metz, on the Moselle river, this study of a vibrant
prerevolutionary community draws on a wide spectrum of legal sources that tell
a story about community, religion, and family that has not been told before.
Focusing on the community’s leadership, public institutions, and judiciary, this study challenges the assumption that Jewish life was in a steady state of decline before the French Revolution. To the contrary, the evidence reveals a robust community that integrated religious values and civic consciousness, interacted with French society, and showed remarkable signs of collaboration between Jewish law and the French judicial system.
Focusing on the community’s leadership, public institutions, and judiciary, this study challenges the assumption that Jewish life was in a steady state of decline before the French Revolution. To the contrary, the evidence reveals a robust community that integrated religious values and civic consciousness, interacted with French society, and showed remarkable signs of collaboration between Jewish law and the French judicial system.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jay R. Berkovitz, Ph.D.
(1983), Brandeis University, is Distinguished Professor of Judaic and Near
Eastern Studies (Emeritus) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has
published extensively in the fields of early modern history and law, including Protocols
of Justice (Brill, 2014).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Maps
Introduction
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Maps
Introduction
Part 1: Foundations
1 Writing Jewish History through a Legal Lens
Rabbinic Responsa Literature
Communal Registers (Pinkasim)
Lay and Rabbinic Court Records
Law as a Cultural System
The Production of the Metz Pinkas Beit Din
2 The Foundations of the Metz Kehillah
Return of the Jews to France and the Establishment of the Metz Community
Ritual and Identity
Material Culture
Economic Integration
Part 2: Community, Governance, Authority
3 Communal Autonomy and Governance
Electoral and Administrative Procedures
Consumption and Social Status
Poverty and Social Welfare
Juridical Autonomy and Recourse to Non-Jewish Courts
Policing Religious and Cultural Boundaries
4 Lay and Rabbinic Judicial Authority
Lay and Rabbinic Tribunals
Sources of Law
Judicial Procedure
Functions of the Beit Din
5 Navigating the Challenges of Multiple Jurisdictions
Language
Production of Bi-lingual Documents
Patterns of Litigation in the Beit Din
Judicial Behavior of the Metz Beit Din
The Acquaintance of the Beit Din with French Law and Judicial Procedure
Navigating the Two Systems
The Impact of French Law on Rabbinic Jurisprudence
Part 3: Family Affairs
6 Guardianship and Inheritance
Guardianship
Inheritance
Testamentary Charity
7 Women, Marriage, and Property
Betrothal and Marriage
Marital Property
Women in Credit and Commerce
8 Conclusion and Epilogue
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
More info here
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