Papers by Karoly Daniel Dobos
ORIENTAL STUDIES AND INTERFAITH DIALOGUE ESSAYS IN HONOUR OF JÓZSEF SZÉCSI, 2019
The paper lists the complete bibliographical data of 49 Hebrew language, anti-Christian polemical... more The paper lists the complete bibliographical data of 49 Hebrew language, anti-Christian polemical treatises of Italian provenance. By way of introduction, a short history of bibliographical research is included.
Pages 659–681 in Constanza Cordoni, Gerhard Langer (eds.) "Let the wise listen and add to their learning" (Prov 1:5): Festschrift for Günter Stemberger on the Occasion of his 75th Birthday. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter, 2016, 2016
The paper deals with an exciting passage of Jonah Rapa's (at the turn of the 17th – 18th centurie... more The paper deals with an exciting passage of Jonah Rapa's (at the turn of the 17th – 18th centuries) Anti-Christian polemical treatise, entitled Pilpul al zeman, zemanim, zemanahem (“Argument on Festival Times, their Festivals”).
Our early modern, Italian Jewish author portrayed in his Hebrew language polemical text thirteen European sanctuaries housing
a venerated statue or icon of the Virgin Mary.
The main body of the article falls into two parts: first, the author, following in the footsteps of Samuel Krauss and Adolph Posnanski attempted to identify all the shrines situated in and outside of Italy. In most cases, he also tried to elucidate the specific reason why this or that sanctuary was very much in the public eye at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and for what reason it was included in Rapa's description.
In the final part of the examination – basing his argumentation upon his previous findings, and particularly upon a hitherto neglected reference in the text – he will try to demonstrate that the most probable date of the publication of Rapa’s writing is the second decade of the eighteenth century. Also, preceding the main text of the article, the first English
language translation of Rapa's description can be read.
The article presents an attempt to demonstrate how deeply the Converso presence transformed
Itali... more The article presents an attempt to demonstrate how deeply the Converso presence transformed
Italian society and culture in the Baroque period. Its focus concentrates on Jewish-Christian
polemic. The conversionist treatise of Eliahu Montalto’s served as an example to follow for
the most prominent polemical treatises written in Italy, Yehuda Aryeh Modena’s Magen
we-Herev. The impact of Montalto’s book can be detected in the structure of the individual
subchapters, in the way he presented his ideas and in his line of reasoning; even some of
the biblical quotations are copied or directly adopted. These findings corroborate the thesis
represented by Robert Bonfil and others that the Conversos left an ineffaceable mark on Italy,
and not only by their contribution to the economic progress of the country.
It is a truism that Jewish polemical/apologetic texts have been written since Late
Antiquity with... more It is a truism that Jewish polemical/apologetic texts have been written since Late
Antiquity with the main purpose of strengthening the faint-hearted members of Jewish communities
throughout the globe. Hence the existence of this kind of text implicitly suggests the presence of some
form of “religious scepticism” or feeling of uncertainty in the ranks of the Jewish population. On the
other hand, since the beginning of the early modern period a radical change can be felt in the genre.
The sceptical figure, who had been present previously only hidden in the background of the texts,
now came forth from behind the scenes, and took a clearly identifiable shape, like Shimi, one of the
protagonists of the polemical drama, written by the Italian playwright Matityahu Nissim Terni (1745–
1810), entitled Derech Emunah (“The Way of Faith”). In this paper an attempt will be made to analyse
Terni’s drama as a very sensitive psychological portrayal of the complex personality of an average
Italian Jew of the ghetto age, reconciling successfully the technical requirements of contemporary
dramaturgy with the specific values, expectations and tantalizing questions of the Jewish community
of his age.
„Are you laughing at yourself?”
Early Modern, Jewish polemical texts written in parodic form
An i... more „Are you laughing at yourself?”
Early Modern, Jewish polemical texts written in parodic form
An interesting new genre began to emerge in the long-established history of Jewish, Anti-
Christian polemical writing in early Modern Italy: highly venerated texts of the Jewish
religious tradition (e.g. liturgical hymns like Jigdal or Adon olam, or the ritual of the Seder
night, called Haggadah of Pessah) started to be rewritten in a new form, recast as textual
parodies, ridiculing the person of Jesus or the basic tenets of Christian faith.
In the first part of my paper I will present an interesting case study by describing and
contextualizing a prominent example of this emerging new genre in the history of Jewish
polemical literature: the poem entitled Jihdal Elil (“Let the non-living idol god pass away”)
by Yehoshua Segré (1709–1798) – a parodic version of the original Jigdal hymn.
Following a brief presentation of one of the most amusing masterpieces of the genre, in the
second part of my essay, I will illuminate the possible Sitz im Leben of this newly established
and somewhat odd form of polemical writing.
A zsidóság és a kereszténység párbeszéde mára több szinten párhuzamosan futó, eltérő társadalmi/f... more A zsidóság és a kereszténység párbeszéde mára több szinten párhuzamosan futó, eltérő társadalmi/földrajzi kontextusokban különböző módokon és változó eredményességgel zajló folyamattá terebélyesedett. A párbeszéd formája a személyes barátságok szintjétől a közös társadalmi, karitatív és humanitárius fellépéseken és akciókon át a múlt vagy a jelen égető kérdései feletti intellektuális töprengésig terjedhet. 1 Egy valóban mély, a jelenlegi helyzeten túllendülni képes párbeszédnek és az ezt előhívó kölcsönös megértésnek azonban ma még több komoly akadálya van.
1138-1204) vagy, ahogy a zsidóság ortodox szegmense ismeri, a RaMBaM, két diszciplínában alkotott... more 1138-1204) vagy, ahogy a zsidóság ortodox szegmense ismeri, a RaMBaM, két diszciplínában alkotott maradandót. A neológia és ezzel együtt a nem zsidó külvilág számára Maimonidész filozófiai vagy filozofikus írásai a fontosak, ezen belül is a középkori zsidó bölcselet csúcspontjának tartott More Nevukhim (A tévelygők útmutatója) című írása, a korabeli filozófiai világlátás és a vallásos tradíció hagyományos ütközési pontjainak summája.
In Kornélia Koltai (ed.): “Human heart has two chambers” – Jewish Studies in Honour of R. Prof. József Schweitzer, chief rabbi of Hungary, on occassion of his 90. birthday – Budapest: L’Harmattan – Magyar Hebraisztikai Társaság, (Hebraisztikai tanulmányok, Studia Hebraica II., 2012) 209–220, 2012
A ma kilencven éves Schweitzer József professzor urat éppen két évtizede ismerem. Húsz év telt el... more A ma kilencven éves Schweitzer József professzor urat éppen két évtizede ismerem. Húsz év telt el azóta, hogy a kilencvenes évek elején -még fiatal egyetemistaként -a Rabbiképző Intézetben részt vehettem óráin, hallgathattam érdekes előadásait a Héber Bibliáról, a zsidó liturgiáról vagy a zsidó hagyomány egyéb kérdéseiről. E hosszú és tartalmas életút indított arra, hogy éppen az idő fogalmát válasszam e tisztelgő tanulmány tárgyául, és Hénok első könyvének időkoncepciójáról írjak.
In: „Vision and Reality” – Papers Presented at the Conference on Jews and Christians in Contact and Conflict, held at Pázmány Péter Catholic University – Ed. by Károly Dániel Dobos és György Fodor. – Budapest : Új Ember–Márton Áron Kiadó, 2011. 450 p. (Studia Theologica Budapestinensia 35.) 233–242 , 2011
A judaisztikai tudományok egy sajátos szegmensében kb. 25 éve elindult egyfajta hermeneutikai par... more A judaisztikai tudományok egy sajátos szegmensében kb. 25 éve elindult egyfajta hermeneutikai paradigmaváltás, amelynek mind tudományosan, mind egzisztenciálisan óriási jelentősége van. Előadásomban ezt a paradigmaváltást szeretném bemutatni, és lehetséges következményeit szeretném továbbgondolni.
Books by Karoly Daniel Dobos
A Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetemen 2010. október 28-29-én "A dialógus sodrában…" címmel tartott ... more A Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetemen 2010. október 28-29-én "A dialógus sodrában…" címmel tartott zsidó-keresztény konferencia elõadásai Szerkesztette: Dobos Károly Dániel és Fodor György "VÍZIÓ ÉS VALÓSÁG"
Uploads
Papers by Karoly Daniel Dobos
I encourage all interested readers to check the website under:
http://www.jcrpolemicsinitaly.at/
and add further items to the bibliography or to make corrections in it.
If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact the editor of the webpage (his e-mail address can be found on the website). Names of future contributors will be listed on the page entitled Contributors.
Our early modern, Italian Jewish author portrayed in his Hebrew language polemical text thirteen European sanctuaries housing
a venerated statue or icon of the Virgin Mary.
The main body of the article falls into two parts: first, the author, following in the footsteps of Samuel Krauss and Adolph Posnanski attempted to identify all the shrines situated in and outside of Italy. In most cases, he also tried to elucidate the specific reason why this or that sanctuary was very much in the public eye at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and for what reason it was included in Rapa's description.
In the final part of the examination – basing his argumentation upon his previous findings, and particularly upon a hitherto neglected reference in the text – he will try to demonstrate that the most probable date of the publication of Rapa’s writing is the second decade of the eighteenth century. Also, preceding the main text of the article, the first English
language translation of Rapa's description can be read.
Italian society and culture in the Baroque period. Its focus concentrates on Jewish-Christian
polemic. The conversionist treatise of Eliahu Montalto’s served as an example to follow for
the most prominent polemical treatises written in Italy, Yehuda Aryeh Modena’s Magen
we-Herev. The impact of Montalto’s book can be detected in the structure of the individual
subchapters, in the way he presented his ideas and in his line of reasoning; even some of
the biblical quotations are copied or directly adopted. These findings corroborate the thesis
represented by Robert Bonfil and others that the Conversos left an ineffaceable mark on Italy,
and not only by their contribution to the economic progress of the country.
Antiquity with the main purpose of strengthening the faint-hearted members of Jewish communities
throughout the globe. Hence the existence of this kind of text implicitly suggests the presence of some
form of “religious scepticism” or feeling of uncertainty in the ranks of the Jewish population. On the
other hand, since the beginning of the early modern period a radical change can be felt in the genre.
The sceptical figure, who had been present previously only hidden in the background of the texts,
now came forth from behind the scenes, and took a clearly identifiable shape, like Shimi, one of the
protagonists of the polemical drama, written by the Italian playwright Matityahu Nissim Terni (1745–
1810), entitled Derech Emunah (“The Way of Faith”). In this paper an attempt will be made to analyse
Terni’s drama as a very sensitive psychological portrayal of the complex personality of an average
Italian Jew of the ghetto age, reconciling successfully the technical requirements of contemporary
dramaturgy with the specific values, expectations and tantalizing questions of the Jewish community
of his age.
Early Modern, Jewish polemical texts written in parodic form
An interesting new genre began to emerge in the long-established history of Jewish, Anti-
Christian polemical writing in early Modern Italy: highly venerated texts of the Jewish
religious tradition (e.g. liturgical hymns like Jigdal or Adon olam, or the ritual of the Seder
night, called Haggadah of Pessah) started to be rewritten in a new form, recast as textual
parodies, ridiculing the person of Jesus or the basic tenets of Christian faith.
In the first part of my paper I will present an interesting case study by describing and
contextualizing a prominent example of this emerging new genre in the history of Jewish
polemical literature: the poem entitled Jihdal Elil (“Let the non-living idol god pass away”)
by Yehoshua Segré (1709–1798) – a parodic version of the original Jigdal hymn.
Following a brief presentation of one of the most amusing masterpieces of the genre, in the
second part of my essay, I will illuminate the possible Sitz im Leben of this newly established
and somewhat odd form of polemical writing.
Books by Karoly Daniel Dobos
I encourage all interested readers to check the website under:
http://www.jcrpolemicsinitaly.at/
and add further items to the bibliography or to make corrections in it.
If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact the editor of the webpage (his e-mail address can be found on the website). Names of future contributors will be listed on the page entitled Contributors.
Our early modern, Italian Jewish author portrayed in his Hebrew language polemical text thirteen European sanctuaries housing
a venerated statue or icon of the Virgin Mary.
The main body of the article falls into two parts: first, the author, following in the footsteps of Samuel Krauss and Adolph Posnanski attempted to identify all the shrines situated in and outside of Italy. In most cases, he also tried to elucidate the specific reason why this or that sanctuary was very much in the public eye at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and for what reason it was included in Rapa's description.
In the final part of the examination – basing his argumentation upon his previous findings, and particularly upon a hitherto neglected reference in the text – he will try to demonstrate that the most probable date of the publication of Rapa’s writing is the second decade of the eighteenth century. Also, preceding the main text of the article, the first English
language translation of Rapa's description can be read.
Italian society and culture in the Baroque period. Its focus concentrates on Jewish-Christian
polemic. The conversionist treatise of Eliahu Montalto’s served as an example to follow for
the most prominent polemical treatises written in Italy, Yehuda Aryeh Modena’s Magen
we-Herev. The impact of Montalto’s book can be detected in the structure of the individual
subchapters, in the way he presented his ideas and in his line of reasoning; even some of
the biblical quotations are copied or directly adopted. These findings corroborate the thesis
represented by Robert Bonfil and others that the Conversos left an ineffaceable mark on Italy,
and not only by their contribution to the economic progress of the country.
Antiquity with the main purpose of strengthening the faint-hearted members of Jewish communities
throughout the globe. Hence the existence of this kind of text implicitly suggests the presence of some
form of “religious scepticism” or feeling of uncertainty in the ranks of the Jewish population. On the
other hand, since the beginning of the early modern period a radical change can be felt in the genre.
The sceptical figure, who had been present previously only hidden in the background of the texts,
now came forth from behind the scenes, and took a clearly identifiable shape, like Shimi, one of the
protagonists of the polemical drama, written by the Italian playwright Matityahu Nissim Terni (1745–
1810), entitled Derech Emunah (“The Way of Faith”). In this paper an attempt will be made to analyse
Terni’s drama as a very sensitive psychological portrayal of the complex personality of an average
Italian Jew of the ghetto age, reconciling successfully the technical requirements of contemporary
dramaturgy with the specific values, expectations and tantalizing questions of the Jewish community
of his age.
Early Modern, Jewish polemical texts written in parodic form
An interesting new genre began to emerge in the long-established history of Jewish, Anti-
Christian polemical writing in early Modern Italy: highly venerated texts of the Jewish
religious tradition (e.g. liturgical hymns like Jigdal or Adon olam, or the ritual of the Seder
night, called Haggadah of Pessah) started to be rewritten in a new form, recast as textual
parodies, ridiculing the person of Jesus or the basic tenets of Christian faith.
In the first part of my paper I will present an interesting case study by describing and
contextualizing a prominent example of this emerging new genre in the history of Jewish
polemical literature: the poem entitled Jihdal Elil (“Let the non-living idol god pass away”)
by Yehoshua Segré (1709–1798) – a parodic version of the original Jigdal hymn.
Following a brief presentation of one of the most amusing masterpieces of the genre, in the
second part of my essay, I will illuminate the possible Sitz im Leben of this newly established
and somewhat odd form of polemical writing.
Im italienischen Teil des Habsburger Reiches während des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts eine reichhaltige, auf Hebräisch geschriebene, jüdische antichristliche polemische Literatur, die in der Forschung fast völlig ignoriert blieb, obwohl die etwas mehr als fünfundvierzig bisher identifizierten Texte, die in mehr als 160 Handschriften erhalten sind, die Bedeutung der Gattung deutlich zeigen. Im Rahmen meines Projektes versuche ich diesen Textkorpus einerseits in der Geschichte der frühneuzeitlichen jüdischen Literatur zu kontextualisieren, andererseits das Phänomen des erhöhten Interesses an christlich-jüdischer Polemik unter den italienischen Juden der Spätbarockzeit im Rahmen der spezifischen kultur- und sozialgeschichtlichen Bedingungen Italiens verständlich zu machen. Die Fragen, die mir in diesem Zusammenhang am wichtigsten scheinen, lauten:
1. Jüdische antichristliche Polemik hatte in der frühen Neuzeit eine lange Vorgeschichte. Darum stellt sich die Frage, ob die Grundthemen und die grundlegenden Funktionen der polemischen Gattung wirklich über eine so lange geschichtliche Periode unverändert blieben. Wenn nicht, wann traten die auffälligsten, deutlich nachweisbaren Veränderungen ein?
2. In dem oben genannten polemischen Textkorpus spiegelt sich ein stark assimiliertes italienisches Judentum wider, das trotz der Phänomene der Ghettoisierung und der von Zeit zu Zeit aufflammenden Bekehrungswut der post-tridentinischen katholischen Kirche seine Identität nicht weniger italienisch als jüdisch definierte. Ferner scheinen bestimmte Teile dieses polemischen Schrifttums den Akkulturationsprozess nicht einfach zu widerspiegeln, sondern sie müssen den Adaptationsprozess fremder Kulturgüter sogar beschleunigt oder befördert haben.
The intended project tries to analyze the newly identified manuscripts
1.) as a new phase in the long-lasting history of Jewish-Christian controversy, and
2.) as a mechanism of the cultural integration and modernization of the Jewish community.
These new perspectives not only promise to fill out a void in our historical map of Jewish–Christian interactions, but might revolutionize our understanding of the relation of the Jewish minority and its Christian surroundings in Europe in an age whose impact can be felt even today.
Moreover, the project is likely to make considerable progress in the Jewish–Christian dialogue, too.