{"product_id":"the-conversion-of-herman-the-jew-autobiography-history-and-fiction-in-the-twelfth-century-paperback","title":"The Conversion of Herman the Jew: Autobiography, History, and Fiction in the Twelfth Century - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJean-Claude Schmitt\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eAlex J. Novikoff\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSometime toward the middle of the twelfth century, it is supposed, an otherwise obscure figure, born a Jew in Cologne and later ordained as a priest in Cappenberg in Westphalia, wrote a Latin account of his conversion to Christianity. Known as the \u003cem\u003eOpusculum\u003c\/em\u003e, this book purportedly by \"Herman, the former Jew\" may well be the first autobiography to be written in the West after the \u003cem\u003eConfessions\u003c\/em\u003e of Saint Augustine. It may also be something else entirely.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Conversion of Herman the Jew\u003c\/em\u003e the eminent French historian Jean-Claude Schmitt examines this singular text and the ways in which it has divided its readers. Where some have seen it as an authentic conversion narrative, others have asked whether it is not a complete fabrication forged by Christian clerics. For Schmitt the question is poorly posed. The work is at once true and fictional, and the search for its lone author--whether converted Jew or not--fruitless. Herman may well have existed and contributed to the writing of his life, but the \u003cem\u003eOpusculum\u003c\/em\u003e is a collective work, perhaps framed to meet a specific institutional agenda.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith agility and erudition, Schmitt examines the text to explore its meaning within the society and culture of its period and its participation in both a Christian and Jewish imaginary. What can it tell us about autobiography and subjectivity, about the function of dreams and the legitimacy of religious images, about individual and collective conversion, and about names and identities? In \u003cem\u003eThe Conversion of Herman the Jew\u003c\/em\u003e Schmitt masterfully seizes upon the debates surrounding the \u003cem\u003eOpusculum\u003c\/em\u003e (the text of which is newly translated for this volume) to ponder more fundamentally the ways in which historians think and write.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eJean-Claude Schmitt is Directeur d'Etudes, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. He is the author of many books, including Ghosts in the Middle Ages and The Holy Greyhound. Alex J. Novikoff teaches medieval history at Rhodes College.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 8.9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 31, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47468529189117,"sku":"9780812222197","price":54.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/3414\/0157\/files\/L2JYM0lEaTBLbGcrQU1wUWlJVlN4Zz09.webp?v=1777290377","url":"https:\/\/booktolia.com\/products\/the-conversion-of-herman-the-jew-autobiography-history-and-fiction-in-the-twelfth-century-paperback","provider":"booktolia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}