PIMSPontifical Institute
of
Mediaeval Studies

The recent years have witnessed an increase in the scientific publications and research projects dedicated to the daily and intellectual exchanges between Jews and Christians in medieval Europe. The contribution of Jewish texts to Christian exegesis, sciences and arts is today well documented. This lecture revisits the less straight forward question of how exactly Christians accessed the Hebrew texts. In particular, it provides an overview and new evidence of the Christian study of the Hebrew language.

Judith Olszowy-Schlanger obtained her PhD in Cambridge in 1995 and is today a holder of a Chair in Hebrew Palaeography and Manuscript Studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes - PSL Paris (Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris), as well as head of the Hebrew section of the IRHT. Her research interests include Hebrew codicology and diplomatics, Cairo Genizah Studies, history of linguistic ideas, and intellectual exchanges between Jews and their non-Jewish neighbours in the Middle Ages.