Protocols of Justice (2 vol. set): The Pinkas of the Metz Rabbinic Court 1771-1789
Leiden: Brill, 2014. First edition. Hardcover. Octavo. 2 vols. xix, (1), 222; (8), 1084pp. Vol. 1 in English with an Index, glossary and 17 page bibliography. Vol. 2 in Hebrew. Green boards with purple, red and green spines, lettered in white. Illustrated with two maps (the Department of Moselle, and Europe in the 18th century). A fine, as new set.
Through his painstaking and path-breaking treatment of this incredibly nuanced and rich text, Jay Berkovitz has placed before academics and all other interested readers a heretofore untapped resource of vast importance. His insightful and extensive introductory monograph beautifully sets the stage for scholars in a wide array of fields to mine this material, which will undoubtedly yield significant new results in the history of Jewish and non-Jewish society in eighteenth-century Europe and beyond. Ephraim Kanarfogel, E. Billi Ivry University Professor of Jewish History, Literature and Law, Yeshiva University
Protocols of Justice is a scholarly tour de force. Jay Berkovitz has not only brought to life a type of source that has been all but ignored in the study of Jewish life in Europe in the early modern period but offers a rich introduction that places the material in its historical context. This is a book that will stand the test of time and is a must for academic libraries. Edward Fram, Department of Jewish History, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
"Author Jay Berkovitz, Professor and Chair of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has painstakingly transcribed the pinkas, which provides fascinating and new insights in the lives of the Jews of Metz. Through his work, Berkovitz has opened a manuscript long gathering dust in the YIVO archives, brought it to light, and created an invaluable resource for scholars." Ben Rothke, The Times of Israel
Presented here to the public for the first time, the Pinkas of the Metz Beit Din [register of the Metz rabbinic court] is the official register [and complete text of all the] civil cases that came before the Metz rabbinic court in the two decades prior to the French Revolution. Brimming with details of commercial transactions, inheritance disputes, women’s roles in economic life, and the interplay between French law and Jewish law, the Metz Pinkas offers remarkable evidence of the engagement of Jews with the surrounding society and culture. The two volumes of Protocols of Justice comprise the complete text of the Metz Pinkas Beit Din, which is fully annotated by the author, and a thorough analysis of its significance for history and law at the threshold of modernity. (Publisher)
Contents: [V. 1.] Introduction -- Law and historical narrative in the eighteenth century -- Communal autonomy and rabbinic jurisdiction -- Legal acculturation and its broader social foundations -- Overlapping jurisdictions : between legal centralism and legal pluralism -- Women, family, and property -- Conclusion -- [v. 2. Court records].
Contents of the Hebrew Volume; Preface; Acknowledgements; Maps; Abbreviations; Introduction; The Metz Community; The Metz Beit Din; Chapter 1. Law and Historical Narrative in the Eighteenth Century; Law as a Source of Social and Cultural History; Law as a Cultural System; The Production of the Pinkas Beit ha-Din of Metz; Chapter 2. Communal Autonomy and Rabbinic Jurisdiction; The Authority of the Beit Din; Sources of Law; Judicial Procedure; Functions of the Beit Din; Chapter 3. Legal Acculturation and Its Broader Social Foundations; 1. Language.; 2. Production of Bi-lingual Documents; 3. Material Culture; 4. Standards of Conduct among Litigants; Chapter 4. Overlapping Jurisdictions: Between Legal Centralism and Legal Pluralism; 1. The Pervasiveness of French Law; 2. The Acquaintance of the Beit Din with French Judicial Procedure; 3. The Impact of French Law on Rabbinic Jurisprudence; Chapter 5. Women, Family, and Property; Betrothal and Marriage; Inheritance; Guardianship; Marital Property; Women in Credit and Commerce; Conclusion; Glossary; Bibliography; Archival and Manuscript Sources.
This book was the winner of the Jordan Schnitzer Award in the category of Modern Jewish History. This award, the highest honor the Association for Jewish Studies bestows on scholarship, was established in 2008 by the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation to honor scholars whose work embodies the best in the field: rigorous research, theoretical sophistication, innovative methodology, and excellent writing.
Volumes 44/1 and 44/2, of the Brill series, "Studies in Jewish History and Culture" (SJHC). Fine. Item #52231
ISBN: 9789004265158
Price: $275.00