CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2010
| Author | Dana, Joseph |
|---|---|
| Title | Between Influence and Authority: The Rabbinate of the Seventeenth Century Portuguese Jewish Community of Amsterdam |
| Summary | This thesis analyzes the rabbinate of the seventeenth century Amsterdam Portuguese Jewish community from the perspective of communal and rabbinic history. The Amsterdam community is notable for the mixture of Portuguese and Jewish identity which created an ethnic identity referred to as the Nação (Nation). I argue that the rabbinate was a vehicle for regulation of this identity despite internal confusion on issues regarding Jewish law, behavior and theology. Using primary and secondary sources, I describe the rabbinate as an institution in transition working for a community in transition. Discussion of the historical foundation of the community, the converso issue and the interaction between the rabbinate and the lay leadership demonstrate that the position of the rabbi in Amsterdam was not centralized. Internal rabbinic arguments about issues of Jewish theology, specifically the immortality of the soul and the role of Kabbalah, reveal confusion among rabbis regarding the creation of official positions of the rabbinate. Due to the internal confusion in the Amsterdam rabbinate, it is shown that the rabbis existed in a space between influence and authority inside the community. |
| Supervisor | Wilke, Carsten;Miller, Michael |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2010/dana_joseph.pdf |
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