Review of Shyovitz, A Remembrance of His Wonders

THE TALMUD BLOG: David Shyovitz’s “A Remembrance of His Wonders.”

David Shyovitz, A Remembrance of His Wonders: Nature and the Supernatural in Medieval Ashkenaz, reviewed by Miri Fenton

Excerpt:

His book reframes the German Pietists (Hasidei Ashkenaz), and their interests in the supernatural, werewolves, adjuration, and divination as “markers of intellectual sophistication and integration into a broader European culture that was investing unprecedented energy into investigating the scientific workings and spiritual meaning of its natural surroundings” (3). ...

This deals with an area somewhat later than PaleoJudaica's usual range, but I have an interest in the Hasidei Ashkenaz because of their reception and editing of earlier traditions, notably the Hekhalot literature.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.