The »Book of Faith« (Sefer Emunah)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The article discusses Sefer Emunah (»Book of Faith«), an anti-Jewish polemic written in Hebrew that was edited by Protestant reformer Paul Fagius in 1542, exploring its dating, authorship, original purpose, and reception in close engagement with the existing research literature. Moreover, the argumentation used in Sefer Emunah for the veracity of the Christian faith is outlined throughadetailed analysis of the Hebrew and Latin sources incorporated therein. In contrast to previous research, this study demonstrates that Sefer Emunah must be considered an early modern text that originated from the German-speaking territories. Its date of composition can be narrowed to between 1517 and 1529. The polemic was most likely originally intended for missionary purposes but was later exclusively utilized in Christian Hebraist circles for scholarly and pedagogical objectives. Its anonymous author drew extensively on medieval Jewish controversial literature and commentaries on the Hebrew Bible and Kabbalah, which were particularly popular among early Christian Hebraists. Additionally, his line of reasoning is often supported by late medieval Latin polemics, such as Pablo de Santa Marías Scrutinium Scripturarum and Alphonso de Espinas Fortalitium Fidei.
Author: Johannes Müller
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4411388223