Volume 11, Number 3 (2002)
Original Articles
Jews as pagans? Polemical definitions of identity in Visigothic Spain Wolfram Drews
Abstract: A conciliar canon from Visigothic Spain relates that Jewish parents, who had been baptized by force, were trying to save their children from baptism, relying on the help of Christian neighbours, who lent them their own children for a second baptism. According to the wording of the canon, Jewish parents thereby illicitly retained their children as 'pagans'. This very peculiar, 'extremist' terminology served as a rhetorical tool to denigrate Judaism, putting it on a par with idolatry, superstition, supposedly primitive religion and backward, rural culture. This rhetorical strategy was used to construct a negative Jewish identity, which in turn served to strengthen a new concept of Gothic identity propagated ever since the conversion of the Visigoths to catholicism. Catholic Goths are presented both as the heirs of christianized Roman culture (which included the acceptance and transformation of catholic anti-Judaism), and as the champions of historical progress, allegedly overcoming different kinds of pre-Christian, 'barbarian' religion.
Trading places: Quentovic and Dorestad reassessed Simon Coupland
Abstract: In any list of Carolingian emporia, Quentovic and Dorestad feature prominently, yet the numismatic evidence reveals a complete contrast between the two. In the late eighth and early ninth centuries, contrary to popular belief, Quentovic was of very little economic significance. At the same time, Dorestad was booming, reaching the peak of its prosperity around 820. Only thirty years later, the situation was dramatically reversed: Dorestad rapidly declined and disappeared, while Quentovic enjoyed a remarkable renaissance. This challenges the current theory that the emporia disappeared in the mid-ninth century, to be replaced by the emerging towns.
From episcopal conception to monastic compilation: Hemming's Cartulary in context Francesca Tinti
Abstract: This article examines the structure and the contents of the late eleventh century Worcester cartulary which forms the second part of London, British Library, Cotton Tiberius A. XIII. Its sections are analysed and checked against the explanatory statements on the composition of the libellus provided by Hemming in his Enucleatio. This essay then contextualizes the composition of the cartulary through an analysis of its various components. Particular attention is paid to the development of the monastic community of Worcester in the late eleventh century and the ways in which the manuscript seems to reflect their acquisition of a specific and distinctive identity. The development, therefore, of their relationship with the bishop of Worcester is especially significant. The evidence provided by the cartulary suggests that, by the time the Norman Samson succeeded Bishop Wulfstan II in 1096, the monks' attitude towards their bishop had noticeably changed from the time when Wulfstan had first suggested the cartulary's composition.
Review Articles
Review article: Mohammed, the early medieval Mediterranean, and Charlemagne Paolo Squatriti
Abstract: Peregrine Horden and Nicholas Purcell.The Corrupting Sea. A Study in Mediterranean History
Book reviews
Abstract: François Bougard, La justice dans le royaume d'Italie de la fin du VIIIe siècle au débutdu XIe siècle. Michelle P. Brown and Carol A. Farr (eds), Mercia: An Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in Europe. Philippe Depreux, Prosopographie de l'entourage de Louis le Pieux (781-840). Gunnar Karlsson, Iceland's 1100 Years. The History of a Marginal Society. Adam J. Kosto, Making Agreements in Medieval Catalonia: Power, Order, and the Written Word, 1000-1200. Ralph W. Mathisen (ed), Law, Society and Authority in Late Antiquity. Marco Mostert, 754: Bonifatius bij Dokkum vermoord. Isabelle Réal, Vies des saints, vie de famille. Représentation et système de laparenté dans le Royaume mérovingien (481-751) d'après les sourceshagiographiques. Translated and introduced by Hans van Rij, Alpertus van Metz, Gebeurtenissen van deze tijd. Een fragment over bisschop Diederik I van Metz. De mirakelen van de heilige Walburga in Tiel. Adriaan Verhulst, The Carolingian Economy. Ian W. Walker, Mercia and the Making of England.