New Book by Annett Martini: ›Arbeit des Himmels‹. Jüdische Konzeptionen rituellen Schreibens in der europäischen Kultur des Mittelalters.

The subject of this study is the manufacturing of ritually pure scrolls in medieval European culture as an extraordinary codicological, theological and social phenomenon of the Jewish scribal tradition. The author focuses on the highly idealized perception of the rabbinic tradition regarding the relationship between material, purity and holiness in the context of writing, as well as a rich commentarial literature that deals with the symbolic meaning of the material elements from an ethical-philosophical, mystical or magical perspective.

The multi-faceted writing literature, which has previously received little attention in research, testifies to diverse interactions between the Jewish and the non-Jewish society. The author discusses the far-reaching process of transformation of scribal literature in medieval Ashkenaz against the background of Christian book culture and the ambivalent Jewish-Christian relationship of that era.

Annett Martini, ›Arbeit des Himmels‹. Jüdische Konzeptionen rituellen Schreibens in der europäischen Kultur des Mittelalters. Studia Juaica 115 (Berlin, New York: De Gruyter, 2022).


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Andreas Lehnertz (May 13, 2022). New Book by Annett Martini: ›Arbeit des Himmels‹. Jüdische Konzeptionen rituellen Schreibens in der europäischen Kultur des Mittelalters. medievalJewishStudiesNow! Retrieved February 14, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/rhnx


About Andreas Lehnertz

As Juniorprofessor of medieval history with a specialization in Jewish history at the University of Trier, Andreas Lehnertz studies the social, cultural, and religious history of Europe. His academic pursuits focus on the nuanced dynamics of everyday Christian-Jewish relations, the study of marginal Hebrew and Yiddish deeds, the study of Jewish and general sealing practices, and the in-depth study of Jewish craftspeople. He wrote a book on "Jewish Seals in the Medieval German Empire: The Authentication and Self-Representation of Jewish Men and Women". His expertise has been further honed through his roles as a postdoctoral fellow in the ERC project "Beyond the Elite - Jewish Daily Life in Medieval Europe" at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and as a member of the Martin Buber Society in the Humanities and Social Sciences, also at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Currently he writes a book about "Jewish Craftspeople in Medieval Germany". Through his research and publications, he aims to make a meaningful contribution to the academic discourse surrounding medieval history and to provide valuable insights into the rich tapestry of European history during this pivotal period.