Mother of Mercy, Bane of the Jews: Devotion to the Virgin Mary in Anglo-Norman England Hardcover - 2016

From the rear cover

"Kati Ihnat's book is an eloquent and important contribution to our understanding of the cult of the Virgin Mary, medieval anti-Jewish polemics, and the role of the liturgy in medieval cultural politics. It is an exemplary study of how religious stories are created, and is essential reading for anyone interested in cultural politics, the power of imagery, and the ramifications of monastic thought in the Middle Ages."--Anthony Bale, Birkbeck College, London

"In Mother of Mercy, Bane of the Jews, Kati Ihnat achieves a great deal, exploring liturgy, miracle tales, chronicles, and images with equal authority and insight. She links the rise of the Virgin Mary to the rhythms of monastic liturgical life, and demonstrates the use made of Jews in the efforts to imagine Mary anew. Here is a book that will offer all medievalists a new chapter in European religion, and a great deal of pleasure."--Miri Rubin, author of Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary

"This book argues persuasively that the foundations for the expansion in the role accorded Mary in the medieval Latin church were established in English monastic communities by the middle of the twelfth century. Ihnat looks at new liturgical forms and theological treatises that praised Mary, and delves into how these texts developed a threatening image of the Jew to affirm Mary's ability to rescue Christians from misdeeds and evil."--Irven M. Resnick, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

"While the centrality of English monasticism to the cult of Mary has long been recognized, until now we have had no comprehensive study of post-Conquest Marian devotion. Ihnat carefully delineates the increasing prominence awarded Mary in the liturgy, identifies the monks who spearheaded this effort, and considers how this exaltation intensified Christian anti-Judaism. This book fills a major gap in our understanding of the history of Christianity."--Sara Lipton, State University of New York, Stony Brook