Dying in the Law of Moses

Miriam Bodian is Professor of Jewish History in the Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Touro College. Her book Hebrews of the Portuguese Nation: Conversos and Community in Early Modern Amsterdam (IUP, 1998) received a National Jewish Book Award for History and a Koret Prize for History.

"Miriam Bodian's study of crypto-Jewish martyrdom in Iberian lands depicts a new type of martyr that emerged in the late 16th century—a defiant, educated judaizing martyr who engaged in disputes with inquisitors. By examining closely the Inquisition dossiers of four men who were tried in the Iberian peninsula or Spanish America and who developed judaizing theologies that drew from currents of Reformation thinking that emphasized the authority of Scripture and the religious autonomy of individual interpreters of Scripture, Miriam Bodian reveals unexpected connections between Reformation thought and historic crypto-Judaism."—Joseph Haberer, Book Editor, SHOFAR, Summer 2008, Volume 26, No. 4". . . an excellent study that successfully brings together many diverse strands of scholarship and will appeal to students of religion, Judaism, and Iberian history alike. 61.2 (Summer 2008)"—Sara T. Nalle, William Paterson University"Bodian's study is both moving and illuminating. . . . a major contribution to converso studies and a demonstration of intellectual honesty.Vol. 33.2"—AJS Review"Throughout, Bodian has crafted a rich and accessible narrative.... [This] is a readable and thoughtful volume that raises many important questions....Vol. 87. 3 May 2010"—DEAN PHILLIP BELL, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Chicago"[A]n important and timely book. . . . While a great deal of work has been done on the Inquisitionthe approach taken here is very readable and up to date in its findings about this controversial institution; the intricacies of its operation are really brought home in the individual case studies."—Allison P. Coudert

• List of IllustrationsList of MapsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of Abbreviations1. The Historical Setting2. The Dogmatista Crypto-Jewish Martyrs3. A Conquistador's Nephew in New Spain4. A Monk of Castanheira5. A Converso Surgeon in the Viceroyalty of Peru6. A Hebrew Scholar at the University of Salamanca7. Echoes in the Portuguese-Jewish DiasporaAppendix A: Commemoration of Individual Martyrs in the Literature of the Portuguese-Jewish Diaspora, to 1683Appendix B: Summary of Luis Carvajal's Nine Reasons for Adhering to the Law of Moses, Audience of February 15, 1595, PLC, 235–238GlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex