Why Medieval Hebrew Studies? Some Thoughts on Stefan C. Reif’s Inaugural Lecture (1999)

Abstract

Starting point for the following considerations is Stefan Reif’s erudite inaugural lecture Why Medieval Hebrew Studies?, originally delivered late 1999 on the occasion of his being appointed the first holder of the chair in Medieval Hebrew Studies in the University of Cambridge.¹ If the title of Reif’s oration suggests a playful questioning of the importance of those studies, their disciplinary content and interdisciplinary potential, the actual text bears a rather more introductory and apologetic stamp. Rather than indulging in methodological speculation, Reif’s aim was to justify the creation of a new Cambridge chair devoted to the study of something as ‘exotic’ and particular as medieval Jewish culture. In his own words, he intended ‘to demonstrate (…) the degree to which many medieval Jewish sources are worthy of serious attention and can be intellectually stimulating, culturally inspiring, and academically challenging’ (p. 49f.).