Chapter 4 - Byzantium

Summary

Byzantine Jewry occupied a central place in the medieval Jewish world. It served as a commercial and cultural conduit between east and west, north and south. It developed a rich culture of its own, building on ancient foundations in Hellenistic Judaism and the Roman empire. The Karaite schism and the Venetian and Genoese conquests during the Fourth Crusade introduced divisions, but these did not profoundly affect the commercial or cultural life of the communities. Byzantium was the meeting place between Judaism and Greek Orthodox Christianity, which had some fruitful consequences on both religions, despite the theological hatred of Jews promoted by the Church.