Sanctuary or Place of Idolatry? The Christian Perception of the Synagogue and its Impact in Medieval Iberia

The question whether the synagogue is understood by Jews as a sacred space and as a substitute for the Jerusalem temple is widely discussed by scholarship. It is agreed that this varied depending on time and context. Less is written specifically about the Christian perception of the synagogue as representation of the Jerusalem temple in the context of the medieval Iberian Peninsula. Christian written documents and art, however, show that it was often seen as such. Thus, papal bulls and royal codes frequently permitted the existence and building of synagogues, not only highlighting their importance for Jewish communities but also their character as places of worship in which god is praised. Others called synagogues places of idolatry and synagogues were targets of frequent verbal and physical attacks.

How exactly did Christians understand the synagogue in medieval Iberia – in its architectural appearance, as part of a Jewish topography, and as a symbol? Who were the persons involved in the debate on the synagogue? What arguments did they produce and for what reasons? What resulted from that? And lastly, what role did the idea of the temple play in this context?

In my paper I would like to address those questions. Here, I am not only interested in the Jewish Iberian understanding of the synagogue, sacred space, and the temple, but also the Christian take on that matter. This involves questions on Jewish-Christian discourses and coexistence in Iberia as well as the intra-Christian discourse about the ‘Others’, their religion, and their space.