The Eleventh Plague
Jews and Pandemics from the Bible to COVID-19
Published on 23. March 2023
Book
Hardback
504 pages
978-0-19-760718-3 (ISBN)
Description
A physician and historian of science and medicine at the National Institute of Health tells the hidden story of how plagues and pandemics shaped the history of the Jewish people.
Plagues, pandemics, and infectious diseases have shaped the history of the Jewish people. Of course, there were the ten biblical plagues that famously smote the Egyptians--from the rain of frogs to the deaths of the firstborn--but that is just the start of the story. For the Talmudic Sages infectious diseases were part of the fundamental fabric of God's created world. In later times, however, disease was often thought to be caused by malign spells and incantations. A counter-magic developed to combat them. Amulets were deployed and miracle workers sought out. Surprisingly, Jeremy Brown shows, Jews sometimes even visited Christian shrines and beseeched the intervention of their saints. In 1348, when the Black Death swept through Europe, Jews fell victim both to the disease, for which they were blamed, and to the anti-Semitic violence that followed. At least 235 Jewish communities were persecuted even as Pope Clement IV ruled that anyone joining or authorizing the persecution would be excommunicated.
In The Eleventh Plague, Brown investigates the relation between Judaism and infectious diseases throughout the ages, from premodern and early-modern plagues, to rabbinic responses to smallpox and cholera, to the special vulnerabilities Jewish immigrants faced in the US as result of prejudice, and to the curious practice of "Black Weddings" in which two orphans are married in a cemetery. Popularized during the 1918 influenza pandemic the practice was revived in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, showing that the intriguing relationship between Judaism and infectious disease remains relevant today.
Plagues, pandemics, and infectious diseases have shaped the history of the Jewish people. Of course, there were the ten biblical plagues that famously smote the Egyptians--from the rain of frogs to the deaths of the firstborn--but that is just the start of the story. For the Talmudic Sages infectious diseases were part of the fundamental fabric of God's created world. In later times, however, disease was often thought to be caused by malign spells and incantations. A counter-magic developed to combat them. Amulets were deployed and miracle workers sought out. Surprisingly, Jeremy Brown shows, Jews sometimes even visited Christian shrines and beseeched the intervention of their saints. In 1348, when the Black Death swept through Europe, Jews fell victim both to the disease, for which they were blamed, and to the anti-Semitic violence that followed. At least 235 Jewish communities were persecuted even as Pope Clement IV ruled that anyone joining or authorizing the persecution would be excommunicated.
In The Eleventh Plague, Brown investigates the relation between Judaism and infectious diseases throughout the ages, from premodern and early-modern plagues, to rabbinic responses to smallpox and cholera, to the special vulnerabilities Jewish immigrants faced in the US as result of prejudice, and to the curious practice of "Black Weddings" in which two orphans are married in a cemetery. Popularized during the 1918 influenza pandemic the practice was revived in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, showing that the intriguing relationship between Judaism and infectious disease remains relevant today.
Reviews / Votes
Jeremy Brown's The Eleventh Plague is a monumental contribution to both the history of pandemics and to Jewish (medical) history. The content and staggering breadth of sources alone are well worth the purchase, but Jeremy's literary flair serves to elevate the reading experience. This book provides a much needed historical perspective that has been missing from our current pandemic discourse. * Rabbi Edward Reichman, MD, author of The Anatomy of Jewish Law: A Fresh Dissection of the Relationship Between Medicine, Medical History and Rabbinic Literature * With astonishing learning that embraces Jewish, non-Jewish and medical sources, Jeremy Brown demonstrates that Jewish life has been shaped and reshaped by pandemics from biblical days to our own. Anyone looking for context on Covid-19 and the Jewish community should start with this book. * Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University; Chief Historian, The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History * In this expansive and sweeping volume, Brown takes readers on a spellbinding tour of the myriad ways that Jews have responded to plagues. Beginning with the world of the biblical Israelites and closing with an analysis of Jewish encounters with Covid-19, Brown debunks persistent misrepresentations of Jews as perpetuators of disease and embodiments of suffering. Brown's erudition and passion for his subject shimmers on every page, and his lucid style offers surprise and insight at every turn. * Malka Z. Simkovich, author of Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism. * In The Eleventh Plague: Jews and Pandemics, Jeremy Brown presents a pathbreaking study of how Jews have reacted to, been blamed for, and religiously framed pandemics...All those interested in Jewish history, the history of science, and general readers looking for the definitive take on a timely, and unfortunately (because of its morose subject matter) timeless topic need look no further than Brown's fascinating study. * Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern, YU News * This is a timely masterpiece. * Choice * Jeremy Brown, the author of The Eleventh Plague: Jews and Pandemics from the Bible to Covid-19 (Oxford University Press), argues that pandemics, such as the bubonic plague and typhus, have impacted Jews profoundly. "It was a story of which I was completely unaware, despite being a physician and having a lifelong familiarity with Jewish sources," he writes in his erudite and fascinating book. * Sheldon Kirshner, Sheldon Kirshner Journal *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
919 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-760718-3 (9780197607183)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2022
OUP eBook
€15.49
Available for download
E-Book
12/2022
OUP eBook
€15.49
Available for download
Person
Jeremy Brown is a physician and historian of science and medicine and directs the Office of Emergency Care Research at the National Institutes of Health. His previous books include Influenza: The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History, New Heavens and a New Earth: The Jewish reception of Copernican Thought, Cardiology Emergencies, and as editor, The Oxford American Handbook of Emergency Medicine.
Content
1. Five Golden Swellings; Pandemics in the Bible
2. The Angel of Death Walks in the Middle of the Road; Pandemics in the Talmud
3. A World Turned Upside Down; The Black Death and Bubonic Plague
4. All This Happens because of the Sins of Jacob
5. Pulverized Toads; Prayers, amulets and miracle workers
6. A Leaf of Healing; Smallpox, vaccination and hope
7. Your hand lay heavily on the inhabitants of this land; Cholera
8. Our Father Our King, Save us from this Plague; Religious responses to epidemics
9. Proper Precautions; The Jewish immigrant as a carrier of disease
10. So They Will Not Be Depressed; The Black Wedding
11. A Pandemic of Ignorance: Vaccination, hysteria and rabbinic responsibility
12. Jews and Judaism in the age of COVID
13. Conclusions
2. The Angel of Death Walks in the Middle of the Road; Pandemics in the Talmud
3. A World Turned Upside Down; The Black Death and Bubonic Plague
4. All This Happens because of the Sins of Jacob
5. Pulverized Toads; Prayers, amulets and miracle workers
6. A Leaf of Healing; Smallpox, vaccination and hope
7. Your hand lay heavily on the inhabitants of this land; Cholera
8. Our Father Our King, Save us from this Plague; Religious responses to epidemics
9. Proper Precautions; The Jewish immigrant as a carrier of disease
10. So They Will Not Be Depressed; The Black Wedding
11. A Pandemic of Ignorance: Vaccination, hysteria and rabbinic responsibility
12. Jews and Judaism in the age of COVID
13. Conclusions