Abstract

From the start there has been a conflict between Christianity and Judaism. In the New Testament the Pharisees are objects of polemics, and during the next centuries a great number of texts claiming the Christian superiority were written. During the 14th and 15th centuries in France and Spain Jews experienced forced conversion to Christianity, which was supported by secular authorities. The Jews reacted to this not only by defending their Jewish faith and way of life&&they also criticized the Christian faith and way of life. Jewish polemic texts against Christianity can thus be viewed as a reaction to the writings from the Christian side. This is the background to the extensive number of Jewish polemic texts written during the 14th century in France and during the 15th and 16th centuries in Spain, but these texts are not primarily directed toward Christians.