Statement

Besides praising the heroic conduct of the Mainz Jews, willing both to defend themselves and to bear martyrdom, the authors ask whether the account may contain a subtle critique of the religious leadership, which may have drained the community with pious but counterproductive acts for instance repeated fasting, in the vain hope of warding off catastrophe.

References

1. p. 197

   supports · main text · ch. 7

   Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.

   Verification anchor recorded · checked against the page text