Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: regnant perceptions and empirical evidence -- Talmudic and halakhic studies: internal organization and societal models -- Tosafist biblical exegesis in northern France at the end of the twelfth century: between peshat and derash -- The contours of biblical interpretation during the early thirteenth century -- Interpretations for a varied audience through the thirteenth century -- Genres and strategies of piyyut composition among the Tosafists -- Magic and mysticism in Tosafist literature and thought -- Tosafist approaches to matters of belief and the implications for popular culture -- Conclusion: Ashkenazic rabbinic culture in its plenitude.

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