Examples of Christian Misunderstanding of Anthropomorphic Rabbinic Texts*

Among the various spiritual-ideological claims against the Jewish faith raised in Christian polemical literature throughout the Middle Ages, the accusation that the God of Israel has a corporeal form and emotions stands out and is unique. In fact, there are allusions to literary legends in this spirit in rabbinic sermons, mystical texts, and fabled passages from the Talmud meant to provide educational, theological and moral instruction. According to the arguments of the Christian polemicists, the Jews worship such a figure as such, and not a real God that does not take on any shape, whose grace the Jews do not know at all. These claims are motivated by the deceptive concept that the Jews interpret the Bible in a literal and simplistic manner, without reference to the allegory and figurativeness of the Scriptures, while Christianity spiritually and figuratively interprets the Biblical text, which indeed abounds in clear descriptions of the deity in human terms.