| Commentary: |
Notes from Snow 1977: "The role of the Jew in the CSM is that of a hated minority (7 per cent of the poems deal with Jews). Alfonso may have been politically tolerant but, B. argues, he was not so tolerant personally. Jews appear in 30 cantigas as arch enemies of Christianity (occasionally as converts to it as in CSM 107, 89, and 133), the devil's disciples, usurers, and traitors.rnBut the thesis is weakened when one realizes that eight of the thirty compositions were widely?circulated accounts whose outline and content are clearly established and over which Alfonso (or his collaborators) had no control. Further, one must accept, more fully than is now possible to determine, the direct authorship (and approval for the illuminations) of Alfonso for the remaining poems. While the concept of personal intervention has been much discussed, its degree and specific application have not been established firmly enough to support B.'s claims here. Cantigas entering into the discussion are: 12, 34, 286, 4, 6, 22, 71, 91, 135, 149, 187, 238, 390, 415, 419, and 426 (Jews as arch enemies); 109, 3, 108, and 425 (as devil's disciple); 25, 27, 51, 85, and 312 (as usurers); and 2 and 348 (as traitors)." |
