ak0429@princeton.edu
Dissertation Title: “Divine Rest and Urban Bustle: Jews, Christians, and Sabbath Observance in High-Medieval Cities”
Kohn’s dissertation examines the social and cultural history of Sabbath observance among Jews and Christians in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century northern France and the Rhineland. It considers how urban laborers and scholars reimagined their understandings and practices of the Sabbath in the face of growing urbanization, economic diversification, and inter-religious entanglement. By considering both Jews and Christians together, this project provides a more complete view on how medieval religion simultaneously shaped and was shaped by everyday life.