Introduction

Piyyuṭ or synagogue hymnography is a distinct phenomenon in late antique and medieval Jewish culture. The sources on which our present knowledge of piyyuṭ is based, are for the most part manuscripts and codices, and for a minor part printed books. The reception history of piyyuṭ in general and liturgical poems (piyyuṭim) in particular is extremely complex and multifaceted, and although great progress was made in the last century and a half, much remains to be discovered a…