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[German Version] The tradition of Jewish colleges (Yeshivah) goes back to ancient times and derives from the study of written and oral teachings. Medieval Hebrew designations for academic degrees come astonishingly close to the Latin ones: chawer/magister, moreh/doctor. Groups cultivating religious traditions developed around the Yeshivot, as for example those belonging to Ashkenazi Judaism (II) in Speyer, Worms, and Mainz. Around 1800, governments began to consider how to improve the educational level of Jews and attempted to modernize the Jewish…

[German Version] Not all Jewish quarters were ghettos closed off against the will of the inhabitants. For members of a Jewish community, there were reasons to live together in close proximity to each other (the use of common institutions such as the synagogue, ritual baths, kosher butchers and bakers). In the medieval Islamic realm with its confessional variety, the tradition of distinct city quarters on religious lines developed. In Christian-dominated Europe, things were different. Here, the chu…

[German Version] I. History of Religion – II. Old Testament – III. New Testament – IV. Church History – V. Dogmatics – VI. Ethics – VII. Practical Theology – VIII. Church Law – IX. Judaism – X. Islam I. History of Religion In the following comments the term community will refer exclusively to a religiously motivated association of people. From the standpoint of the history of religion, the formation of communities is more the exception than the rule. The fact that associations such as tribes, as well, howe…