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Coexistence between Jews and non-Jews also entailed friction and confrontations.
The Talmud was the centerpiece of the disputes between Christian theologians and Jewish scholars.
When the Church became aware of the Talmud’s criticism of Christianity,
it forced rabbis to defend the Talmud against accusations of blasphemy and questionable morals.
Nicholas Donin, a Christian convert who had been excommunicated
from the Jewish community and became a Franciscan priest,
sought revenge against the Jews in the Trial of the Talmud, held in Paris in 1240.
During the trial, Donin disputed with the four chief rabbis of France and denounced the Talmud to the Pope.
In 1242, further to that disputation, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish manuscripts were set on fire in Paris.
