The Virgin Mary, monastic life in Anglo-Norman England, and the Jews might appear as distinct and separate topics, but Kati Ihnat's significant book shows the close relationship between these three subjects. Monasteries flourished in England after the Norman Conquest, and the importance of the Virgin Mary in their liturgical and theological life contributed to an increase in her popularity and significance in the postconquest Christian culture. As the cult of Mary gained in status, the picture of the Jews became more negative. They dismissed essential beliefs that stressed her virginity and her status as the Mother of God, and consequently became enemies of the Christians. Devotions to the Virgin Mary helped to ensure protection from the wickedness of the Jewish enemies, and this animosity continued throughout the Middle Ages. The Benedictine monks played a significant part in this development, and their role in the popularity of Marian devotion and corresponding suspicion of the Jews had important consequences. The author of this entertaining and insightful book has provided the reader with a fascinating interpretation of the significance of Mary and the relationship of her popularity among the faithful to the prejudice against the Jews in the religious life of Anglo-Norman England.

After a detailed introduction, Ihnat divides her book into four chapters and a conclusion. The first three, on liturgy and Marian devotions, theological developments (in particular, the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption), and miracle stories that promoted the role of the Virgin Mary in human history, give the reader an appreciation of the increasing status of Mary. The important contributions of monks and theologians, and numerous examples of prayers, devotions, and legends, are presented in a clear and objective style, and the reader can easily appreciate the connection between these topics. The Jews receive some mention, but the last chapter, “Enemies of Mary: Jews in Miracle Stories,” emphasizes their apparent wickedness in miracle stories collected by the monks and provides many examples of destructive or harmful Jewish activities. Mary is the merciful and kind mother, and the Jew emerges as evil. The book concludes with a succinct summary of the importance of the Anglo-Norman monks in the development of the hostility between the Virgin Mary and the Jewish people, which will have serious consequences in European history.

Kati Ihnat has written an interesting and perceptive book that gives the reader an insight into the growth of the cult of Mary and the corresponding development of the stereotype of the Jew as the enemy of Christians. The author's understanding of the Anglo-Norman period is superb, and she provides the necessary social context and explanation of contemporary forces to support the results of her scholarship, which is based on extensive primary and contemporary sources. The monks occupy an important place in her narrative, and her presentation of monastic culture and liturgy, and the development of doctrines and questions of theology dealing with the Virgin Mary, give the reader a clear picture of the religious environment of the period. The author's thorough investigation of Marian prayers, chants, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, feast days, the inclusion of miracles associated with Mary in the liturgy and sermons, and the eventual collection of miracles that portray the Jew as a villain demonstrates the importance of the cult of Mary in both the monastic and the secular world. As the author points out, the popularity of Marian devotions and the resulting stereotyping of the Jews were not limited to the time and place that are the focus of this study. Anti-Semitic propaganda of this nature continued to flourish into the twentieth century, with dire consequences.