Das Zeitalter des Geheimnisses

Early modern times represent the age of secrets. Rarely before and rarely since in European history has there been such a fascination with all things secret and clasdestine. Yet there have been to date only few studies of this phenomenon in cultural and science history. In this volume Daniel Jütte researches the idea of secrecy in early modern history and reconstructs the market for secrets. He shows that the Jewish minority played a major role in this area. Their presumed competence in the world of the arcane extended to the realms of alchemy, magic, spying and technology. But why were Jews considered the keepers of secrets in an otherwise Christian society?The study conveys many new findings about Jewish history as well as the overall science and culture history of that era. von Jütte, Daniel