Importance of being canonized -- The preamble to Beit Yosef : manifesto of a jurist -- "Maran" [Our Master] Joseph Karo -- Semikhah polemics in Safed : establishing a guild of jurists -- R. Karo in Safed : establishing a dominant status -- Law and mysticism : an envitable encounter -- "Provide me with the reasoning for your verdict" : the prestige and status of Jewish courts -- Establishing an international court of law -- Summary : scope and perspectives.
The book provides a global perspective on the history of Jewish law during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, focusing on the codification works of R. Joseph Karo
