Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/339

291 THE .JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

291

It bears the title "Secatlicdral at Toledo, Spain. fcr Yuhasin" (Bonis of Genealogies; compare Neubauer's ed., pp. 111-113, 132, 133), and is written in

the peculiar rimed pro.se which the

Arab Al-IIumdani

hail, in tUt; hki/lii/iihI, broujilit into jironiineiice

til'ty

Ahimaaz, and which Hariri perfected the same style that in Hebrew "tifty years after him literature was allectcd by Jiidah Alharizi and Immaniiel of Hdme. Accordliii; to the traditions preserved by Ahimaaz, his family had its oriirin amoiij? the captives wliom velars before



Titus bnjiiirht to Italy after

Temple.

The

first per.sou

the

lie

destruction of the

mentions

Amittai and j/hi/i/hI. a man is

of Oria. whom he calls kiiMkiiversed in Talmudic law and a writer of lit urjrical ])oetry. In the "Cliroiiicle " are .niveii the lirst authentic data concerninir the Wdiider workinjr Aaron of IJabyInn, the reputed teacher of Kalonymus of Luica; also throu{;li an accnunt liy It. Silaiio additional iiifornialion is fjleaned alioul the Jewish community of Veiiosji, some epitaphs frfun which [ilace (^f liad iireviously been published by G. .1. A.scoli. thesonsof Amittai, the " Chidiiicle'' dwells especially upon Sheplialiah, one of the earliest and most jirolitic liluri,'ical jioels (abnul S.")(l-M0), and i^ives scime reliable data on the perscculiims which the Hyzantine .lews had to sulTer under Basil 1. on the Sanicen invasion of Sicily and Italy (H'i) on another liturjiical Jioet, Amittai ben Sliepliatiah and on the disputation which Ilananeel ben Amittai was forced to hold with the archbishop of (Iria. The author is





obviously proud of^ilie honor done to his family by one of its luemliers, I'altiel. the vizier of Al .Muizz

and 'Abd al-Manzur

(!M)i_l)!)-,'| of Efrvjit jierliaps Efrvptian iniijidx, whom I)e (Joeje has tried to iilentify with .lauhar al-Hunii or al Saklabi. Ahimaaz closes with short accounts of Ilananeel, of his son Samuel in Capua, and of I'altiel ben Samuel (!)HH-1(143), father of the author himself. The unii|ue inaiiuscript in Toledo bears the name of .Menahem ben Benjamin in its siirnatnre. It is

the

lirst

of



th(.

uncertain whethc-r the word used there. D^C'O ("linislied''), refers to the composition or to the <'opyinj; of the work. This siirnature is also in rimed prose; ami it .seems probable that at least part of pairi' 133 (lines li-03) in Neiibauer's edition is by .Minalic-m ami not by Aliimaaz. for it contains an account of the author in IanLrua,s;e that one would not expect an author to use of himself. There is no evidence that Ahimaaz made use of any lileniry records; he simply iralhered toirether Iradilions that had been current in his family. In diMTibliii; the activity of the vizier I'altiel. he refers to the ( hidiiiilesof Egypt" ascoutainiiii; further data on the subject. Even in this case it is improliable that he liasany imlividiial work in mind. The body of the " ('hroni( le " contains no dates; a few are to be fouiiil in the last t wo si.ctions, part of which may be, as slaleil above, a later addition. The "Chronicle of Ahimaaz " is. however, of interest from another pcpjnt of viiw. It is full of accounts of wonderful deeds and of superhuPopularBe- man ell'orts; and gives an interesting liefs and pi<lureof the popular beliefs and siiSupersti- perstitionsof Iheauthor'sday. It nurtions. rates the exploits of Aaron, who is able to lock up an evil spirit in a chest liy mean-sof the .S7i(/;i (inelTable name of God); how his pupil Sheplialiah is able miraculously to cover a gnat ilislance in a viry short time so as to avoid profaning the Sablialh dav; how Sliepliatiah is able to save llic llfr of a chilil hat two IVmali' demons had ileterniined to put to dial h; how Haimiieel is able to bring bis cousin to life again; how heaven directly I

Ahimelech

helps the same Hananeel and how the moon remains oliscured fora whole night in orderto cover up an error made in an astronomical calculation. The tale is told of the " Seferha-Merkabah," a wonderful

book from which Shephatiah draws his knowleilgi' of heaven's mystiTies- before this book a light burned upon the Sabbath day. In order that the book should not fall into the hands of those that were unworthy to use it, it was put into a case of li'ad and throw n to the waves, which receded ]ierceplil>ly and carried away the mysterious gift. The power of Paltiel as an astrologer is dwelt upon it was this i>ower which,

in a measure, insured for

him the

frieiidship of the

comiueror of Egypt. In this "Chronicle" are also found thelirst traces of the story of the " Wandering .Jew." Filled as it is with these le.irends. one would be tempted lo disregard the "Chronicle " as a historical source. But the naivete with which the slory is told shows thai there is no attempt at historical reconstruction: and one can feel certain that the basis upon which ^Uiiinaaz's work rests is reliable family tradition.

The language

in

which the "Chronicle"

bears out this view.

In

its

formation of

is

written

new nouns

and

verbs, in its biliteral roots, its ])eeuliar plural endings, and in its use of the construct state, it recalls the style of Donolo ami of the liturgical poets of the school of Kalir. Xor are evidc-nces wanting of the influence of the Arabic and the Romance languages. From the rime one can also learn the pronunciation of Hebrew in the days of the aullior. The "Chronicle " contains a poetical I'legy on I'altiel, which has a double alphabetic acrostic, as well as an acrostic upeai the full name of the author. BiBLiOfiUAPIiV: Ker Ahimaaz as a UturKleal (xiet, see Zunz, Littruluriimili. pp. ;*i4, liSi. The lirst uremints of the manuof the ("hriinivlf (Xos. SH. library, of the Cathi'dnil of Ttfledo)

se.Tlpt

i'»

in the eatahipue of the iriven l>y .Neiihaiier. in

were

Rcv.Kt.Jiiirix.wHi.'ZW: idem,

in ./. ir. ii,irf./Vfr. iv.t!14r( KCij. Neiibauer piiblislu.cl tho fall tf.t in his Mfiiitrval Ji n Chrnn. ii. 111-1;!;;, fn>m a faesiinile and a photo^niph uf Ihe orisftnal. A coinpU'li' n'sume of thi- eontent,< is piven bv Kaufiiiann,ln Mniiiil.wrhritI, l.sim. pp. 4ic; 4~l, 4ilil-.')0'.l. .iitt .>M,

to^relhe^wilh rliit'lulaliniis of the text, a diseu.sslon of its llnjniistlc pi'enliaritii'<. and a reprint of the elt'if>- in a peK-lioal

form (not

reroirni/i'tiasMiiti.

howovtT, byNenbauer). Further

corrections t>f the ti'.xi may Im- found in tin' review.^ by BnKlv, Zeit.f. H'hr. mill. 111. l.Vli(.M.(. na.hiT, in ;>. r. El.Juirrs. xxAil. 144 1;">1. un the idcntilv of Pattii-1. s(.i' Kaufuiann. iii i;

tl(7|/(

2»r

(Jr/teh.

Amujili ns

tiimjllil. (Jiiillni, In '/..D.M.ll.

II. 4;!tl-»4;i ; DetiiH'Je, />(rl/u(-/>j(iH/(io-, iU. i."r-m. on Ihu trenenil value of the Chronicle^ see Steinsehuelder's reuuirk In Mimat.vrlirifl. .vllv. 239.

AHIMELECH Data:

1.

S(pn of

("Brother is King ").— Biblical Ahitub, grainlson of I'hinchas,

and great -granilson of Eli. He was priest at Nob during David's halt in his High! from Saul (I Sam. Owing to his friendship for David he x.i. 1-!)). was slain bv Doeg the Edomite by order of Saul The identity df Ahiah (I Sam. (I Sam. xxii." ll-l!l). .iv. 3. IX) w itli Ahimelech is not established. I.

In Rabbinical Literature



>I

P.

The interview

be-

hallowed bread hingis upon the following Halakah: Daviil reached the priestly city on the Sabbath, and. linding the priests baking this bread, remarked to them that such work was littin.ir for the week days only tth<'

tween Ahimelech

aiol |)a

i<l

eoneerniiig

tlii'

nibbinical iiiter|)retation of the wonis ^n ^^^ Nim (1); "anil it is in a manni'r common," 1 .Sun. x.xi for the setting up of Ihe showhread was perniitled on the Sablialh day (l,ev. xxiv. S), but not the baking Concerning Aliimof it (.Men. It.Vi. Yalk. Sam. 1311). elich's hesitation to give up the bread, tradition states that David informed the priest that he was famisliing. and thai in such extri'inity all food was perniitled lo him (/.<•.)..

."i.