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184 Asher Ashes

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Christian martyr lived toward the end of the fourth century in Sin jar, between Nisibis and Mosul in

He was born of Jewish parents.

Mesopotamia.

As

a boy he lived all alone and was shunned by his Christian and Zoroastrian companions. One day he begged to be allowed to eat with the Christian boys but they refused to allow him to do so until he became a Christian. As the church of the village was at some distance, the boys themselves baptized him performing all the necessary ceremonies and giving him the name " Abda da-Meshiha " (Servant of the Messiah). They even pierced his ears, and hung in the right ear an earring, a custom not observed by the Jews. Asher's mother hid him from his father, who was a rich man and head of the Jewish community, fearing his wrath if the story should become

184

At the same time Asher was not hostile to philosophy. Judah ibn Tibbon, in a letter to Asher, praised his fondness for science, and in his testament exhorted his son to cultivate Asher's friendship. Asher's alleged leaning toward the Cabala, mentioned by Graetz, is not proved the fact that he

was responsible for the translation of Gabirol's " Tikkun Midot ha-Nefesh " is no proof for or against The cabalists had a strong his cabalistic leanings.

visions of Jesus, of hell, and of death. bishop, happening to be in the village, blessed him. On a Sabbath-day, when. his father held a feast, the boy's conversion became

leaning toward Gabirol's mysticism; and, after all, the above-mentioned work of Gabirol is moral, rather than strictly philosophical, in its tendencies. Asher was the author of several Talmudic works, " Hilkot of which the following are cited by title Yom-Tob," rules for the holidays; " Sefer ha-Matanot," a work referring perhaps to the tithes payable to the priests. Neither of these writings seems to have been preserved. According to an entry in the manuscript of the small " Midrash Aseret ha-Dibberot," Asher was its author, but the statement is Compare Midrashim, Minor. not verifiable.

known

Bibliography

'

known. The boy then had

A

own

his

because he refused to eat with Jews. Asher ran off to the well where he had been baptized, but

was killed there by his father. The boys who had baptized him found the body and buried it. A few days afterward a company of merchants camping near by saw a light burning over the grave and smelt fragrant odors coming from beneath the stone. They were Christians and took the body away, a rich man promising to build a church in the boy's honor. Over the place where the grave had been a little church was built, with the inscription, "This is the place of martyrdom of the Messiah's martyr, 'Abd al-Masih." After a time the father grew old and was troubled by evil spirits. He had to be taken to the place where his son had died, and together with The day all his household embraced Christianity. of Asher's martyrdom is given as the twenty-seventh of

Tammuz

(July), 390.

is

The text of this Syriac legend was first published with a Latin translation by Corluy in Analccta Bollandkma, 1886, v. 5-53: and the text alone was republished in Bedjan's Acta Marturum et Sanctorum, i. 1T3 et sefj., Paris, 1890. Compare also ZeiUchrift fur KatlwL ische Theologie, 1887, ii. 196 ; Wright, Catalogue, of Syriac Manuscripts, p. 1146; Steinschneider, Prilcm. und Apolog. Lit. p. 115; Assemani (Bihlititheca Orientalia, III. i. 285) mentions an Arabic account of Asher's conversion according to J. Bollig, however, the manuscript does not contain it. But in MS. Arab. No. 145 of the Vatican Library there is a Tractatus de Animo Bationali, Auctorc ATtdelmessia Israelita, and also by the same author, Artieuli Brevet de Trinltate et LTnitate Dei, composed in 1241 at Cairo. Steinschneider has confounded the two 'Abd al-Masihs.

Bibliography





G.

T.

ASHER B. MESHTJLIiAM

'

Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, ed. Wilna, p. 34: Gratz, Gesch. der Juden, 3d ed., vi. 203; Gross, Gallia Judaica, pp. 280-281 Renan and Neubauer, Les Ecrivains Juifs Francais, pp. 468-469; Reifmann, Toledot B. Zeraltyah, p. 48; Literaturhlatt des Orients, 1849, p. 481; Michael, Or fta-Hayyim, No. 552. L. G. k.



ASHER BEN SATJX (Ha-Kohen) OF LUNEL French writer on ritual lived in the four:



teenth century. He wrote a work upon the various rites current among the Jews, entitled, "Sefer haMinhagot," which exists in manuscript in the Cambridge (England) University Library (MS. Add. Do. Asher is mentioned in the responsa of Solo5, 38).

mon ben Simon Duran (Responsum, No.

195, ed.

Livorno, 1742, p. 34a); in the "Kol Bo," which cites certain extracts on the blessings (§ 24) and in the manuscript, " Sefer Asufot " (No. 48). Bibliography Renan and Neubauer, Les Bobbins Francais,



probably no historical background to the story, as the Arabic form of the name, " 'Abd alMasih," shows that it is of much later origin than the text would have us believe. In the Syriac, "'Abda da-Meshiha" does not occur as a proper name.

There





Talmudist; flour-

ished at Lunel in the second half of the twelfth century. He was a son of the well-known scholar Meshtjllam ben Jacob, and a pupil of Joseph ibn Plat and Abraham b. David of Posquieres, whose Benjamin of Tudela, ascetic tendencies he shared. in the first part of his "Travels," says that Asher lived in complete seclusion, wholly devoted to the study of the Torah, and that he never tasted meat.

Gallia Judaica, p. 281; Michael (Orha-tlayconfounds Asher ben Saul with Asher ben

p. 511; Gross, yim, p. 552)

Meshullam.

G.

ASHER SELIG BEN JTJDAH MARGOLIOT.

See Margoliot,

Asher Selig ben Judah.

ASHER BEN SIMEON

Religious poet of Ger: lived at a period not later than 1546. He wrote a selihah (penitential poem) entitled mntJ'K

many, who

JIvV ?N TOS, which is not to be confounded with a similar selihah by Kalonymus ben Judah (Zunz, "S. P." p. 255). In this poem, which consists of fifteen five-lined strophes, the author prays for the welfare of the king of the land in which he lives. Zunz claims some connection between Asher ben Simeon and Asher of Frankfort, who was author of a short " widdui" (confession) mentioned by Joseph ben Phinehas Hahn in his " Yosif Omez," § 483, p. 58*.

Bibliography



Zunz, Literaturgesch.

p. 390.

G.

ASHER ZEBI BEN DAVID



Hasidic rabbi of

Korets, Volhynia, and later " maggid " (preacher) of Ostrowo, government of Lomza in Russian Poland; flourished at the beginning of the nineteenth century. He was a pupil of Israel Baal-Shem's successor, Baer of Meseritz. Asher is the author of "Ma'ayn