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THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

admits to be true aud all prophets declare that the spheres have beea created from nothing. However, not satisfied with religious proofs only, Bashyazi tries to give philosophical arguments, and being unable to furnish them in the strictly Peripatetic way, he demonstrates his article of belief by Avicenna's theory of " the necessary " Relies upon and "the possible," which he wrongly

Philosophy.

attributes to Aristotle. Since philosophy proves that the existence of all beings, except God, is only " possible," the spheres, as well as the first matter, must have been created otherwise their existence would be a

"

necessary (2)

"

one like that of God. Tha t all beings have a creator who 1ms not created

himself.

This

As

is

the corollary of the

first article

of belief.

was demonstrated that beings were created, they must have had a creator. All movement presupposes a motor either physical or spiritual. As the heavens are moved by a physical motor, this motor in its turn must have another motor; and so it

forth until the Prime Mover, God, is reached. (3) That God has no likeness and is absolutely one. The fact that the existence of God only is necessary proves that He has no likeness. He must also be one; for if there were two beings whose existence was necessary, one of them must have been the cause of the other. In that case there would be only one whose existence was necessary. On the other hand, in supposing each of them to be his own cause, one must have a distinguishing quality which the other does not possess; for if both were identical in all things they would form one and a being to whom qualities can be attributed is necessarily composed, and must therefore have a creator. As for the attributes of God found in the Bible they must be taken negatively.

That God sent Moses. Bashyazi examines prophecy from the philosophical point of view and, demonstrating it to be true, he claims that there is no hindrance to a belief in Moses' mission. (5) That He gave through Moses His Law, which is (4)

Bashuysen Bashyazi

that although they are suffering, they should hope every their deliverance by the Messiah, the son of

day for David.

The other works of Bashyazi are: (1) "Iggeret ha-Zom" (Letter on Fasting on Saturday), divided into three sections. This letter was directed against Solomon Sharbit ha-Zahab, who opposed the opinion of Aaron b. Elijah the Karaite. (2) Bashyazi's " Iggeret Gid ha-Nashh " (Letter on the Other Sinew Which Shrank, Gen. xxxii. 33),

Works. too,

was

discussing the question whether the prohibition extends to fowl. This, directed against Solomon Sharbit ha-Zahab.

"Iggeret ha-Yerushah" (Letter on Inheritance). These three works have been published by Firkowitz (Koslov, Eupatoria, 1835) with the second edition of the "Aderet." (4) "Halukat ha-Karaim" (The Schism of the Karaite). (5) "Keli Nehoshet" (Tool of Copper), on the use of the astrolabe and its construction, together with a treatise on astronomy. (6) " Melizat ha-Mizwot " (The Precepts in Verses), imitated from the "Azharot" of Ibn Gabirol. This was published in the Karaite prayer-book, ed. Vienna, ii. 175. Bashyazi wrote also many prayers which were embodied in the Karaite [prayer-book (ed. Vienna, iii. 226). (3)

Bibliography

Fiirst, Oesch. cles Karllerthums, pp. 304-310 Bikkoret la-Toledot ha-Karaim, p. 158 Yost,

Gottlober,





Judenthums, ii. 331 el seq. P. Karaiten, in Erseh and Gruber, Encyklopildie, Oesch.

cles



1883; Neubauer, pp. 60, 140 et seq.

Aus

cler

Petershurger

F.

Frankl,

p. 18, note, Bibliotliek, 1866,

k.

I.

Br.

BASHYAZI, HILLEL BEN MOSES:

Ka-

lived at Constantinople in the first half of the sixteenth century. He was the author of a commentary upon the Karaite prayer-book entitled " Tehillat Adonai " (The Praise of God). The work raite scholar



extant in manuscript and is quoted by Simin " Orah Zaddikin." Bibliography Jost,Ge«c7i. des Judenthums und Seiner Secis still

hah Yizhak Luzki

ten,

ii.

370



Neubauer, A.us der Petersburger Bibliothek,

p. 64.



perfect. (6)

That

know

tlie

language and

Law.

All the existing translations of the Law have in many passages altered the sense therefore, the believer must learn the Hebrew language in order to be able to read the Law in the original.

That God inspired the other prophets. That God will raise up the dead on the Day of Judgment. Bashyazi did not undertake to prove article 8 philosophically, accepting the tradition as satisfactory. Moreover, it is made plausible by the fact that God (7) (8)

(9)

I.

Bk.

BASHYAZI, MOSES BEN ELIJAH:

Ka-

great-grandson of Elijah Bashyazi; born at Constantinople in 1537 died in 1555. When but sixteen years of age, he displayed a remarkable degree of learning and a profound knowledge of foreign languages. He undertook for mere love of knowledge a voyage to Palestine and Syria in order to explore these countries and to collect old manuThough he died at such an early age, scripts. he had composed many works, four of which are extant in manuscript (Leyden, St. Petersburg, Paris) (1) "Sefer Yehudah" or "Sefer 'Arayot," on proIn this work he enumerates hibited marriages. former authors that had written on the same raite scholar;



the believer slwuld

the interpretation of the

made Adam

K.

of clay.

That God rewards and punishes every one

ac-

cording to his merits or demerits. This article of belief being in close connection with Providence and Omniscience, Bashyazi refutes the opinion of certain philosophers who assert that God's knowledge bears only upon the universalities

and not upon individual (10) That God did not

things. reject the exiled [Jews]

,

and

subject, such as Al-Basir, Joshua Furkan,

Aaron

ben Elijah. (2) " Zebah Pesah " (The Passover Sacrifice), on the celebration of the festival days, in which he quotes many passages from the Arabic originals of Abu al-Fardosh Harun's commentary the Pentateuch, from the commentary of Joseph Kirkissani, from the works of Joshua ben Judah Furkan, and the "Sefer ha-Mizwot" of Kumisi. (3) " Matteh Elohim " (The Rod of God), which contains a history of the Karaite schism the chain of

upon