Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2.pdf/91

55 THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

55

Simmons, "Jew. Quart. Rev." ii. 335), in which he warned Jews not to forget their belief, although compelled to appear outwardly as Moslems. His son Moses, the greatest of Jewish thinkers, composed, when still young, a compendium of logic, and a treatise on the "Unity [of God]," in Arabic. The introduction to his commentary on Abot is also of philosophical character, and is known under the separate title, "Eight Chapters" (Pocock, "Porta Mosis," pp. 181 el xeq., ed. M. Wolff, with German translation, Leipsic, 1863). The commentary on "

Helek, " the tenth chapter of Sanhe(ib. pp. 133 et seq.), contains the " Thirteen Articles of Creed " formuides. lated by him. A system of his theology is laid down in his chief work, " Guide of the

Maimon-

drin

Munk, with French translation, compare H. Hirschfeld, "Kritische Bemerkungen zu Munk's Ausgabe des Dalalat al-

Perplexed

" (ed. S.

Paris, 1856-66;

Hairin," in " Monatsschrif t, " xxxix. 404-413, 460Another work of his is the "Consolatory Epistle, " sent to the Jews of Yemen. Maimonides was so exhaustive that after him not much was composed that could claim originality. Of those who

473).

followed in his steps, mention must first be made of his son Abraham, whose chief theological work has already been mentioned. His co-disciple, Joseph b. Judah b. Aknin (Abu al-Hajjaj Joseph b. Yahyah al Sabti al Maghrabi), to whom the "Guide" was dedicated, was himself the author of a work " Medicine of the Soul," and of another discovered by Munk. A kind of imitation of the " Moreh " is to be found in the anonymous work "Pearls of the Secrets." An abstract of Aristotelian philosophy in the style of Maimonides is given by Musa b. Tubi in his poem " Al-Sab'iniyyah," consisting of seventy verses (the original, with the Hebrew version and a commentary by Solomon b. Immanuel da Piera, edited and translated by H. Hirschfeld, Ramsgate, 1894). With the decline of Jewish philosophy the employment of Arabic also diminishes. A commentary on Maimonides' " Sefer ha-Madda' " was written by 'Ala al-Din al-Muwakkit (MS. Brit. Mus. Add. There still remains to be mentioned Judah 27294). b. Nissim b. Malka, whose work "Anas al-Gharib" contains a commentary on the " Sefer Yezirah " and the " Chapters on R. Eliezer " (Hirschfeld, " Arab.

Chrestom." pp. 19-31), and several anonymous

treat-

on "Macrocosm and Microcosm" ("Cat. Berlin," ii. 105), which Steinschneider believes to be an abstract from Joseph Kirkisani's work mentioned ises

above. An ethical treatise exists in manuscript in the Bodleian Library, Oxford (Neubauer, " Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS.," No. 1422). 9. Polemics : Here may be recorded some works of a polemical character, because they are theological as well. These comprise not only the conflicts be-

tween Rabbinites and Karaites, but also treatises written to repel the encroachments of philosophy Among these and the dogmas of other creeds. writers is David al-Mekammez, to whom is attributed

"Twenty

Treatises" (SteinschneiThe writings of Sulaiman b. Ruhaim and Jefeth (see above) abound in attacks upon the Rabbinites; but these were com-

a

work

entitled

der, "Cat. Bodl."

col. 880).

Arabic Literature of the Jews

Further attacks were Hofni (ib. col. 1034; "Z. D. M. G." viii. 551, ix. 838), by Samuel ha-Nagid (who also criticized the Koran), and especially by Judah haLevi. Affiliated to the " Alkhazari " of the lastnamed, and written in defense of Judaism, was Sa'ad b. Mansur's (1280) " Tankih al-Abhath " (L. Hirschpletely defeated

by Saadia.

made by Samuel

b.

Sa'ad b. Mansuribn Kammuna," Leipsic, 1893 Goldziher, in "Steinschneider Festschrift," pp. 110Pseudonymously attributed to Sa'ad is a 114). work dealing with the " Differences Between the Rabbinites and the Karaites " (H. Hirschfeld, "Arab.

feld, "

Chrestom." pp. 69-103). Another anonymous work the "Report of the Discussion with a Bishop." Finally, mention must not be omitted of two Jewish renegades, viz., Ibn Kusin, a physician in Mosul, and an anonymous writer who pretended to prove the truth of Mohammed's prophethood. 10. Cabala: Arabic commentaries on the " Sefer Yezirah " were written by Isaac Israeli (Steinschneider, "Cat. Berlin," i. 55), Saadia (ed. with French translation by M. Lambert, Paris, 1891), and Judah Greater activity b. Nissim b. Malkah (see above). has been displayed in the present age. An Arabic translation of the " Sefer Yezirah " was made by Abraham David Ezekiel, in Bombay (Poona, 1888). He also translated into Arabic portions of the Zohar ("Idra Zutta") (ib. 1887; Algiers, 1853), "Joseph

is

Ergas" (Bombay, 1888), "Shomer Emunim,"and the sermons of Isaac Lopez of Aleppo (Bombay, 1888). 11. Poetry and Tales Many productions that come under this heading have already been noticed at the commencement of this article and in the paragraph on Liturgy. Several poems by Karaite authors have been published by Pinsker. Single Arabic verses are to be found in many of Ibn Ezra's Hebrew poems (Rosin, " Reime und Gedichte des Abraham ben Ezra," Breslau, 1888); and in

one of Al-Harizi's Makamas (No. xi.) a poem is inserted in which each verse is divided into Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic portions. The Makamas are preceded by an Arabic preface (Steinschneider, "La Prefazione Arabica delle Makamat di Giuda Al-Harizi,"

etc.,

Florence, 1879).

Abraham

b.

Sahl, al-

though born a Jew, ranks among Mohammedan The philosophical poem of Musa ben Tubi poets. has already been mentioned. In the eighteenth century there flourished in Aden, Shalom b. Joseph Shabbezi (D"n fV 1SD, MS. Brit. Mus. Or. 4114), who compiled a diwan of Arabic poems, many of which are of his own composition. Of more recent works mention may be made of the interesting collection of epigrams, quatrains, and ditties, styled "Safinah Ma'luf," by Solomon b. Hayyim Bunan (Leghorn, 1877). For prose works on the subject of belles-lettres the chief place belongs to Moses ibn

"Kitab al-Muhadharah wal-Mudaharah "Rev. Et. Juives," xxxi. 98-117, xxxii. 62-81, 236-249; R. K. Kokowzow, " Kitab al-Muhad-

Ezra's

(Schreiner,'

St. Petersburg, 1895: portions of Arabic text with Russian introduction; H. Hirschfeld, "Arab. Chrestom." pp. 61-63). A collection of proverbs

harah,"

Isaac Crispin's in Bombay in 1889. ethical treatise was translated by Joseph b. Hasn. translation of D'ota "ID10 'D. by Abu Yusuf Habib, was printed at Oran in 1889. There also

was printed

A