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THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

therefore, the existence of this

world is not only a Ibn Sina declared— in order to make concessions to the orthodox— but also a necessity. Driven from the Arabian schools, Arabic philosophy found a refuge with the Jews, to whom belongs the honor of having transmitted it to the Christian world. A series of eminent men— such as the Tibpossibility, as

—

bons, Narboni, Gersonides joined in translating the Arabic philosophical works into Hebrew and com-

menting upon them. The works of Ibn Roshd espebecame the subject of their study, due in great measure to Maimonides, who, in a letter addressed to his pupil Joseph ibn Aknin, spoke in the highest terms of Ibn Roshd's commentary. The influence which the Arabic intellect exercised over Jewish thought was not confined to philosophy it left an indelible impress on the field of Biblical exegesis also. Saadia's commentary Influence on the Bible bears the stamp of the on Motazilites; and its author, while not Exegesis, admitting any positive attributes of God, except those of essence, endeav-

cially

castle

Al-Ablak

in

Arabic Philosophy Arabic Poetry

Taima (middle

Among Arab authors PreIslamic Poetry.

of sixth century). of all ages he is the prototype

of fidelity; having sacrificed his son's life in order to keep a pledge given to

a friend,

who was no

al-Kais, the

Arab

poets.

other than

Imr

most eminent of the old The poem composed by

Samau'al on the incident has often been printed, both in the original and in different translations, although various recensions obscure the true text. Another

poem attributed to him is of doubtful authenticity. Samau'al's son Jarid is also said to have been a poet. At the time of the birth of Mohammed there flourished in Medina the poet Al-Rabi ibn Abu AlHukaik, of the Banu al-Nadhir, of whose poems several are still extant. In one of them the sentence occurs: "There is a remedy for every illness; but folly is incurable."

The poet Shuraih, whose epoch is uncertain, is the author of a fine distich of which the following is a translation

ors to interpret Biblical passages in such a way as to rid them of anthropomorphism. The celebrated

" Associate thyself to the noble, if thou And a way to their brotherhood And drink from their cup, though thou shouldest drink two-

commentator, Abraham ibn Ezra, explains the Biblical account of Creation and other Scriptural passages in a philosophical sense. Nahmanides, too, and other commentators, show the influence of the

To the pre-Islamic period belongs also a poet named Abu al-Diyal, who was not, however, a Jew by birth.

philosophical ideas current in their respective epochs. This salutary inspiration, which lasted for five consecutive centuries, yielded to that other influence alone that came from the neglected depths of Jewish and of Neoplatonic mysticism, and which took the name of Cabala.

Bibliography

For Arabic philosophy, see Ritter, Gesch. der Philosophic, yii. viii.; Wenrich, De Auctorum Grcecorum Versionibus, Leipsic, 1842 Brucker, Hfet. Crit. Philos. viii. Munk, Mela7iges de Philosophic Juive et Arabe, 1859 Haureau, De la Philosophic Scolastique Jourdain, Recherches sur les Traductions d'Aristote Renan, Averroes et VAverroisme, Paris, 1862 Steinschneider, Al-Farabi. For Jewish philosophy, see Scbmiedl, Studien ilber JUdische Philosophic 1869 Kaufmann.IWe Attributenlehre in der Jttdisehen Religionsphil/jsophie, 1877; idem. Die Spuren Al-BatlayusVs in der Jttdisehen Religionsphilosophie, 1880; Joel, Ibn GabiroVs Bedeutung filr die Geschichte der Philosophies in Beitr&ge zur Gesch. der Philosophic (Anhang), 1876 Scheyer, Psychologie des Maimonides J. Guttmaim, Die Religionsphilosophie des Saadia, 1882 idem. Die Philosophic des Solomon ibn Gabirol, 1889 idem, Die Philosophic des Abraham ibn Daud. The best monograph on Arabic Philosophy is : Worms, Die Lehre von der Anfangslosigkeit der Welt b. d. Arab. Philosophcn, in BeitrUgc «. Geschichte der Philosophic des Mittelalters, vol. iii. Heft iv.





















K.

I.

Bk.

ARABIC POETRY:

The poetic literature of Arab Jews, to judge from the specimens handed down, must be about as old as Arabic Poetry in general, and in the main is of the same form and stamp. Two epochs may be distinguished; viz.: (1) The pre-Islamic or lyrical, and (2) that which is coeval with Mohammed and entirely polemical. Of the first epoch the oldest verses known are by the poetess Sarah, of the tribe of the Banu Kuraiza, who, the

in a short dirge, bewailed the treacherous slaughter

by an Arab chief of many of her compatriots. incident, which took place toward the end

This

of the fifth century, is also alluded to in a verse of an unknown Jewish poet. The Jewish poetry of this epoch culminates in the songs of the famous AlSamau'al (Samuel) b. Adiya, who inhabited the

fold poison."

A

great change is noticeable in Jewish poetry in the second period, when Mohammed had settled in Medina. After the expulsion of the Banu Kainuka, the poet Ka'ab ibn al-Ashraf, of the Banu al-Nadhir, recognized the danger which now threatened all the Medinian Jews. He traveled to Mecca and incited the Kuraish in poems to revenge themselves for the defeat suffered at Badr. It appears that Mohammed alluded to Ka'ab's polemic poetry in Poetry of the simile of "a dog which, if thou Moham- drive him away, putteth forth his med's Time, tongue, or, if thou let him alone, putteth forth his tongue also " (Koran, vii. 174). The points of the simile are not only the alliteration of " Ka'ab " and " kalb " (dog), but also the putting forth of the tongue, which was regarded Ka'ab was soon afteras a symbol of poetic satire. ward assassinated at the instigation of Mohammed. His poems have been preserved by Moslem biographers of Mohammed and his death was bewailed in verse by another Jewish poet, Al-Sammak, whose effusions are also still in existence. Shortly before Mohammed attacked the Banu

Kuraiza

— the last remaining Jewish tribe in Medina

—a woman of this tribe embraced Islam.

Her husband, named Aus, tried to entice her to return, and addressed a few lines of entreaty to her which are The murder of Hujaij, rabbi of the still extant. Banu al-Nadhir, was lamented in a poem by Jabal ibn Jauwal, who also bewailed the fate of the exThe last poet of this pelled and massacred tribes. class was Marhab. He was a native of Yemen who had adopted Judaism, and fought against the Moslems when they attacked Khaibar, the last Jewish stronghold. In a poem of three verses he challenged one of Mohammed's heroes to single combat, and This closes the list of Arabicfell in the contest. Jewish poets of ancient times. The next centuries