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59 Arabic Philosophy Arabic Poetry

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

59

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 Tibbons, Narboni, Gersonides joined in translating the Arabic philosophical works into Hebrew and commenting upon them. The works of Ibn Roshd especially became 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 Eoshd'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 therefore, the existence of this possibility, as

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Saadia's commentary exegesis also. Influence on the Bible bears the stamp of the Motazilites; and its author, while not on Exegesis, admitting any positive attributes of God, except those of essence, endeavors to interpret Biblical passages in such a way as The celebrated to rid them of anthropomorphism. commentator, Abraham ibn Ezra, explains the Biblical account of Creation and other Scriptural pas-

sages in a philosophical sense. Nahmanides, too, and other commentators, show the influence of the 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. For Arabic philosophy, see Ritter, Gesch. der Philosophie, vil. vili.; Wenrlch, De Auctnrum Qrmcorum

Bibliography



Versionibus, Leipsle, 1842; Brucker, Hist. Crit. Philos.

vlll.

et Arabe, 1859 Haula Philosophic Scolastique Jourdaln, Rccherches sur les Traductions d'Aristote ; Renan, Avcrroes et VAvcrroteme, Paris, 1862 Steinschneider, Al-Farabi. For Jewish philosophy, see Scbmiedl, Studien ilber Jilddsche Philosophic, 1869 Kauf mann.ZKe Attributenlehrc in der Jlldischcn Reliaionsphilosophie, 1877; idem, Die Spuren Al-BatlayiusVs in der Jlldischcn ReUgionsphilosophie, 1880; Joel, Ibn GdbiroVs Bcdeutuna fttr die Gesehiehtc der Philosophie, in BeitrUae zur Gesch. der Philosophic (Anbang), 1876; Seheyer, Psychologic des Maimonides; J. Guttmann, Die Reliyionsphilosophie des Saadia, 1882 idem, Die Phvlosophie des Solomon ibn Qabirol, 1889; idem, Die PhilosoThe best monograph on phic des Abraham ibn Daud.

Munk, Melanges de Philosophic Juive reau,

De











Arabic Philosophy losigkeit der

is:

Welt

Worms, Die Lehre von der AnfanasArab. Philosophen, in BeitrUae

b. d.

Geschichte der Philosophic Heft iv. z.

des

Mittclalters, vol. I-

k.

ARABIC POETRY:

The

iii.

Br.

poetic literature of

the 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 the poetfirst epoch the oldest verses known are by ess Sarah, of the tribe of the Banu Kuraiza, who, in a short dirge, bewailed the treacherous slaughter

by an Arab chief of many of her compatriots. This incident, which took place toward the end of the alluded to in a verse of an The Jewish poetry of epoch culminates in the songs of the famous Samau'al (Samuel) b. Adiya, who inhabited fifth

century,

is also

known Jewish

poet.

unthis

Althe

castle

Al-Ablak

Among Arab

in

Taima (middle

authors of

all

of sixth century). is the prototype

ages he

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

PreIslamic Poetry.

who was no

other than Imr most eminent of the old Arab poets. 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

a friend,

al-Kais, the

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 Al-

Hukaik, 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 " Associate thyself to the noble, If thou And a way to their brotherhood And drink from their cup, though thou shouldest drink twofold poison."

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

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, The points of the simile are not only the vii. 174). 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 biogra-

phers 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 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.

—a

Banu al-Nadhir, was lamented in a poem by Jabal fate of the exibjt Jauwal, who also bewailed the The last poet of this pelled and massacred tribes. Yemen who class was Marhab. He was a native of had adopted Judaism, and fought against the Moslems when they attacked Khaibar, the last Jewish In a poem of three verses he challenged stronghold. and one of Mohammed's heroes to single combat, This closes the list of Arabicfell in the contest. Jewish poets of ancient times. The next centuries