In the course of their long history on Iranian soil the Jews of Iran have produced a large body of literature which has been little studied and published. This volume deals with one of the most prominent Jewish poets of Iran, known as 'Emrānī (1454-1536 C.E.). The book consists of three parts. The first part studies 'Emrānī's time, life and work and analyzes in depth the poet's last major work entitled Ganj-nāme (The Book of Treasure). Ganj-nāme, which is closely modeled after compositions of classical Persian literature, is 'Emrānī's...

Samuel ben ḥofni Gaon was head of the Yeshiva of Sura in Baghdad during the cultural renaissance which characterized the Buyid period. His writings reflect the impact of Arabic literature on Jewish intellectuals at this time. The first part of this volume presents the known details of his life and extensive writings and describes the dynamics of contemporary, tenth-century Jewish culture: the decline and temporary restoration of the yeshivot and the intellectual activity outside of them. Additionally, some of the basic concepts of his thought, strongly influenced by Mu'tazilite...

This volume contains fifteen articles on the communal, social, and intellectual life of medieval Jewry in Islamic lands. The book is divided into three parts. Part I, 'Communities and Their Leaders' is devoted to the old Babylonian center in the East and the Andalusian community in the West. Part II, 'Self-Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Others' investigates the ways in which medieval Jews living under Islam viewed their gentile neighbours and expressed their own identity. Part III, 'Religious Philosophy, Mysticism, and Spirituality in Islam and Judaism' explores the impact of Islamic...

The three surviving versions of the Gospels in Syriac are of considerable importance both for Biblical and for Semitic Studies. The Old Syriac, preserved in two manuscripts, is one of the earliest translations of the Greek Gospels; the Peshiṭta remains to this day the official Bible of the Syriac Churches, while the ḥarklean is a masterpiece of mirror-translation. This new edition conveniently provides for the first time the text of all three versions together. The texts of the two Old Syriac manuscripts, the Peshiṭta and the ḥarklean are drawn from the best sources...

This volume explores how the poetic technique of biblical metaphor was analyzed within the Jewish exegetical tradition that developed in Muslim Spain during the Golden Age of Hebrew poetry and was then transplanted to a Christian milieu. Abraham Ibn Ezra and Maimonides applied concepts from Arabic poetics, hermeneutics and logic to define metaphor and interpret it within their philological-literary readings of Scripture. David Kimhi integrated their methodologies with the midrashic creativity and sensitivity to nuance typical of his native Provence to create a new literary interpretive system...

The first steps in Hebrew secular poetry took place around the turn of the ninth century, under the impact of contemporary Arabic poetry. This impact was so great that some researchers, incorrectly, define the Hebrew poetry as a school which is distinct from the Arabic school only by virtue of its Hebrew language. However, the right way to the essence of medieval Hebrew poetry is not only by revealing and describing its ties with Arabic poetry but also by determining the specific characteristics by which it stubbornly distinguished itself from its Arabic contemporaries. This innovative...

This book deals with the history of the Jews in Muslim countries, and consists of four parts; the central part is the second one which is a comprehensive history of the Jews of Iraq and Iran, from the seventh to the thirteenth centuries; the first part discusses the origin of the Jews in Yathrib (al-Madina) and the references to Jews in the founding document of the Muslim umma; the third part is a history of Sicily and its Jews during the period of Muslim rule; the fourth part deals with the role played by Jews in the economic life of the Muslim countries in the early Middle Ages. The studies...

The Jewish Bible commentary was created in the Islamic East during the tenth century by scholars seeking a rational, systematic approach to Scripture. Among its earliest champions were the Karaites, scripturalists who denied rabbinic authority. Seeking to restore Judaism to its biblical roots, they wrote numerous commentaries in Judeo-Arabic. Through the investigation of key topics, this book traces the contours of early Karaite biblical exegesis. Subjects covered include: halakhic indeterminacy; dream interpretation; the Song of Songs as salvation history; Psalms exegesis as liturgical...

This volume contains selected, refereed papers from the ninth conference of the Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies held at Emory University, Atlanta, in 1999. The title of this volume, Esoteric and Exoteric Aspects in Judeo-Arabic Culture highlights the theme running through many of the conference papers: the diversity and vitality of Judeo-Arabic culture. The volume represents the interdisciplinary nature of the field. There are articles on Jewish thought, philosophy and mysticism, language and linguistics, religious studies, intellectual and social history, law, biblical exegesis, and...

This collection takes the Hebrew book as a focal point for exploring the production, circulation, transmission, and consumption of Hebrew texts in the cultural context of the late medieval western Mediterranean. The authors elaborate in particular on questions concerning private vs. public book production and collection; the religious and cultural components of manuscript patronage; collaboration between Christian and Jewish scribes, artists, and printers; and the impact of printing on Iberian Jewish communities. Unlike other approaches that take context into consideration merely to explain...