|
Abraham Ibn Ezra
From Outcyclopedia, the free and queer encyclopedia.
Rabbi Isaac Abraham ben Meir Ibn
Ezra (also called Ibn Ezra and Abenezra) was a medieval poet, grammarian, scriptural commentator, philosopher, numerologist/mathematician, and astrologer/astronomer. He was born in Toledo (some sources say Tudela), Spain in 1082 (other sources say 1092 or 1093), during the Golden Age of Jewish culture
in that country.
Rabbi Ezra was a friend and colleague of the philosopher
and poet Judah ha-Levi, whose daughter he married. By 1140,
three of his children had died and his one surviving son had converted
to Islam. That same year Ezra began wandering Europe as a poor scholar, writing
his famous treatises and poems and visiting England, Italy, Egypt,
and Palestine. Most of his poems are spiritual, or deal with a wry and humorous resignation to his hard life. Others are odes to beautiful young men, which are more than a little homoerotic in nature.
Rabbi Ezra was best known for his
studies in Scripture, using the fundamentals of Hebrew grammar and philology
with heavy Neoplatonic and pantheistic influences. Through his work in this area was laid much of the foundation for what is known as the "Higher Criticism" of Scripture. He was perhaps
the first to question the traditional attribution of the Pentateuch, the first five books
of the Old Testament, to Moses, noting that certain terms and phrases were
used in the books which were not commonly used in Moses's time. He also asserted that the Book of Isaiah
was in fact the work of two different authors, something now generally accepted. Ezra did not proclaim his opinions openly for fear of execution for heresy, though his theories today are generally accepted among Biblical scholars.
Ezra's commentaries on the Book of Genesis suggested that the account only
applied to the terrestrial, or "sublunar" world, formed from pre-exisiting
matter, while the intermediate world of the celestial spheres (i.e. stars
and planets) pre-dated the Earth, and the upper "intelligible" world emanated
from God. All creation, he said, was analogous to a series
of multiplications progressing from the One. Ezra also wrote
commentaries defending the rabbinic oral traditions against the Karaites,
a Jewish sect which rejected Talmud in favor of a sole reliance on the
Bible.
His studies into astrology were based on the belief
that the science allowed greater understanding of certain laws and narratives
in the scriptures. His studies in astronomy and mathematics are credited with helping to lay the foundations of the modern scientific method.
Ezra is also credited with reintroducing Hebrew grammar
to Europe. Hebrew grammars at the time were written in Arabic,
and most European Jews outside Spain had forgotten Hebrew grammar entirely.
The rabbi wrote two grammatical treatises, Moznayim ("the Scales," written in 1140) and Zahot ("Correctness," written in 1141), which became immensely popular. He also introduced the decimal system to Jews in Europe. Accordsing to some accounts, Rabbi
Ezra died in Calahorra, Spain in 1164. Others have him dying in January of 1167, with the whereabouts of his death unknown. Robert Browning's "Rabbi Ben
Ezra" is based on him, and a crater on the Moon is named in his honor. Works of Note (per Wikipedia entry) Biblical Commentaries
His chief work is the commentary on the Torah, which, like that of Rashi, has called forth a host of super-commentaries, and which has done more than any other work to establish his reputation. It is extant both in numerous manuscripts and in printed editions. The commentary on Exodus published in the printed editions is a work by itself, which he finished in 1153 in southern France.
The complete commentary on the Pentateuch, which, as has already been mentioned, was finished by Ibn Ezra shortly before his death, was called "Sefer ha-Yashar."
In the rabbinical editions of the Bible the following commentaries of Ibn Ezra on Biblical books are likewise printed: Isaiah; the Twelve Minor Prophets; Psalms; Job; the Megillot; Daniel. The commentaries on Proverbs and Ezra (with Nehemiah) which bear Ibn Ezra's name are by Moses Kimhi. Another commentary on Proverbs, published in 1881 by Driver and in 1884 by Horowitz, is also erroneously ascribed to Ibn Ezra. Additional commentaries by Ibn Ezra to the following books are extant: Song of Solomon; Esther; Daniel. He also probably wrote commentaries to a part of the remaining books, as may be concluded from his own references.
Hebrew Grammar
(1) "Moznayim" (1140), chiefly an explanation of the terms used in Hebrew grammar; as early as 1148 it was incorporated by Judah Hadassi in his "Eshkol ha-Kofer," with no mention of Ibn Ezra (see "Monatsschrift," xl. 74), first ed. in 1546.
Smaller Works, Partly Grammatical, Partly Exegetical
(1) "Sefat Yeter," in defense of Saadia Gaon against Dunash ben Labra?, whose criticism of Saadia, Ibn Ezra had brought with him from Egypt; published by Bislichs 1838 and Lippmann 1843.
Religious Philosophy
"Yesod Mora" (1158), on the division of and reasons for the Biblical commandments; 1st ed. 1529.
Mathematics, Astronomy, Astrology
(1) "Sefer ha-E?ad," on the peculiarities of the numbers 1-9.
As Poet
There are a great many other poems by Ibn Ezra, some of them religious (the editor of the "Diwan" in an appended list mentions nearly 200 numbers) and some secular.
External links:
Rabbi
Abraham Ibn Ezra's Commentary to the Torah
Ibn
Ezra
Entry revised 2 November, 2004. All text is available for use under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (see Copyrights for details).
|
