Abraham ibn Ezra
Medieval Jewish commentator, philosopher, and pioneer of biblical criticism.
Abraham ibn Ezra was a distinguished Jewish biblical commentator and philosopher of the Middle Ages, born in Tudela, Navarre, around 1089 or 1092.[1][2]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1089 - 1092
- Birthplace
- Tudela, Taifa of Zaragoza
- Died
- 1164 - 1167
- Known for
- Biblical commentaries
- Children
- Isaac ibn Ezra
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
He married and had five children, but four died early, and his last-born son Isaac converted to Islam in 1140.[3] He also translated works of grammarian Judah ben David Hayyuj from Judeo-Arabic to Hebrew, beginning in 1140.[4] Abraham ibn Ezra's birthplace was Tudela, a town then governed by the Muslim emirs of the Taifa of Zaragoza.[5] After relocating to Córdoba, ibn Ezra stated that city was his birthplace, yet the consensus among researchers is that Tudela was his actual place of birth.[5]
The conversion of his son Isaac to Islam in 1140 caused ibn Ezra considerable distress, prompting him to compose numerous poems in response.[3] Judah Halevi, who was about fourteen years ibn Ezra's senior, was a close companion of his.[6] The works for which ibn Ezra is most famous—his rationalist Torah commentaries and secular poetry—were created during his years of travel.[6] In 1140, ibn Ezra issued his initial biblical commentary, which was on the book of Ecclesiastes, and five years later, while in Lucca, he produced a concise commentary covering the entire Pentateuch.[7]
What the cited sources add
Spinoza also cites ibn Ezra's reference to Mount Moriah being called the mount of God, a name acquired only after the Temple was built.[8] Spinoza concludes that the Pentateuch was not written by Moses, but by someone who lived long after Moses.[8] Spinoza further argues that the book of the law of God which Moses wrote was not the Pentateuch, but something quite different.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Abraham ibn Ezra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Encyclopaedia Judaica, pages 1163–1164; Jewish Encyclopedia (online); Chambers Biographical Dictionary gives the dates 1092/93 – 1167 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Abraham ibn Ezra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A Theologico-Political Treatise: Part 2: Chapter VIII.—Of the Authorship of the Pentateuch and the Other Historical Books of the Old Testament", www.sacred-texts.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Abraham ibn Ezra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "IBN EZRA, ISAAC (ABU SA'D) - JewishEncyclopedia.com", www.jewishencyclopedia.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Abraham ibn Ezra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sela, "Abraham Ibn Ezra's Scholarly Writings: A Chronological Listing", Aleph, 2006, p. 13–55; Jewish Encyclopedia (online); Chambers Biographical Dictionary gives the dates 1092/93 – 1167 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Abraham ibn Ezra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jewish Encyclopedia (online); Chambers Biographical Dictionary gives the dates 1092/93 – 1167; "IBN EZRA, ABRAHAM BEN MEÏR (ABEN EZRA) - JewishEncyclopedia.com", jewishencyclopedia.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Abraham ibn Ezra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jewish Encyclopedia (online); Chambers Biographical Dictionary gives the dates 1092/93 – 1167 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Abraham ibn Ezra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sela, "Abraham Ibn Ezra's Scholarly Writings: A Chronological Listing", Aleph, 2006, p. 13–55 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "A Theologico-Political Treatise: Part 2: Chapter VIII.—Of the Authorship of the Pentateuch and the Other Historical Books of the Old Testament", www.sacred-texts.com. facts only, no text reused. sacred-texts.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Abraham ibn Ezra (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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