12th-century renaissance; Part 7 - Jewish scholars in Sepharad

[Maggie Anton]

Nearly all of the Jewish scientists, poets and philosophers of the 11th-12th century Sephardic world resided in Andalusia, as opposed to the Arab scholars who lived throughout the Muslim world. I detail 7 men below [sorry, no women here], but there were many others I left out. One of the earliest [mid 11th century] and most influential philosophers [http://www.radicalacademy.com/adiphiljewish1.htm] was Solomon ibn Gabirol of Saragossa. A neo-Platonist, he composed treatises on ethics and on metaphysics that dealt with universal themes rather than just Jewish ones. He was also one of the best-known secular and spiritual poets, composing over 400 poems. Another great Hebrew poet was Moses ibn Ezra, born in Granada, who also wrote several treatises on literary theory.

Moses ibn Ezra makes a brief appearance in “Book III – RACHEL,” while Rachel’s husband Eliezer spends several years in Toledo helping support their family. A more prominent character in my novel was Abraham bar Hiyya, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, whom I wrote as befriending Eliezer. Bar Hiyya wrote all his works in Hebrew, not in Judaeo-Arabic of the earlier Jewish scientific literature, which made him a pioneer in the use of the Hebrew language for scientific purposes. He wrote several scientific works in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and calendar calculations. He also cooperated in the translation of scientific works from Arabic into Latin. Continuing Abraham bar Hiyya’s work in Toledo was astronomer and philosopher Abraham ibn Daud, while in Navarre Abraham ibn Ezra wrote poems and mathematics treatises, in addition to biblical commentaries that clearly indicate he was familiar with Rashi’s.

The greatest medieval Jewish poet and philosopher, known also for the high volume of poetry and writings of his that survived, was Judah ha-Levi. He mainly wrote about the struggle between the Christians and Muslims for power in Spain and also about the Crusaders in Palestine. Known for writing "The Kuzari" his philosophical masterpiece that hints at a modern philosophy of Zionism and Jewish nationalism. Although he lived in Toledo during the time that I put Eliezer there, for some reason I did not have the two men meet, something I now regret.

Of course I cannot ignore Moses Maimonides, who lived a century after Rashi and apparently never knew the French scholar’s works. Called the Rambam, Moses was the greatest Jewish sage of Medieval Spain. He was a philosopher, ethicist, commentator and codifier. He wrote important texts such as "Thirteen Principles of Faith," "Guide to the Perplexed," and "Mishnah Torah,” which have become the foundation for modern day Sephardic religious dogma. He was born in Cordova and when Jews there were forced to convert, his family left Spain for Morocco and later settled in Egypt.