Volume 1

The Jewish encyclopedia : a descriptive record of the history, religion, literature, and customs of the Jewish people from the earliest times to the present day / prepared ... under the direction of ... Cyrus Adler [and others] Isidore Singer ... managing editor.

Date:: 1901-1906

Credit: The Jewish encyclopedia : a descriptive record of the history, religion, literature, and customs of the Jewish people from the earliest times to the present day / prepared ... under the direction of ... Cyrus Adler [and others] Isidore Singer ... managing editor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

176/752 (page 128)

$Abraxas THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA 128 given an exposition of his views on the relations of philosophy and religion. As it is, however, these views are confused, being at one and the same time Maimonistic, auti-Maimonistic, and, in a measure, even cabalistic. A characteristic instance of his vacil- lation is afforded by his most important religious work, the “ Rosh Amanah ” (The Pinnacle of Faith), based on Cant. iv. 8. This work, devoted to the champion.ship of the Maimonidean thirteen articles of belief against the attacks of Crescas and Albo, ends with the statement that Maimonides compiled these articles merely in accordance with the fashion of other nations, which set up axioms or fundamental principles for their science; but that the Jewish re- ligion has nothing in common with human science; that the teachings of the Torah are revelations from God, and therefore are all of equal value; that among them are neither principles nor corollaries from principles: which certainly is rather a lame conclu- sion for a work purporting to be a defense of Mai- monides. It would not be just, however, to assert that Abravanel makes a pretense of championing Maimonides, while being actually opposed to him. Abravanel is no hypocrite; wherever he thinks that Maimonides deviates from traditional belief, he does not hesitate to combat him strenuously. He thus as- sails Maimonides’ conception that the prophetic vi- sions were the creations of imagination. Abravanel will not hear of this explanation even for the hat kol of the Talmud, which, according to him, was a veritable voice made audible by God—a miracle, in fact (commentary on Gen. xvi.). In like manner Abravanel exceeded all his predecessors in combating Maimonides’ theory of the “ Heavenly Chariot ” in Ezekiel (“ ‘Ateret Zekenim,” xxiv., and commentary on the “Moreh,” part iii. 71-74, ed. Warsaw). In- deed the most noteworthy feature of all Abravanel’s philosophical disquisitions is the success with which he demonstrates tlie weak points in the Maimonidean system. One point of IMaimonides’ system, however, and one that was not strictly in the line of tradition, found in Abravanel a zealous imita- As Apolo- tor; the belief in a Messiah. He felt gete. deeply the hopelessness and despair which possessed his brethren in the years following their expulsion from Spain, and set himself, therefore, to champion the ]\Iessianic belief and to strengthen it among his desponding brethren. With this aim he wrote the following three works: “Ma'yene ha-Yeshu‘ah ” (Sources of Salvation), completed Dec. 6, 1496; “ Yeshu’ot Me- shiho ” (The Salvation of His Anointed), completed Dec. 20, 1497; and “Mashmia' Yeshu’ah” (Pro- claiming Salvation), completed Feb. 26, 1498—all of them devoted to the exposition of the Jewish belief concerning the IMessiah and the Messianic age. The first-named of these is in the form of a commentary upon Daniel, in which he controverts both the Chris- tian exposition and the Jewish rationalism of this book. Curiously enough, in opposition to the Tal- mud and all later rabbinical tradition, he counts Daniel among the prophets, coinciding therein—but therein only—with the current Christian interpreta- tion. He is im])elled to this by the fact that Daniel furnishes the foundation for his Messianic theoiy. The remainder of his commentary is devoted to an exhaustive and caustic criticism of the Christian exposition. 'The second work is probably unique in being an exposition of the doctrine concerning the IMessiah according to the traditional testimony of Talmud and Midrash; it is valuable for its exhaustive treat- ment and clearness of presentation. Of no less im- portance is his third apologetie work, which con- tains a collection of all the Messianic passages of the Bible and their interpretations, in the course of which latter Abravanel very frequently attacks the Christian interpretation of these passages. It con- tains (pp. 32c-34(>, ed. Amsterdam) a description of the Messianic age as conceived by the Jewish ortho- doxy of the Middle Ages. These apologetie works of Abravanel were widely read by his coreligionists, as is evidenced by their frequent republication, and they contributed undoubtedly to the reassurance of many of his brethren as to a better future for Israel. The following list of Abravanel’s works is ar- ranged alphabetically, according to the Hebrew alphabet, the date of the first edition being given in each case: (1) “‘Ateret Zekenim” (Crown of the Ancient.s), Sabbionetta, 1557; (2) “Yeshu'ot Meshiho” (The Salvation of His Anointed), Karlsruhe, 1828; (3) “Maamar Kazer” (Short Treatise), Venice, 1574; (4) “Ma'yene ha-Yeshu‘ah ” (Sources of Salvation), Ferrara, 1551; also at Naples, no date, possibly ed. pnneeps •, (5) “Mashmi'a Yeshu'ah” (Proclaiming Salvation), Salonica, 1526; (6) “Mif'alot Elohim” (Works of God), Venice, 1592; (7) “Mirkebet ha- Mishneh ” (Second Chariot), Sabbionetta, 1551; (8) “ Nahlat Abot ” (The Paternal Inheritance), Con- stantinople, 1505; (9) “Perush” (Commentary) on the Pentateuch, Venice, 1579; (10) “Perush” on the Earlier Prophets, Pesaro, 1511 (doubtful); (11) “Perush” on the Later Prophets, Pesaro, 1520 (?); (12) “Perush” on Maimonides’ “Moreh Nebukim,” Karlsruhe, 1831; (13) “ Rosh Amanah ” (The Pinnacle of Faith), Amsterdam, 1505; (14) “ Shamayim Hado- shim” (The Ncav Heavens), Rildelheim, 1828; (15) “Zurot ha-Yesodot” (Forms of the Elements), Sab- bionetta, 1557; (16) “Teshubot” (Responsa), ad- dressed to Saul ha-Kohen of Candia, Venice, 1574. See also Araaia, David ; Bibago, Abraham. Bibliography: Autobiographical notices are given in the in- troduction to his commentaries on Joshua, Kings, and Deu- teronomy and in his Teshuhnt; Baruch ru'pin, preface to Abravanel’s Ma'nem (is of great value); Carmoly, in Jost's Annalen.lSSt), p.lOl; also an anonymous writer, ih. p.181; Luz- zatto, ibid. 1840, pp. 17, 24: Jost, Gesch. d. Tsraeiiten, iii. 104-109; Griltz, Gesch. d. Juden, viii. and ix., see index; M. H. Friedlander, Cliachme ha-Dnrnt, Briinn, 1880, pp. 1:10-1.51); Schwerin-Abarbanel, in Berliner’s Maaazui, 1891, xviii. 1.13- 145,2:1^241; Steinschneider, Cat. Bndl. No. 5302; Fiirst, BiW. Jud pp. 11-15; The American Israelite (Cincinnati, 0.),18()2, pp. 212, 220,2‘28,2:16, 244, contains a translation (incomplete) of the Rash Amanah. L. G. Isaac Abravanel: 1. Sou of Joseph Abravanel, and grandson of the Bible-commeutator; was dis- tinguished for his philanthropy and his devotion to science. He lived at Ferrara, Italy, where he died in 1573. He entrusted the education of his children to Isaac de Lattes in 1567. Amalus Lusitanus tvas in friendly intercourse with him and a frequent visi- tor at his house. 2. A rich and highly respected man who lived at Venice in 1668. Jonah Abravanel; 1. Poet; flourished at Am- sterdam in the seventeenth century; died there Aug. 11, 1667. He was the son of the ph5'sician Josejih Abravanel, and a nepheiv of ]\Ianasseh ben Israel. He wrote “Elegio em Louvar da Nova Yesiba, in- stitudo por o Senhor Yshac Pereira, de que he Ros Yesiba o Senhor Haham Menasse ben Israel” (Amsterdam, 1644). He wrote also elegies upon the martyrs Isaac de Castro Tartas (1647) and the Bernals (1655). He published ivith Dr. Ephraim Bueno, after 1630, ritualistic works and “Psalterio de David , , , transladado con toda fidelidad ” (xVmsterdam, 1644). 2. A learned and highly re- spected man who lived also at Amsterdam, where$