" "
Abravanel Abraxas
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
views on the relations of As it is, however, these views are (Dufuseil. being at one and the stune time Jlaimciiiistie. anti-.Maimonistie, and. in a measure, even cahalislie. A eharaelerislie instance of liis vacillation is afforded liy his most important rcliirious work, the " Hosh Amanali " (Tlu' I'innacle of Faith based on Cant. iv. 8. This work, devoted to the championship of the Alaimonideau thirteen articles of belief a.irainst the attacks of Crescas and Alho. ends with the statement that Maimonides compiled these articles merely in accordance with the fashion of other nations, which set up a.xioms or fundamental principles for their science; but that the .lewish relijlion has nothintr in common v.Mlli human science; that the teacliinjrs of the 'I'cirah are revelations from God, and therefore are ail of equal value that ainoni; them are neither principles nor corollaries from principles; which certainl)' is rather a lame conclusion for a. work purporting to be a defense of Jlainionides. It would not be just, liowever, to assert that Abravanel makes a pretense of chani]iioniiig JIaimonides, while being actually opposed to him. Abravanel is no hypocrite; wherevi'r he thinks that Maimonides deviates fnim traditional beli(d', he does lie thus asnot hesitate to condiat him si Tenuously sails JIaimouides' conception that the prophetic visions were the creations of imaginaliiai. Abravanel will not hear of this explanation even for the hit kol of the Taluuid, which, according to him, was a verital)le voice made audible by God a miracle, lu like manner in fact (ccimnientary on (icii. xvi.). Aliravanel exceeded all his predecessors in combating MainKniidcs' theory of the "Heavenly Chariot" in Ezekiel (" 'Ateret Zekenini." xxiv., and connnentary on the "Morch," part iii. 71-74, ed. Warsaw). Indeed the most noteworthy feature of all Abravanel's philosoidiical disquisitions is the success with which he demonstrates the weak points in the Mainionidean given an exposition of ])Uiloso|)liy
and
liis
ri'lijiion.
i,
.
—
system.
One point of JIaimouides' system, however, and one that was not strictly in the line of tradition, found in Abravanel a zealous imita-
As Apologete.
tor: the belief in a Messiah.
He
felt
deeply the hopelessness and despair
which possessed his brethren in the years following their exjiulsion from S|)ain, and set him.self, therefore, to cham|iion the Messianic belief and to strengthen it among his desponding Willi this aim he wrote the following brethren. three works: "Ma'yeue ha-Yeshu'ah " (Sources of Salvation), completed Dec. 6. 14!)(); "Yeshn'ot Meshiho" (The Salvation of His Anointed), completed Mashmia' Yeshu'ah " (ProDec. 20, 1497; and clainnng Salvation), completed Feb. 2G, 1498 all of them devoted to the exposition of the Jewish belief concerning the Messiah ami the ^lessiauica.ge. The first-named of these is in the form <if a commentary upon Daniel, in which he controverts both the Christian exposition and the Jewish rationalism of this book. Curiously enough, in oppo.sition to the Talmud and all later rabbinical tradition, he counts Daniel among the prophets, coineiding therein but therein only with the current Christian interpretation. He is impelled to this by the fact that Daniel furnishes the foundation for his Messianic theory. '•
—
—
—
The
renniinder of his commentary is devoted to an exhaustive and caustic criticism of the Christian exposition.
The second work is ]irobably unique in being an exposition of the doctrine concerning the ilessiah according to the traditional testimony of Talmud and Midrash; it is valuable for its exhaustive treatment and clearness of jireseutation. Of no less im-
128
portance is his third apologetic work, which contains a collection of all the Messiainc pas.sjiges of
and their interpretations, in the coui-se of Abravanel very freiiuenlly attacks the
the Bible
which
latter
Christian interpretation of these passages. It contains (pp. '.yir-AVi. ed. Amstenlam) a descriplion of the Jle.ssiainc age as conceived by the Jewish orthodoxy of the Middle Ages. These apologetic works of Abravanel were widely read by his c<ireligionisls, as is evidenced by their frc(|uent republication, and they contributed undoubtedly to the reassurance of many of his brethren as to a better future for Israel. The fiillowing list of Abravanel's works is arrange<i alpliabetically, according to the Hebrew alpliabet, the date of the lirsl edition being given
each ca.se: ""Ateret Zekenim
in
" (Crown of the Ancients), Sabbionetta, 1507; (2) "Yeshu'ot lyieshiho" (Tho Salvation of His Anointed), lOulsruhe, 1828; (3) "Maamar Kazcr" (Short Treatise), Venice, 1574; (4) " Mayene ha-Yesliuah " (Sources of Salvation), Ferrara, 1501; also at Nai)les, no date, possibly <rf. pi-iitripx (5) "JIashmi'a Yeshu'ah" (Proclaiming Salvation). Saloniea, 152G; (6) "Mif'alot Elohim" of God). Venice, l.")y2; (7) '•:Mirkebet Im(Works Mishneh" (Second Chariot), Sabbionetta, 1551 (8) "Nahlat Abot" (The Paternal Inheritance), Constantinople, 1505; (9) " Perush " (Connnentarv) on the Pentateuch, Venice, 1579; (10) " Perush " on the Earlier Prophets, Pesjiro, 1511 (doubtful); (11) "Perush" on the Later Prophets. Pe.saro. 1.520 (?); (1)
"Perush "on Maimonides'
(12)
" .Mi irdi
Nebukim,"
Karisruhe, 1831 (13) " Kosh Amanah " (The Pinnacle of Faith). Amsterdam, 1.505; (14) "Shamavim Hadoshim"(The New Heavens), Rodelheim. "1828 (1.5) "Zurot ha-Yesodot" (Forms of the Elements), Sab"Teshubot" (Responsa), adbicnietta. 1.557; (16) dres.sed to Saul ha-Kohen of Candia, Venice, 1574. See also An.M., D.^viu; Uibaoo, Ahiiailvm.
- '
BlBLiocR.vPUY:
.•iitolii(ipTaptiU'iil
troduction to
liis
coiiiiiu'iilaries
notices are piven In
on Joshua,
Kiiit.^.
the
In-
and Deu-
and in his Abnivand's Mti'nnic
Tt^shuliot ; IJanicii i-Tin. preface to (is of (Treat value); ramioly. In Jost's also an anonymous writer, i^. p.lHI; Luz-
teroiiom.v
,-l»M((?rM.l.Siit, it.Uil ; iliiil. 1S40. |ip. 17,
24:
IW
Jio/cii, vlll.
zalto.
i.iiitz, (;...r(i.
Ki'.i;
(f.
.lost, (len-li.
and
(/.
ix.,
H. Kiiclliin.lcr. Clinrlime Ua-lhirot. liriinn,
IxraeUtcn. 111. see Index; M.
18.sn,
pp.
i:i6-l.-|(l;
Rcrliticr's Miti(izin, isttl, xviii. l.'ttn«U. No. :i>ta: KiiT>it, liihl. J ml. pp. ll-l.'i; [hi- .liiiniriiii /.mu. lilr (CinciniiiLtl, (I.I. IHliS, 213. 220. 2-Js, 'S-iii, 244, contains a tnmslaliou Uucoiuplete) of pp.
Scliwcrin-.Vt'itrhancI. in 14.").
Slcinsrhncldcr, Cil.
- .':iVL'tl;
the liosh
Atnanah. L. G.
Isaac Abravanel: 1. Son of Joseph Abravanel, and graiidsdu cd the P.ible-commentator; was distinguished for his philanthropy and his devotion to He lived at Ferrara. Italy, where he died science. in 1573. to Isaac
He
entrusted the edue;iti<in of his children
de Lattes
in 15(;7.
Aniiilus Lusitanus
was
in friendly intercourse with him ami a frequent visirich and higlily respected torat his iiouse. 2. who lived at Venice in 16()8.
A
1. Poet; flourished at Am.seventeenth Century died there Aug. was the S(n] of the physician Josepli
Jonah Abravanel sterdam II.
l(ii;7.
in llie
He
man
Abravanel. and a nephew of Manas.seh ben Israel. He wrote "Elegio em Louvar da Nova Yesiba, institudo por o "Senhor Yshac Pereira, de que ho Kos Yesiba o Senhor Ilaham Menasse ben Israel (Amsterdam. 1644) He wrote also elegies upon tho martyrs Isaac de Castro Tartas (1647) and the Hernals (1655). He published with Dr. Ephraim Bueno. after 1630. ritualistic works and "Psitlterio de David transladado con toda fidelidad (Amsterdam. 1644). 2. A learned and highly respected man who lived also at Amsterdam, where .
.
.
.
