"
Abdallah ibn Saura
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEniA
Abdon
Tlu> simiv which evi-n modern scholars bi-lii-ve have Imil in the iiroiliu'liiin of the Modinian jiart of the Korjin is. Iherefori', illiisory. bethis peiiod llie work was, in the main, comcause at pleted. Abdallah was. however, able to provide Abdalliili to
^Mohammed during this period with information from Jewisli sources, which subsec|Uently reappeared in the form of sayings attributed to Molianinied. Therefore he may be regarded as one of the fathers of the lladith, and especially of several important legends whiili tend to glorify Mohammed's youth. To Abdallah is ascribed a small pseiidonyTnons catechism (printed in Cairo) styled " Queries by Abdallah ibn Salam." containing questions he is sjtid to have addressed to JFoliammed. Abdallah left two sons,
Mohammed and
Vusnf.
Sprenper. Lihni
BiBi,]n(:ii.M'iiv:
<1.
Mohammad,
t.
40.
M
Ulrsclitelil. IliiliiliiezurKrlil(lniii{i <l. ivnniii. p. .'V2; Steliisrlnifider. l^tthinisvlic uwl AiMthmttischf LH. j). 112; Wolf, MulKlnnnoluniftfhe Kschtttittimit-. p. tiS ; El-Nawawi. Tlif Hi"!//-. Diet. Ill' Illnytriiiii.i Mni. n. WustenfeM. p. :M7.
H. HlU.
ABDALLAH IBN SAURA:
One
of those
whom Moslem
traditionisis number among Jlohammed's opiKinents in .Medina. He was the rabbi of the Banu Tlia'laba ibn Fityaun, and, according to several tradilions, one of the most learned of Medinian rabbis. Whenever Mohammed entered into tbeological discussions, Abdallah ibn Saura was put forward by his coreligionists, and is .said to have
caused the revelation of sura ii. 1-9 by summoning MoliammiMl to embrace Judaism. Abdallah's refusal to adopt Islam is alleged to liave led to the revelation of sura iv. 50. On one occasion Mohammed iiKiuired of him whether there was not a law in the Torah with respect to adnllery. Thereupon Abdullah acknowledged Mohammed to be a prophet, but afterward withdrew his ennfession. Later traditions give several other details, which are, however, unreliable.
BrnuocRAPHV: Dan Lehni ^[llllnmmrl^s iliii
Inhnh. ed. Wu.<tenfi'lil.
Biilriliie
zur
Erhliirtiini
ili
pp. <
- t>l,
Kimiii.
iiui-h
Jsn. p.
Miilinmmiil
3flii:
Hii-schfelil,
M. II.
Hnj.
ABDALLAH IBN UBAIY A
chief of the al-Khazraj at Jledina and a power:
Aral) tribe
Banu
opponent of ilohaiumed. who had undermined Abdallah's influence in that city. lie was the head ful
of the party that Mohammed called " Hanifa." Being an ally of the Banu Kaiuuka'a and jealous of Mohamme<rs growing power, he succeeded in preventing their slaughter after they had surrendered. He also encouraged the Banu al-Nadhir to resist
Mohammed,
btit failed to
come
to their aid
when
they were attacked. When Mohammed mobilized the Sloslem forces for the exi>edition against Syria in G30. Abdallah. with his Jewisli allies who had remained in Jb'dina, formed a separate camp, which, however, did not join the main army. His disajipcarance was a death-blow to the party which still showed op(iosition to Mohammed, and also caused the linal e.xjiulsion of the Jews who had been allowed to stay in Medina. BlBLiocR.vPHV: Wcllhausen. Miihammed in Mcdina.p. ^S; S|>ivuger, Lcbcn d. Muhnmmad. ill. 572. H. Hin.
ABDAN
ABIDAN
ABBA
(contraction of Palestinian seholarof the first amoraic generation, who lived about the beginning of the third century. As a disciple and clerk (aiiiora) of Rabbi (Judali I.) he seems at times to have been too officious in his bearing toward the members of the rabbinical college. Thus, when R. Ishmael ben Yose. who was very corpulent, seemed to be forcing his .1
YTJDAN): A
44
way into the college in a manner contrary to the college rules. Abdan exclaimed. "Who is he that strides over ihr heads of the holy jieople?" When the innocent man replied. "It is I. Ishmael ben Yose. to learn the Law from Ralibi." Abdan who am come retorted, "Art thou worthy to learn from Rabbi '!" Piqued by this insolence, Ishmael asked, "Was Moses worthy to learn from the Almighty " Thereupon Abdan inquired, "And art thou JlosesV" To which Ishni;i<l made the reply, "And is thy master the Almighty On that very occasion, liowever, after Rabbi hail entered the college hall, an opi>orluiiity presented itself for Ishmael to |)rove himself an expert in halakic knowledire. while Abdan. who, coming back from an errand, attempted to force his way tlirough the assembled crowd, was ordered by Rablii to remain at the door. Legend adds that Abdan was severely imnisheil for his arrogance. He himself was visited with an attack of eczema, and two of his sons were drowned. His memory, however, was revered as that of a good man. for R. Xahinan b. Isaac, in referring to this legend, thanked iSod for abasing Abdan in this worhl and not reserving his punishment for the world to cnmie. '/
'/
BIBLIOCRAI'IIV: -T/i
yiihliili.
Tc?).
Old
KW)
f^rii.
Yir.I]cr.t,v.fd; Bat), R. x. S.
S.
ibid.
M.
ABDEEL
or ABBIEL ("Servant of God"): Father of Sliclemiali. who was one of the men ordered by King Jclioiakim to capture Jeremiah and his scribe BariicU (Jer. xxxvi. 26). The Se])tua.gint omits the name. G. B. L.
ABDI
1 . Son of Malluch, a Levite descended .Merari (I Chron. vi. 4-t). 2. Father of Kish.
from
a Levite. also of the family of Merari. but living in the time of Hezekiah (H Chron. xxix. Vi). 3. One of the sons of Bene i;iam who had "takea stransrc wives" (Ezra. x. 26; I Esd. ix. 27). G. B. L.
ABDI HEBA A
B.C.,
king of Jerusalem about 1400
whose name (read by some, Ebed Tob)
is re-
El-Ainarna Tablets, t^mm the letters sent by Abdi Heba to the Pharaoh of E.irypt it appears that the former owed his kingship not to royal parentage, but to the direct favor and appointment of Pharanli. Abdi lleba had tlie misfortune to be king when the whole country was in fear of conipiest by the Ilabiri (Letter 179). and he asks repeatedly for an army (Letters 179-183) or, at least, an otliccr to command (Letter 182). As the result of a conspiracy false charges are made against Abdi Heba, who defends himself (Letter 179). The outcome is corded
in the
not known. BiBLi00R.pnv Sep tlie text in Abol and Winekler's Thnnlaftlfinul vnti TcU cl-Amarua, translated bv WMnekler In Sclira:
der's A'. Ii. v. :)IH ct sir/. (Entr. inins. of this vol., Lonrlnn. 1S90): W. M. Fllndi-i-s Petrie. Siirin ninl Kauiil, pp. I-.I . ( ffq..
New
York. Isiis; Zimmeni. Dii Ki iliii.ilirifllirii u ini< in Ztitmhrift fUr .{".iwinUniii vi.2).V;.">El; .Mmris
Jaiixalcm Jastrow,
.
ThcLctten
<if
AhdiHcl>a,iK.
H-ii;.
G. B. L.
ABDIAS
ABDIEL the
trilii'
of
("
Servant of God "): Son of Grsi, of (I Chron. v. 15). G. B. L.
Gad
ABDIMA Abudmi,
Obadiah, the prophet (IV Esd. i. 39). G. B. L.
all
(called also e(|uivalent to
— comiiare Jastrow.
"Diet."
Abdimi, Abudma, Ebdimus = Eudemus p.
'd:
and
in the Biiby-
Talmud frequently contracted
to Dimi): Xante of several Palestinian amoraiin. known also in Babvlonia. One of them is mentioned in the
Ionian
