Year: 2004
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: One of the most intriguing features of Andalusī Jewish culture is, according to Ross Brann, "a startling fusion of the sacred and profane [ . . .] particularly in the manner the poets devoted themselves to the idea of beauty" (11).Hebrew poets of al-Andalus had two primary vehicles for expressing the idea of beauty: the Classical love poetry of the Arabic tradition, and the Biblical Hebrew love poetry of the Song of Songs. 1 This places the Song at the center of the most compelling cultural problem of Jewish Al-Andalus.Like Hebrew Andalusī culture, the Song itself is similarly torn between secular and sacred fields of meaning.It is a secular love poem of breathtaking beauty that has been historically interpreted as a religious allegory.The work of the Judeo-Spanish poet and exegete Abraham Ibn Ezra (d.1167 C.E.) featuring the language of the Song is perhaps the best showcase of the interplay between sacred and secular in Hebrew Andalusī literature.When it comes to the Song, Ibn Ezra literally wrote the book on it, a commentary that gives equal treatment to its literal and allegorical meanings.2 He also made use of the language of the Song in many literary works of various genres.Through his work we are privileged with a unique glimpse into the beating heart of Hebrew Andalusī culture.Abraham Ibn Ezra lived from 1092-1167 CE.This places him at the end of the Golden Age of Andalusī Hebrew cultural production, and he is the last of the great Andalusī courtierrabbis.He was born in Tudela, in Northern Spain and he lived in al-Andalus until 1140 CE, when the invasion of the less than tolerant Berber Almohads inspired him to take a trip to North Africa in search of better working conditions.The trip never ended, and led him to Italy, France, England, and back to France where he lived until his death (Weinberger 1-8).He was an incredibly active intellect and writer.While most recognized for his biblical commentaries, he also penned over one hundred books on medicine, astrology, mathematics, philosophy and linguistics.Finally, he was a prolific poet, and left behind a staggering collection of piyyutim, or religious poems, as well as secular poetry and the rhymed allegorical philosophical narrative Hayy ben Meqits ('Alive, Son of Awake') adapted from the Arabic Hayy ibn Yaqzān of Ibn Sīnā (b.980 CE). 3 Abraham Ibn Ezra was a rationalist par excellence.In fact, he was so well known as such that he was condemned by his contemporary Nahmanides for favoring rationalist interpretations of the Bible over midrashic aggadot, traditional stories about biblical characters (Weinberger 10).This tendency of his is evident in his commentary on the Song, which breaks sharply with the previous traditional interpretations.The Song is perhaps the most commented book of the Bible, and certainly one of the most popular (Block 1).The greatest intellectual figures of the Middle Ages, Christian and Jew 1 Hereafter referred to as the Song.All translations of Hebrew texts are mine unless otherwise indicated.2 The commentary appears in the various editions of the traditional Mikra'ot Gedolot, a rescension of biblical text and commentaries.English translation is by Richard Block. 3 This work should not be confused with the Hayy ibn Yaqzān of Ibn Tufayl (d.1185), which expands and novelizes Ibn Sīnā's work, but also differs from it philosophically (Goichon).Weinberger notes that Ibn Ezra's Hebrew Hayy ben Meqits is couched in a more poetic idiom than Ibn Sīnā's Arabic original, laced with metaphorical figures (116).
Author: David A. Wacks
Language: English
Topic: Medieval Iberian Studies
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W794984470