Yehuda Alharizi
Encyclopedia
Yehuda Alharizi, also Judah ben Solomon Harizi or al-Harizi was a rabbi, translator, poet
and traveller active in Spain
in the Middle Ages
(in Toledo
? - 1165, in Aleppo
- 1225). He was supported by wealthy patrons, to whom he wrote poems and dedicated compositions.
He was a rationalist, conveying the works of Maimonides
and his approach to rationalistic Judaism. He translated Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed
and some of his Commentary on the Mishnah, as well as the Mahbarot Iti'el of the Arab poet al-Hariri
, from the Arabic
to Hebrew
.
Alharizi's poetic translation of the Guide for the Perplexed is considered by many to be more readable than that of Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon
. However, it has not been very widely used in Jewish scholarship, perhaps because it is less precise. It had some influence in the Christian world due to its translation into Latin.
Alharizi's own works include the "Tahkemoni", composed between 1218 and 1220, in the Arabic form known as maqama
. This is written in Hebrew in unmetrical rhymes, in what is commonly termed rhymed prose
. It is a series of humorous episodes, witty verses, and quaint applications of Scriptural texts. The episodes are bound together by the presence of the hero and of the narrator, who is also the author. Another collection of his poetry was devoted to preaching ethical self-discipline and fear of heaven.
Harizi undertook long journeys in the lands of the Middle East. His works are suffused with his impressions from these journeys.
He not only brought to perfection the art of applying Hebrew to secular satire, but he was also a brilliant literary critic and his maqama on the Andalusia
n Hebrew poets is a fruitful source of information.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and traveller active in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
(in Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
? - 1165, in Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
- 1225). He was supported by wealthy patrons, to whom he wrote poems and dedicated compositions.
He was a rationalist, conveying the works of Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
and his approach to rationalistic Judaism. He translated Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed
Guide for the Perplexed
The Guide for the Perplexed is one of the major works of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or "the Rambam"...
and some of his Commentary on the Mishnah, as well as the Mahbarot Iti'el of the Arab poet al-Hariri
Al-Hariri of Basra
Muhammad al-Qasim ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Hariri , popularly known as al-Hariri of Basra was an Arab poet, scholar of the Arabic language and a high government official of the Seljuk Empire...
, from the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
to Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
.
Alharizi's poetic translation of the Guide for the Perplexed is considered by many to be more readable than that of Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon
Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon
Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, more commonly known as Samuel ibn Tibbon , was a Jewish philosopher and doctor. He was born about 1150 in Lunel , and died about 1230 in Marseilles...
. However, it has not been very widely used in Jewish scholarship, perhaps because it is less precise. It had some influence in the Christian world due to its translation into Latin.
Alharizi's own works include the "Tahkemoni", composed between 1218 and 1220, in the Arabic form known as maqama
Maqama
Maqāma are an Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century...
. This is written in Hebrew in unmetrical rhymes, in what is commonly termed rhymed prose
Rhymed prose
Rhymed prose is a literary form and literary genre, written in unmetrical rhymes. This form has been known in many different cultures. In some cases the rhymed prose is a distinctive, well-defined style of writing...
. It is a series of humorous episodes, witty verses, and quaint applications of Scriptural texts. The episodes are bound together by the presence of the hero and of the narrator, who is also the author. Another collection of his poetry was devoted to preaching ethical self-discipline and fear of heaven.
Harizi undertook long journeys in the lands of the Middle East. His works are suffused with his impressions from these journeys.
He not only brought to perfection the art of applying Hebrew to secular satire, but he was also a brilliant literary critic and his maqama on the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n Hebrew poets is a fruitful source of information.
Literature to Alharizi's influence in the Christian world
- Wolfgang Kluxen, Untersuchung und Texte zur Geschichte des lateinischen Maimonides, Diss. Köln 1951.
- Idem, Literargeschichtliches zum lateinischen Moses Maimonides, RThAM 21 (1954) 23-50.
- Idem, Rabbi Moyses (Maimonides): Liber de uno Deo benedicto, Misc. Med. 4 (1966) 167-182.
- Idem, Die Geschichte des Maimonides im lateinischen Abendland, ibid. 146-166.
- George Vajda, Un abregé chrétien du `Guide des égarés´, JAS 248 (1960) 115-136.
- Görge K. Hasselhoff: Dicit Rabbi Moyses. Studien zum Bild von Moses Maimonides im lateinischen Westen vom 13. bis 15. Jahrhundert, kirchengeschichtl. Diss. Heidelberg 2003, 1st ed. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann 2004, pp. 400. ISBN 3-8260-2692-6. 2nd ed. ibid. 2005, pp. 404. ISBN 3-8260-2692-6.
External links
- Al-Ḥarizi, Judah B. Solomon B. Hophni in the Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906
- High-quality scans of Tahkemoni in Hebrew from daat.co.il
- Another scanned edition of Tahkemoni in Hebrew from hebrewbooks.org
- A full translation of Tahkemoni into German from hebrewbooks.org