The Commentary of Judah ben Solomon Hakohen ibn Matqah to Genesis, Psalms and Proverbs
This commentary by Judah ben Solomon Hakohen Ibn Matqah of Toledo (fl. 1250) to selected verses from Genesis, Psalms and Proverbs is a self-contained section from his encyclopedic Midrash Haḥokhmah, and in it the author attempts to substantiate from Scripture the philosophical views which he puts fo...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
HUC
1982
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual
Year: 1981, Volume: 52, Pages: 203-252 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | This commentary by Judah ben Solomon Hakohen Ibn Matqah of Toledo (fl. 1250) to selected verses from Genesis, Psalms and Proverbs is a self-contained section from his encyclopedic Midrash Haḥokhmah, and in it the author attempts to substantiate from Scripture the philosophical views which he puts forward in his larger work. His outlook, which is mainly Neoplatonic in character, posits three worlds: the terrestrial, the celestial (i.e. the world of the spheres), and the spiritual. This tripartite system recurs again and again in his work, and is the basis for his attitude to science, pedagogics and the nature of man. For example, in his commentary to Proverbs the corresponding tripartite division of the sciences in pedagogic order is: Physics (musar), Mathematics (binah) and Metaphysics (ḥokhmah). His philosophical approach is combined with a more midrashic form of interpretation, which gives his style a unique flavor. For example, he divides the letters of the Hebrew alphabet into three parts (units, tens and hundreds) in order to convey philosophical ideas. And Psalm 150 provides him with an opportunity (which by his own admission he cannot fully realise) to relate nine types of musical instrument to the nine spheres. There is no doubt that our author had an original mind which is amply documented by these pages from his magnum opus. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual
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