medieval jewish history in islamic lands

7/30/2019 Medieval Jewish History in Islamic Lands

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Seth Ward

University of Wyoming


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Muhammad 570-632

Hijrah 622

Quran

The beginnings of Jihad

Muhammad and the

Jews


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[17.1] Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the

Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of which We have blessed theprecincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; surely He is theHearing, the Seeing. [17.2] And We gave Musa the Book and made it a

guidance to the children of Israel, saying: Do not take a protector besides Me;[17.3] The offspring of those whom We bore with Nuh; surely he was agrateful servant. [17.4] And We had made known to the children of Israel inthe Book: Most certainly you will make mischief in the land twice, and mostcertainly you will behave insolently with great insolence. [17.5] So when thepromise for the first of the two came, We sent over you Our servants, ofmighty prowess, so they went to and fro among the houses, and it was apromise to be accomplished. [17.6] Then We gave you back the turn toprevail against them, and aided you with wealth and children and made youa numerous band. [17.7] If you do good, you will do good for your ownsouls, and if you do evil, it shall be for them. So when the second promisecame (We raised another people) that they may bring you to grief and thatthey may enter the Temple as they entered it the first time, and that theymight destroy whatever they gained ascendancy over with utter destruction.[17.8] It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you, and if you again

return We too will return, and We have made hell a prison for theunbelievers.

A selection from the

Quran


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Quran


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Conquest of Jerusalem 638

History of Jews in Palestine:

continue but flourish under Fatimids.

is in Babylonia.

http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htm

http://www.mideastweb.org/palcaliph1.htm

Islamic Ascendancy:

7th-13th centuries
http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htmhttp://www.mideastweb.org/palcaliph1.htmhttp://www.mideastweb.org/palcaliph1.htmhttp://www.mideastweb.org/palcaliph1.htmhttp://www.mideastweb.org/palcaliph1.htmhttp://www.mideastweb.org/palcaliph1.htmhttp://www.mideastweb.org/palcaliph1.htmhttp://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htmhttp://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htmhttp://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htmhttp://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htmhttp://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htmhttp://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htmhttp://www.fsmitha.com/h3/map02.htm


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Abbasid Empire 750 (built Baghdad 762)

Exilarch, Geonim (singular Gaon)Nathan the Babyloniandescription of the

academy and the status. (Blech)Sura and Pumbeditha

Responsa (=Fatwa) Hebrew: TeshuvaPrayerbook (based on a response by R.

Amram Gaon)

Iraq


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Translation of the Torah (Tafsir)

Beliefs and Opinions Polemics against Qaraites

Calendar controversy.

Rational vs. Traditional commandments.Free Will.Commentary on Sefer Yetsirah.Halachic monographs.Fight with David ben Zakkai.

Saadia ben Joseph

(882-942)


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Qaraites:

Anan ben David

Benjamin al-Nahawandi

Daniel al-Qumisi, Yefet ben Ali,

Khazars http://www.khazaria.com/

End of an Era: Rabbi Sherira Gaon, Rabbi Hai Gaon (d. 1038)

Qaraites, Khazars, and

Others
http://www.khazaria.com/http://www.khazaria.com/http://www.khazaria.com/


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Islamic conquest 711

Abd al-Rahman III (declares caliphate 927)

Hasdai b. Shaprut

Poetry (Dunash, student of Saadia) Samuel Ha-Nagid (993-1056)

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ha-nagid.html

Yehosef ben Samuel (1066)

Judah Ha-Levi (d. 1141)

Spain
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ha-nagid.htmlhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ha-nagid.htmlhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ha-nagid.htmlhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ha-nagid.htmlhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ha-nagid.htmlhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ha-nagid.html


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My heart is in the east, and I in the uttermost west-- How can I find savor in food? How shall it be sweet to

me?

How shall I render my vows and my bonds, while yet

Zion lies beneath the fetter of Edom, and I in Arab chains? A light thing would it seem to me to leave all the good

things of Spain--

Seeing how precious in mine eyes to behold the dust ofthe desolate sanctuary.

Judah HaLevi

,

,.


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Reconquista in Toledo (1085), Almoravides

Almohades 1146

Maimonides 1138-1204

Spain, Continued


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Fatimids: North Africa > Egypt > Palestine

Fatimid Dynasty in Tunisia 927, Conquer Egypt, Found Cairo 969

Recognize Palestinian Academy in 10th and 11th Centuries

Al-Hakim 1007-1021

Seljuk Conquest of Palestine, Manzikert in Asia Minor 1071

Maimonides arrives c. 1165 after going to North Africa and Tiberias

Saladin 1171

Egypt


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Commentary on the Mishnah (Kitab al-Siraj, perush ha-mishnayot)

13 principles in comment to Perek Helek

Rambam 13 principles and Geniza.doc

Yigdal: Words translated by Max Landsberg (Reform Jewish) and Newton Mann (Unitarian)in Rochester NY

Comm. On Mishnah: On tradition: intro to work

Ethics: 8 Chapters and commentary on Avot

Code of Jewish Laws (Mishneh Torah)

Guide of the Perplexed (Moreh Nevukhim)

Maimonides


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From the time he was little, this strong one [Abraham] used to thinkday and night about how this sphere could move without a Mover,without someone to turn it. He had neither teacher nor informer,rather, he was implanted in Ur of the Chaldees, among the foolishidolaters. His mother and father and all the people were idolaters, and

he among them. His heart continued its analysis until it perceived theway of truth and the line of righteousness from his correctunderstanding. He reached this understanding at 40 years of age

(Abraham began to proclaim this in public. The king sought to kill himbut he miraculously escaped to Harran, where he taught and attractedfollowers, and) went around from city to city and kingdom to kingdom

until he came to Canaan. (He wrote books and passed along histeaching to Isaac; Isaac passed it on to Jacob and Jacob to his sons andfollowers,) so that this matter became more and more strengthenedamong the children and followers of Jacob, so that there was acommunity that knew God.

This continued until they spent many years in Egypt and they returnedto learning their practices [i.e. those of the idolatrous Egyptians] and toworship stars like them, except for the tribe of Levi.The principlewhich Abraham had planted was almost uprooted And God in hislove for us, and in keeping with his oath to Abraham, made Moses theMaster of all Prophets and sent him and crowned [Israel] with Hiscommandments and informed them about the manner of worshippinghim and about the judgment in store for idolaters and all who follow

them in error.


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Maimonides 13 Principles

A. Exalted be the Living God and praised, He exists - unbounded by time is His existence;He is One - and there is no unity like His Oneness - Inscrutable and infinite is His Oneness;He has no semblance of a body nor is He corporeal - nor has His holiness any comparison;He preceded every being that was created - the First, and nothing precedes His precedence;

Behold! He is Master of the universe - Every creature demonstrates His greatness and Hissovereignty;B. He granted His flow of prophecy - to His treasured, splendid people;In Israel, none like Moses arose again - a prophet who perceived His vision clearly;God gave His people a Torah of truth - by means of His prophet, the most trusted of Hishousehold;

God will never amend nor exchange His law - for any other one, for all eternity;C. He scrutinizes and knows our hiddenmost secrets - He perceives a matter's outcome atits inception;He recompenses man with kindness according to his deed - He places evil on the wickedaccording to his wickedness;By the End of Days He will send our Messiah - to redeem those longing for His final

salvation;God will revive the dead in His abundant kindness - Blessed forever is His praised Name.


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1099

1170s or 1180s-Benjamin of Tudela

1187 (Saladin)

1291 (Fall of Acre and Athlit)

Crusader Kingdoms


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Al-Ghazzali d. 1111, Averroes d. 1196

Reconquista in Spain 1085-1248 (Islam limited to a small state centered inGranada)

Mamluks stop Mongols c. 1250 and finish Crusader enclave in 1291.

Baghdad falls to Mongols 1258

Ibn Taymiyya (661-728=1263-1328)http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H039.htm

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya

Islam and the Latter

Middle Ages
http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H039.htmhttp://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H039.htmhttp://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H039.htmhttp://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H039.htm


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Pact of Umar and other questions

Dhimma Status


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END OF THE ERA:

Reconquista and Expulsion from Spain1492

Ottoman conquest of Constantinople1453 Ottoman conquest of Middle East1516-17

Reformation (Luthers 95 Theses1517)

OVERVIEW

Babylonian Talmud and Geonim succeedleading to

Decentralization (Samaritan and Qaraite) Institutionalized minority taxes and legal status

Cairo Geniza allows picture of A Mediterranean Society

Overlapping Rabbinic / Philosophic / Mystical-Pietist divisions

Overview

medieval jewish history in islamic lands

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