Yefet bin Ali ( Ibn Ali al-Hasan al-Lavi al-Basri , Hebrew יפת בן עלי הלוי ;?, Basra - 980 , Jerusalem ) is a Karaite poet , exegete , commentator and translator of the Bible into Arabic .
| Yaphet bin ali | |
|---|---|
| Ibn Ali al-Hassan al-Lavi al-Basri | |
| Birth name | Yaphet Bin Ali Ha-Levy |
| Date of Birth | first half of the 10th century |
| Place of Birth | Basra |
| Date of death | 980 |
| A place of death | Jerusalem |
| Occupation | exegete |
Biography
Born in the X century in the city of Basra (modern Iraq ) in the family of the Karaite Bible commentator Ali ha-Levi bin al-Hasan.
In 950 he moved to Jerusalem , where he died in 980 .
Activities
He wrote mainly in the Jewish-Iraqi dialect of the Arabic language . Its literal translation and comments on all the books of the Bible, preserved in manuscripts, occupy dozens of volumes, only a small part of which is published. The writings of Yefet bin Ali were immediately recognized among the Karaite scholars of that time and had a decisive influence on the subsequent Karaite tradition. The scientist received from the co-religionists the honorary nickname Maskil ha-Gola (( Heb. משכיל הגולה ) - “Enlightener of the Diaspora ”).
The work of Yefet bin Ali had a significant impact not only on the Karaites , but also on the rabbis . For example, the famous medieval Jewish rabbinic philosopher Abraham Ibn Ezra quoted Yepheth bin Ali 42 times in his comments.
Thanks to his writings, a lot of information has come down to our time about the early stages of the formation of Karaite scholarship.
In his works, Yaphet bin Ali argued with the teachings of the modern sects of Judaism, as well as with Christianity and Islam (his attitude to Islam was especially hostile).
Links
- Jetf bin Ali // Jewish Electronic Encyclopedia