Jeshua ben Judah
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Jeshua ben Judah, also known as Abu al-Faraj Furqan ibn Asad, was a
He was a pupil of Joseph ben Abraham. Jeshua was considered one of the highest authorities among the Karaites, and he was called "the great teacher" (al-muʿallim).
Like all the Karaite leaders, he was very active propagandist; his public lectures on Karaism attracted many inquirers. Among these was aRabbinite from Castile named Sidi ibn Ibrahim al-Taras, who, after having accepted the Karaite teachings, returned to his native country, where he organized a powerful propaganda by circulating Jeshua's writings. The greatest service, however, rendered by Jeshua to Karaism was his accomplishment of reforming the laws concerning Jewish views on incest, a reform his teacher had advocated.
Biblical exegete
Jeshua's activity in the domain of Bible exegesis was very extensive. He translated the
Jeshua wrote two other Biblical works, an Arabic commentary on the
Rules of Relationship
Jeshua was also the author of a work on the precepts entitled Sefer ha-Yashar, which has not been preserved. From it was probably extracted his treatise on the degrees of relationship within which marriage is forbidden, quoted by him under the title Al-Jawabat wal-Masa'il fi al-'Arayot, and known in the Hebrew translation made by
Jeshua was also the author of the following philosophical treatises, probably translated from the Arabic: Marpe la-'Etzem, in twenty-five short chapters, containing proofs of the creation of the world, of the existence of God, and of His unity,
Notes
Resources
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Jeshua ben Judah". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. It contains the following bibliography:
- Pinsker, Liḳḳuṭe Ḳadmoniyyot, p. 71 and Index;
- Fürst, Gesch. des Karäert. ii. 162 et seq.;
- Gottlober, Biḳkoret le-Toledot ha-Ḳera'im, p. 195;
- G. Margoliouth, in J. Q. R. xi. 187 et seq.;
- Steinschneider, Hebr. Uebers. pp. 459, 942;
- idem, Die Arabische Literatur der Juden, § 51;
- Schreiner, in Bericht der Lehranstalt, 1900;
- Neubauer, Aus der Petersburger Bibliothek, pp. 19 et seq.