Joseph ben Abraham

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Not to be confused with Joseph ben Abraham Gikatilla.

Joseph ben Abraham (

St. Petersburg
.

His Al-Tamyiz

Another extant work of his is Al-Tamyiz, called also Al-Mansuri (Brit. Mus. Or. No. 2568). It was translated into Hebrew, with some additions, by Tobiah ben Moses under the title Mahkimat Peti (Oxford, Leiden, Paris, St. Petersburg). It is divided into thirty-three chapters, and treats in abridged form all the non-

Saadia's work and often used it. The Mahkimat Peti (xxiii) is quoted, under its Arabic title Al-Mansuri, by Joseph ibn Tzaddik in reference to God's sufficiency; ibn Tzaddik criticizes also the Mu'tazili theory adopted by Joseph ben Abraham (xxvii) concerning the reward reserved in the next world for animals and children in return for the sufferings inflicted upon them in this world ( 'Olam Katan, ed. Adolf Jellinek
, pp. 46, 70).

Joseph quotes in the Muhtawi and Al-Tamyiz the following works of his, which are no longer in existence: Sihat al-Istidlal bi-al-Shahd (Shahr) 'ala al-Ghaib, probably on the proofs of the existence of a Creator; Ahwal al-Fa'il; Al-Muhit, in Hebrew, Shefot ha-Shofeṭim; a writing on, perhaps against,

neomenia and the celebration of the Feast of the First Fruits. Abraham Harkavy supposes that these arguments were discussed also in another work of Joseph's entitled Kitab al-Hidayah. Joseph is supposed to have been the author also of: Tzidduk ha-Din, on eschatology; She'elot u-Teshubot (Arabic, Mas'ail wa-Jawa'ib), containing thirteen philosophical questions addressed to Jewish and non-Jewish scholars; and Peri Tzaddiḳ, a chapter on theodicy
.

Influence on Karaism

Joseph was considered one of the greatest authorities among the Karaites. To him was due the reform introduced in the laws of

Motazilites
, and his main work, the Muhtawi but for the few Biblical quotations contained therein, might have been signed by any Moslem.

Joseph discussed only the general questions of

Mosaic law has been abrogated. The value of his works lies only in the information they furnish concerning the Kalam of the Mu'tazili. It is probable that in representing the Karaite theologians as Mutakallamin (Moreh, lxxi), Maimonides
alluded to Joseph.

References

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  • "Joseph ben Abraham ha-Kohen ha-Ro'eh".
    Jewish Encyclopedia
    . Funk and Wagnalls, 1901–1906; which gives the following bibliography:
  • Dukes, in Orient, Lit. x.250;
  • Geiger, Wiss. Zeit. Jüd. Theol. v.207;
  • Pinsker, Liḳḳuṭe Ḳadmoniyyot, ii.192 (and see Index);
  • Fürst, Gesch. des Karäert. ii.50 et seq.;
  • Jost, Gesch. des Judenthums und Seiner Sekten, ii;
  • Neubauer, Aus der Petersburger Bibliothek, p. 7;
  • P. F. Frankl, in Monatsschrift, xx.114;
  • idem, Ein Mutazalitischer Kalam im 10. Jahrhundert, in Sitzungsberichte der Wiener Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philologisch-Philosophische Klasse, 1872, vol. lxxi;
  • Harkavy, in Berliner's Magazin, v.22;
  • idem, Zikkaron la-Rishonim, i, part 3, p. 45;
  • idem, in Rahmer's Jüd. Lit.-Blatt, 1878, No. 9;
  • idem, in Stade's Zeitschrift, 1881, p. 156;
  • Steinschneider
    , Leyden Catalogue, pp. 169 et seq.;
  • idem, Hebr. Uebers., pp. 450 et seq.;
  • idem, Die Arabische Literatur der Juden, §50.

Notes

  1. ^ Karaism
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