Natan'el al-Fayyumi

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Part of a series on
Jewish philosophy
Guide for the Perplexed
Hellenistic
    		•
    Medieval
    • Positions:
      • Tosafist
    Modern
    		•
    Topics

    Natan'el al-Fayyumi

    Duties of the Heart, and which Al-Fayyumi composed, in his own words, to counter some of the basic principles and tenets of Judaism expressed by Ibn Paquda, writing in his 3rd chapter that God's unity is far greater than that described by Ibn Paquda.[3] Like the Ismailis, Natan'el argued that God sent different prophets to the various nations of the world, containing legislations suited to the particular temperament of each individual nation. Each people should remain loyal to its own religion, because the universal teaching was adapted to the specific conditions and experiences of each community. Not all Jewish depictions of Muhammad
    were negative. Jews who lived in environments governed by Ismailis did not view them as enemies, and vice versa.

    Nathanel explicitly considered Muhammad a true prophet, who was sent from Heaven with a particular message that applies to the Arabs, but not to the Jews.

    Judeo-Arabic Bustan al-Uqul, asserts that due to Muslim attempts to catch Jews saying something against their faith–one who said that Muhammad was a false prophet would be judged for death–Nathanel was compelled to teach his people arguments and responses that would save them from ensnarement.[8][9]

    Ismaili teachings speak of an evolutionary sequence of prophetic revelations, which will culminate in the era of the messianic

    al-Qa'im
    , who will unite all humanity in acknowledging God. Ismaili doctrine acknowledges that a single universal religious truth lies at the root of the different religions and that each of the historical revelations plays a role in preparing the path for that universal truth.

    There were Jews, such as Natan'el, who accepted this model of religious pluralism, leading them to view Muhammad as a legitimate prophet, albeit not Jewish, sent to preach to the Arabs, just as the Hebrew prophets had been sent to deliver their messages to Israel.[10]

    Within a single generation, Natan'el's son Yaqub was compelled to turn to Maimonides, asking urgently for counsel on how to deal with a new wave of religious persecutions and forced conversions that was threatening the Jews of Yemen, an exchange which prompted Maimonides to compose his famous Epistle to Yemen. The letters and intellectual dialogue between Yaqub, Maimonides and Saladin had a lasting effect upon the Yemenite Jews.

    Etymology

    There is a dispute between Rabbi

    Fayyum in Egypt.[11] Qafih, dissenting, thinks the name to be only a given name to the father of Rabbi Natan'el who was named "Fayyumi," the name that many children in Yemen were then affectionately called-by, owing to the love the people had for Rabbi Saadia Gaon al-Fayyumi.[12]

    See also

    References

    1. ^ "A history of Jewish philosophy in the Middle Ages" By Colette Sirat
    2. ^ Rabbi Yosef Qafih, in his Introduction to the book, Garden of the Intellects, writes that the name "Fayyumi" was written without the definite article "al" (the). He cites references to the effect that the name was not used in Yemen as a surname, but only a private name, named after Rabbi Saadia Gaon who was called "al-Fayyumi."
    3. ^ Natan'el al-Fayyumi, Sefer Gan HaSikhlim ("Garden of the Intellects"), ed. Yosef Qafih, 4th edition, Kiryat Ono 2016, Introduction (p. 10) [Hebrew].
    4. ^ The Bustan al-Ukul, by Nathanael ibn al-Fayyumi, edited and translated by David Levine, Columbia University Oriental Studies Vol. VI, p. 105
    5. ^ Gan ha-Sekhalim, ed. Qafih (Jerusalem, 1984), ch. 6.
    6. ^ http://www.edah.org/backend/JournalArticle/3_2_Shapiro.pdf On Books and Bans, by Marc Shapiro, Edah Journal 3:2, 2003, The clearest support for Sacks' position is provided by R. Netanel ben al-Fayyumi (twelfth century), who maintains that "God sent different prophets to the various nations of the world with legislations suited to the particular temperament of each individual nation." Although Sacks is motivated by a post-modern vision, the medieval R. Netanel also claimed that God's truth was not encompassed by Judaism alone.
    7. ISBN 0-567-08161-3
      , p. 137 Netanel's work was virtually unknown beyond his native Yemen until modern times, so had little influence on later Jewish thought
    8. ^ Kafih edition (Hebrew) pages י-יא, available at https://www.otzar.org/wotzar/book.aspx?149871&lang=eng
    9. ^ Radical Rabbinic View on the Prophethood of Muhammed, Sefer Toldoth Adam blog. 11 February 2013.
    10. ^ The Bustan al-Ukul, by Nathanael ibn al-Fayyumi, edited and translated by David Levine, Columbia University Oriental Studies Vol. VI, p. 105
    11. Ben-Zvi Institute
      (Hebrew).
    12. ^ Rabbi Yosef Qafih, in his Introduction to the book, Garden of the Intellects, writes that the name "Fayyumi" was written without the definite article "al" (the). He cites references to the effect that the name was not used in Yemen as a surname, but only a private name, named after Rabbi Saadia Gaon who was called "al-Fayyumi."
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Natan%27el_al-Fayyumi&oldid=1220819822"