Tamás Visi The Early Ibn Ezra Supercommentaries: A Chapter in Medieval Jewish Intellectual History Ph.D. dissertation in Medieval Studies Central European University Budapest April 2006 To the memory of my father 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 7 Prolegomena............................................................................................................................ 12 1. Ibn Ezra: The Man and the Exegete ......................................................................................... 12 Poetry, Grammar, Astrology and Biblical Exegesis .................................................................................... 12 Two Forms of Rationalism.......................................................................................................................... 13 On the Textual History of Ibn Ezra’s Commentaries .................................................................................. 14 Ibn Ezra’s Statement on Method ................................................................................................................. 15 The Episteme of Biblical Exegesis .............................................................................................................. 17 Ibn Ezra’s Secrets ........................................................................................................................................ 18 2. Literal Sense: Definition, Terminology, and Problems ........................................................... 22 Peshat : A Medieval Innovation................................................................................................................... 22 An Etic Definition of Literal Sense ............................................................................................................. 23 Saadyah’s Statement.................................................................................................................................... 23 The Meaning of Peshat in Ibn Ezra............................................................................................................. 25 “External Sense” in Maimonides................................................................................................................. 26 The Dynamics of Peshat in Ibn Ezra’s Exegesis......................................................................................... 29 Literal Sense and Epistemologization ......................................................................................................... 31 3. Ibn Ezra and Maimonides in the Post-Maimonidean Research Program............................. 32 Ibn Ezra in Pseudo-Maimonides’ Ethical Will ............................................................................................ 34 Eleazar ben Mattityah on Maimonides and Ibn Ezra................................................................................... 35 Jedaiah ha-Penini on Maimonides and Ibn Ezra.......................................................................................... 37 Judah ben Solomon Ibn Matqah’s Encyclopedia......................................................................................... 40 Ibn Ezra’s Influence on Post-Maimonidean Jewish Philosophy.................................................................. 41 Samuel Ibn Tibbon: A Scientific Research Program................................................................................... 42 Flashes of Illumination ................................................................................................................................ 45 Why Not Leo Strauss................................................................................................................................... 47 4. The Earliest Supercommentaries............................................................................................... 50 5. Reflections on Methodology ....................................................................................................... 54 Sentence, proposition, statement ................................................................................................................. 54 Analyzing Statements and Discursive Formations ...................................................................................... 56 The Historical A Priori ................................................................................................................................ 57 The Archive................................................................................................................................................. 59 Spirituality: Michel Foucault’s Definition................................................................................................... 60 Spirituality: Maimonides’ Statement........................................................................................................... 62 Technical Knowledge versus Spiritual Illumination.................................................................................... 64 Esotericism: Beyond Leo Strauss ................................................................................................................ 65 Epistemologization ...................................................................................................................................... 71 Science and Ideology................................................................................................................................... 73 On the Present Experiment .......................................................................................................................... 74 Part I: The Supercommentators ............................................................................................. 75 Constructing the Corpus of Early Ibn Ezra Supercommentaries ................................................................. 75 Lost Supercommentaries: Mosconi’s List ................................................................................................... 78 Family Traditions ........................................................................................................................................ 81 An Ibn Ezra School?.................................................................................................................................... 82 In Maimonides’ Camp................................................................................................................................. 83 Kabbalah, the Four Senses, and Polemics against Nahmanides .................................................................. 87 Institutional Framework .............................................................................................................................. 91 On the Manuscripts...................................................................................................................................... 93 Chapter 1: Moses Ibn Tibbon...................................................................................................... 100 The Tibbonide Dynasty: Philosophy, Medicine, and Power ..................................................................... 102 Chapter 2: Eleazar ben Mattityah............................................................................................... 108 3 The Basic Facts.......................................................................................................................................... 108 General Characterization of the Supercommentary................................................................................... 110 Exegetical Themes..................................................................................................................................... 113 Ancients and Moderns............................................................................................................................... 114 Information about Other Supercommentaries............................................................................................ 116 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................. 118 Chapter 3: Joseph Caspi............................................................................................................... 119 The Basic Facts.......................................................................................................................................... 119 Caspi’s Supercommentaries on Ibn Ezra................................................................................................... 122 Introduction to the Supercommentary: the Ibn Ezra Game ....................................................................... 123 Chapter 4: Avvat Nefesh: Dating and Authorship..................................................................... 130 1. Avvat Nefesh and Moses Nagari: Parallels ........................................................................................... 132 2. Avvat Nefesh and Moses Nagari: Who Quotes Whom?........................................................................ 133 3. The Introduction of Avvat Nefesh: Dating and Clues of the Author....................................................