Judah Leon ben Moses Mosconi

Last updated

Judah Leon ben Moses Mosconi (born 1328) was a Bulgarian Romaniote Jewish scholar and Talmudist born at Ohrid. Owing to the wars which agitated Bulgaria in the 14th century, Mosconi left his native country about 1360. He traveled in all the three continents of the Old World. He was in Chios and Cyprus, in Négropont (where he became the pupil of Shemariah b. Elijah al-Iḳriṭi), in Laodicea, and later in Egypt (where he studied under Obadiah Miẓri, to whom he owed "the greatest part of his learning"). He was afterward in Morocco, in Italy, and in France. In Perpignan he made the acquaintance of several scholars, among them Moses Narboni and David Bongoron.

Mosconi was well versed in philosophical works, both Hebrew and Arabic; but, having a predilection for metaphysics, he occupied himself particularly with Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, on which he wrote a supercommentary. Most of the 30 supercommentaries on Ibn Ezra which Mosconi examined during his wanderings were, in his opinion, worthless. According to Mosconi, Ibn Ezra wrote his commentary on the Prophets and Hagiographa before that on the Pentateuch, which he wrote 11 years before his death.

Mosconi insisted on the necessity of studying grammar; and he blamed the commentators who neglected it. In his commentary he quotes the other works of Ibn Ezra, those of Samuel ben Hophni, Saadia's Arabic translation of the Pentateuch, Maimonides' commentary on the "Aphorisms" of Hippocrates, Averroes, and the other Arabian philosophers. Simultaneously with his supercommentary, Mosconi began to write other treatises, e.g.: En Gedi, an explanation of certain metaphysical passages disseminated in different works; Reaḥ Niḥoaḥ, a treatise on sacrifices; Ṭa'ame ha-Mibṭa, on grammar—all these works being left unfinished on account of the persecutions which he underwent.

Mosconi's preface to his commentary, in which he gives this information, was published by Abraham Berliner. [1] Mosconi also revised the Yosippon and wrote a preface to it. [2] Steinschneider [3] thinks that the Moses Mosconi mentioned by Moses Begi in his Ohel Mosheh as having written against the Karaite Aaron b. Elijah is identical with Judah Leon Mosconi, whose name was incorrectly given by Begi.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham ibn Ezra</span> 12th-century Sephardic rabbi and astrologer

Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra was one of the most distinguished Jewish biblical commentators and philosophers of the Middle Ages. He was born in Tudela, Taifa of Zaragoza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish philosophy</span> Philosophy carried out by Jews, or in relation to the religion of Judaism

Jewish philosophy includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or in relation to the religion of Judaism. Until modern Haskalah and Jewish emancipation, Jewish philosophy was preoccupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism, thus organizing emergent ideas that are not necessarily Jewish into a uniquely Jewish scholastic framework and world-view. With their acceptance into modern society, Jews with secular educations embraced or developed entirely new philosophies to meet the demands of the world in which they now found themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tosafot</span> Medieval commentaries on the Talmud

The Tosafot,Tosafos or Tosfot are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel ibn Tibbon</span> French Orthodox rabbi

Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, more commonly known as Samuel ibn Tibbon, was a Jewish philosopher and doctor who lived and worked in Provence, later part of France. He was born about 1150 in Lunel (Languedoc), and died about 1230 in Marseilles. He is best known for his translations of Jewish rabbinic literature from Arabic to Hebrew. Samuel ibn Tibbon wrote his own philosophical works, including "Sefer ha-Mikhtav", which dealt with ethics and spirituality. Samuel ibn Tibbon's translations and commentaries had a significant impact on Jewish thought and scholarship during the Middle Ages. They helped to disseminate the ideas of Greek philosophy and Islamic science throughout the Jewish world, and they also contributed to the development of Jewish philosophy in their own right.

Yehuda Leib Krinsky was a Belarusian Jewish Hebrew scholar, theologian, businessman and philanthropist, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Tobiah ben Eliezer was a Talmudist and poet of the 11th century, author of Lekach Tov or Pesikta Zutarta, a midrashic commentary on the Pentateuch and the Five Megillot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judah ben David Hayyuj</span> 10th-century Moroccan Jewish linguist

Judah ben David Hayyuj was a Moroccan Jewish linguist. He is regarded as the father of scientific grammar of the Hebrew language. He was born in Fez, Morocco, about 945. At an early age he went to Córdoba, where he seems to have remained till his death, which occurred about 1000 CE.

Jeshua ben Judah was a Karaite scholar, exegete and philosopher, who lived in eleventh-century Iraq or at Jerusalem.

Aaron ben Joseph of Constantinople, was an eminent teacher, philosopher, physician, and liturgical poet in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

Shem Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon was a Spanish Talmudist and kabbalist.

Samuel ben Hofni. He was the Gaon of Sura from 998 to 1012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moses ben Joshua</span> 14th-century Catalan philosopher and physician

Moses Narbonne, also known as Moses of Narbonne, mestre Vidal Bellshom, maestro Vidal Blasom, and Moses Narboni, was a medieval Catalan philosopher and physician. He was born at Perpignan, in the Kingdom of Majorca, at the end of the thirteenth century and died sometime after 1362. He began studying philosophy with his father when he was thirteen and then studied with Moses and Abraham Caslari. He studied medicine and eventually became a successful physician, and was well versed in Biblical and rabbinical literature.

Samson ben Isaac of Chinon was a French Talmudist who lived at Chinon. In Talmudic literature he is generally called after his native place, Chinon, and sometimes by the abbreviation MaHaRShaḲ. He was a contemporary of Peretz Kohen Gerondi, who declared Samson to be the greatest rabbinical authority of his time.

Joseph ben Abba Meir ben Joseph ben Jacob Ibn Kaspi, also known as Yosef Caspi, was a Provençal exegete, grammarian, and philosopher, apparently influenced by Averroës.

Mordecai ben Eliezer Comtino was a Talmudist and scientist.

Moses ibn Tibbon was a Jewish physician, author and translator in Provence. The number of works written by Moses ibn Tibbon suggest that he reached a great age.

Aaron of Jerusalem, also known as Abū al-Faraj Hārūn ibn al-Faraj, was a Karaite Jewish scholar of the eleventh century who resided in Jerusalem.

Aaron ben Gershon Abu Al-Rabi of Catania was a Sicilian-Jewish scholar, cabalist, and astrologer of the 15th century.

Judah ibn Balaam was an Andalusian rabbi of the eleventh century.

Moses bar Samuel ha-Kohen ibn Gikatilla was a Jewish grammarian and Bible exegete of the late eleventh century.

References

  1. ↑ In Oẓar Ṭob (1878, pp. 1–10
  2. ↑ Published by Berliner, l.c. pp. 17–23
  3. ↑ Hebr. Bibl. xiv. 90

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Herman Rosenthal; M. Seligsohn (1901–1906). "Judah Leon ben Moses Mosconi". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia . New York: Funk & Wagnalls.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.