Saadya and Jewish kalam
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23136955 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah Stroumsa (0000-0002-3384-0685, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2003 |
| Pages | 71-90 |
| Publication date | 2003-09-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | The Cambridge companion to medieval Jewish philosophy (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1017/ccol0521652073.004 |
| OpenAlex | W2501873847 |
| ISBN | 9780521652070 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
In an oft-quoted dictum the twelfth-century Spanish polymath Abraham ibn Ezra describes Saadya as “first and foremost among speakers everywhere.” This seemingly simple sentence praises Saadya on more than one level, playing as it does on the multivalence of the word “speakers” (medabberim). The context of Ibn Ezra's phrase (in his book on Hebrew grammar) suggests that this word refers here primarily to linguists; yet it can also mean “spokesmen” in a general way, and it is also a literal translation of the Arabic mutakallimun, that is, practitioners of dialectic theology. In all likelihood, Ibn Ezra intended all these meanings together. Indeed, Saadya's towering figure dominates the emergence of medieval Jewish scholarship in all fields: linguistics and poetics, philosophy and exegesis, polemics and law, and he is also generally considered to be the most prominent representative of Jewish kalam. An inquiry into Saadya's thought, his background, and his influence can thus serve as a convenient introduction to Jewish kalam.
Judaism · Theology · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Jewish Identity and Society · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.29 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2024 (16) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |