Arabic Beyond the Arabs
Judah Halevi and the Kuzari
يهوذا اللاويّ و«كتاب الخَزَريّ»
Judah Halevi (d. 1141), the greatest Hebrew poet of al-Andalus, wrote his defence of his faith in Arabic and called it «The Book of Argument and Proof in Defence of the Despised Faith». It is known as the Kuzari, for it imagines the king of the Khazars questioning the sages of each religion before choosing his own. The poet, says Pérès, «writes in an elegant Arabic style», and his dialogue became a model for some Christian authors in Spain, the greatest of them Ramon Llull.
- In brief
- The most famous defence of Judaism was written in Arabic
- Outside Arabic
- Kuzari
«ومؤلَّفه الرئيسيّ هو "كتاب الخزريّ" الذي هو عبارةٌ عن قصّةٍ فلسفيّة بالعربيّة…»
The print garbles his name; his birthplace is disputed between Toledo and Tudela. The influence on Ramon Llull is Pérès's view and is given as such. The full title of the book is not in the lecture.
Click a card to see it full size; each has a download button for sharing.
Sources
- هنري بيريس، مجلّة المجمع العلميّ العربيّ ١٩/٩ (١٩٤٤م)، ص٤٠٤
Spotted a mistake, or have something to add?
Your note comes to us only; it is not published here. We read it, and if it holds we correct the card.
