Arabic Beyond the Arabs
Saadia of Fayyum: the Torah in Arabic
سعيد الفيّوميّ (سعديا): التوراة بالعربيّة
Saʿid al-Fayyumi, a Jewish scholar from Egypt's Fayyum, led many of the Jews of Iraq under the caliph al-Muqtadir. He explained the Hebrew scriptures, the Torah among them, and translated them into Arabic, written in Hebrew letters. al-Masʿudi, who met most of these translators, says many Jews preferred his commentary. He also wrote his Book of Beliefs and Opinions in Arabic.
- In brief
- A Jewish scholar from the Fayyum who explained his people's scriptures and put them into Arabic
- Outside Arabic
- Saadia Gaon
«فيعتمدون في تفسير الكتب العبرانية … وترجمتها إلى العربية، على عدة من الإسرائيليين المحمودين عندهم، قد شاهدنا أكثرهم … ومنهم سعيد بن يعقوب الفيومي.»
al-Masʿudi calls him Saʿid ibn Yaʿqub; he is known as the son of Yusuf, so the card omits his father's name. He lived from 882 to 942. Sarkis records the Book of Beliefs and Opinions as printed in Hebrew and Arabic by Landauer at Leiden in 1881.
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Sources
- المسعوديّ، التنبيه والإشراف، تصحيح عبد الله إسماعيل الصاوي، دار الصاوي، القاهرة، ص٩٨
- يوسف إليان سركيس، معجم المطبوعات العربيّة والمعرّبة، مطبعة سركيس، مصر، ١٣٤٦هـ/١٩٢٨م، ١/١٠٢٦ (رقم العمود)
- Wikipedia: Saadia Gaon
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