Yefet ben 'Ali's commentary on the Hebrew text of the Book of Job I-X
Abstract
This thesis is a critical edition of the Judeo-Arabic
commentary on the Hebrew text of the Book of Job by one of
the greatest Karaites of his age (second half of the tenth
century A. D.), Yefet Ben 'Ali the Karaite.
An examination of the photocopies and microfilms of the
original Manuscripts of Yefet Ben 'Ali written in the XIth,
XIV-XVIIth, XVth and XVIth centuries resulted in a delimitation
of the number of chapters in this edition i.e. chapters I-X.
None of the four Manuscripts is complete and I have tried to
complete the presentation of the first ten chapters of Yefet's
commentary on the Book of Job by filling in the gaps of the
master copy which I used (Ms. A., Or. 2509 B. M. ) from the other
Manuscripts. I used it as a main text because it is almost
a complete copy compared with the others, as far as the first
ten chapters are concerned. The four Manuscripts which I used
are housed in the British Library in London.
This edition is prefaced by an introduction, comprising
a discussion of the information we possess about Yefet's life
in Basrah and Jerusalem, with reference to his works in general
and the authenticity of his work on the Book of Job in particular.
This is followed by a description and analysis of the commentary,
discussing the method used by the commentator, and how he made
it possible for large numbers of Jews in non-Arabic speaking
countries to make free use of his interpretations of biblical
texts allied to the Karaite theological viewpoint and its
relationship to Mu'tazilite views. There follows an analysis
of the language used by Yefet in his text and exegesis, i.e.
morphology, orthography and so on.
A comparison is then made with Saadia Gaon, including a brief
discussion of the language and exegesis of the two scholars which
deals with the fundamental characteristics of Judeo and classical
Arabic; in addition, notes on the text are appended in which attention
will be drawn to Yefet's characteristic vagueness in interpreting
the Hebrew text of the Book of Job.
Special attention is paid to the vowels in each of the Manuscripts, and
differences between the Manuscripts are footnoted throughout the
text of this edition.
The appendix takes cognisance of M. E., i.e. Opp. Add. 4.165
of the Bodleian Library, listing fully the differences between it and
the printed text of this edition.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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