Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIn Jewish Piety in Islamic Jerusalem, Jessica Andruss has unearthed a lesser-known historical treasure: a commentary on the biblical book of Lamentations written by Salmon ben Yerūḥīm, an erudite Karaite Jew whose scholarship represents an intersection of Judaism and Islam, Hebrew and Arabic, and the rabbinic and medieval periods. A representation par excellence of the experimental beginnings of a new genre of Jewish commentary form, through her detailed, formidable, and impressive research, Andruss has opened the doors for lay people and scholars alike to a critical nexus in time. * Aaron J. Hahn Tapper, Mae and Benjamin Swig Professor of Jewish Studies, University of San Francisco *
Jessica Andruss' Jewish Piety in Islamic Jerusalem is a triple achievement and gift. It is the first extensive study and partial (but also extensive) translation of Salmon ben Yerūḥīm's tenth-century Arabic translation and commentary on the Book of Lamentations. It is a learned and subtle inquiry into the relationship between the emergence of Jewish biblical commentary and Islamic techniques of exegesis. And it is a call for attention to the fascinating and important role that Karaite 'Mourners for Zion' assigned to historical hermeneutics and historical reflection as they sought to make sense of God's plan for the world and its peoples. * David Nirenberg, Author of Neighboring Faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, Medieval and Modern *
With much care and insight, Andruss elucidates a text of vital importance for understanding the Karaite 'Mourners for Zion' movement in tenth-century Jerusalem. The plaintive tone of Lamentations lent itself naturally to the Mourners' focus on Jerusalem's destruction and through the practice of commentary Salmon Ben Yeruhim explored ascetic ritual and historical reflection in a decidedly Islamic key and thus transformed the biblical poem into a presentist book of guidance and exhortation aimed at ending the condition of Exile. * Jonathan Decter, Edmond J. Safra Professor of Sephardic Studies, Brandeis University *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Part One: Studies Preface Notes on the Translation Chapter One: Lamentations and the Mourners for Zion Chapter Two: The Lamentations Commentary of Salmon ben Yeruhim Chapter Three: Salmon's Engagement with Rabbinic Sources Chapter Four: Salmon's Approach to Figurative Language Chapter Five: The Art of the Homily Chapter Six: The Hermeneutics of Historical Reflection Conclusion Part Two: Selected Translations from the Commentary Invocation Introduction Lamentations 1 Lamentations 2 Lamentations 3 Lamentations 4 Lamentations 5 Glossary of Salmon's Arabic Terms Bibliography
