The conversions of ʿAbdallāh ibn Salām (d. 43/633): A legendary moment in the biography of Muḥammad's Jewish companion

The Jewish scholar ʿAbdallāh b. Salām is a legendary figure from early Islam who is regarded in Islamic tradition as the archetypal Jewish convert to Islam during the Prophet's career, the pre-eminent authority on Jewish scriptures in seventh-century Arabia, and a renowned Companion. This study examines the traditions on Ibn Salām's conversion that were recorded in the biographical literature and Quranic commentaries of classical Islam and identifies the literary tropes from Muḥammad's biography featured in these traditions. Scrutiny of the evidence shows that the reports on the date and circumstances of Ibn Salām's conversion were shaped by a number of factors, including, the biases of his descendants, Quranic exegesis, and anti-Jewish polemics. Ibn Salām's legendary conversion served as a vehicle for diverse groups of Muslims to promote their doctrines and supply the Prophet with Biblical legitimacy.

Rabbi Yeheil Michel Epstein and his Arukh Hashulchan

Yechiel Mikhel Epstein (also Yeheil Michel Epstein, b. 1829–d. 1908) was among the most distinguished Jewish Law authorities of the last half of the 19th century. Along with Moses Maimonides, he shared the accomplishment of preparing a full restatement of all of Jewish law, which he presented in two works, the Arukh HaShulchan and the Arukh haShulchan HeAtid. These two works established Rabbi Epstein as one of the leading Jewish law authorities of all Jewish history, both past and present. Although he wrote a few other works, such as Or Li-Yesharim, Mikhal HaMayim, and Leil Shimurim, as well as a recent work collecting his many letters titled Kitvei HaArukh HaShulchan, none of them have been seen as of any great significance. Rather, Epstein’s legacy resides in his complex, nuanced, and nearly complete commentary on the full breadth of Jewish law. Epstein was born on 24 January 1829 in Bobriusk, Russia. Epstein’s father was a successful businessman and competent Jewish scholar who provided his son with a thorough rabbinic education. By many accounts, Epstein demonstrated an aptitude for Talmudic studies at a young age and thus spent his formative years studying under the direction of Rabbi Elijah Goldberg, the Chief Rabbi of Bobriusk. He also studied briefly at the famous Volozhin Yeshivah from 1842 through 1843. While Epstein briefly pursued a career in business, he was quickly appointed as a rabbinical judge and assisted his teacher, Rabbi Goldberg, in his hometown of Bobriusk. Having subsequently decided to pursue service as a community leader, Epstein received his first appointment in 1865 when he was selected to become the rabbi of Novozybkov, a Russian town in which a few thousand Jews lived. The Jewish population there included Orthodox, secular, and Hasidic Jews, as well as Jews who resisted the Hasidic movement (called Mitnagdim). At the age of thirty-five, Rabbi Epstein married Roshka Berlin, the daughter of Rabbi Jacob Berlin and sister of the famous Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, who would later become head of the Volozhin Yeshiva. The couple ultimately had five children. Notably, their daughter, Braynah Welbrinski, was twice widowed before settling into her parents’ home and managing the publication and distribution of the Arukh HaShulchan, which was edited and produced in the years following the death of Rabbi Epstein in 1908.

Revelation in the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Traditions: A Critical Analysis of Muhammad Abduh’s Notion of Revelation through the Lens of Joseph Ratzinger and Benedict De Spinoza

This research investigated one of the foundational notions of religion, i.e., revelation, as presented by Muhammad Abduh (d. 1905) in Risālatal-Tawḥīd and Risālatal-Wāridāt, through a comparison with the understanding of revelation in the Catholic tradition, as elucidated by Pope Ratzinger (b. 1927), and in Judaism, as presented by the Jewish scholar B. D. Spinoza (d. 1677). This research closely considered Abduh’s works to reveal whether the notion of revelation in the Islamic tradition is different from or analogous to its counterparts in Catholicism and Judaism. Although these authors’ religious backgrounds are diverse, their understandings of revelation are analogous in the sense that revelation is understood as beyond the linguistic realm. However, they each have different religious and intellectual stances regarding the valid interpretation and knowledge of revelation; where Ratzinger relies on the Church’s authority, Spinoza believes in the efficacy of holy scripture, and Abduh has more confidence in the use of reason in understanding revelation. By delineating the commonalities and differences of the ideas of these three scholars from different religious backgrounds, a more open and fruitful interreligious conversation can be further cultivated.

Community and Controversy: Jews, Anglicans, and Biblical Criticism in Mid-Victorian England

Mid-nineteenth-century Victorian England was roiled by public controversies regarding the legitimacy of biblical criticism, largely fueled by Anglicans and the Church of England establishment. Jews were well aware of these public controversies and even spoke out in a forthright manner. At this very juncture there was also a rather remarkable Jewish scholar, Marcus Kalisch, who began to advance critical notions in his commentary to the Pentateuch, ultimately coming to conclusions not altogether different from the leading critical scholars in Germany. This article explores the way in which Anglo-Jews first avoided, and then finally confronted, Kalisch's work, and what that said about communal sensitivities and self-consciousness.

The place of Philo of Alexandria in the history of philosophy

Philo of Alexandria (ca. 20 B.C.E. -50 C.E.), or Philo Judaeus as he is also called, was a Jewish scholar, philosopher, politician, and author who lived in Alexandria and who has had a tremendous influence through his works (mostly on the Christian exegesis and theology). Today hardly any scholar of Second Temple Judaism, early Christianity, or Hellenistic philosophy sees any great imperative in arguing for his relevance. After the research (contribution) of V. Nikiprowetzky in the field of philonic studies, it seems that the prevailing view is that Philo should be regarded above all as an “exegete “. Such an opinion in one way or another seems to neglect to some extent Philo's place in the History of philosophy. This article defends the position that Philo should be considered primarily as a “hermeneut”. Emphasizing that the concept of hermeneutics has a broader meaning (especially in the context of antiquity) than the narrower and more specialized concept of exegesis.

To be an Englishman and a Jew: Basil Henriques and the Bernhard Baron Oxford and St George’s Settlement House

Inspired by Oxford University’s Christian social reform clubs in the early 20 th century, Basil Henriques a young Jewish gentleman from a distinguished, upper middle-class family in London determined to establish a Jewish boys’ club in London’s East End. Influenced first by his mother’s devotion to Judaism and then by the progressive views of Jewish scholar, Claude Montefiore and his Oxford history professor, Kenneth Leys, Henriques established the Oxford and St.George’s Jewish Boys’ Club in 1914. An anti-Zionist, Henriques believed strongly in establishing a club that would socialize Jewish youth to become both proud Jews and proud citizens of Great Britain. The club soon served both boys and girls and, by 1919, it had acquired larger premises and become a settlement. Changing demographics in London’s Whitechapel and the rise of the welfare state eventually led to the settlements’ relocation in 1973 and then to its eventual demise.

Research Review of the Tolerance of Muslims with Non-Muslims in Spain and its Impacts

Islamic ideology is the basis and source of Islamic state, which sets out the rights of Muslims as well as the Dhimmis. Islam teaches the tolerance and fairness to non-Muslims citizens. Islam gives the non-Muslims religious freedom. Quran says, “There is no compulsion in Faith”. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) says, “If anyone wrongs a Mu'ahid, detracts from his rights, burdens him with more work than he is able to do, or takes something from him without his consent, I will plead for him on the Day of Resurrection”. Arab Muslims conquered Spain in 711 A.C. The Muslims defeated Christians there, while the Jews also existed there. When the Muslims (Moors) conquered this country, they behaved and treated the people here with fairness and tolerance. The tolerance of Muslims has had a profound impact on non-Muslims and the environment here. Many of non-Muslims converted to Islam with their own consent. Muslims gave them full enfranchise to worship according to their own religion; the priest did not need to hide their religious status. Muslim Spain had complete freedom of education which led to students coming from other countries for pursuit education. Non-Muslims adopted culture, living style and ways to dress of Muslims. They learned Arabic and began to read poetry in Arabic. Arabic literature translated into Hebrew and Latin by non-Muslims. In Muslim Spain there was freedom of expression. The Jewish scholar Ibn Naghrila spoke on the beliefs of Muslims under the Muslim rule in Spain.Hasdai ibn Shaprot (d.970) established a madrasa for Jews in Cordova to teach the Holy Scripture and Talmud. Katie Magnus (d.1924) says, “Like a dream in the night – Life in Spain”. Due to the tolerance of Muslims, Europeans became aware of civilization and from that time renaissance began. Muslims behaved non-Muslims with tolerance, contrary to non-Muslims, while they overcome on Muslims, wherever their attitude with Muslims is always regrettable. With the fall of the Muslim’s empire, Spain fell into the darkness of ignorance. Stanley lane-Poole (d.1931) says, “The Moors were banished, for a while the Christian Spain shone, like the Moon, with a borrowed light, then came the eclipse, and in that darkness Spain grovelled ever since”.

Jeffrey Summit, Singing God’s Word: The Performance of Biblical Chant in Contemporary Judaism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. 293 pp.

At the end of the 12th century, a Jewish scholar from the (then) Provençal town of Lunel left his home to embark on a long journey to the towns and yeshivot of southwestern Germany, northern and southern France, the Provence, England, and Spain. The scholar, R. Abraham ben Nathan (Hayarḥi), compiled his learnings with the great teachers of his time, alongside observations of the local communities he visited, into a book that became a rich source for contemporary liturgical and sociological research in the field of Jewish medieval Europe: his ...

Subtle Insights Concerning Knowledge and Practice

Written in the mid-thirteenth century for the newly appointed governor of Isfahan, this compact treatise and philosophical guidebook includes a wide-ranging and accessible set of essays on ethics, psychology, political philosophy, and the unity of God. Ibn Kammūna, a Jewish scholar writing in Baghdad during a time of Mongol occupation, was a controversial figure whose writings sometimes incited riots. He argued, among other things, the commonality of all monotheisms, both prophetic and philosophical. Here, for the first time in English, is a surprisingly modern work on the unity of all monotheistic regimes from a key medieval philosopher.

Ibn Gabirol and Judah ha-Levi’s Usage of Dialogue: The Role of the Disciple in Fons Vitae and that of the King in Kitāb al-Khazarī

The literary framework of Solomon Ibn Gabirol’s Fons Vitae is a conversation between a master and a disciple. In this article, the nature of the disciple’s questions will be analyzed in order to explain the advantages of the dialogical process in Ibn Gabirol’s thought. The literary framework of Judah ha-Levi’s Kitāb al-Khazarī is similar to that of Fons Vitae. Ha-Levi’s composition is built as a conversation that allegedly took place between the king of the Khazars and a Jewish scholar (ḥaver). Analysis of the king’s responses to the ḥaver shows that the king did not fully understand the ḥaver’s lessons, in which the deep meaning of Judaism is taught. In this article, the king’s responses will be analyzed and, likewise, the question of Judah ha-Levi’s intention in using this literary sophistication. As is shown in this article both famous Andalusian poets and thinkers, R. Judah ha-Levi and R. Solomon Ibn Gabirol, masters of linguistic phrasing and style, used the dialogical form not only as an opportunity to present their world views, but also as a method by which to critique their own philosophies.