Karaite Anthology

Download Karaite Anthology full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Karaite Anthology ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Karaite Anthology

Author : Leon Nemoy
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.X/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Karaite Anthology by : Leon Nemoy

Download or read book Karaite Anthology written by Leon Nemoy and published by . This book was released on 1952 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Karaites, a small Jewish sect that arose twelve centuries ago and still exists today, was at one time the most outspoken and productive schismatic division in Judaism. The Karaites contributed much to the Jewish literature of the Middle Ages, for they developed their own corpus of theological dogmas, liturgy, juristic exegesis, metaphysical concepts, secular poetry, apologetics, and sermons. This anthology-the first of its kind in any language of the West-provides excerpts from the early Karaite literature (down to about the year 1500) representing the full range of their thought and belief. All extracts have been translated directly from Arabic, Aramaic, and Hebrew original sources. "This book marks the first attempt in any language to present a chronological exposition of seven centuries of evolution of this interesting Jewish sect through a selection of excerpts from the writings of its spokesmen. . . . [A] pioneering achievement."-Zvi Ankori, Jewish Social Studies "Will be of real interest. . . to historians of religion, sociologists of religion, students of Judaism, Talmudic scholars, students of comparative religious law, and scholars interested in the relation between Islam and Judaism in the Middle Ages."-Maurice S. Friedman, The Journal of Religion "The book is an important addition to Qaraite literature in English."-Isis "The texts are wisely chosen, carefully edited, and supplied with copious notes. An excellent introduction to each writer is given. The book is successful from every point of view."-Edward Robertson, The Royal Asiatic Society "The commentaries of [the] scholars. . . are important additions to Jewish scholarly research."-Jewish News

Karaite Judaism and Historical Understanding

Author : Fred Astren
Publisher : Univ of South Carolina Press
ISBN 13 : 9781570035180
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (351 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Karaite Judaism and Historical Understanding by : Fred Astren

Download or read book Karaite Judaism and Historical Understanding written by Fred Astren and published by Univ of South Carolina Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Notions of history and the past contained in literature of the Karaite Jewish sect offer insight into the relationship of Karaism to mainstream rabbinic Judaism and to Islam and Christianity. Karaite Judaism and Historical Understanding describes how a minority sectarian religious community constructs and uses historical ideology. It investigates the proportioning of historical ideology to law and doctrine and the influence of historical setting on religious writings about the past. Fred Astren discusses modes of representing the past, especially in Jewish culture, and then poses questions about the past in sectarian--particularly Judaic sectarian--contexts. He contrasts early Karaite scripturalism with the literature of rabbinic Judaism, which, embodying historical views that carry a moralistic burden, draws upon the chain of tradition to suppose a generation-to-generation transmission of divine knowledge and authority. The center of Karaism shifted to the Byzantine-Turkish world during the twelfth through sixteenth centuries, when a new historical outlook unoblivious of the past accommodated legal developments influenced by rabbinic thought. Reconstructing Karaite historical expression from both published works and previously unexamined manuscripts, Astren shows that Karaites relied on rabbinic literature to extract and compile historical data for their own readings of Jewish history. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Karaite scholars in Poland and Lithuania collated and harmonized historical materials inherited from their Middle Eastern predecessors. Astren portrays the way that Karaites, with some influence from Jewish Renaissance historiography and impelled by features of Protestant-Catholic discourse, prepared complete literary historical works that maintained their Jewishness while offering a Karaite reading of Jewish history.

Karaism

Author : Daniel J. Lasker
Publisher : Liverpool University Press
ISBN 13 : 1800854986
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Karaism by : Daniel J. Lasker

Download or read book Karaism written by Daniel J. Lasker and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2021-12-14 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finalist for National Jewish Book Award for Scholarship 2022. Karaite Judaism emerged in the ninth century in the Islamic Middle East as an alternative to the rabbinic Judaism of the Jewish majority. Karaites reject the underlying assumption of rabbinic Judaism, namely, that Jewish practice is to be based on two divinely revealed Torahs, a written one, embodied in the Five Books of Moses, and an oral one, eventually written down in rabbinic literature. Karaites accept as authoritative only the Written Torah, as they understand it, and their form of Judaism therefore differs greatly from that of most Jews. Despite its permanent minority status, Karaism has been an integral part of the Jewish people continuously for twelve centuries. It has contributed greatly to Jewish cultural achievements, while providing a powerful intellectual challenge to the majority form of Judaism. This book is the first to present a comprehensive overview of the entire story of Karaite Judaism: its unclear origins; a Golden Age of Karaism in the Land of Israel; migrations through the centuries; Karaites in the Holocaust; unique Jewish religious practices, beliefs, and philosophy; biblical exegesis and literary accomplishments; polemics and historiography; and the present-day revival of the Karaite community in the State of Israel.

Karaite Judaism

Author : Meira Polliack
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004294260
Total Pages : 1013 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (42 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Karaite Judaism by : Meira Polliack

Download or read book Karaite Judaism written by Meira Polliack and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2016-07-18 with total page 1013 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Karaism is a Jewish religious movement of a scripturalist and messianic nature, which emerged in the Middle Ages in the areas of Persia-Iraq and Palestine and has maintained its unique and varied forms of identity and existence until the present day, undergoing resurgent cycles of creativity, within its major geographical centres of the Middle-East, Byzantium-Turkey, the Crimea and Eastern Europe. This Guide to Karaite Studies contains thirty-seven chapters which cover all the main areas of medieval and modern Karaite history and literature, including geographical and chronological subdivisions, and special sections devoted to the history of research, manuscripts and printing, as well as detailed bibliographies, index and illustrations. The substantial volume reflects the current state of scholarship in this rapidly growing sub-field of Jewish Studies, as analysed by an international team of experts and taught in various universities throughout Europe, Israel and the United States.

The Book of Theodicy

Author : Ben Joseph Al-Fayyumi Saadiah
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780300037432
Total Pages : 518 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (374 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Book of Theodicy by : Ben Joseph Al-Fayyumi Saadiah

Download or read book The Book of Theodicy written by Ben Joseph Al-Fayyumi Saadiah and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 1988-01-01 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Born in Egypt in 882, Saadiah Gaon was the first systematic philosopher of Judaism, the father of both scientific biblical exegesis and Jewish philosophic philosophy. In this book, L.E. Goodman presents the first English translation of Saadiah's important Book of Theodicy, a commentary on the Book of Job. Goodman's translation preserves Saadiah's penetrating naturalism, tenacity of theme and argument, and sensitivity to the nuances of poetic language.

The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies

Author : Martin Goodman
Publisher : Oxford Handbooks Online
ISBN 13 : 9780199280322
Total Pages : 1060 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (83 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies by : Martin Goodman

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies written by Martin Goodman and published by Oxford Handbooks Online. This book was released on 2002 with total page 1060 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies reflects the current state of scholarship in the field as analyzed by an international team of experts in the different and varied areas represented within contemporary Jewish Studies. Unlike recent attempts to encapsulate the current state of Jewish Studies, the Oxford Handbook is more than a mere compendium of agreed facts; rather, it is an exhaustive survey of current interests and directions in the field.

The Jew in the Medieval World

Author : Jacob R. Marcus
Publisher : Hebrew Union College Press
ISBN 13 : 0878201769
Total Pages : 603 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (782 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Jew in the Medieval World by : Jacob R. Marcus

Download or read book The Jew in the Medieval World written by Jacob R. Marcus and published by Hebrew Union College Press. This book was released on 1999-12-31 with total page 603 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To gain an accurate view of medieval Judaism, one must look through the eyes of Jews and their contemporaries. First published in 1938, Jacob Rader Marcus's classic source book on medieval Judaism provides the documents and historical narratives which let the actors and witnesses of events speak for themselves. The medieval epoch in Jewish history begins around the year 315, when the emperor Constantine began enacting disabling laws against the Jews, rendering them second-class citizens. In the centuries following, Jews enjoyed (or suffered under) legislation, either chosen or forced by the state, which differed from the laws for the Christian and Muslim masses. Most states saw the Jews as simply a tolerated group, even when given favorable privileges. The masses often disliked them. Medieval Jewish history presents a picture wherein large patches are characterized by political and social disabilities. Marcus closes the medieval Jewish age (for Western Jewry) in 1791 with the proclamation of political and civil emancipation in France. The 137 sources included in the anthology include historical narratives, codes, legal opinions, martyrologies, memoirs, polemics, epitaphs, advertisements, folk-tales, ethical and pedagogical writings, book prefaces and colophons, commentaries, and communal statutes. These documents are organized in three sections: The first treats the relation of the State to the Jew and reflects the civil and political status of the Jew in the medieval setting. The second deals with the profound influence exerted by the Catholic and Protestant churches on Jewish life and well-being. The final section presents a study of the Jew "at home," with four sub-divisions with treat the life of the medieval Jew in its various aspects. Marcus presents the texts themselves, introductions, and lucid notes. Marc Saperstein offers a new introduction and updated bibliography.

Jewish Hymnography

Author : Leon J. Weinberger
Publisher : Liverpool University Press
ISBN 13 : 1909821853
Total Pages : 517 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (98 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Jewish Hymnography by : Leon J. Weinberger

Download or read book Jewish Hymnography written by Leon J. Weinberger and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 1997-12-01 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leon Weinberger draws on a wealth of material, much of it previously available only in Hebrew, to trace the history of Jewish hymnography from its origins in the eastern Mediterranean to its subsequent development in western Europe (Spain, Italy, Franco-Germany, and England) and Balkan Byzantium, on the Grecian periphery, under the Ottomans, and among the Karaites. Focusing on each region in turn, he provides a general background to the role of the synagogue poets in the society of the time; characterizes the principal poets and describes their contribution; examines the principal genres and forms; and considers their distinctive language, style, and themes. The copious excerpts from the liturgy are presented in transliterated Hebrew and in English translation, and their salient characteristics are fully discussed to bring out the historical development of ideas and regional themes as well as literary forms. Professor Weinberger’s study is a particularly valuable source-book for students of synagogue liturgy, Jewish worship, and medieval Hebrew poetry. It provides new perspectives for students of religious poetry and forms of worship more generally, while enabling the general reader to acquire a much-enriched appreciation of the synagogue services.

The Development of the Syntax of Post-Biblical Hebrew

Author : Chaim Rabin
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004348484
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (43 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Development of the Syntax of Post-Biblical Hebrew by : Chaim Rabin

Download or read book The Development of the Syntax of Post-Biblical Hebrew written by Chaim Rabin and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-07-03 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is concerned with a historical development of the syntax of Hebrew in the post-biblical periods, more specifically from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries as used in non-artistic prose in Southern France and Spain, a period in which the language underwent some fundamental changes and developments. With his superb knowledge of all phases of Hebrew the author portrays and analyses these developments in relation to Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew. This is a highly original and important contribution to a diachronic description of Hebrew syntax, and undoubtedly a necessary reading for any serious Hebraist and Semitist.

The Rule of Peshat

Author : Mordechai Z. Cohen
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN 13 : 0812297016
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (122 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Rule of Peshat by : Mordechai Z. Cohen

Download or read book The Rule of Peshat written by Mordechai Z. Cohen and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2020-05-29 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of the theoretical underpinnings of the philological method of Jewish Bible interpretation known as peshat Within the rich tradition of Jewish biblical interpretation, few concepts are as vital as peshat, often rendered as the "plain sense" of Scripture. Generally contrasted with midrash—the creative and at times fanciful mode of reading put forth by the rabbis of Late Antiquity—peshat came to connote the systematic, philological-contextual, and historically sensitive analysis of the Hebrew Bible, coupled with an appreciation of the text's literary quality. In The Rule of "Peshat," Mordechai Z. Cohen explores the historical, geographical, and theoretical underpinnings of peshat as it emerged between 900 and 1270. Adopting a comparative approach that explores Jewish interactions with Muslim and Christian learning, Cohen sheds new light on the key turns in the vibrant medieval tradition of Jewish Bible interpretation. Beginning in the tenth century, Jews in the Middle East drew upon Arabic linguistics and Qur'anic study to open new avenues of philological-literary exegesis. This Judeo-Arabic school later moved westward, flourishing in al-Andalus in the eleventh century. At the same time, a revolutionary peshat school was pioneered in northern France by the Ashkenazic scholar Rashi and his circle of students, whose methods are illuminated by contemporaneous trends in Latinate learning in the Cathedral Schools of France. Cohen goes on to explore the heretofore little-known Byzantine Jewish exegetical tradition, basing his examination on recently discovered eleventh-century commentaries and their offshoots in southern Italy in the twelfth century. Lastly, this study focuses on three pivotal figures who represent the culmination of the medieval Jewish exegetical tradition: Abraham Ibn Ezra, Moses Maimonides, and Moses Nahmanides. Cohen weaves together disparate Jewish disciplines and external cultural influences through chapters that trace the increasing force acquired by the peshat model until it could be characterized, finally, as the "rule of peshat": the central, defining feature of Jewish hermeneutics into the modern period.

The Karaites of Galicia

Author : Mikhail Kizilov
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004166025
Total Pages : 481 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (41 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Karaites of Galicia by : Mikhail Kizilov

Download or read book The Karaites of Galicia written by Mikhail Kizilov and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2009 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book focuses on the history, ethnography, and convoluted ethnic identity of the Karaites, an ethnoreligious group in Eastern Galicia (modern Ukraine). The small community of the Karaite Jews, a non-Talmudic Turkic-speaking minority, who had been living in Eastern Europe since the late Middle Ages, developed a unique ethnographic culture and religious tradition. The book offers the first comprehensive study of the Galician Karaite community from its earliest days until today with the main emphasis placed on the period from 1772 until 1945. Especially important is the analysis of the twentieth-century dejudaization (or Turkicization) of the community, which saved the Karaites from the horrors of the Holocaust.

Reader's Guide to Judaism

Author : Michael Terry
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135941572
Total Pages : 1768 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (359 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reader's Guide to Judaism by : Michael Terry

Download or read book Reader's Guide to Judaism written by Michael Terry and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-12-02 with total page 1768 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Reader's Guide to Judaism is a survey of English-language translations of the most important primary texts in the Jewish tradition. The field is assessed in some 470 essays discussing individuals (Martin Buber, Gluckel of Hameln), literature (Genesis, Ladino Literature), thought and beliefs (Holiness, Bioethics), practice (Dietary Laws, Passover), history (Venice, Baghdadi Jews of India), and arts and material culture (Synagogue Architecture, Costume). The emphasis is on Judaism, rather than on Jewish studies more broadly.

A History of Judaism

Author : Martin Goodman
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691197105
Total Pages : 656 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis A History of Judaism by : Martin Goodman

Download or read book A History of Judaism written by Martin Goodman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and it has preserved its distinctive identity despite the extraordinarily diverse forms and beliefs it has embodied over the course of more than three millennia. A History of Judaism provides the first truly comprehensive look in one volume at how this great religion came to be, how it has evolved from one age to the next, and how its various strains, sects, and traditions have related to each other. In this magisterial and elegantly written book, Martin Goodman takes readers from Judaism's origins in the polytheistic world of the second and first millennia BCE to the temple cult at the time of Jesus. He tells the stories of the rabbis, mystics, and messiahs of the medieval and early modern periods and guides us through the many varieties of Judaism today. Goodman's compelling narrative spans the globe, from the Middle East, Europe, and America to North Africa, China, and India. He explains the institutions and ideas on which all forms of Judaism are based, and masterfully weaves together the different threads of doctrinal and philosophical debate that run throughout its history."--

From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit

Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 900471233X
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (47 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit by :

Download or read book From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2024-10-17 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays celebrates 50 years since the founding of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit at Cambridge University Library. Three generations of scholars contributed their research and memories from their time at the GRU, stretching back to 1974. Their work comprises 18 articles on medieval Jewish History, Hebrew and Arabic manuscripts, archival history, and the story of the Cairo Genizah collections at the University of Cambridge. Together, they demonstrate the achievements of GRU alumni in advancing the field of Genizah Studies for more than five decades.

Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible

Author : David Instone-Brewer
Publisher : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9780802849434
Total Pages : 372 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (494 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible by : David Instone-Brewer

Download or read book Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible written by David Instone-Brewer and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2002-06-07 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through a careful exploration of the background literature of the Old Testament, the ancient Near East and ancient Judaism, Instone-Brewer constructs a biblical picture of divorce and remarriage that is directly relevant to modern relationships.

Hebrew Bible / Old Testament. I: From the Beginnings to the Middle Ages (Until 1300). Part 2: The Middle Ages

Author : Magne Sæbø
Publisher : Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
ISBN 13 : 3647535079
Total Pages : 733 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (475 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Hebrew Bible / Old Testament. I: From the Beginnings to the Middle Ages (Until 1300). Part 2: The Middle Ages by : Magne Sæbø

Download or read book Hebrew Bible / Old Testament. I: From the Beginnings to the Middle Ages (Until 1300). Part 2: The Middle Ages written by Magne Sæbø and published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. This book was released on 2000-11-12 with total page 733 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 24 scholars – Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic – from North America, Israel, and various European countries, contribute to this rich volume on medieval interpretation and exegesis of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (5th through 12th centuries). Geographically, they cover most of the world as it was known in these times: from Syria to Spain, from Rome to the Rhine and the Seine. The volume also contains supplements to the previous volume, on Ben Sira and the Wisdom of Solomon. The indexes (names, topics, references to biblical sources and a broad body of literature beyond) are the key to the wealth of information provided. Undoubtedly, this volume will meet the high expectations set by the reviewers of the first volume (I/1) of the series: "Definitive reference work" (Religious Studies Review) "Mine d'information d'une grande richesse" (Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses) "Monumental ouvrage" (Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique) "A veritable treasury" (Catholic Biblical Quarterly) "The foremost account of Jewish and Christian biblical interpretation" (Expository Times) "Onmisbaar handboek voor jeder een die zich serieus met bijbelstudie bezighoudt" (Stem van het boek) "Respekt gebietende Summe wissenschaftsgeschichtlicher Forschung" (Zeitschrift für Altes Testament) Selected chapters 23. The Problem of Periodization of Middle Ages 25. Jewish Bible Interpretation in Early Post-Talmudic Times 26. Gregory the Great 28. Seventh through Ninth Century 1. Isidore of Seville 3. Exegesis in the time of Charlemagne 4. From Angelomus of Luxeuil to Remigius of Auxerre 31. The Flourishing Era of Jewish Exegesis in Spain 1. The Linguistic School: Judah Hayyuj, Jonah ibn Janah, Moses ibn Chiquitilla and Judah ibn Bal'am 2. The Aesthetic Exegesis of Moses ibn Ezra 32. The School of Literal Jewish Exegesis in Northern France 4. Menahem ben Helbo5. Solomon Yishaqi / Rashi (1040–1105) 8. Samuel ben Meir / Rashbam (1080–1160) 33. Jewish Exegesis in Spain and Provence and in the East 2. Abraham ibn Ezra4. Moses ben Nahman / Nahmanides (Ramban) 5. Abraham Maimonides and the Yemenite School 34. The School of St. Victor in Paris 35. Christian Interpretation of the Old Testament 1. Bernard of Clairvaux on the Song of Songs 2. Gilbert of Poitiers and Peter Lombard 6. Albert, Thomas, Bonaventure 36. Development of Biblical Interpretation in the Syrian Churches 38. Literal and Spiritual Scriptural Interpretation: Aspects of Correspondence and Tension between Christian and Jewish Exegesis

Four Approaches to the Book of Psalms

Author : Uriel Simon
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438420099
Total Pages : 380 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Four Approaches to the Book of Psalms by : Uriel Simon

Download or read book Four Approaches to the Book of Psalms written by Uriel Simon and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Uriel Simon describes the fascinating controversy that raged from the tenth to the twelfth centuries regarding the theological status and literary genre of the Psalms. Saadiah Gaon, who initiated the controversy, claimed that the Psalter was a second Torah—the Lord's word to David—and by no means man's prayer to God. Salmon ben Yerucham and Yefet ben Ali insisted on the Karaite view that the Book of Psalms was the prophetic common prayerbook of Israel. Totally opposing both of these concepts, Rabbi Moses Ibn Giqatilah regarded the Psalms as non-prophetic prayers authored by different poets, beginning with David and ending with the captive Levites in the Babylonian exile. Finally, Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra reverted to the belief held by the Talmudic sages—that the Psalms were Israel's divinely inspired and most sacred poetry. The book also includes the full text of a previously unknown introduction to Ibn Ezra's lost commentary on the Psalms, which is much more elaborate and revealing than the introduction to his familiar classical commentary.