Background
Isaac was born in 1437 into a wealthy and learned family in Portugal. His father Judah was state treasurer of Portugal, and a great favorite of Alfonso V, king of Portugal.
philosopher statesman Bible commentator
Isaac was born in 1437 into a wealthy and learned family in Portugal. His father Judah was state treasurer of Portugal, and a great favorite of Alfonso V, king of Portugal.
Isaac received a thorough Jewish education and took a keen interest in languages and philosophy.
King Alfonso V soon recognized his unusual political abilities and made him his treasurer, a position which he held until the reign of John II, when he fled, in 1483, to Castile after being accused of conspiracy. He retrieved his fortunes in Toledo and gained the royal favor but was again forced into exile in 1492 when Ferdinand and Isabella banished the Jews from Spain. He next established himself in Naples, but three years later lost all his possessions when the city was captured by the French. After a period of wandering from one city to another, he settled finally in Venice, where he was employed by the Republic in the diplomatic service. Abrabanel's fame rests on his scholarship and especially his explanatory commentaries on nearly all the books of the Old Testament. Departing from the usual method of interpreting words and phrases, he looked at each book of the Bible as a whole and considered its teachings in the light of political and economic conditions as they existed at the time. His works were popular with Jewish and Christian theologians as late as the 19th century. His books on salvation express his belief in the coming of the Messiah. He died in Venice in 1509.
Isaac Abravanel was one of the greatest Jewish statesmen who played an important part in European history.
Abrabanel often quotes Christian authorities, though he opposed Christian exegesis of Messianic passages.
Isaac's books on salvation express his belief in the coming of the Messiah.
