Background
Little is known of the early life of Saadia ben Joseph except that he was born in Egypt, lived for sometime in Palestine, and finally settled in the Jewish communities of Babylonia.
( Saadya ben Joseph al-Fayyumi (882-942), gaon (head) of ...)
Saadya ben Joseph al-Fayyumi (882-942), gaon (head) of the rabbinic academy at Sura and one of the preeminent Jewish thinkers of the medieval period, attempted to create a complete statement of Jewish religious philosophy in which all strands of philosophical thought were to be knit into a unified system. In The Book of Doctrines and Beliefs, Saadya sought to rescue believers from "a sea of doubt and the waters of confusion" into which they had been cast by Christianity, Islam, and other faiths. By employing philosophical--or kalamic--argumentation to examine and defend traditional Jewish beliefs, Saadya hoped to turn blind faith into conviction based on rational understanding. First published in 1946, and reprinted here without alteration, Alexander Altmanns judicious abridgment of his own translation has remained the standard edition of this influential work. A new Introduction by Daniel Frank sets Saadyas work in its broader historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts.
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( Saadia Gaon, the great ninth century Jewish philosopher...)
Saadia Gaon, the great ninth century Jewish philosopher, was the father of both scientific biblical exegesis and Jewish philosophic theology. From his position as head of the great Talmudic academy in Sura, Babylonia, Saadia became the earliest grammarian and lexicographer of biblical Hebrew as well as the Arabic translator and commentator of the Hebrew Bible. Saadias masterpiece, The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, was the first systemic attempt to present Judaism as a rational body of beliefs. This is the only unabridged translation into modern language of the entire text of Saadias classic work. Samuel Rosenblatts distinguished translation adheres faithfully to the working of the original and at the same time makes the contents comprehensible to the general reader by cutting up long sentences and adjusting the syntax accordingly. The treatises have been divided into chapters, and as an additional guide an analytical table of contents has been provided. Also included is the first translation into a modern language of the variant of the seventh treatise. Saadia Gaons Book of Beliefs and Opinions is the oldest surviving specimen of medieval Jewish philosophy. It remains also an outstanding specimen of Kalden interpretation of Judaism. Rosenblatts translation is a masterly rendition.?Gerson Cohen, Jewish Theological Seminary This is the first translation into English of the complete text that influenced the development of systematic Jewish philosophical exposition of the teachings of Judaism. Rosenblatt, who was an excellent Judeo-Arabist and no less a fine Talmudist and rabbinics scholar, introduced the classic in its fullness to the English-speaking world and beyond.?Judah Goldin, University of Pennsylvania This complete English translation of Saadias masterpiece has itself become a classic and belongs in every serious Judaica library. Ivan G. Marcus, Jewish Theological Seminary Samuel Rosenblatt was on the faculty at The John Hopkins University
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Little is known of the early life of Saadia ben Joseph except that he was born in Egypt, lived for sometime in Palestine, and finally settled in the Jewish communities of Babylonia.
Saadia became affiliated with the academy at Sura, Babylonia, and became the gaon (head) of the academy in 928. Deposed in 930, he again became gaon in 936, holding this office until his death in 942. During this period the academy became the highest seat of learning among the Jews. Saadia's numerous works were written for the most part in Arabic, which had become the vernacular and literary language of eastern Jews. When the Babylonian schools ceased to function in the middle of the 11th century and the Jews were expelled from Spain, Saadia's works ceased to be widely known until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their importance, however, cannot be exaggerated. In bulk, in range of interest, in breadth of knowledge, and in pioneer thinking, his works are a monument between the close of the Talmudic period in the 6th century and the rise of the Jewish Enlightenment in the 18th century. At least 20 major works, apart from Saadia's translations and commentaries, exist. Saadia translated the Bible into Arabic and added a commentary. He composed a Midrashic work on the Decalogue, translated the five Megilloth (Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther), and also translated the Book of Daniel and added a commentary. Saadia's major works divide into five categories: polemical tracts, exegetical writings, grammatical treatises, works on Talmudic subjects, and philosophic works. His polemical writings arose principally from his position in Sura. His Book of the Festivals was written against Ben Meir of Palestine in 922, when the latter attempted to make alterations in the Jewish calendar. Other writings were directed against the Karaite sect and against the skeptic Hivi of Balkh, David ben Zakkai, and others. Of Saadia's grammatical works, only his treatise on the hapax legomena (words used once in the Bible) and a poem on the letters of the alphabet survive. His liturgical writings and poems survive in greater quantity. One poem, Azharoth, is a practical enunciation of the 613 Precepts. Saadia's philosophical works display his wide knowledge of Aristotle and of Christian, Moslem, and Brahmin teachings. In his Kitab al-Amanat wal-Itiqadat (933) Saadia expressed his views of religion and human destiny. He maintained that revealed religion and human reason do not clash but complement each other. Saadia's health was broken by the continual controversies which surrounded his leadership of the Sura Academy, and he died in 942. His importance can be measured by the fact that without his extant works there would be no direct knowledge of the inner development of Judaism and Jewish literature between the 7th and the 10th century.
The first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Arabic, he is considered the founder of Judeo-Arabic literature. Known for his works on Hebrew linguistics, Halakha, and Jewish philosophy, he was one of the more sophisticated practitioners of the philosophical school known as the "Jewish Kalam" (Stroumsa 2003).
( Saadya ben Joseph al-Fayyumi (882-942), gaon (head) of ...)
( Saadia Gaon, the great ninth century Jewish philosopher...)
