The biblical commentaries of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra (1089/1092–1164/1167) have become indispensable to anyone desiring a full appreciation of the biblical text, and this noted scholar also wrote extensively on philology, philosophy, mathematics, and astrology. The six essays in this book explore ibn Ezra’s multifaceted work and intellectual legacy. They illuminate his exegetical methodology; the role of astrology in his work; his philological insights into the Hebrew language; the possibility of his influence on the great Jewish philosopher and jurist, Maimonides; the numerous supercommentaries called forth by his enigmatic commentary; and modern Jewish perspectives on him.
Contributors are Jay M. Harris, Simhah Kogut, Y. Tzvi Langermann, Nahum Sarna, Uriel Simon, and Isadore Twersky. Two of the essays are in Hebrew.