Sepher ha-Kabbalah [History]

Ibn Daud, Abraham

n.p.

(Mantua)

(1514)

First edition.On page 3a there is a marginal note taken from manuscript concerning the date of Jesus’ birth: “He was born in the fourth year of Alexander Jannaeus’ (Yannai) reign, the 263rd year of the Hasmonean dynasty.” On penultimate page, signatures of Church censors, one of whom signs as an inquisitor

Vinograd, Mantua 14

Important chronicle of Jewish History by Abraham ibn Daud Halevi (RABa”D the First) c. 1110-1180, Spanish Jewish historian and philosopher. Gerson D. Cohen published a critical edition of the text of this work with English translation and commentary (Sefer ha-Qabbalah, 1967). Ibn Daud’s philosophical work, originally written in Arabic and translated into Hebrew as Emunah Ramah (Exalted Faith), is one of the earlier examples of Jewish Aristotelianism. Sepher ha-Kabbalah is divided into three sections: The first is the chain of transmission of the Torah designed to demonstrate that the tradition of the Oral Law is reliable. (The book begins on an anti-Karaite note.) This history takes the reader up to Spain of Ibn Daud’s day.The second portion of the book entails the line of succession of the Roman Emperors until the time of Muhammad. Finally, the author embarks on a detailed history of the Second Temple period - mostly based on that of Josippon