Benjamin Al Nahawendi
Benjamin ben Moshe al-Nahawendi is a Sage Karaite the eighth and ninth centuries.
He is considered one of the greatest authorities of the Jewish movement scripturalist, as opposed to rabbinic Judaism traditional, although Benjamin himself seems to have adopted many practices and interpretations.
Summary |
Elements of biography
His life is little known outside its place of origin, Nahavand in Persia. However, his personality and influence have been significant enough to be considered by all his peers as an authority so great that Anan ben David , the founder of Karaism itself.
He probably managed to gather around him all the Jews living outside the major centers of Babylonia and the land of Israel does not recognize in Judaism preached by them, for Solomon ben Yeruham , c ' is that begins with Benjamin Karaism itself .
Works
Benjamin's work are known to most as the quotes that are later Karaite authors. Yephet bin Ali draws up an inventory in the introduction to his commentary on the Minor Prophets: This is for the most commentaries on the Torah and other books of the Bible, and a Hamitzvot Sefer (Book of Precepts), book making the computation requirements of the Torah.
He also attributes the Sefer Dinim or Mass'at Binyamin (Book of Laws or Don Benjamin), written in Hebrew and published in 1834 Koslov, containing civil and criminal laws in the Bible.
Exegesis
Anan ben David was then, using the same methods of hermeneutics that the rabbis, came to opposite conclusions often and considered more consistent with the text, Benjamin will lead to conclusions quite similar to that of the rabbis, and adopt on Therefore the same practices, starting from a Karaite mode of reasoning, based on an exegesis and personal freedom. Similarly, it does not, unlike Rabbinites these regulations to the faithful, showing even in his Sefer Dinim that for other rules, "recorded and observed by Rabbinites why I could find relevant biblical source, I have also written so that we can observe if desired. ""
It encourages the practice of rabbinical herem (excommunication), with the caveat that the abettor should be banned for seven days after his refusal to obey the judge to give him a chance to repent and obey . It also supports, together with Rabbinites and cons Anan's opinion that the obligation to marry the widow of a brother who died without issue applies only brother of the deceased and himself. It also abounds in the direction of rabbis in the concluding verse Ex 30:29 that "rest in his home" does not refer to the location but at a distance of about 1 km around the city .
However, despite his concessions to Rabbani, Benjamin remains firmly committed to the principle attributed to Anan, "well look in the Torah, and not .
Philosophy of the Bible
Benjamin seems to have written a work which he expounded the philosophical ideas contained in the Bible. According to the citations of authors later Karaites as Jacob al-Qirqissani , Yefet bin Ali , and Hadassi Judah , Benjamin betrays influences Philo , while adopting theories motazilites on divine attributes, free will, and other issues that Anan had considered before him. It is also marked by the writings of the sect of Magriyah ("Men of the Caves"), a confusion in the text of Al-Shahrastani wrongly ascribes authorship; for Abraham Harkavy , this sect is identical to the Essenes.
Among the key ideas and recurrent mistresses of Benjamin, he makes a strict distinction between a sublime spiritual world and material world corruptible. Thus, it does not accept the idea that God can be mixed with the material world, or that the matter can proceed from God. For Benjamin, God created two instances and an intermediate power, Glory (Kavod) the Throne (Kiss), and an angel. It was at this Angel comes back from having created the world in which he is the representative of God. Similarly, it is the angel, not God, who spoke to the prophets and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai. It is finally to the Angel that all expressions relate anthropomorphic found in the Bible speaking of God .
Moreover, the soul, forming part of the body is perishable, the biblical references to the Compensation can therefore apply only to the body .
References
- Commentary on Solomon ben Yeruham Psalms 61:1
- Kaufmann Kohler, Abraham Harkavy, and Karaism Karaites , Jewish Encyclopedia
- Mass'at Binyamin 2a
- Cf Bashyatzi Eliyahu , Eliyahu Aderet, P. 63
- compare with the prayer of Tanna Rabbi Nehounya bin Haqani , TB Berakhot 28, and the commentary Yefet bin Ali , quoted in the Dukes' Beitrge, ii. 26
- Hadassi, Eshkol, 25b
- Saadia, Emounot veDeot vi. 4
This article incorporates text from the Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906, article "BENJAMIN BEN MOSES NAHAWENDI" by Kaufmann Kohler & Isaac Broyd , a publication now in the public domain.
| Currents related to Judaism | Mosaic Yahwism Samaritanism Sabbatasme Frankisme |    |
| Historical currents | Judean sect: Sadducees Boethusiens Pharisees Chassidim Essenes Cult of the Dead Sea Zealots Sicarii Hellenistic Judaism : Jews of Elephantine Therapeutae Jews from the Hellenistic and Roman Egypt Min : Nazarenes Ebionites Crinthiens Elcsates Currents of the eighth century Issawi Yudghanisme | |
| Orthodox Judaism | Modern Orthodox Dati Leumi | |
| Ultra-Orthodox | Hasidim : Lubavitch Gur Breslav Belz Satmar Non-Hassidim : Mussar Edah Haredit Neturei Karta Hardal | |
| Karaism | Pineapple Benjamins Avelei Tzion Tiflissim Asheri Talmid | |
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