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Jonah ibn Janah

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Jonah ibn Janah
Personal
Bornbetween 985 and 990
Córdoba,Caliphate of Córdoba(modern-day Spain)
Died1055
Zaragoza,Taifa of Zaragoza(modern-day Spain)
ReligionJudaism
OccupationPhysician

Jonah ibn Janah(Judeo-Arabic:יוֹנָה אִבְּן גַּ֗נָאח,romanized:Yōnāh ībn Janāḥ) oribn Janach,[1]bornAbū al-Walīd Marwān ibn Janāḥ(Arabic:أبو الوليد مروان بن جناح),[2](c. 990– c. 1055), was a Jewishrabbi,physician and Hebrew grammarian active inal-Andalus(Muslim-ruled Spain). Born inCórdoba,ibn Janah was mentored there by Isaac ibn Gikatilla and Isaac ibn Mar Saul, before he moved around 1012, due to thesacking of the city by Berbers.He then settled inZaragoza,where he wroteKitab al-Mustalhaq,which expanded on the research ofJudah ben David Hayyujand led to a series of controversial exchanges withSamuel ibn Naghrillahthat remained unresolved during their lifetimes.

Hismagnum opus,Kitab al-Tanqīḥ,contained both the first complete grammar for Hebrew and a dictionary ofBiblical Hebrew,and is considered "the most influentialHebrew grammarfor centuries "[3]and a foundational text in Hebrew scholarship. Ibn Janah is considered a very influential scholar in the field of Hebrew grammar; his works and theories were popular and cited by Hebrew scholars in Europe and the Middle East. His second seminal work of no less importance was a book entitledKitāb al-Talkhīṣ( "Book of the Commentary" ), being the oldest monograph on the nomenclature of simple drugs.[4]

Name

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The name in which he is known in Hebrew, Jonah ( "dove", also spelled Yonah) was based on his Arabicpatronymicibn Janah ( "the winged", also spelled ibn Janach).[5][6]His Arabic personal name was Marwan, with thekunyahAbu al-Walid. Latin sources, includingAvraham ibn Ezra[7]referred to him as "Rabbi Marinus", a Latinization of his Arabic name Marwan.[5]

Early life

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There is little information on his family or early life, mostly known from biographical details found in his writings.[5]He was born inCórdoba,in modern-day Spain and then-capital of theUmayyadCaliphate of Córdobabetween 985 and 990.[5]He studied in the nearbyLucena;his teachers there includedIsaac ibn Gikatilla[fr]andIsaac ibn Mar Saul.[1][5]His education included the languages ofArabic,Hebrew,andAramaic,theexegesisof the Bible and the Quran, as well asrabbinic literature.[5]Ibn Mar Saul was a master of poetry and ibn Janah attempted to write some Hebrew poetry himself, but was not very successful at it.[8][5]Ibn Gikatilla was an expert in both Hebrew and Arabic grammar, and under his tutelage ibn Janah became fluent in Arabic, familiar with Arabic literature and "acquired an easy and graceful" Arabic writing style.[8]Arabic became his language of choice for most of his writings.[2][9]Ibn Janah also mentionedJudah ben David Hayyujas one of his major influences, but he was unlikely to have met him, because Hayyuj was active in Córdoba and died before ibn Janah returned there.[8]

Around 1012, he returned to Córdoba, where he studied and practiced medicine.[2]By this time,Al-Andalusor the Islamic Iberia was in a period of instability and civil war, known as theFitna of al-Andalus.[5]Córdoba was besieged and sackedbyBerberrebels, who committed atrocities on its citizens, including the Jews.[5][10]The caliphate of Córdoba soon disintegrated into small states known as thetaifas.[10]Ibn Janah and many other Jews were forced to leave the capital.[8]He moved to theUpper Marchregion of Al-Andalus,[5]and – after a period of wandering there – settled inZaragoza.[8]He had at least one son.[5]

Career in Zaragoza

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He remained in Zaragoza until the end of his life, where he practiced medicine and wrote books.[5][2]He wrote at least one medical book,Kitāb al-Taḫlīṣ(Arabic for "Book of the Commentary" ), on formulae and measures of medical remedies, which for decades was thought to be lost,[5]but recently discovered.[11]Today, the only extant manuscript of this work is preserved in theSüleymaniye LibraryinIstanbul,Turkey (MS Aya Sofia 3603, fols. 1v–90v).

Ibn Janah became known as a successful physician, often called by the epithet "the physician", and was mentioned by the 13th-century Syrian physicianIbn Abi Usaibiain his collection of biographies,Lives of the Physicians.[8][5]

Aside from his work in medicine, he also worked on the field of Hebrew grammar and philology, joining other scholars in Zaragoza includingSolomon ibn Gabirol.[6]

Kitab al-Mustalhaq

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Ibn Janah was deeply influenced by the works ofJudah ben David Hayyuj.[2]Earlier Hebrew grammarians, such asMenahem ben Saruqand theSaadia Gaon,had believed that Hebrew words could have letter roots of any length.[2]Hayyuj argued that this was not the case, and Hebrew roots are consistentlytriliteral.[2]In his work,Kitab al-Mustalhaq( "Book of Criticism", variously translated as the "Book of Annexation" ),[12]or what is also known asSefer HaHasaghin Hebrew, Ibn Janah strongly supported Hayyuj's work, but proposed some improvements.[2]Among others, he added 54 roots to Hayyuj's 467, filled some gaps and clarified some ambiguities in his theories.[5]A follow-up of this work was written by Ibn Janah, entitledKitāb al-Taswi'a( "Book of Reprobation" ), which he composed as a response to critics of his previous work.[13]

Dispute with Hayyuj's supporters

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InKitab al-Mustalbag,ibn Janah praised Hayyuj's works and acknowledged them as the source for most of his knowledge on Hebrew grammar.[7]He intended for this work to be uncontroversial, and to be an extension to the works of Hayyuj, whom he deeply admired.[6][5]However, the work caused offense among Hayyuj's supporters.[5]They considered Hayyuj the greatest authority of all times, worthy oftaqlidor unquestioning conformity.[5]They were offended when ibn Janah, a relatively junior scholar at the time, leveled a criticism on their master and found his works incomplete.[5]One of the disciples of Hayyuj wasSamuel ibn Naghrillah,thevizierof theTaifa of Granada.[5]Ibn Janah subsequently wrote the briefRisalat al-Tanbih( "Letter of Admonition" ), which defended his views, as well asRisalat al-Taqrib wa l-Tashil( "Letter of Approximation and Facilitation" ), which sought to clarify Hayyuj's work for beginners.[5]

While visiting his friend, Abu Sulaiman ibn Taraka, he met a stranger from Granada who enumerated various attacks on ibn Janah's views. Ibn Janah wroteKitab al-Taswi'a( "Book of Reprobation" ) to counter the arguments.[5][a]Ibn Naghrilla then wroteRasail al-rifaq( "Letters from Friends" ), attacking ibn Janah, who then responded by writingKitab al-Tashwir( "Book of Confusion" ).[5]Further pamphlets were exchanged between the two, which were later of great benefit to Hebrew grammarians.[14]The pamphlets were in Arabic and were never translated into Hebrew.[7]The debates were unresolved during their lifetimes.[7]Many were lost, but some were reprinted and translated into French.[7]

Kitāb al-Talkhīṣ

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TheKitāb al-Talkhīṣ( "Book of the Commentary" ) is the only known medical treatise by Ibn Janah. It is divided into twenty-seven chapters corresponding to the letters of theArabic Alpha betexceptẓāʾ.Most chapters are subdivided into three parts, the first on medicinal drugs (mainly plant-based), the second on weights and measures and the third on difficult terms. There are a total of 1,099 entries in theTalkhīṣ.[15]

Kitab al-Tanqīḥ

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A page from a copy of ibn Janah'smagnum opusKitab al-Tanqih,translated to Hebrew byJudah ibn Tibbon.

Towards the end of his life, ibn Janah wrote what is considered his magnum opus,[2]theKitab al-Tanqīḥ( "Book of Minute Research" ), known in Hebrew asSefer HaDikduk.[5][14]The book is divided into two sections:Kitab al-Luma( "Book of Many-Colored Flower-Beds"[2]), orSefer HaRikmah,which covered Hebrew grammar, andKitab al-Usul( "Book of Roots"[5]), orSefer HaShorashim,a dictionary of Classical Hebrew words arranged by root.[2]Ibn Janah's treatises on grammar greatly influenced men of later generations, among whom wasTanhum of Jerusalem(1220–1291), who cites Ibn Janah in hisJudeo-Arabiclexicon,al-Murshid al-kāfī.

Kitab al-Luma

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Kitab al-Luma(the Book of Variegated Flower-beds) was the first complete Hebrew grammar ever produced.[2]During his time, works of Arabic grammar and Quranic exegesis had a large influence among Hebrew grammarians.[5]In this work, Ibn Janah drew from the Arabic grammatical works ofSibawayh,Al-Mubarradand others, both referencing them and directly copying from them.[16]The book consisted of 54 chapters, inspired by how Arabic grammars were organized.[17]By using similarities between the twoSemitic languages,he adapted existing rules and theories of the Arabic language and used them for Hebrew.[18]These introductions allowed the Bible to be analyzed by criteria similar to those used by Quranic scholars of the time.[5]

Ibn Janah also introduced the concept oflexical substitutionin interpreting Classical Hebrew.[19]This concept, in which the meaning of a word in the Bible was substituted by a closely associated word, proved to be controversial.[20]Twelfth-century biblical commentatorAbraham ibn Ezrastrongly opposed it and called it "madness" close to heresy.[20]

Kitab al-Usul

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Kitab al-Usul(The Book of Roots), the dictionary, was arranged into 22 chapters—one for each letter of theHebrew Alpha bet.[21]The dictionary included more than 2,000roots,[18]nearly all of them triliteral.[21]Less than five percent of the roots have more than three letters, and they were added as appendix in each chapter.[18]Definitions for the words were derived from theTalmud,Tanakhor other classical Jewish works, as well as similar Arabic and Aramaic words.[21][18]This approach was controversial and new in Hebrew scholarship.[21]Ibn Janah defended his method by pointing to precedents in the Talmud as well as previous works by Jewish writers inBabyloniaandNorth Africa,which all used examples from other languages to define Hebrew words.[22]

Legacy

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Ibn Janah died in approximately 1055,[2]his works quickly became popular among Hebrew scholars in Spain.[22]They were initially inaccessible in other parts of Europe, which did not read Arabic.[22]However, in late twelfth century, Spanish-Jewish scholars in Italy andsouthern Francespread Ibn Janah's work there and to the rest of Europe.[22]Ibn Janah's main work,Kitab al-Tanqīḥ,was translated into Hebrew byJudah ben Saul ibn Tibbonin 1214.[23]This translation as well as others spread ibn Janah's methods and fame outside the Arabic-speaking Jews.[18]He was subsequently cited by Hebrew scholars and exegetes in theIberian peninsula,theMiddle Eastand southern France.[18]

In 1875Kitab al-Usulwas published in English as "The Book of Hebrew Roots", and a second printing with some corrections occurred in 1968. It was republished in Hebrew in 1876.[22]

His work, research and methodology are considered deeply important.The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World(EJIW) describes him as "one of the best-known, most influential, closely followed, and highly praised scholars" of Hebrew. Professor of Judaic Studies Michael L. Satlow writes thatKitab al-Tanqīḥis "fundamental to the study of Hebrew grammar";[24]SephardicStudies Professor Zion Zohar calls it "the most influential Hebrew grammar for centuries", and an example of where "medievalJudeo-Arabicliterary culture reached its apogee ".[3]Writer David Tene "rhapsodizes"onKitab al-Luna,calling it "the first complete description of Biblical Hebrew, and no similar work - comparable in scope, depth and precision - was written until modern times...[it was] the high point of linguistic thought in all [medieval grammatical] history".[25]TheEJIWdescribedKitab al-Usulas "the basis of all other medieval Hebrew dictionaries".[18]TheJewish Encyclopedia,however, notes "serious gaps" inKitab al-Tankih,because it does not discuss vowels and accents, and because it omits explaining Hayyuj's works on which it is based on.[26]TheEncyclopædia Britannicacalls him "perhaps the most important medieval Hebrew grammarian and lexicographer" and says that his works "clarif[ied] the meaning of many words" and contained the "origin of various corrections by modern textual critics".[9]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^According toMartínez-Delgado 2010,p. 501, the stranger was an adversary who attacked his view, whileScherman 1982,p. 64 says that the stranger merely relayed what he remembered from ibn Naghrillah's plan to attack him.

Citations

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  1. ^abScherman 1982,p. 63
  2. ^abcdefghijklmBrisman 2000,p. 12
  3. ^abZohar 2005,p. 46
  4. ^Bos & Käs 2016,p. 154.
  5. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaMartínez-Delgado 2010,p. 501.
  6. ^abcScherman 1982,p. 63.
  7. ^abcdeScherman 1982,p. 64.
  8. ^abcdefToy & Bacher 1906,p. 534.
  9. ^abEncyclopædia Britannica 1998.
  10. ^abScherman 1982,p. 22.
  11. ^Fenton (2016), pp. 107–143
  12. ^Gallego (2000), p. 90
  13. ^Gallego (2000), pp. 90–95
  14. ^abScherman 1982,p. 64
  15. ^Bos et al. 2020,"Introduction".
  16. ^Becker 1996,p. 277.
  17. ^Martínez-Delgado 2010,pp. 501–502.
  18. ^abcdefgMartínez-Delgado 2010,p. 502.
  19. ^Cohen 2003,pp. 79–80.
  20. ^abCohen 2003,p. 80.
  21. ^abcdBrisman 2000,p. 12.
  22. ^abcdeBrisman 2000,p. 13.
  23. ^Scherman 1982,p. 65.
  24. ^Satlow 2006,p. 213
  25. ^Waltke & O'Connor 1990,p. 35
  26. ^Toy & Bacher 1906,p. 535.

Bibliography

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  • Ángeles Gallego, María (2018)."Ibn Yanah".Diccionario biográfico español.Real Academia de la Historia.
  • Becker, Dan (1996). "Linguistic Rules and Definitions in Ibn Janāḥ's" Kitāb Al-Lumaʿ (Sefer Ha-Riqmah) "Copied from the Arab Grammarians".The Jewish Quarterly Review.86(3): 275–298.doi:10.2307/1454908.JSTOR1454908.
  • Bos, Gerrit[in German];Käs, Fabian (2016). "Arabic Pharmacognostic Literature and Its Jewish Antecedents: Marwān ibn Ǧanāḥ (Rabbi Jonah), Kitāb al-Talḫīṣ".Aleph.16(1). Indiana University Press: 145–229.doi:10.2979/aleph.16.1.145.JSTOR10.2979/aleph.16.1.145.S2CID171046217.
  • Bos, Gerrit; Käs, Fabian; Lübke, Mailyn; Mensching, Guido, eds. (2020).Marwān ibn Janāḥ, On the Nomenclature of Medicinal Drugs (Kitāb al-Talkhīṣ): Edition, Translation and Commentary, with Special Reference to the Ibero-Romance Terminology.Islamic History and Civilization, Volume 170. Brill.doi:10.1163/9789004413344.
  • Brisman, Shimeon (2000).A History and Guide to Judaic Dictionaries and Concordances, Part 1.Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press.ISBN0-88125-658-7.
  • Cohen, Mordechai Z. (2003).Three approaches to biblical metaphor: from Abraham Ibn Ezra and Maimonides to David Kimhi(Revised ed.).Leiden,Netherlands:Brill.ISBN9004129715.
  • Fenton, Paul B. (2016). "Jonah Ibn Ǧanāḥ's Medical Dictionary, the Kitāb al-Talḫīṣ: Lost and Found".Aleph.16(1). Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press: 107–143.doi:10.2979/aleph.16.1.107.JSTOR10.2979/aleph.16.1.107.S2CID170470303.
  • Gallego, María A. (2000). "The" Kitāb al-Taswi'a "or" Book of Reprobation "by Jonah ibn Janāḥ. A Revision of J. and H. Derenbourg's Edition".Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies.63(1). London: Cambridge University Press: 90–95.doi:10.1017/S0041977X00006479.JSTOR1559590.
  • Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (1998)."Ibn Janāḥ".Encyclopædia Britannica.Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.Retrieved2018-03-05.
  • Martínez-Delgado, José (2010)."Ibn Janāḥ, Jonah (Abū ʾl-Walīd Marwān)".In Norman A. Stillman; et al. (eds.).Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World.Vol. Two:D–I.LeidenandBoston:Brill.
  • Satlow, Michael L. (2006).Creating Judaism history, tradition, practice([Online-Ausg.]. ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.ISBN0-231-50911-1.
  • Scherman, Nosson (1982).The Rishonim(1. ed.). Brooklyn, N.Y.: Mesorah Publ. u.a.ISBN0-89906-452-3.
  • Toy, Crawford Howell;Bacher, Wilhelm(1906)."Ibn Janah, Abu al-Walid Merwan".Jewish Encyclopedia.Vol. 6. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co.
  • Waltke, Bruce K.; O'Connor, M. (1990).An introduction to biblical Hebrew syntax([Nachdr. ed.). Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns.ISBN0-931464-31-5.
  • Zohar, Zion, ed. (2005).Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewry: from the Golden Age of Spain to the Modern Age.New York: New York University Press.ISBN0-8147-9705-9.
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