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Trends in the Study of Medieval Hebrew Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2009

Dan Pagis
Dan Pagis
Affiliation:
Hebrew University
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Extract

The vast body of premodern Hebrew literature is usually termed “medieval“—a somewhat misleading term, partly based on the assumption that in most countries the Jewish Middle Ages lasted until the Emancipation in the eighteenth century. However, as is well known, this literature was by no means monolithic. It comprised such disparate schools and styles as portions of the liturgy dating back to late Roman times, the Palestinian and Eastern piyyut (liturgical poetry) of the Byzantine and Moslem periods, the famed Hebrew-Spanish school and its ramifications or parallel schools in Provence, North Africa, Turkey, and the Yemen, other important centers like Germany and France, and an entire millennium of Hebrew poetry in Italy whose later stages coincided with, and were influenced by, the Renaissance and the Baroque. Israel Davidson's monumental bibliography, entitled in English Thesaurus of Hebrew Mediaeval Poetry, actually spans more than a millennium and a half, or, as its Hebrew title states, “from the canonization of the Bible to the beginning of the period of Enlightenment” (in the late eighteenth century). Alternative terms to “medieval” seem scarcely clearer; “postbiblical” tacitly and misleadingly excludes the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, while “premodern” includes the Bible.

Type
Research Article
Information
AJS Review , Volume 4 , April 1979 , pp. 125 - 141
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Jewish Studies 1979

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References

1. Davidson, Israel, 'Osar ha-shirah ve-ha-piyyuf mi-zeman halimat kitvei ha-qodesh 'ad reshit tequfat ha-haskalah, 4 vols. (New York 1924–1933Google Scholar; 2d ed. with an introduction by Jefim [Hayyim] Schirmann and a supplement by Davidson [see below, n. 6]. New York, 1970).

2. Davidson, Israel, “The Study of Mediaeval Hebrew Poetry in the Nineteenth Century, ” Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research 1 (1930): 33–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar For the latter period, see Schirmann, Jefim, “The Study of Hebrew-Spanish Poetry between the Two Wars: 1919–1939” [Hebrew], Sedarim 2(1942): 475–83.Google Scholar For a general survey of the textological and historical research, see J. Schirmann's Introduction to Davidson's 'Osar, 2d ed., pp. ix–xxxvi.

3. “Heqer ha-shirah ve-ha-piyyut bi-shenat…” in Kiryat Sefer.The series started in 1950 with vol. 26 (on research published in 1948–1950) and has been published annually up to the present.

4. Ha-shirah ha-'ivrit bi-Sefarad u-vi-Provans, 4 vols. (Tel Aviv-Jerusalem, 1956; 2d ed., 1972).Google Scholar

5. 'Ofar, English preface, p. xxxvii.

6. Vol. 4, a supplement to vols. 1–3, was published in 1933; an additional “Supplement to the Thesaurus, ” Hebrew Union College Annual12–13 (1937–38): 715–828, is also included in the second edition of the 'Osar(1970) at the end of vol. 4.

7. Yedi'ot ha-makhon le-heqer ha-shirah ha-'ivrit(Berlin, 1933–1936; Jerusalem, 1938–1958).

8. Schirmann, Jefim, Shirim hadashim min ha-genizah(Jerusalem, 1965).Google Scholar

9. Goitein, S. D., “The Biography of Rabbi Judah Ha-Levi in the Light of the Cairo Geniza Documents, ” Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research 28 (1959): 41–56CrossRefGoogle Scholar; idem, “Judeo-Arabic Letters from Spain (Early Twelfth Century), ” Orienlalia Hispanica sive studia F. M. Pareja octogenario dicata, vol. 1 (Leiden, 1974), pp. 331–50. See his Hebrew articles in Tarbiz24 (1954–55): 21–47, 134–49; 25 (1956): 393–412; 28 (1959): 330–42; 30 (1961): 379–84; 48 (1977): 245–50. In the last article (“Did Yehuda Halevi Arrive in the Holy Land?”), Goitein publishes letters which refer to the poet's embarkation at Alexandria for Eretz Israel (Shavuoth of 1141), and thus refutes the assumption that the poet died in Egypt.

10. Zulay, Menahem, Piyyufei Yannai(Berlin, 1938).Google Scholar

11. A few prominent examples are Benjamin, Klar's edition of Megillat 'Ahima'as(Jerusalem, 1946; 2d ed., 1974)Google Scholar; Habermann's, A. M. editions of the poetry of Simon bar Isaac (Berlin- Jerusalem, 1938) and Ephraim of Bonn (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv, 1968)Google Scholar; Urbach's, E. E. edition of Abraham ben Azriel's 'Arugat ha-bosem, 4 vols. (Jerusalem, 1939–1963).Google Scholar

12. Hannagid, Samuel, Divan, ed. D. S. Sassoon (Oxford, 1934)Google Scholar; ed. A. M. Habermann (Tel Aviv, 1947); ed. Dov Jarden (Jerusalem, 1966); Samuel Hannagid's collections Ben Mishlei(Tel Aviv, 1949) and Ben Qohelet(Tel Aviv, 1953) were edited by Shraga Abramson.

13. Shirei Shelomoh Ibn Gabirol.ed. Bialik, Ch. N. and Rawnitzky, I. Ch. (Berlin-Tel Aviv, 1924–1932)Google Scholar; Shirei ha-qodesh (Devotional Poems), ed. Dov Jarden (Jerusalem, 1971–72); Shirei ha-hol (Secular Poems), ed. Heinrich (Hayyim) Brody and Jefim Schirmann (Jerusalem, 1975); ed. Dov Jarden (Jerusalem, 1975). (In 1976 Jarden added a volume based on the Brody- Schirmann edition.)

14. Ibn Ezra, Moses, Shirei ha-hol, ed. Heinrich Brody, vol. 1 (Berlin, 1935); vol. 2 (Jerusalem, 1942)Google Scholar; vol. 3, ed. Dan Pagis (Jerusalem, 1977).

15. Ezra, Moses Ibn, Shirat Yisra'el, trans. Ben Zion Halper (Leipzig, 1923)Google Scholar; Sefer ha- 'iyyunim ve-ha-diyyunim (Kilab el-muhddara wal-mudhdkara), trans, and ed. A. S. Halkin (Jerusalem, 1975).

16. Piyyufei Shelomoh ha-Bavli(Jerusalem, 1973); Pizmonei ha-'Anonimos(Jerusalem, 1974).

17. Ezra, Abraham Ibn, Shirei ha-qodesh, vol. 1 (Jerusalem, 1975).Google Scholar

18. Piyyufei Yose ben Yose(Jerusalem, 1977).

19. Diwdn des Abu-l-Hasan Jehuda ha-Levi, 4 vols. (Berlin, 1894–1930).Google Scholar

20. Schirmann, Jefrm, “Problems in the Study of Post-Biblical Hebrew Poetry, ” Proceedings of the Israel A cademy of Sciences and Humanities 2(1967): 228–36.Google Scholar

21. E.g., Fleischer, Ezra, in Shirat ha-qodesh ha-'ivrit bi-yemei ha-beinayim(Jerusalem, 1975), traces the development of this poetry from its beginnings and its relation to the liturgy in Eretz Israel, the Eastern diaspora, Spain, Italy, Germany and FranceGoogle Scholar; Pagis, Dan, Ijiddush u-masoret be-shirat ha-hol: Sefarad ve-'Ilalia(Jerusalem, 1976).Google Scholar

22. Chap. 18, ed. Toporovski (Tel Aviv, 1952), pp. 186–87; Schirmann, Ha-shirah, 3: 138.

23. E.g., in his introduction and elsewhere.

24. Gan ha-meshalim ve-ha-bidot, ed. David, Yellin (Jerusalem, 1934), e.g., pp. 118, 180 and in many other poems.Google Scholar

25. Kol shirei Ya'aqov Frances(Jerusalem, 1969).Google Scholar

26. Mivfiar ha-shirah ha-'ivrit be-'lfalia(Berlin, 1934).Google Scholar

27. Immanuel Frances, Meteq sefatayim[written 1678], ed. Heinrich Brody (Cracow, 1896).

28. Hartmann, Martin, Die hebraische Verskunst nach dem Metek Sefatajim(Berlin, 1894).Google Scholar Brody gave a crushing reply in his Offener Brief an Herrn Prof. M. Hartmann(Frankfurt, 1894).

29. David Yellin, Torat, pp. 103–40; Schirmann, Ha-shirah, general introduction, pp. 31–34; Dan Pagis, Hiddush.pp. 70–77.

30. Levin, Israel, “Biqqashti 'et she-'ahavah nafshi, ” Hasifrut 3 (1972): 116–49.Google Scholar

31. Ibn Zabara, Joseph, Sefer sha'ashu'im, ed. Israel Davidson (New York 1914; 2d ed., 1925)Google Scholar; The Book of Delight, trans. Moses Hadas (New York, 1932; 2d ed., 1960).

32. Zulay, Menahem, Ha-'askolah ha-paytanit shel Rav Sa'adya Ga'on(Jerusalem, 1964).Google Scholar

33. Mirsky, Aaron, Mahsavlan shel surol ha-piyyul(Jerusalem-Tel Aviv, 1968).Google Scholar

34. Shirat ha-qodesh(see n. 21).

35. Jerusalem, 1939; ed. with addenda, Jerusalem, 1971.

36. Adi (Eddy) Zemach, Ke-shoresh 'e$(Tel Aviv, 1965; 2d ed., 1973); idem, Miqra bishemonah shirim 'ivriyim mi-yemei ha-beinayim(Jerusalem, 1968).Google Scholar

37. The poets' awareness of the tension between theory and practice was a measure of poetic trends in different periods. Compare, for example, Moses Ibn Ezra (ca. 1138) who apologized for not being able to realize all norms he himself had prescribed (Muifadara, fol. 115=Shirat Yisra'el, p. 156=Sefer ha-'iyyunim, pp. 218–21) with, say, seventeenth century Hebrew authors in Italy and Holland who encouraged formal and rhetorical innovations transcending the Hebrew-Spanish normsaee.g., Archivolti, Samuel, 'Arugal ha-bosem(Venice, 1602), pp. 118–19Google ScholarJedidiah Carmi, Joseph, Kenaf renanim(Venice, 1626), fol. 3aGoogle Scholar; Oliveyra, Solomon, Sharshot gavlut(Amsterdam, 1665), pp. 37–38.Google Scholar A clear break with Hebrew-Spanish tradition in the name of poetic freedom was proclaimed by Moses Hayyim Luzzatto (Ramhal) in a manuscript of his Leshon limmudim(before 1727), ed. Habermann, A. M. (Tel Aviv 1959), pp. 131–38.Google Scholar

38. Yellin, , Torat;Dan Pagis, Shirat ha-hol ve-torat ha-shir le-Mosheh Ibn Ezra u-venei doro(Jerusalem, 1970)Google Scholar; Halkin, A. S., introduction to Sefer ha-'iyyunim;R. P. Scheindlin, “Rabbi Moshe Ibn Ezra on the Legitimacy of Poetry, ” Medievalia el Humanistica, n.s., 7 (1975): 101–15; Reuven Tsur, Muskamot ve-reforiqah(Tel Aviv, 1976).Google Scholar