| The tenth century Karaite teacher and exegete who lived in Jerusalem, Yefet ben cEli Ha-Levi al-Bas&dotbelow;ri (YbE), wrote a translation and commentary in Judeo-Arabic on the entire Bible. His work, which reflects a systematic, rationalistic and scripturalistic approach, includes discussions of topics such as grammar, law, history, ethics, faith, theology, religious practice, daily customs and polemics. In this dissertation I analyze his translation and commentary on the Book of Proverbs. The first chapter is an introduction which includes a survey of the history of Karaism, a brief survey of YbE's life and work, a description of the manuscripts I used, and discussions of the transmission of the text and of the relationship between YbE and other exegetes. In the second chapter I discuss YbE's style of writing and presentation including a comparison with the writings of Rabbanites, Karaites, and writings from the wider Islamic world. In the third chapter I analyze YbE's choice and application of hermeneutic principles both Jewish and Islamic. In the final chapter I examine his theology in light of Mu ctazilite doctrine. I also study his polemics and attempt to identify his targets and aims. |
