| My dissertation analyses the historiography of Abraham Ibn Daud of Toledo (ca. 1100-1180) who was not only a sophisticated philosopher but also an innovative historian. This project draws attention to three of his works that have remained relatively obscure, namely the Brief History of Rome, the History of the Kings of Israel, and the Midrash on Zechariah, presented here in a first critical edition with translation and commentary.;Written in a series of seemingly unrelated books, Ibn Daud's books form a first universal history of the Jewish Middle Ages whose individual components follow distinct polemical and eschatological purposes: The Brief History deals with Roman and Christian history and represents a first Jewish attempt to integrate the Christian history of Iberia into a Judaized heilsgeschichte. The History, an abbreviated re-writing of the Book of Josippon uses an unknown version of Josippon, and the Midrash address questions of political leadership.;Ibn Daud's writings reflect the changing political and cultural conditions of twelfth-century Iberia---from Islamicate Andalusia to an increasingly Christian yet Arabic-speaking environment and they also testify to his genuine interest in history. |
