Jewish History (2005) 19: 375–379
Book review NORMAN ROTH University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, U.S.A. E-mail:
[email protected]
Carlos del Valle Rodr´ıguez, Historia de la gram´ atica hebrea en Espa˜ na. Vol. 1: Los or´ıgenes (Menahem, Dunaˇs y los disc´ıpulos). Madrid, 2002, 666 pp. Carlos del Valle Rodr´ıguez, Historia de la gram´ atica hebrea en Espa˜ na. Vol. 10: La gr´ amatica hebrea de Ibn Dan¯ an en la versi´ on ar´ abe y hebrea. Madrid, 2004, 492 pp. Strictly speaking, the work reviewed here concerns the ancillary discipline of Jewish grammar, Yet, not only is it a history of that grammar, a matter of no little interest to those who study the history of the Jews in medieval Spain, it also brings new light to bear on matters of direct historical interest, mostly notably, the famous controversy between Menah . em b. Saruq, the secretary of H . asdai Ibn Shaprut, and the newly arrived from North Africa, Dunash b. Labra.t. We are happy to include this review in this issue. KS Recent years have witnessed an increasing scholarly interest in the contributions of medieval grammarians to the revival and development of the Hebrew language; a subject which, of course, has its origins in eighteenth-century scholarship (and some even earlier), including several Christian scholars in Spain. Undeniably, both quantitatively and qualitatively, Israeli scholarship continues to dominate, including a proliferation of journals which makes it difficult to keep up with the outpouring of constant articles. However, Spanish scholarship follows close behind, and the significance of this research can no longer be ignored (as it all too often has been). The two works under consideration here are outstanding examples of this. Carlos del Valle Rodr´ıguez is an eminent scholar at the “Institute of Philology” of the venerable and vast government-sponsored Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient´ıficas in Madrid, and author of an array of articles and books covering many aspects of Jewish culture
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of medieval Spain, including important editions of texts. Readers may be familiar with his important study Die grammatikalische Terminologie der fruehen hebraeischen Grammatiker (Madrid, 1982), La obra gramatical de Abraham Ibn ‘Ezra (Madrid, 1977), and his critical edition and translation of Ibn ‘Ezra’s Sefer .sah . ot (Madrid, 1977), among others. He has now taken on the formidable task of presenting a detailed history (including the editing of some texts) of medieval Hebrew grammar in Spain, of which these two volumes are the first to appear. The author introduces the first volume with a chapter briefly summarizing early Greek and Latin grammar, and a far more substantial discussion (chapters three and four) on general medieval Arabic grammar and Spanish Muslim grammarians. Further introductory chapters deal with the masoretes, Sa‘adyah and the North African tradition. These analyses are accurate and complete, with thorough and updated bibliographies for each section. The Spanish scholar (as indeed others) is thoroughly familiar with Israeli contributions, while sadly the reverse cannot be said. Why it is easier for a Spanish Christian to master biblical, medieval and modern Hebrew than it is for Israeli scholars to learn Spanish is not at all clear. The story of investigation in Hebrew grammar in Spain, leading ultimately to its revival (and I use the term advisedly, in spite of the objections of some scholars) as a literary language and its use even in normal correspondence, begins in C´ ordoba in the tenth century with the famous courtier H asdai Ibn Shapru . .t and his secretary Menah . em ben Saruq, and his antagonist newly arrived from North Africa, Dunash b. Labra.t and their disciples. The author details the historical background of this development well, with only a couple of minor errors (Ashtor’s flawed study is scarcely “the only monograph on the history of the Jews of Muslim Spain,” p. 226, and the nineteenth-century French scholars Joseph and Hartwig Derenbourg were not “brothers,” pp. 227, 259, but father and son).1 As is well known, when Menah . em published (apparently in separate treatises) his dictionary, he evoked the severe criticism of Dunash. For whatever reason, he chose not to reply personally, but was ably defended by several of his students. Our author details accurately the history of the debate, correcting some errors of earlier writers along the way. Unlike most Israeli authors (when writing in English), Spanish scholars are extremely careful about the correct transliteration of names, and del Valle is certainly no exception to this rule. Nevertheˇ sat [Sheshat]” less, at least three mistakes are found (p. 265): “Ibn Seˇ for Yah¯ ud¯ı Ibn Sheshet, one of the students of Menah . em, and “Ibn
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Capron” for another, Isaac Ibn Cabron (the name, as correctly pointed out, derives from Spanish for “goat” and in Judeo-Arabic the b was transcribed as q, a common confusion), and “Ibn Chiquitilla,” an old mistake for the correct Chicatilla (again, of Spanish origin). The latter name, held by several important scholars, is also constantly misspelled by writers in English. These are, however, minor matters. What is important is that the author provides a thorough and correct explanation of the grammatical (and lexicographical) theories involved, with adequate detail that is neither too technical for comprehension by the general reader nor too limited to be of interest for the specialist. It is by no means easy to write on such subjects without running the risk of boring the reader. Following the introductory historical and analytical chapters, nearly half the massive book (590 pages, with an additional bibliography and complete indices) is a “documentary appendix” of translations of several sections of the Mah . beret (dictionary) of Menah . em, the Teshuvot (replies, or rebuttals) of Dunash and of Menah . em’s students against Dunash, including those of Ibn Sheshet. It is unfortunate, however, that after having correctly challenged the theory that Dunash was the “grandson” of Sa‘adyah, he nevertheless chose to include a translation of the excerpts of the critique of Sa‘adyah, which almost certainly belongs to Dunash Ibn Tamim of North Africa. The translations of these texts are judicious in the inclusion of truly significant excerpts, correctly translated, and with adequate (and enlightening) explanatory notes. It is commendable that the publisher allowed all notes to be footnotes rather than endnotes, a luxury not available to many authors. The indices include Greek and Latin as well as Arabic and Hebrew terms discussed, which in itself should be of use to other researchers. Sa‘adyah Ibn Dan¯ an (d. 1492, not 1493 as del Valle has2 ) in North Africa, came with his father Maimon (Maym¯ un) from Fez probably in 1465 to Granada, where he eventually became the last rabbi of that once proud and renowned Jewish community, which had steadily deteriorated over the centuries. He was a proficient scholar and writer, author of an Arabic dictionary of biblical Hebrew, a philological treatise on the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, some few (published) responsa and Hebrew poems, and a brief chronicle (and also of the kings of Israel), and other unpublished works.3 Following a thorough introduction, which traces the little known of the life of Ibn Dan¯ an and the historical background (containing, nevertheless, as “appendices” excerpts from chronicles of unreliable
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authenticity4 ), the main part of the book is devoted to an edition and translation (pp. 132–293) of the Hebrew version and pp. 296–393) of the Judeo-Arabic version (both texts are by Ibn Dan¯ an himself). What is perhaps surprising is the extent of his dependence on his predecessors, not only the famous “Andalusian” grammarians but even Joseph Qimh . i (to be sure, also of Granada origin, but who lived and wrote in Provence). There is little of originality in his grammar, in fact, but it has the merit of clear and orderly presentation, discussing each division of “categories” of vowels, nouns, etc. What is unique, apparently (although too much should not be inferred here) is his brief classification of vowel signs (literally “movements,” in both languages: Ar. .harak¯ at, Heb. tenu‘ot) according to their phonetic structure; that is, the placement of the tongue, and “motion” in the mouth in their pronunciation, referring to the three “fundamental” signs qibu.s, patah . and shever.5 Following also in the footsteps of earlier Arab grammarians and Ibn ‘Ezra, these three “fundamental movements” represent also, or harmonize with, the three fundamental motions of the universe (p. 235, n. 140). Both the Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew texts are printed in large modern type, making them clearly readable. Both texts are accompanied with extensive footnotes which offer important information extending beyond the boundaries of the edition itself. There are vocabularies both of Hebrew and Arabic grammatical terms (p. 395 ff.) and a nearly complete bibliography of secondary studies. Unfortunately missing from the list (and so from every recent edition or discussion of Ibn Dan¯ an) is the important Hungarian book of N. Blumgrund, Sa‘adja ibn Dan` an. ´elete ´es m¨ uvei (Pressburg, 1900). The two volumes here discussed represent outstanding examples of the kind of research which needs to be done in the field of grammatical studies. Scholars and the general reading public will look forward anxiously for the completion of future volumes in the series, a project which certainly will take years to bring to fulfillment.
Notes 1. See, for instance, Norman Roth, Jews, Visigoths & Muslims in Medieval Spain (Leiden, 1994), which incidentally also discusses some of these figures. 2. This is the result of his reliance (pp. 77–78) upon the incorrect statement of an eighteenth-century descendant of the author, rather than the obviously more reliable testimony of his own grandson (cited by Yusuf al-Naim, Malkhey rabanan [Jerusalem, 1931], 100d, not consulted by the author). 3. The author provides bibliographical references for the published philological works only, p. 434; see pp. 80–81 for a complete list also of unpublished works.
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His poetry (Judeo-Arabic) was edited and translated by Judit Targarona Borr´ as in Sefarad 46 (1986 [Homenaje al prof. F. P´erez Castro]), 449–461, and the texts (with analyses) of 30 poems in his ha-Haqdamut ha-diqduqiot (grammatical introduction to his dictionary, Sefer ha-shorashim), (B. M. Or 612) Mosheh Kohen, ed. (Jerusalem, 2000); not mentioned by del Valle. The chronicle, first edited as Seder ha-dorot by Zvi H. Edelmann in his H onigs. emdah genuzah (K¨ berg, 1856; photo rpt. Tel-Aviv, 1971), ff. 25c–31a, was translated (Sp.) by J. Targarona Borr´ as M.E.A.H. 35 (1986), 81–149; there is a critical edition and translation: El orden de las generaciones = Seder ha-Dorot, by Carlos del Valle and G. Stemberger (Madrid, 1997). The chronicle of the kings of Israel appears with his “h . idushim” (responsa) in Moses b. Maimon’s responsa (P’er ha-dor, secs. 225–230, and Qove.s teshuvot I, ff. 62a–64b). On his important responsum concerning the conversos (in Edelmann, op. cit., ff. 13a–16b) see Norman Roth. Conversos, Inquisition and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain [Madison, 1995; revised and updated, 2002], pp. 71–72. 4. All of these had already been discussed in Roth, Conversos, in the context of the conquest of Granada and the expulsion of the Jews. 5. See for comparison with Arabic W. Wright, A Grammar of the Arabic Language (Cambridge, 1981 and various eds.), p. 8. The Hebrew text of Ibn Dan¯ an, p. 232 ff.; the Judeo-Ar. text, p. 360 ff., and see the editor’s extensive note, p. 233.
