Solomon ben Abraham ibn Parhon
Encyclopedia
Solomon ben Abraham ibn Parhon was a Spanish philologist of the 12th century, a native of Ḳal'ah (Ḳal'at Ayyub, Calatayud
), Aragon
. In the preface to his lexicon
he mentions as his teachers, besides a certain R. Ephraim of whom nothing more is known, the two great Spanish scholars Judah ha-Levi and Abraham ibn Ezra
. Ibn Parḥon refers also to conversations with Judah ha-Levi, mentioning, for example, his remarkable assertion regarding the inadmissibility of meter in Hebrew poetry
, and tells of the sojourn of Ha-Levi and Ibn Ezra in North Africa
.
and Biblical exegesis as they flourished in the Arabic language
in Spain
. Ibn Parḥon relates in his preface that when he came to Salerno
he found the people there entirely ignorant of the products of Judæo-Spanish literature, being acquainted only with the lexicon of Menahem ibn Saruḳ. He determined, therefore, to compile a lexicon to the Bible in which the substance of that literature should be made accessible in Hebrew. He completed his work on Kislew 1, 4921 (= 1160), and called it Maḥberet he-'Aruk, combining the title of the dictionary of Menahem with that of Nathan
's Talmudic lexicon. Except for the original matter which Ibn Parḥon incorporated in his work, it may be considered as an extract from the lexicon of Ibn Janaḥ, supplemented by extracts from the works of Ḥayyuj, as well as from the Mustalḥaḳ and the Luma of Ibn Janaḥ.
Ibn Parḥon quotes by name only a few authorities, including Rashi
and Solomon ibn Gabirol
. The latter's interesting short grammatical didactic poem Anaḳ has been preserved, at least in part, in Ibn Parḥon's introduction to his lexicon. The numerous explanatory notes, which are a notable characteristic of the lexicon, make it a mine of information on historical details relating to the ritual. It contains also various scientific excursus, including some on problems of religious law. The article בעל contains a sermon on illicit intercourse with Jewesses, which throws light on the moral status of the Italian Jews
; in another article, גלב, he seizes the opportunity of showing the inadmissibility of the custom of not cutting the hair, a custom prevailing in Christian countries. Twice, in the articles מנח and ערב, he attacks the practice which Jews living in Christian countries had adopted of combining the afternoon prayer with the evening prayer.
Although Ibn Parḥon introduces a few Aramaic phrases (occurring in the Talmud
) to satisfy the taste of his readers, the language of his lexicon, with its pure Hebraisms and the fluency and precision of its style, betrays the influence of his teacher Ibn Ezra. The original matter contributed by Ibn Parḥon includes, in addition to the notes mentioned above, many interpretations of single Biblical passages, and numerous explanations of Biblical words by means of Neo-Hebraic and Aramaic. A brief summary of Hebrew grammar, together with an excursus on Neo-Hebraic prosody, is prefixed to the lexicon, and a number of chapters based chiefly on the Luma of Ibn Janaḥ and dealing with syntactic and stylistic peculiarities of the Bible are appended. The preface and many of the articles contain interesting data on the history of Hebrew philology.
Ten years after its appearance Ibn Parḥon's lexicon was bitterly attacked by Judah ibn Tibbon, who translated the lexicon of Ibn Janaḥ and unjustly criticized Ibn Parḥon's work as being a translation thereof. Despite this, Ibn Parḥon's lexicon became very popular in succeeding centuries, although subsequently it was forgotten, until resuscitated by S. G. Stern, who edited it according to a Vienna
manuscript together with an introduction by S. L. Rapoport (Presburg, 1844).
Calatayud
Calatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
), Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
. In the preface to his lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
he mentions as his teachers, besides a certain R. Ephraim of whom nothing more is known, the two great Spanish scholars Judah ha-Levi and Abraham ibn Ezra
Abraham ibn Ezra
Rabbi Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra was born at Tudela, Navarre in 1089, and died c. 1167, apparently in Calahorra....
. Ibn Parḥon refers also to conversations with Judah ha-Levi, mentioning, for example, his remarkable assertion regarding the inadmissibility of meter in Hebrew poetry
Hebrew poetry
Hebrew poetry is poetry written in the Hebrew language. It encompasses such things as:* Biblical poetry, the poetry found in the poetic books of the Hebrew Bible* Piyyut, religious Jewish liturgical poetry in Hebrew or Aramaic...
, and tells of the sojourn of Ha-Levi and Ibn Ezra in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
The Lexicon
The only one of his works which has been preserved is his lexicon. In it he appears as the true pupil of Ibn Ezra, becoming, like him, the propagator of Hebrew philologyPhilology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and Biblical exegesis as they flourished in the Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Ibn Parḥon relates in his preface that when he came to Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
he found the people there entirely ignorant of the products of Judæo-Spanish literature, being acquainted only with the lexicon of Menahem ibn Saruḳ. He determined, therefore, to compile a lexicon to the Bible in which the substance of that literature should be made accessible in Hebrew. He completed his work on Kislew 1, 4921 (= 1160), and called it Maḥberet he-'Aruk, combining the title of the dictionary of Menahem with that of Nathan
Nathan ben Jehiel
Nathan ben Jehiel of Rome was a Jewish Italian lexicographer. He was born in Rome not later than 1035 to one of the most notable Roman families of Jewish scholars. Owing to an error propagated by Azulai, he has been regarded as a scion of the house of De Pomis...
's Talmudic lexicon. Except for the original matter which Ibn Parḥon incorporated in his work, it may be considered as an extract from the lexicon of Ibn Janaḥ, supplemented by extracts from the works of Ḥayyuj, as well as from the Mustalḥaḳ and the Luma of Ibn Janaḥ.
Ibn Parḥon quotes by name only a few authorities, including Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
and Solomon ibn Gabirol
Solomon ibn Gabirol
Solomon ibn Gabirol, also Solomon ben Judah , was an Andalucian Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher with a Neoplatonic bent. He was born in Málaga about 1021; died about 1058 in Valencia.-Biography:...
. The latter's interesting short grammatical didactic poem Anaḳ has been preserved, at least in part, in Ibn Parḥon's introduction to his lexicon. The numerous explanatory notes, which are a notable characteristic of the lexicon, make it a mine of information on historical details relating to the ritual. It contains also various scientific excursus, including some on problems of religious law. The article בעל contains a sermon on illicit intercourse with Jewesses, which throws light on the moral status of the Italian Jews
Italian Jews
Italian Jews can be used in a broad sense to mean all Jews living or with roots in Italy or in a narrower sense to mean the ancient community who use the Italian rite, as distinct from the communities dating from medieval or modern times who use the Sephardi or Ashkenazi rite.-Divisions:Italian...
; in another article, גלב, he seizes the opportunity of showing the inadmissibility of the custom of not cutting the hair, a custom prevailing in Christian countries. Twice, in the articles מנח and ערב, he attacks the practice which Jews living in Christian countries had adopted of combining the afternoon prayer with the evening prayer.
Although Ibn Parḥon introduces a few Aramaic phrases (occurring in the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
) to satisfy the taste of his readers, the language of his lexicon, with its pure Hebraisms and the fluency and precision of its style, betrays the influence of his teacher Ibn Ezra. The original matter contributed by Ibn Parḥon includes, in addition to the notes mentioned above, many interpretations of single Biblical passages, and numerous explanations of Biblical words by means of Neo-Hebraic and Aramaic. A brief summary of Hebrew grammar, together with an excursus on Neo-Hebraic prosody, is prefixed to the lexicon, and a number of chapters based chiefly on the Luma of Ibn Janaḥ and dealing with syntactic and stylistic peculiarities of the Bible are appended. The preface and many of the articles contain interesting data on the history of Hebrew philology.
Ten years after its appearance Ibn Parḥon's lexicon was bitterly attacked by Judah ibn Tibbon, who translated the lexicon of Ibn Janaḥ and unjustly criticized Ibn Parḥon's work as being a translation thereof. Despite this, Ibn Parḥon's lexicon became very popular in succeeding centuries, although subsequently it was forgotten, until resuscitated by S. G. Stern, who edited it according to a Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
manuscript together with an introduction by S. L. Rapoport (Presburg, 1844).
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- W. Bacher, Salomon ibn Parchons Hebräisches Wörterbuch, in stade's Zeitschrift, x. 120-156, xi. 35-99;
- Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 2384;
- Winter and Wünsche, Jüdische Litteratur, ii. 190.