son-in-law!" His guest then threw off the mask, and the marriage was shortly after celebrated.

A few years subsequently to this event, Aben Ezra made a literary tour of several countries of Europe. From thence he extended his journey to Palestine, where he had frequent communications with the learned men of Tiberias, on the subject of Masoretical text. He travelled through the Grecian islands, and resided a long time at Rhodes, where in 1194* he terminated a life of seventyfive years, almost fifty of which had been spent in visiting various countries, and in preparing his numerous works. He wrote commentaries on the whole Bible, and also various other works, a particular account of which may be found in Wolf, I. p. 73-86, and in the Biographie Universelle, Tom. I, p. 75. He was thoroughly acquainted with the Hebrew and Arabic tongues, conversant with the whole extent of Rabbinical learning, and master of the philosophy of his time. Bartolocci calls him an excellent philosopher, astronomer, physician, poet, grammarian, cabbalist and interpreter of scripture. His extraordinary acquisitions are less worthy of admiration, than the powers of his mind. If the appellation, hahakim, the wise, can justly be applied to any Jew, it certainly belongs of peculiar right to Aben Ezra. He is generally con

According to Basnage, 1174. Book ix. chap. x. sect. 3.

sidered by competent judges as the most literal and judicious of Jewish expositors. The style of his works is characterized by purity, and so great conciseness as to occasion frequent obscurity. He had examined the Bible with unusual penetration and care, availing himself of the assistance, yet not unduly biased by the authority, of the more ancient expositors, and he brought the treasures of his knowledge, and the sharpness of his wit, to expose erroneous interpretations, and to settle the correct sense. He shows an attachment to Rabbinism, although he is not without the liberalism of the Karaite school,* his views being often free, and his exposition of scripture simple and unaffected. During his lifetime he enjoyed the distinction of a most influential character, and the greatest scholars did not hesitate to advance him above all his predecessors. Maimonides, the most distinguished of his contemporaries, earnestly recommended to his own son, a careful study of the works of Aben Ezra, as superior to any other for intellectual force and solid learning.

* Japheth Levi, a distinguished Rabbi of this school, was in early life one of Aben Ezra's instructors.

MAIMONIDES.

WITH the biography of Aben Ezra is closely connected that of his contemporary, RABBI MOSES BEN MAIMON, generally called, by the Jews, RAMBAM, (a word formed by the initials of the preceding designation,) and by the learned in general, MAIMONIDES. This distinguished person was born about the year 1139,* at Cordova, which at that time was subject, with a considerable portion of Spain, to the emperor of Morocco. His father was a learned Jew of that city, respectable, as well on account of his descent from learned ancestors, as for the office of judge, which he held with reputation. It is said that the birth of Moses was the occasion of his mother's death, and he was on that account not favorably regarded by his surviving parent. His deceased wife, the daughter of a butcher, was of a station in life very inferior to that of her husband, and, as soon after

"This statement is found at the end of his commentary on the Mishnah, in the Neapolitan edition of 1492." MENDELSSOHN's Jerusalem, Vol. ii. p. 291. Lond. 1838.

her death, he married a woman of higher rank, it has been thought that the son of the former wife was considered by his father as a permanent reproach on him for having formed such a connection, and consequently regarded with aversion. Whether the judge was influenced by feelings so unworthy and unnatural, or not, is uncertain. The boy's dullness, however, notwithstanding all the efforts made to instruct him, either increased or produced the father's dislike. On occasion of some ill usage, the son left his parental home, and was probably received into some other Jewish family. After having devoted himself in Lucena to the study of the Talmud, and arrived at the age of manhood, he returned to Cordova, and, avoiding his father's house, made himself known to some of his friends. Through their influence, permission was granted him to deliver a discourse in the synagogue. While every one listened in astonishment to the youthful instructor, Rabbi Maimon, with no little surprise, recognized his own son, embraced him, and with parental affection welcomed him to his home. Under his father's guidance the young Moses continued to prosecute his rabbinical studies, but his acquaintance with Arabic, astronomy, mathematics and medicine, was formed in the school of the famous Averroes, with the learned Arabians Ebn Tophail and Ebn Saig as his companions.

It would be inconsistent with the intended

brevity of this notice, to enter into any biographical details of the life and character of Averroes, otherwise known by the title of Abdallah Mohammed Ebn Omar Ebn Roshd. The erudition and profound abilities which distinguished him, the dignities to which he was advanced, and the persecutions he was obliged to sustain in consequence of the charge of having abandoned the Moslem faith for natural religion, are matters of history to every reader. In the inquisitive character of his mind, not sufficiently checked, it may be, by a right appreciation of the necessity of divine revelation to ascertain and establish religious truth, Maimonides most probably found a congeniality with his own. A freedom of thought, worthy of all praise when restrained within proper limits, marks the productions of this learned Jew. He felt the fetters of Rabbinism, and struggled to set himself free, not with the view of overturning the Jewish system, but in the hope of showing that its principles were in harmony with the soundest philosophy.

For this purpose he began, as early as the twenty-third year of his age, to prepare an exposition of the Mishna in the Arabic language, and completed it in seven years. The attempt made in this work to settle and explain the principles

* It has been said, that Maimonides himself abjured for a time his religion, and professed Mohammedanism. See Basnage, Book ix. chap. x. sect. 7.