Who Was ibn Gabirol? The Jews of Sepharad Dr. Henry Abramson

Brief lecture on Solomon ibn Gabirol, an important 11th-century Andalusian Jewish philosopher and poet. Part of The Jews of Sepharad series at www.jewishhistorylectures.org.

[@jaycastillo6752]

Thank you Dr. Abramson for doing the Sephardic Jewish history lectures. As someone with Sephardic ancestry from Spain, we and the Mizrahim are often ignored.

[@sabahatnaheed1435]

I am a Muslim and I find ibn Gabirol so interesting. My research into Islamic Spain led me to him.

[@daangroeneveld5308]

Being from the Netherlands, I just started living in Granada, Spain, when the corona-lockdown started... Strange timing, but walking from the supermarket I met a Morish looking statue. Surprised seeing a statue in Spain of what I thought a muslim, I read the description: Yehuda Ibn Tibon, Jewish writer and physician. Back home, I put his name in youtube and got this nice lecture as a result. Probably thanks to algorythms, as Ibn Tibon isn't mentioned in this lecture, but appeared to be the guy who translated Gabirols book into Hebrew. As living in Albaicin, the historic Morish/Jewish quarter of Granada, I can't cross the streets anymore without imagining jews quarelling about poetry. Now that the streets are empty, the spirits of history are getting more visible... Dear profesor, I wonder if you know about Yehuda Ibn Tibon, and maybe have some details on him? And which literature about the covivencia do you advice?

[@raulsilva-ok]

Next lecture don't edit out the jokes! I like them (I retell them later to my friends) and in no way do they diminish the academic depth of your lectures. Cheers!

[@briankelly5828]

Another enjoyable lecture from which I am learning so much, thank you. Neo-Platonic thought really goes back to the third century AD, to the philosopher Plotinus whose word 'Enneads' or 'groups of nine' influenced St Augustine (356-430) enormously and provided him with the philosophical underpinnings for his theology. Augustine's theology prevailed in the early and middle Middle Ages until the 13th century when Thomas Aquinas produced his vast synthesis of the Bible and Aristotle. Interestingly it was the preservation of Aristotle's works in Arabic in Spain and then their translation into Latin - as they were known in the Sorbonne - that created this new cultural flowering - as I believe it did for Maimonides as well. However, there were some crucial points of difference between Aristotle and the Bible where Thomas had to differ with 'the Philosopher', viz. on the creation in time of the world and the survival of the individual's soul post-mortem (Aristotle denied both of these points). If ibn Gabirol was influenced by Neo-Platonism also, that is an interesting commentary on the cultural climate of the age. Thanks again for your fascinating work.

[@balompedico]

Thank you, glad to see a lecture dedicated to the great Ibn Gabirol. Keter Malchut is still as incredible and as new to me as it was the first time I read it!

[@patrickbly4170]

Thank you 😊

[@zafirjoe18]

Thanks for another wonderful lecture

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

I appreciate your kind words!

[@lodiscutimosdespues]

Hi, Dr. Abramson. Like I wrote in my email I watch your lectures every week. Looking forward to working with you. Jésica from Argentina!

[@Salim_Maliki]

Thanks a lot for the interesting Video Dr. Abramson. Is there also a lecture about Abraham bar Chija?

[@alsaulso1332]

This was interesting!! loved it

[@veaudor]

I just read that Averroes' work was also an influence to Christian thinkers..

[@patrickbly4170]

" If 2 parallel lines are cut by a transversal... then opposite interior angles are congruent. "

[@mikeklein9923]

How about an analysis of the Sdei Chemed

[@alecxander9573]

23:41 everybody gangsta until some stray philosopher ask "what about a cup?".

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Hmm

[@patrickbly4170]

I can relate to His inner experience... sometimes I feel like a Self Righteous 😌 malcontent. Whatever... still a Genius.

[@mikeklein9923]

I like that self conscious malcontent

[@moshemankoff7488]

Thanks!

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thank you as always Moshe Mankoff!

[@davidsavage6324]

on the way you were explaining the Cave, I thought of a new level of meaning where the surface of the earth the underworld and outer space is the reality from which one can truly view things as they are without Maya, delusion.

[@veaudor]

Very wonderful lecture, full of enthusiasm. Don't cut out the jokes, please!! lol

[@mikeklein9923]

I would have corrected you on pronunciation.. does he sound sond familiar ? Angry registrar dude ? Or was it crazy registrar dude ?

[@mecachislamar]

it pains the continuous stream of name mispronunciations...

[@patrickbly4170]

I believe Geniuses are like water pipes. 💧 Their ability to put puzzles together is partially accessible because the information is presented to them ...like spoon feeding the baby from the plate in front of him.

[@luisga3709]

Saragossa is not in the centre of the Iberian peninsula, quite the opposite, it's in the eastern extreme of it, close to the Pyrenees....

[@jeffreystockman4159]

@ 34:35 "Great words" um no not really.

[@armandmiralles6773]

KETHER MALKOUTH TODA RABA

[@patrickbly4170]

It depends on how you stress your Syl a bOLs

[@MOISHE401]

Isn't this לשה"ר?

[@MOISHE401]

Henry Abramson Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. As an historian it's indeed a big challenge. It's not a concern about one particular passage, it's the Gestalt that emerges as a whole when his character is described ( approx the first ten minutes)

[@mikeklein9923]

Astrology .. kosher, kabbalistic ?

[@JazzyGinger1]

Hello, May I share an Old Testament Verse with you from Daniel 7:14 "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should SERVE Him; his dominion is an Everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Also, can I share Isaiah 53:5 " But HE was WOUNDED For our TRANSGRESSIONS, he was BRUISED for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His STRIPES we are HEALED." God the Father loves you so much that He sent Holy Sinless Jesus (His Holy Son) to earth to be born of a virgin.Then, to grow up and die on a cross for our sins. He was in the tomb for 3 days, then Father God raised Holy and Sinless Jesus Christ (Y'shua) to Life! He appeared to people and went back to Heaven. We must receive Sinless Jesus sincerely to be God's child(John 1:12).After we get saved by grace through faith in Christ, if we truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will obey Jesus(John 14:15). Mark 1:15 "And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. "There's a real hell. It says in Revelation 21:8 "But for the cowardly, & unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, & immoral persons sorcerers & idolaters & all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire & brimstone..." Please sincerely receive Holy Jesus and put your true faith and trust in Him today and please repent. Will you have a Real encounter with Holy Lord Jesus (Y'shua is His Hebrew Name) and stay in a Genuine relationship with Him daily please?

[@mikeklein9923]

Oh grand poobah - Plato .. glad you didn't teach philosophy. Impressive you can quote him