[IBN GANACH]. In his thirtieth year (circa 131o) he devoted himself to the study of logic and the speculative sciences, as well as to the interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, in accord ance with the rules of these sciences. Passing by the philosophical and ethical productions of this voluminous writer, we shall give a list of his gram. matical, lexical, and exegetical works, and state the principles of interpretation by which he was guided. He wrote (r) a commentary on Ibn Ganach's grammatical work. (2) An etymolo gical work, called Ian 111pirri,* silver chains, con taining general remarks on the roots (DTIV.V) of the Hebrew language, in which he shows that in Hebrew more than in any other language things de rive their names from certain accidents. (3) A He brew lexicon called WM mint) or nitnv, small silver chains or roots, which is one of his mast interesting and important works. He starts from the principle tbat every root has only one general idea as its basis, and logically deduces from it all the other shades of meaning. A copy of this work in MS., 2 VOIS. 4t0, is in the Paris library, and another in the Angelica at Rome. Abravanel frequently quotes it in his commentary on the Pen tateuch (comp. p. 7), on Isaiah (comp. xlv. 3 ; lxvi. 17), etc. ; Wolf gives a specitnen of it (Bibliotheca Hebrcca 1543) ; Richard Simon used the Paris MS. (Hist. Crit., lib. i. cap. xxxi.), and Leopold Dukes printed extracts from it (Literaturblatt des Orients, 1847, p. 486). (4) A commentary on Ibn Ezra's exposition of the Pentateuch calle(111V1D Ion, the silver summaq. (5) Rules about most of the mysteries of the Pentateuch (i11111 "1110), and explanations of its apparently superfluous statements, called tinz nn+D, a silver castle. (6) A supplement to the preceding work, entitled ID] 4-my, silver pillars. (7) A commentary on the Pentateuch, entitled tipn ryn, a refining-pot for silver, in the introduction to which he gives an analysis of its tendency and parts. Abravanel gives an extract from it in his commentary on the Pentateuch (comp. Levit. xx. 10-21, p. 2o5, ed. Hanau). (8) A collection of those expositions of the Pentateuch, in which Ibn Caspi differs from Maimonides and Ibn Ezra, called riDZ '11CD, silver basons. (9) A commentary on eight prophets, called ID7 mut% silver staves—on Isaiah (lii.-liv.), which is one of these prophets, Ibn Caspi is very severe upon those who explain these prophecies as referring to the Messiah [IBN DANAN]. (to) An exposition of the Psalms, called 1= nrctn, silver surfers, an extract of which has been pub lished by Leopold Dukes (comp. Literaturblatt des Orients, 1849, pp. 1, 14). (1t) A commentary on Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. Of the commentary on Proverbs, which is one of Ibn Caspi's most valuable contributions to Biblical exegesis, the beginning and end have been pub lished by Werblumer (comp. nynp, 1846, P ig, etc.) ; an analysis of the commentary on Ec
clesiastes is given by Ginsburg (comp. Historical and Critical Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Long man, 1861, p. 6o, etc.), and the brief commentary on, or rather introduction to, the Song of Songs, which was published in 1577, but which is rarer than the MSS., has been reprinted with an English translation by Ginsburg (somp. Historical and Critical Commentary on the Song of Songs, Longman, 1857, 13. 47, etc.) (i2) A commentary on Job, called tlinn p+v, a silver table. (x3) An exposition of Ruth and Lamentations, entitled 91= nim, silver censers. (14) A commentary on Esther, called tim, ..5,53, silver rings. (t5) A commentary on Daniel, called 11D7 rnrp, sil ver dishes. (t6) An exposition of Ezra and Chronicles, entitled '11= rrilan, a silver girdle ; (x7) A cc,mmentary on all the passages found in the Pentateuch and in the Prophets which refer to the creation, called 'Mtn Frro, a silver vase. 08) A commentary on the miracles and other mysteries found in the Pentateuch, Prophets, and Hagio graphy, called IP:: a silver cup. (19) One hundred profound questions in connection with the Pentateuch and Prophets, called tell'D '107, dross silver.
As to the principles of interpretation by which Ibn Caspi was guided in explaining the Bible, we cannot do better than give them in his own words. 'The Sacred Scriptures,' says he in his exposition of the Proverbs, ` must be explained according to their plain and literal sense ; and a recondite meaning can as little be introduced into them as into Aristotle's writings on logic and natural his tory. Only where the literal meaning is not suffi cient, and reason rejects it, a deeper sense must be resorted to. If we once attempt to allegorise a simple and intelligible passage, then we might just as well do it with the whole contents of the Bible.' . . The logical division of sentences is the most indispensable and best auxiliary to the right understanding of the Bible, and the criterion to the proper order of the words are the Massora and the accents.' We see from this extract that this writer of the middle ages anticipated the hermeneutical rules of modern criticism at a time when the school men and the depositaries of Christian learning were engaged in hair-splitting and in allegorizing every fact of the Bible. It is greatly to be regietted that nearly all the exegetical works of Ibn Caspi are still unpublished. Comp. Zunz and Delitzsch, Katalog- der Handcar. der Leipziger Rathsbiblioth. PP. 304, ff., 323, ff. ; Kirchheim, Werblumer's .Edition of fbn Caspi's Commentary on Mainzonides' More Nebochim, Frankfort-on-the-Maine z848, 10, ff. ; Leopold Dukes, LPeraturblatt des Orients, [848; and especially the masterly article of Stein schneider, Ersch und Gruber, Allgemeine Encyklo piidie, sect. ii. vol. xxxi., p. 58, ff. ; Graetz, Ge schichte der Yam, vol. vii., Leipzig 1863, p. 361, etc.—C. D. G.