Kitab Al Khazari

Framed as a dialog between the king of the Khazars, a Central Asian kingdom, and a Rabbi, the Khazari is an exposition of late medieval Jewish philosophy. Legend has it that the king of the Khazars held a symposium to decide whether his people should convert to Judaism, Christianity or Islam. This book is an account of the Jewish side of this debate.

The Book of the Kuzari is one of the most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Judah Halevi. It is regarded as one the most important apologetic works of Jewish philosophy. The Kuzari takes place during a conversion of some Khazar nobility to Judaism. Divided into five parts it takes the form of a dialogue between a rabbi and a pagan. The pagan is then mythologized as the king of the Khazars who has invited the rabbi to instruct him in the tenets of Judaism. The Kuzari's emphasis is on the uniqueness of the Jewish people. The ideas and style of the work played an important role in debates within the Haskalah or Jewish Enlightenment movement.

Excerpt from Judah Hallevi's Kitab Al Khazari The invitation extended to me by the Publishers to prepare an English version of the Book Al Khazari has afforded me an opportunity of carrying out an intention which I had long cherished. It is now twenty years ago that my German translation of the work was published, and it is but natural that during this long interval I was able to detect a number of passages which required correction or, at least, general revision. The character of the book justifies the translation in the interest of those who are unable to read it in the original, or in the Hebrew version. It was meant by the author to be a book for the people, and contains sufficient attractive and instructive material to interest even those readers who would skip the more abstruse passages. Its popularity is evidenced by the fact that edition after edition followed almost from the earliest days of the printing-press down to our own time. Indeed, the most elaborate edition was undertaken by a non-Jewish scholar. The present translation was made directly from the Arabic original, as was also the case with the German translation mentioned before. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Judah Hallevi's Kitab Al Khazari The character of the book justifies the translation in the interest of those who are unable to read it in the original, or in the Hebrew version. It was meant by the author to be a book for the people, and contains sufficient attractive and instructive material to interest even those readers who would skip the more abstruse passages. Its popularity is evidenced by the fact that edition after edition followed almost from the earliest days of the printing-press down to our own time. In deed, the most elaborate edition was undertaken by a non-jewish scholar. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The Book of Kuzari is regarded as one the most important apologetic works of Jewish philosophy. It is one of the most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Judah Halevi and was completed around 1140. Divided into five parts, known as “ma’amarim” (articles), it takes the form of a dialogue between a rabbi and a pagan. The pagan is then mythologized as the king of the Khazars who has invited the rabbi to instruct him in the tenets of Judaism. Originally written in Arabic, the book was translated by numerous scholars, including Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon, into Hebrew and other languages. The Kuzari takes place during a conversion of some Khazar nobility to Judaism, as conflict was increasing between the Muslims in the south of Spain and the Christians in the north, with the line moving back and forth. As the Christians advanced, Jewish communities came under pressure to convert in order to survive. Judah Hallevi ended up in Christian Toledo in his later life, and The Book of Kuzazri is a product of that period: a defense of the Jewish religion and people, with a unique philosophical underpinning based on Hallevi’s studies and views.

The Kuzari is one of the basic books of Jewish literature, a required text in the library of every educated Jew--and of every educated Christian who would understand the religion of Israel. The author, foremost poet and thinker of the Jewish Middle Ages, offers clear and usable delineations of the religion of Israel. In the easy style of a Platonic dialogue, he presents first a critique of Christianity and Islam, and then explores the nature of Israel's first religious faculty, the question of the "chosen" people, the implications of a "minority religion." Against those who accommodate to prevailing philosophical trends, Judah Halevi is blunt, frank and uncompromising in his discourse on the central teachings of Judaism: revelation, prophecy, the laws, the Holy Land, and the role of the Jewish people as spokesman for religious faith.

"Kitab al Khazari" from Judah Halevi. Jewish Spanish philosopher and poet (1075-1141).