The influence of Muslim theology on Yefet ben 'eli as evidenced in his interpretation of two biblical stories: The sins of king David in the census and the sins he committed with Bathsheba

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Abstract

Yefet Ben 'Eli, as other Karaites sages in the Gaonic Period, was heavily influenced by the Mu'tazila Muslim theological movement. Under Mu'tazili influence, Yefet interpreted the commandments in their plain meaning. On the other hand Yefet allowed himself to go far away from the plain meaning when interpreting Biblical stories (qi{scombining dot below}a{scombining dot below}) in order to reconcile them with Mu'tazili moral values. This kind of interpretation is shown here by discussing the way Yefet interpreted two Biblical stories: 1. The census David took and the punishment that fell on the nation because of it (II Sam. 24, I Chron. 21). 2. The sin David committed with Bathsheba (II Sam. 11-12, Ps. 51).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)47-76
Number of pages30
JournalRevue des Etudes Juives
Volume174
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2015

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