Lewis-Gibson : Polemic

Saʿadya Gaʾon

Lewis-Gibson

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Leaf 1, and f. 2r contain parts of Saʿadya’s polemical work against the Karaite Anan b. David: כתאב אלרד עלי ענן. The last 5 lines of f. 2r consist of a concluding poem, apparently summarising the general theme of the preceding text. The name ענן is not visible in the poem, due to a hole in the manuscript. However, the downstroke of the final nun is visible, and the name Anan would fit the metre of the poem. On the basis of this metre, Bialik (Ginze Qedem, 5, 1934) argues that the poem is unlikely to have been composed by Saʿadya himself. The poem is vocalised using Tiberian signs. There is occasional interchange between pataḥ and qameṣ. Ca. 11th-12th century.</p>