ABSTRACT
Abraham ibn Ezra is one of the most highly regarded, yet misunderstood, of biblical exegetes. In Jewish tradition his Commentary on the Torah is regarded as second only to Rashi’s1
in popularity, and yet he is often underestimated as a mere ‘grammarian’, or advocate of the ‘literal’ meaning of the text. This book aims to demonstrate that far from being a ‘literalist’, ibn Ezra was interested in ‘secret meanings’. He also espoused Aristotelianism, and was the first Jewish exegete to posit the conjunction of thinker, thinking and thought as the goal of man’s desire to know God.2 Most importantly, ibn Ezra’s curious mix of disparate approaches, which he termed ‘grammar’, is of relevance in modern hermeneutic debates. This biography presents an overview of ibn Ezra’s life, emphasising evidence linking his other writings to the Introduction.3 Brief accounts of the political situation of each place he visited are also included wherever possible.
