Immanuel of Rome
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Immanuel ben Solomon ben Jekuthiel of Rome (Immanuel of Rome, Immanuel Romano, Manoello Giudeo) (1261 in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
– ca. 1335 in
Fermo, Italy Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest hu ...
) was a Jewish poet and author who lived in present-day
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and composed works in Hebrew and Italian. Immanuel’s most well-known work is his Hebrew-language ''
maqama ''Maqāmah'' (مقامة, pl. ''maqāmāt'', مقامات, literally "assemblies") are an (originally) Arabic prosimetric literary genre which alternates the Arabic rhymed prose known as '' Saj‘'' with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical ...
'' collection, the ''Mahberot Immanuel''.


Biography

Immanuel was born in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
in 1261 to the Zifroni family. His cousin, Judah ben Moses Romano, was an author and translator employed by the King of Naples, Robert of Anjou. Immanuel served as the head of correspondence for Rome’s Jewish community and likely occupied another prominent position during his lifetime. He left Rome in 1321, perhaps in response to a papal edict of that year which ordered the expulsion of Jews from Rome. After this, he travelled around Italy, possibly residing in Gubbio. Immanuel likely died around 1335.


Works

Immanuel wrote in both in Hebrew and Italian. He is the only Jewish author from this time with surviving Italian-language works. Apart from the ''Mahberot Immanuel'', his most-known composition, he authored biblical commentaries, a work of
Hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate c ...
, a treatise on the esoteric aspects of the Hebrew alphabet (not extant), and five poems in Italian. He is the first poet to author a
sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...
in a language other than Italian.


Mahberot Immanuel

Immanuel is most celebrated for the ''Mahberot Immanuel'', a Hebrew collection of ''maqamat''. The ''
maqama ''Maqāmah'' (مقامة, pl. ''maqāmāt'', مقامات, literally "assemblies") are an (originally) Arabic prosimetric literary genre which alternates the Arabic rhymed prose known as '' Saj‘'' with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical ...
'', also referred to in Hebrew as ''mahberet'' is a genre of rhymed prose that originated in Arabic but flourished in both Arabic and Hebrew in medieval Iberia. In his introduction to the ''Mahberot Immanuel'', Immanuel references
Judah al-Harizi Yehuda Alharizi, also Judah ben Solomon Harizi or al-Harizi ( he, יהודה בן שלמה אלחריזי, ''Yehudah ben Shelomo al-Harizi'', ar, يحيا بن سليمان بن شاؤل أبو زكريا الحريزي اليهودي من أه ...
’s ''Takhemoni''. Hebrew was not a spoken language in either medieval Iberia or 14th century Italy and authors re-worked Biblical Hebrew to suit their literary exploits. ''Mahberot Immanuel'' consists of 28 chapters that each deal with various subjects and inter-weave rhymed prose and metered verse. It reflects elements of Hebrew literary tradition as well as contemporary Italian literary trends. Immanuel’s sonnets employ motifs characteristic of
Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
and
Cecco Angiolieri Francesco Angiolieri, known as Cecco Angiolieri (; c. 1260 – c. 1312) was an Italian poet. Biography Cecco Angiolieri was born in Siena in 1260, son of Angioliero, who was himself the son of Angioliero Solafìca who was for several years a banke ...
, two contemporaries of Immanuel. The beloved is referred to both as a “gazelle”, typical of Arabic and Hebrew literary heritage, and as a “lady,” Immanuel’s translation of the Italian ''donna''. This ''maqama'' collection includes thirty-eight sonnets. Immanuel employs a meter that combines both Hebrew quantitative meter (itself an Andalusian adaptation from Arabic) and Italian syllabic meter. These sonnets were included amongst the 28 stories of the Mahberot. For example, in the third chapter, lovers exchange sonnets with each other. Immanuel’s ''Mahberot Immanuel'' was a highly popular work amongst Hebrew readers. It was one of the early Hebrew works printed after the advent of the printing press, particularly since Italy was a center for Hebrew printing. Further proof of its notoriety is attested by its prohibition for reading on the Sabbath according to the 16th legal code
Shulchan Aruch The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in Is ...
. Two of the most-known stories of the ''Mahberot'' Immanuel are the ''Scroll of Love'' (''megilat ha-hesheq'') and the ''Tale of Hell and Paradise'' (''Mahberet ha-Tophet veha-'Eden''). Through a series of rhymed letters, the ''Scroll of Love'' recounts the story of Immanuel whose patron entices him to romantically pursue a nun who he has never seen. The pair exchange ten letters, four of them sonnets. Immanuel’s poetic chops convince the nun to run away with him however the tale turns sour when Immanuel discovers she is his patron’s half-sister. His patron threatens to cut off his support of Immanuel and so Immanuel is forced to end the budding romance. Heartbroken and humiliated, the woman stops eating and drinking and quickly dies. Immanuel mourns her death with a sonnet The ''Tale of Hell and Paradise'' is an account of hell and heaven delivered by Immanuel’s literary persona who was guided by Daniel. Daniel is either a reference to the biblical prophet or to Dante. He includes a description of a sinner bound to a post crowned with thorns, possibly an allusion to Jesus. Notably, this man is being punished for his heretical and sexually improper acts. Daniel and Immanuel meet other biblical and contemporary people in hell and heaven. Scholars have pointed to similarities between this story of Immanuel’s and Dante’s
Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...
. Unlike Dante, Immanuel does not include purgatory which is not present in Jewish theology. Interestingly, this section is the lone story to feature exclusively rhymed prose. Immanuel does not mix in metered verse.


Italian poems

Immanuel is the only Jewish poet from this period with extant Italian poetry. Immanuel authored five poems in Italian – four sonnets and ''Bisbidis''. ''Bisbidis'' was well-received and included in poetic anthologies from this time. ''Bisbidis'' has received scholarly attention for its inventiveness and rich onomatopoeia.


References


External links


The Italian Poems of Immanuel ben SolomonDigital Dante - Immanuel of Rome and DanteIMMANUEL (ben Solomon) OF ROME
Encyclopaedia Judaica article by
Umberto Cassuto Umberto Cassuto, also known as Moshe David Cassuto (16 September 1883 – 19 December 1951), was an Italian historian, a rabbi, and a scholar of the Hebrew Bible and Ugaritic literature, in the University of Florence, then at the University of R ...
and Angel Sáenz-Badillos at
Encyclopedia.com Encyclopedia.com (also known as HighBeam Encyclopedia) is an online encyclopedia. It aggregates information from other published dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference works including pictures and videos. History The website was launched by ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Immanuel The Roman 1270 births 1330 deaths 13th-century Italian Jews 14th-century Italian Jews 13th-century Italian poets 14th-century Italian poets Jewish poets Italian poets Italian male poets Writers from Rome 13th-century Italian writers 14th-century Italian writers Jewish Italian writers