Samuel ben Ali (also Samuel ben Ali ibn al-Dastur; died 1194) was the most noteworthy of the twelfth-century Babylonian scholars and the only one of his era whose written works have survived in any significant number.

Biography

Samuel served as head of the academy in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

for nearly thirty years and was a recognized leader of neighboring countries as well. He appointed judges throughout

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, and presided over many congregations throughout

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. His

Talmudic The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

lectures were attended by thousands of pupils, each who had undergone a preparatory course in advance. He was also well-versed in the field of astrology. Samuel had a strong personality and clashed with

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...

on a variety of occasions. Samuel wrote glosses to Maimonides’ works, and the latter addressed them in a letter to his student, Joseph b. Judah. Samuel criticized Maimonides’ position on

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...

and the

world to come The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or par ...

and had fiercely debated Maimonides’ student, Joseph b. Judah, on these issues as well. Additionally, circles associated with Samuel were disseminating propaganda attacking Maimonides’ positions. Samuel’s daughter had become reputable, under the name of

Bat ha-Levi Bat ha-Levi (12th-century), was an Iraqi Jewish scholar. She gave lessons to male students and had a remarkable position for a Jewish woman in 12th-century Iraq. Her name is not known, and she is known under the name ''Bat ha-Levi'', meaning 'the ...

, for her Talmudic expertise and public lectures to students who would remain outside and listen, while she remained indoors and unseen. A collection of Samuel’s letters were published in ''

Tarbiẕ Tarbiẕ () was a scientific quarterly of contemporary Jewish studies, Humanities and religion, published in Hebrew, by the Institute of Jewish Studies (now ''Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies'') at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The journ ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuel ben Ali Exilarchs 12th-century Abbasid rabbis 1194 deaths Year of birth unknown Rabbis from Baghdad