Isaac ben-Gikatilla. See Ibx-Gikatilt.a.
Isaac ben-Jacob Alfasi or Alcalai, one of the most distinguished Talmudical scholars of the Jlid- dle Ages, was born at Cala-Hammad, near Fez, in Afri- ca, about 1013. It had been the custom among Jewish Rabbis to follow iu the intcriintation of the Talmud the decisions of the (iaoiiim, and thus direct inquirj^ and in- dependence of thought liad well-nigli become not only obsolete, but even impossible. But when Alfasi had be- come sufficiently familiar with the Talmudic writings to make his voice heard among his Jewish brethren, he evinced such an independence of thought, and a mind of such penetration, that he was soon acknowledged not only on Africa's shore, but even on the other side of the sea, by Spain's Jewish savans, as one of the ablest in- terpreters of their tradition. A work which he publish- ed at this time, rizbrill "iSD, or the Hulacha's of the whole Talmud, intended as a Talmudical compendium (published at Cracow, 1597, 8vo ; Basle, 1602,8vo), which has preserved its authority even to the present day, still further increased his renown. During a time of perse- cution (1088), being obliged to flee his jiative country, he sought refuge in Cordova, and there he was received with great honor. But his distinction as a Talmudist, and the kind offices of his Spanish brethren, seem to have annoyed some of the more distinguislied Rabbis of Spain. A controversy, into which he ^vas unwilUng- ly drawn, with Ibn-Gia and Ibn-Albalda, became espe- cially severe. After the death of Ibn-Gia, he removed to Lucena, and was there appointed the successor of his former opponent. But his controversy with Ibn-Albal- da continued until the death of the latter (1094), when
ISAAC BEX-JEHUDAH
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Alfasi adopted a son of Ibn-.\lbalda, and made him one of his most faithful adherents. He died in 1103. A list of the different editions of his works may be fomid in Fiirst, Bibliotheca Judaka, i, 34 sq. See Grutz, Gesch. d.Juden, vi, 76 sq., 92 sq. ; Munk, Notice sur Ahouhoahd, p. 4 sq. ; rinsker, Likute Kadmonijot, text No. 210, and note X. (J. H. '\V.)
Isaac ben-Jehudah. See Ibn-Giath.
■^saac ben-Joseph, called also Isaac de Cor- BKii., was born in Corbeil, a city in France, towards the bejpnning of the 13th century, and died in 1280 accord- ing to Kossi (Jachia Ghedalia and Abraham Zakuth say, the one 1240, the other 1270). He is the author of the celebrated work entitled nb'5 ^'IMZ'S, Ammiidey GoUh (Constantinople, 1510, 4to; Cremona, 1557, 4to; and with glosses by Perez ben-Elia, and indications of the pas- sages quoted from the Bible and the Talmud, Cracow, 1596, 4to). This work is taken from the rilS^ "iSO ?"I5 {Sepher Mitsvoth Gadol) of Moses of Coucy, and is known also by the name of Semak (from the initials of the three Hebrew words Sepher Mitsvoth Katori). It contains a synopsis of the precepts of the Jewish relig- ion. It is divided into seven parts, each containing reg- ulations for one day of the week. Isaac wrote it in 1277, at the request of the French Jews, who desired to have a clear and convenient manual to guide tliem in matters pertaining to their religion. It is also known under the Latin title of Columnce captivitafis, and still more fre- quently as the Lib€7- Pi-cecqjtoruni parvus. Several oth- er copies of it were made by French as well as German Rabbis. Jekutiel Salmon ben-Mose, of Posen, made a compondiiim of the work (Cracow, 1579, 4to). See Bar- tc.lnci. M.niiin Bihlioth. Rabbin.; Wolf, Biblioth. He- hriiica : ],'o-^i, I >izion.storico dfgli Ay.tori Ebrei ; Fiirst, JiihUoth. .Imhiiva, i, 186 ; Gtatz^ Gesch. d. Juden, vii, 131 ; Jost, Gesch. d. Judenthums, iii, 33. (J. H. W.)
Isaac ben-Juda (Abrabanel). See Abr.vba-
NKI..
Isaac ben-Latif or Allatif, a Jewish philoso- pher f)f some note, was born about 1270, somewhere in the southern part of Spain. Of his early history scarce- ly anything is now known. But some of his works have been preserved, and from notices of distinguished contemporaries we learn that he was incHned to favor the Cabalists (q. v.). He is highly spoken of bj' the Kabbins of his day, but evidently, judging from his works, was rather two-sided on all cabahstic points, so that he may most appropriately be said to have stood " with one foot in philosophy, and with the other in the Cabala." He died some time in the first half of the 14tli century. Of his works are printed rbtip b" ^^^B, a Commevtari/ on Kohelet (Constantinople, 1554, 8vo) : — *nian "liT^ and nbirri rnV.i, a Cosmology (Yien. 1862, edited by S. Stern) :— D'l'-crn n^'d, a work on Dogmatics, Religious Philosophy, and the Physical Sci- ences, in 4 parts :— a^X rinbin 'd, a History of Man ; etc. See Oriilz, r,V.sr/, /,/../,/,/,'». vii, 220 sq.; So?,t,Gesch. d. .fudentli iim^.Vu.x^): S;i c 1 1 s. Ki rem Ckemed, viii, 88 sq. ; Fiirst, llih/ln/h, ,;, .ln,l„!ni, ii, 224. (J. H. W.)
Isaac ben-Mose. See Pkofiat Duuan.
Isaac ben-Moses, also called Avo.ji, who flour- ished in the. latter half of the 16th century, deserves our notice as the author of (1.) a Commentary on the Penta- teuch, entitled bx Ti-C^T\''.T, ox Consolations of God (Sa- loniki, 1578-9); and (2.) a Commentary on Ecclesiastes, entitled rbnp b"inp-2, or the Gatherer of the Congre- r/(ition (ibid. 1597), which are both valuable contribu- tions to the exegetical literature of the O.-T. Scriptures. See Kitto, MM. Cyclop, ii, 410; Steinschneider, Catol. Lib. Ilthr. in Biblioth. Bod. col. 1 139.