erudite Steinschneider, Xachmanidis Dupututio publica book Jezirah (Mantua, 15G2, and often)
and was incorporated in Frankfurter's Great Rabbinical Bible (Amsterd. 1724-27). See Fhaxkfirteij. But that Nachmanides was not the author of this commen- tary has been proved by Dr. Frankel, in his Monais- schrift, 18G8, p. 449 sq. The cabalistic commentarj' oa the Song of Songs, which is ascribed to him, belongs to his teacher Asariel. Besides the works already men- tioned, Nachmanides wrote a number of cabalistical, dogmatical, ethical, and religio-polemical works, as "i? wj b^l^Cytl, on reward and punishment (Naples, 1490 ; latest edition, Warsaw, 1873):— r"ipri r^iyXor ~i^2P!n I'D, on the sanctitj- of marriage (Rome, 1 54G, and often since) :
— -(in-jan-i nDii^sn p, also n:!;rx nrr, a large
cabalistic work on prayers, the natural law, the deca- logue, the attributes of God, etc. (Venice, IGOl ; latest ed. Warsaw, 1873):— n'^S"' "lEO "C;i~S, a commcntarj' on the book Jezirah (q. v.), printed together with the
pi-o fide Judaica a. 12G3, e cod. ^fSS. recoffiiita (Berl 18G0), to which are added learned notes by the editor, and Nachmanides's exposition of Isa. liii. In Palestine Nachmanides completed and revised his stupendous €07)1- vicutary on the Pentateuch, an archteological and mys- tical work which lie had begun nearly twenty years before (r249-12()8). " Pliysician l)y profession, thor- oughly conversant not only with Hebrew, Chaldee, Syr- iac, and Arabic, but also with (ireek, Latin, Spanish, etc., master of the whole cycle of Talmudic, Midrashic, and exegetical literature, and intimately actpiainted with the manners, customs, and geography of the East, he fre(iuently quotes medical works (r'XIEin ISO, and ri3'^03 "'"'SO), clears up medical difficulties (comp. comment, on Gen. xxx, 14; xlv, 2G; xlvi, 15; Lev. iii, 9: xi, 11; xii, 4; xiii, 3, 42; Numb, xxi, 9), explains difficult terms by comparing the Hebrew with other languages (comment, on (Jen. xlix, 12, 20; Exod. xxx, 23, 34; xxxii, 1 ; Lev. xi, 11; xiii, 29; xix, 20; Deut. xiii, 2, 4; xxxiii, 30), criticises Christian versions (Gen. xli, 45; Numb, xi, 17), explains the customs and geography of the East ((ien. xi, 28 xxxiv, 12 ; xxxviii, 18, 24), gently and reverentially attacks the rationalis- tic views of Maimonides about miracles and revelation, and controverts and exposes, in unsparing language, Abcn-Ezra's scepticism, concealed in unbelieving, mys- tical doctrines. See Aiiex-Ezka. Being a thorough believer in the Cabala, Nachmanides, though explain- ing the obvious sense of the Bible, yet maintains that
on the redemption from captivitj', in sections, of which a part of the second section was published by Asar de Rossi in his Meor Enajim (Mantua, 1574, and often). He also wrote some poems, of which one is especially beautiful, and is generally used in the synagogical ser- vice for the first day of the new year — the wX"t3 D^^STS' '^■^"lir'2. In the division of the synagogues, caused by the writings of JIaimonidcs (cj. v.), he took the part of the latter, probably more on account of the esteem he felt for this great man than for any sym- pathy with his opinions. Maimonides intended to give Judaism a character of unity, but he produced the con- trary. His aim was to harmonize philosophy and re- ligion, but the result was a division in the synagogue, which gave birth to a philosophism called Cabala, and to this newly-born Cabala Nachmanides became con- verted, though he was at first decidedly adverse to this system. But one day the Cabalist who was most zealous to convert him was caught in a house of ill-fame, and condemned to death. He requested Nachmanides to visit him on the Sabljath. the day fixed for his execu- tion. Nachmanides reproved him for his sins, but the Cabalist declared his iiniocence, and that he would ap- pear at his house on this verj- day after the execution, and partake with him the Sabbath meal. According to the story, he did as he promised, as by means of the cabalistic mysteries he effected his escape, ami an ass was executed in his stead, and he himself was suddenly transported into Nachmanides's house ! From that time
NACHON
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Nach man ides became a disciple of the Cabala, and was initiated into its mysteries, the tenets of which per- vade his numerous writings. Thus in the introduction to his Commentary on the Pentateuch he remarks, " We possess a faithful tradition that the whole Pentateuch consists of names of the Holy One (blessed be he !) ; for the words may be divided into sacred names in another sense, so that it is to be taken as an allegory. Thus the words D-Tlbx X"a n^lTXin, in Gen. i, 1, may be divided into three other words, e. g. X^nni ;rN"13 Qinbx. In like manner is the whole Pentateuch, which consists of nothing but transpositions and numerals of divine names." Nachmanides died at Acre (Ptolemais) about 1270, leaving a number of disciples. See Gins- burg, in Kitto, Cyclop, s. v. ; Steinschneider, Catalogus Libr. Hebr. in Btblioth. Bodkiana, col. 1947-65 ; Fiirst, Biblioth. Judaica, iii, 2-8 ; Perles, in Frankel's Monats- schriftfiir Gesch.u.Wissenschaft d. Judenth. viii, 81 sq., 113 sq.; Gratz, Gesch. d. Juden, vii, 41-50, 54 sq., 78-80, 132-144, 417 sq.; De Eossi, Dizionario storico deyli autori Ebrei, p. 236 sq. (Germ, transl. by Ham- berger); id. Biblioth. Judaica Antichristiana (Padua, 1800), p. 74 sq. ; Lindo, Hist, of the Jews in Spain and Portugal (Lond. 1848), p. 68 sq. ; Finn, Sephai'dim, p. 199 sq.; Basnage, Hist, of the Jews (Taylor's transl.), p. 655, 656 sq., 660 ; Da Costa, Isi-ael and the Gentiles (New York, 1855), p. 299 sq.; Ginsburg, The Kab- balah, etc. (Lond. 1865), p. 108 sq. ; Dessauer, Gesch. d. Israeliten, p. 307 sq. ; Braunschweiger, Gesch. d. Ju- den in den Roman. Staaten (Wurzburg, 1865), p. 165, 181 ; Jost, Gesch. d. Judenth. u. s. Sekten, iii, 13, 37, 73 ; Etheridge, Introd. to Hebr. Literature, p. 251 sq., 358, 408 ; Sachs, Religiose Poesie d. Juden in Spanien, p. 135 sq., 321 sq. ; Delitzsch, Zur Gesch. d. Jiidischen Poesie, p. 39, 65, 85 ; Ginsburg, Levita's Massoreth Ha-Masso- reth, p. 124 ; id. Jacob Ibn - A donijaKs Introd. to the Rabbinic Bible, p. 10, 39, 40; Zunz, Literaturgesch. d. Synagogalen Poesie, p. 478 ; Cassel, Lcilfadenfur Gesch. u. Literatur, p. 67 sq. ; Schmucker, Hist, of the Modem Jews, 149 sq. ; Steinschneider, Jeicish Literature, p. 89. (B. P.)