Ibn Ezra, Abraham ben-Meir

(c. 1089–c. 1164)

   Spanish poet and biblical scholar. Ibn Ezra was born in Tudela, and was closely attached to his renowned fellow-townsman Judah HALEVI. He lived in Cordova under a pseudonym, and had considerable difficulty in earning a livelihood. He wrote ironically of his ventures, ‘If I were to take up shroud-making, men would leave off dying.’ In legendary tales he is pictured as a beggar, seeking alms from door to door. He left the city about 1140 and after that lived as a wandering scholar, mainly in Italy, also visiting France, North Africa, London and maybe Palestine in his old age.

   Ibn Ezra’s works of biblical exegesis, intended to give the simple meaning of the Torah, were composed in Italy. It was through these works that the fruits of Spanish philosophy were spread outside Spain. An astronomer and mathematician, he is considered the first scientific commentator on the Bible, and centuries later SPINOZA was inspired by his work. He also produced poetry, both religious and secular; treatises on Hebrew grammar for the instruction of the Italian communities; short philosophical works; and works on astronomy and mathematics - including a decimal system for writing numbers.