SOLOMON BEN ABRAHAM BEN SAMUEL
Complete contents the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia.
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Answer
- Abraham Solomon ben Isaac ben Samuel Catalan (also rendered Shalom or Shalom ben Isaac ben Judah ben Samuel) was a Catalan Jewish philosopher and translator who died in 1492. He is best known for Neweh Shalom (Dwelling of Peace), a work that engages theology, philosophy, and mystical topics, and was circulated in manuscript and later printed in 1538 in Constantinople and 1574 in Venice with a preface by Moses Almosnino. This establishes him as a significant late medieval-Arabic-into-H Hebrew philosophical translator.[1][7]
Context and works
- Neweh Shalom covers topics such as eternity of the world, providence, prophecy, immortality, and resurrection, while also addressing mathematical, physical, and cabalistic themes. Its publication history reflects its influence in Sephardic and broader rabbinic circles of the period.[1]
- Scholarly reception of his work and position in the tradition places him among translators and theorists who sought to harmonize philosophical ideas with Jewish theology, often engaging with Maimonidean and Crescanic positions in ways that were characteristic of late 15th-century Iberian Jewry.[5][7]
Notes
- While there are other similarly named figures in the broader historical record, the Catalan Abraham Solomon ben Isaac ben Samuel Catalan is the author associated with Neweh Shalom and with translations/prefaces noted in Sephardic bibliographic sources.[7][5]
- If you’re looking for precise biographical details (birthplace within Catalonia, education, or contemporaries), those are less consistently documented across sources and may require consulting specialized bibliographies or manuscript catalogues from Jewish historical archives.
Illustration
- Example: Neweh Shalom’s aim to reconcile scriptural authority with philosophical inquiry is indicative of late medieval Jewish scholarly trends, where translated and original treatises sought a synthesis between revelation and rational inquiry.[7][1]
Citations
- Abraham Solomon ben Isaac ben Samuel Catalan’s authorship and Neweh Shalom publication history:.[1]
- Neweh Shalom’s content areas and significance in Sephardic scholarly circles:.[1]
- Context within late medieval Iberian-Jewish philosophical translation tradition:.[5][7]