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Judah Halevi

Type Figure Region Al-Andalus Time c. 1075–1141 Also known as Judah ha-Levi、Yehuda Halevi、Judah ben Samuel ha-Levi、阿布·哈桑·耶胡达

Judah Halevi (c. 1075–1141), an Andalusian Jewish poet, philosopher, and physician born in Tudela (or, according to another account, Toledo), famous …

Timeline

  1. c. 1075–1125Tudela · NavarreHalevi grew up in the area of Tudela in Navarre, later active in Jewish cultural centers such as Toledo and Córdoba, renowned for his secular Hebrew poetry, wedding songs, and laments for Zion, while practicing medicine.
  2. 1120–1140Toledo · CastileHe composed in Arabic the Book of Refutation and Proof (commonly known as the Kuzari), defending the Jewish faith through a dialogue between the Khazar king and a rabbi, answering challenges to Judaism from Islam, Christianity, and philosophical reason.
  3. 1140–1141Alexandria · AlexandriaIn the summer of 1140 he left Iberia for the Holy Land, staying nearly a year in Alexandria and Fustat, where he was received by the local Jewish community; he set sail from Alexandria in May 1141 and died in Egypt that July; there is no evidence whether he reached Palestine.

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