Judaism · Origins & people
Saadya joins Jewish learning with Arabic philosophy
882–942 CE
Saadya was a rabbi, translator, and philosopher whose career connected Egypt and the intellectual world of Babylonia. He produced Arabic biblical translations and defended the use of reason alongside revelation. His writings engaged both internal Jewish disputes and ideas circulating in Islamic theology.
Why it matters
His career makes visible a Jewish intellectual world conducted partly in Arabic and shaped through dialogue with the wider cultures around it.
About the date
Lifespan supplied by the Stanford Encyclopedia; individual works have separate dates.
Baghdad
City where Saadya died and participated in the surrounding scholarly world.
city orientation
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