Aboab, Isaac of Castile

Aboab, Isaac Of Castile, a Jewish philosopher, jurist, and theologian, was born in 1432. He is profound learning procured him the esteem of king John II of Portugal, to which kingdom he retired at the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. He died in 1493. He wrote a highly moral work entitled מנורת המאור The Candlestick of Light, in seven parts.(Venice, 1544 and later) which has been translated into Spanish-German, and Judaeo-German. In the latter translation it has been published with the commentary Nephesh Jehuda (Berlin 1872-73). Zunz, in his Die Ritis (ibid.1859), p.204 sq;, tries to demonstrate that this Aboab is not the author of this work, but that it had been written two hundred years before by an author of his same name. He also wrote, נהר פישון, Teier Aishon homlies (Constantinople 1, 5388: פירוֹש על הרמ8בן (Venice 1548 and later) a commentary to Nachmani's Commentary on the Pentateuch. See Furst; Bibl. Jud. 1, 4 iq Gratz Gesch d, Juden. 8, 225, 341, 374, 377: De Rossi, Dizionario Storico (Germ. transl.), p. 13 Lindo, Hist. of the Jews in Spain, —p. 263, Etheridge, Introd. to Hebrew Literature, p. 267; Kayserling, Gesch. d. Judenth in Portugal, p. 108, 121, 271; Jest, Gesch. d. Judenth. u.s. Sekten, 3, 88, 400; Zunz, Die Ritus, p. 204-210. (B. P.)