The Yemen Epistle

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The Yemen Epistle arose because of religious persecution and heresy in 12th Century Yemen. The average Jewish population of Yemen for many centuries was very small. The Jews were scattered throughout the country, but they were successful in business and acquired books about the history of their faith.

The faith strengthened. There was a revolt against Saladin as sultan in the last quarter of the twelfth century, and extremist Shiite Muslims began to persecute the Jewish faith in the Yemen at this time. There were few scholars among the Yemeni Jews at that time: a putative prophet arose; he preached a syncretistic religion that combined Judaism and Islam, and claimed that the Bible had foretold his coming.

The persecution and increasing apostasy led one of Yemen's most respected Jewish scholars, Jacob ben Nathanael al-Fayyumi, to write for counsel to Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides.

Maimonides replied in an epistle written in Arabic that was later translated into Hebrew and entitled Iggeret Teman (The Yemen Epistle). This letter made a tremendous impression on Yemenite Jewry, and effectively stopped the new religious movement. It also served as a source of strength, consolation and support for the faith in the continuing persecution.

Maimonides interceded with Saladin in Egypt, and shortly thereafter the persecution came to an end.