Judah ibn Ezra

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Judah ibn Ezra (in Hebrew, Yehuda ben Yosef ibn Ezra) was a Jew of Granada, Spain who lived in the twelfth century. He was raised by Alfonso VII of Castile to the position of commander of the frontier fort of Calatrava, to the dignity of "nasi" (prince), and, a few years later, to the post of majordomo of the royal household. Judah used his position and wealth to benefit his coreligionists, who were persecuted by the victorious Almohads. With the permission of Alfonso, Judah also vigorously combated Karaism, which was gaining ground in Castile, and wrote in refutation of its arguments.

[edit] Bibliography

• Abraham ibn Daud, Sefer ha-Qabbalah, in Neubauer, M. J. C. pp. 80 et seq.;
• Heinrich Grätz, Gesch. vii. 187 et seq.

This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.