The Biblical Exegesis of Don Isaac Abravanel

This work is a detailed study of the biblical exegesis of Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), a leading Jewish philosopher and commentator, who enjoyed the unique status of international statesman and financial adviser to the Portuguese and Spanish crowns. The author breaks new ground in showing how Abravanel's interpretation of the Bible informed his radical political ideology, and vice versa. Dr. Cohen argues that Abravanel should rightly be considered a 'Renaissance man', with a broad appreciation of European history, classical literature and philosophy, geography, and contemporary political theory, challenging previous views of him as a medieval scholastic. Emphasis is laid on the novel exegetical methodology he perfected in his adoption of the 'Q& A' device, rather than the standard running commentary, and in his unique conception of 'p'shat', the 'plain meaning' of Scripture. His exceptional boldness in criticising his exegetical predecessors and negative stance towards Christianity are further highlighted.