The book of the gests of Alexander of Macedon, a mediaeval Hebrew version of the Alexander romance. Sefer Toledot Alexandros ha-Makdoni

337 Pages·1962·13.96 MB·English

by  Bonfils

THE MEDIAEVAL ACADEMY OF AMERICA
PUBLICATION NO. 75
THE BOOK OF THE GESTS OF ALEXANDER
OF MACEDON
Sejer Toledot Alexandros ha-Ma^doni
THE BOOK OF THE GESTS OF
ALEXANDER OF MACEDON
Sefer Toledot Alexandros ha-Makdoni
A MEDIAEVAL HEBREW VERSION
OF THE ALEXANDER ROMANCE
BY IMMANUEL BEN JACOB BONFILS
Edited and translated
with introduction and notes
by
ISRAEL J. KAZIS, Ph.D.
THE MEDIAEVAL ACADEMY OF AMERICA
Cambridge, Massachusetts
1962
© 1962, by
THE MEDIAEVAL ACADEMY OF AMERICA
Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 62-13430
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
PRESS OF (^f^CuMjtt^AsCUeO&i INC.
224 N. 15TH ST., FHILXDELriilA 2, PENNA.
In memory of my beloved father, Jacob,
Contents
PREFACE ix
INTRODUCTION 1
I. Alexander in Jewish sources from antiquity 2
Talmudic literature; material of Hellenistic Jewish writers in Pseudo-
Calltsthenes; Josephus. — Comparison of Alexander episodes in these
three sources.
II. Alexander in mediaeval Jewish sources 26
Six mediaeval Hebrew versions of the Alexander Romance of which
five are the following: (1) Yosippon. (2) Paris Manuscript. (3) Lon-
don Manuscript. (4) Manuscripts of Modena, Bodleian, and Damascus.
(5) Parma Manuscript. — Analysis of these Manuscripts and their
relation to the recensions of Historia de Prelits and Pseudo-Callisthenes.—
Two additional Hebrew sources related to the life of Alexander.
III. A study of the text of the Manuscript published here 40
Its author. — The three constituent parts of the text, namely, the
Alexander Romance, the Apothegms and the Chronicle and the sources
. thereof. — Analysis of the three pans of the text and the relation of the
first part to the Historia de Prelits. — Style. — Differences between the
Hebrew and the Latin texts. — Various emendations made in the
Hebrew text. — Hebrew transliteration of Latin names and terms. —
Guide to the apparatus to the Hebrew text.
The Book of the Gests of Alexander of Macedon: English translation
of Sefer Toledot Alexandras ha-Makdoni. 59
ABBREVIATIONS 177
NOTES 181
APPENDIX I: Material from other sources. 203
APPENDIX II: Expansions and elaborations in the Hebrew text. 206
APPENDIX III: Differences between the Hebrew and the Latin
versions. 211
APPENDIX IV: Names and terms with comments on the translite-
ration. 217
BIBLIOGRAPHY 223
HEBREW SECTION
Guide to the apparatus to the Hebrew text. t
Text of Sefer Toledot Alextmdros ha-Makdoni. ap-o
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Preface
This work represents a study of the text of a Hebrew manu-
script which is a mediaeval Hebrew version of the Alexander
Romance or the legendary history of Alexander the Great. Inas-
much as the Hebrew text in its greater part is a translation of the
Historia de Preliis Alexandri Magni, a widespread Latin version of
the Alexander Romance, and in some parts is based on other
Hebrew sources such as Yosippon, Sefer Musere ka-Pilosofim and a
short chronicle, the text has been studied here in relation to all
these sources. The Latin text was of considerable help in estab-
lishing the meaning of those passages in the Hebrew manuscript
which are corrupt or which may represent a misreading of the
Latin text by the author. On the basis of the Latin it was possible
to make a number of emendations in the Hebrew which rendered
the text intelligible. In comparing the Hebrew with the Latin,
differences between them in the narrative, sequence of events,
names, places, numbers and dimensions were studied and noted.
A comparison of our text with the other Hebrew sources was of
similar help in establishing a correct reading in many instances in
which the text was corrupt. The emendations and the differences
are indicated in the notes and appendices while the variant read-
ings are recorded in the apparatus to the Hebrew text.
The edition and the translation of the text is preceded by an
introduction which deals among other things with Hellenistic
Jewish influence in Pseudo-Callisthenes, the accounts of Alexander
in Talmudic literature, the Alexander Romance in mediaeval
Hebrew sources and concludes with an analysis of the Hebrew
text with reference to its sources, structure, and style.
Throughout my work I was fortunate in being able to turn
for guidance and advice to my devoted teacher and dear friend,
Professor Harry A. Wolfson of Harvard University. It is very
difficult to express to him in words the appreciation and gratitude
which I feel. He has amply fulfilled the words spoken by an
ancient Jewish sage: "Let the honor of thy disciple be as dear
to thee as thine own." His counsel in the methods of research,
x PREFACE
in the organization of the material, and in the art of translation
served as a constant source of guidance throughout my work and
was of incalculable help to me. For his illuminating instruction
so freely given and for his devoted friendship so warmly expressed
I am most grateful.
It was also my good fortune to be able to consult with
Professor Francis P. Magoun, Jr., of Harvard University, who by
his vast erudition in the field of the Alexander Romance and his
warm interest has been of great help to me in the course of my
work. For his valued counsel and instructive observations I am
profoundly grateful.
To my beloved father, of blessed memory, I owe a debt of
deep gratitude for the time he spent with me in reading the manu-
script, especially those passages in which the script was not clear
or the text was corrupt and where, as a result, two minds proved
better than one in trying to establish a correct reading. A product
of the East European Jewish intellectual tradition, my father
brought with him to this country a substantial knowledge of the
Bible, the Talmud, and Modern Hebrew literature. A business
man by day and a student in the evening and on weekends, he
gave me his intellectual companionship to the end that he, like
his forebears, might transmit to his children a love of learning.
Whatever words of gratitude I might express to my dear
wife, they would still fall short of what I feel. Despite her many
duties at home and in the community, she became thoroughly
involved in the various tasks necessary to prepare this volume
for publication. A woman of valor, she proved most helpful in
providing me with many added hours for my work by relieving
me of various duties and by keeping the demands upon my time
to a minimum. Her devotion served as a constant source of
inspiration as well as an encouraging challenge to complete this
book after many years of work.
Finally, I wish to express my deep appreciation to my secre-
tary, Miss Elaine Saxe, who typed the final draft of the manu-
script with particular and painstaking care. For her splendid
cooperation and devotion I am most grateful.
Temple Mishkan Tefila ISRAEL J. KAZIS
Newton, Mass.
Introduction
Among the heroes whose names stand out in the pages of
history very few have enjoyed as much world-wide literary fame
as has Alexander the Great. The legendary account of Alex-
ander's biography, based on sources from antiquity and the
Middle Ages and referred to by modern scholars as the Alexander
Romance, has found expression in many literatures in the West
and in the East.1 According to Tarn, "more than eighty versions
of the Alexander Romance, in twenty-four languages have been
collected ...; no other story in the world has spread like this."1
The figure of Alexander left its impression in Jewish literature
also. Stories about Alexander and accounts of his life are found in
Jewish sources from antiquity and the Middle Ages. The Jewish
sources from antiquity are as follows: (1) The material ascribed
to Hellenistic Jewish writers which is found in the so-called
Pseudo-Callisthenes, a Greek romance written by an unknown
Alexandrian author some time after 200 B. C. E. and in the opinion
of some scholars as late as the year 300 C. E.' This work is the
basic source for most of all the legendary accounts of the life of
Alexander. (2) Josephus. (3) Talmudic literature. The medi-
aeval Jewish sources are represented by six Hebrew versions of
the Alexander Romance, including the manuscript which is the
subject of our study, and two other Hebrew works, Musere
ha-Pilosofim and Sod ha-Sodot, which contain material bearing
upon the life of Alexander. We shall survey all these sources in
order to offer a background for the manuscript under study which
was written in France in the fourteenth century. The introduc-
tion will accordingly consist of three parts: (1) Alexander in
Jewish sources from antiquity. (2) Alexander in mediaeval Jew-
ish sources. (3) An analysis of the text of the manuscript pub-
lished in this book.
I. ALEXANDER IN JEWISH SOURCES
FROM ANTIQUITY*
TALMUDIC LITERATURE
The greatest number of Alexander episodes is found in that
body of writings which we shall refer to by the general term of
Talmudic literature. This includes two works of the Tannaitic
period, namely Megillat Tttanit and Mekilta; the two Talmudim,
Babylonian and Palestinian; the group of Midrashim on the
Pentateuch and the five Scrolls known as Rabbot; the Midrash on
the Pentateuch known as Tanhuma; individual Midrashic works
such as Peseta de-Rab Kahana, Midrash Tehillim, Pirke Rabbi
Eli'ezer and Midrash Yonah; Targum Sheni; the scholia to Megillat
Ta'anit; one of the minor Midrashim, Midrash lAseret Melakim;
two late compilations of Midrashic material, namely Midrash
Agadah and Yalfaif Shim'oni.
LIST OF ALEXANDER EPISODES
An examination of these sources reveals the presence in what
we have referred to as Talmudic literature of the following eleven
episodes: (1) Alexander's visit to Jerusalem. (2) The disputa-
tions between the Jews and the gentiles in the presence of Alex-
ander as the arbiter. (3) Alexander and the elders of the south.
(4) Alexander's journey to the region of darkness. (5) Alex-
ander and the women (Amazons). (6) Alexander at die gate
of the Garden of Eden. (7) Alexander's ascent into the air.
(8) Alexander's descent into the sea. (9) Alexander and King
Kazia. (10) Alexander and the bones of Jeremiah. (11) Alex-
ander and the throne of Solomon.
JEWISH ELEMENTS IN Pseudo-Callisthenes
The second source from antiquity, in terms of the number of
Alexander episodes it contains, is the material ascribed to Hellen-
istic Jewish writers in Pseudo-Callisthenes which will be referred
to henceforth by its abbreviation as Ps.-Call. The text ofPs.-Call.
2