בכורי העתים: ביכורי ההשכלה: מפתח מוּור לבכורי העתים כתב-העת העברי של ההשכלה בגליציה (Bikurei Ha'itim The 'First Fruits' of Haskalah: An Annotated Index to Bikurei Ha'itim, the Hebrew Journal of the Haskalah in Galicia) (review)

Hebrew Studies 49 (2008) 369 Reviews against immortality, the limitations of knowledge, celestial influence, evil and its causes, the dangers of philosophy, allegory of the soul, and virtue ethics and the doctrine of the mean. The excurses found in the body of the commentary are designed to explain the philosophical background and principles of his work, especially since few philosophical works were available in Hebrew. Some maintain that his exegetical excurses represent works in progress, but Robinson maintains that they are designed to illumine difficult points. Robinson’s discussion of language, style, and rhetoric is designed to demonstrate that Ibn Tibbon developed an esoteric, coded, or elitist language based in the work of Maimonides that would dominate the Maimonidean tradition in Provence during the thirteenth century. Robinson’s discussion of exegetical and philosophical resources demonstrates his dependence on Maimonides and areas of divergence, especially when Ibn Tibbon follows Averroes. Robinson also points to Ibn Tibbon’s efforts at defending Rabbinic exegesis against the Karaites and his dependence on earlier exegesis of Ecclesiastes. His philosophical sources included Maimonides, Aristotle and the Arabic Aristotelians, and Christian scholasticism. Robinson’s discussion of Ibn Tibbon’s exegetical method illustrates his use of homonyms and equivocal terms, demonstration techniques, dialectic, rhetoric and poetics, and allegorical exegesis. He also includes a catalog of symbols used by Ibn Tibbon in his exposition. Robinson’s volume is a well-developed work that demonstrates Ibn Tibbon’s innovations in developing the commentary format. His work makes Ibn Tibbon’s commentary on Ecclesiastes accessible to nonspecialists as well as experts in the field. Marvin A. Sweeney Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA 91711 msweeney@cst.edu yrboh toh-btk Mytoh yrwkbl rw…wm jtpm :hlkChh yrwkyb :Mytoh yrwkb hyxylgb hlkChh lC (Bikurei Ha’itim The ‘First Fruits’ of Haskalah: An Annotated Index to Bikurei Ha’itim, the Hebrew Journal of the Haskalah in Galicia). By Moshe Pelli. Pp. 379 + xxiv*. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 2005. Cloth, $24.78. “Bikkurei Ha’ittim” was the leading Hebrew periodical that was published after “Hame’assef” (the first Haskalah Hebrew periodical) for a relatively long time. There are scholars who consider “Bikkurei Ha’ittim” the Hebrew Studies 49 (2008) 370 Reviews periodical that continued the tradition of “Hame’assef.” Either way, “Bikkurei Ha’ittim” heralds the transition of the Haskalah from its first German period to its second stage of its evolution, the Galicia stage. That periodical reflected the sense of transition by the Maskilim, who absorbed their Haskalah sources from Berlin and attempted to adopt it to the periodical ’s new environment. While some of the writers were those who had already earned fame and reputation via “Hame’assef,” others were young writers who blazed their first trail in the field of Hebrew literature and thought. “Bikkurei Ha’ittim” published a lot of material that was already published in “Hame’assef.” In this manner, the new periodical enables us to follow systematically the gradual evolution of both Haskalah literature and Haskalah movement. The annotated index of the periodical in focus, which is hereby introduced, includes all the material that had been published in that periodical in twelve volumes (1820–1851). That material consists of a bountiful array of topics such as Bible, Talmud, Jewish thought, historical events, and figures in the Jewish world, Hebrew language, Hebrew literature, science, translations, Jewish entities and organizations, Hebrew writers, reviewed Hebrew books, public affairs in the Jewish community, and more. Due to that annotated index, it is possible for the first time to follow the scholarly and literary evolving agenda of the editors of the periodical. Now it is possible to discern the influence of “Hame’assef” on “Bikkurei Ha’ittim,” which is another paramount perspective to evaluate the evolution of “Bikkurei Ha’ittim.” The “narrative” of “Bikkurei Ha’ittim” is the one that reflects the transition of the Haskalah from Germany to Austria and Galicia. In this respect, studying the chronicles of “Bikkurei Ha’ittim” provides us with insight of the evolution of Jewish/Hebrew Haskalah as well as the history of the Jewish people during a prominent period of the nineteenth century. It is a matter of much interest, however, that the...