Abu Al-?asan of Tyre
ABU AL-?ASAN OF TYRE
ABU AL-?ASAN OF TYRE (Samaritan Ab-?isda A??uri ; c. 11th century), Samaritan halakhist, exegete, and liturgical writer of priestly origin. His surname A??uri may designate his origin from either the Syrian town ?or (Tyre) or the village Zorta near Nablus. The first translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch into Arabic is ascribed to him; it was revised two centuries later by Abu Sa??d (see *Samaritans, Language and Literature). His chief work, written in Arabic and called Kit?b al-Tabb?kh ("Book of the Cook" or "Book of the Druggist," and called by the Samaritans themselves "Book of the Meat") is a compendium of oral law dealing with many aspects of Samaritan practice and belief. It includes many polemical passages against the Jews – *Rabbanites and Karaites alike – and against some Christian and Muslim tenets. His halakhic decisions are still valid in the Samaritan community.
Three of Abu al-?asan's exegetical treatises in Arabic are extant: Shar? Ašrat Add?b?rem, a commentary on the Ten Commandments (John Rylands Library, Manchester, Gaster Collection, Ms. 1929); a commentary on "Ha'azinu" (Deut. 32), known also as al-Khu?ba al-J?mi?a ("The General Sermon," ibid., Gaster Collection, Ms. 1813); and Kit?b al-Ma??d ("Book of Resurrection"; Bodeleian Library, Oxford, Ms. Hunt. 350). In the last he adduces proofs from the Pentateuch for the Samaritan belief in the day of vengeance and recompense (Deut. 32:35) and for the rising of the dead from the dust of their graves. Verses from "Ha'azinu" form an important part of these proofs. As the above manuscripts are included in some copies of Kit?b al-?abb?kh, as parts of the entire compendium, it remains questionable whether they originally belonged to the compendium and later became independent works under the influence of copyists and scribes, or vice versa. Abu al-?asan also became known as a liturgical writer. His hymns are composed in Hebrew and in 11th-century Aramaic.
bibliography:
J.A. Montgomery, Samaritans (1907, repr. 1968), 293, 298; A.E. Cowley, Samaritan Liturgy (1909), 70, 79–81; 2 (1909), 869, 875; J. MacDonald, Theology of the Samaritans (1964), index; P.R. Weis in: bjrl, 30 (1946–47), 144–56; 33 (1950–51), 131–7; M. Gaster in: eis, 4 (1934), 3–5 (Supplement); idem, Samaritans… (1925), 151–2; Z. Ben-?ayyim, Ivrit ve-Aramit Nusa? Shomeron, 1 (1957), 35 (introd.); 3, pt. 2 (1967), 17, 277–80; A.S. Halkin, in: Leshonenu, 32 (1968), 208–46.
[Ayala Loewenstamm]