Letter: Moss. IV,85

Letter Moss. IV,85

Metadata

Shelfmark
Moss. IV,85
Primary Language
Judaeo-Arabic

Description

Polemical letter addressed to 'the congregation of Fustat/Egypt.' Mainly in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Maybe ca. 13th or 14th century, but this is uncertain. The senders describe how the prior leader of the community, R. Ḥalfon, was eminently qualified and beloved. Now, the head of the community is a young ignoramus who babbles about esoteric matters "like a parrot, who speaks and does not understand what it says." The congregation is suffering from this, because they are being misled with false statements. The letter then refers to another aspect of communal conflict, involving the beadle Sulaymān and a cantor whose credentials were in doubt. This is a copy or draft of T-S 12.608 (PGPID 7287).

Additional metadata

Collection
Cambridge University Library, Mosseri
Input date
In PGP since 2022
Cambridge University Library, Mosseri, Moss. IV,85. Available online through the Princeton Geniza Project at https://geniza.princeton.edu/documents/36653/, accessed November 23, 2024.
https://geniza.princeton.edu/documents/36653/