Ibn Gabirol and Judah ha-Levi’s Usage of Dialogue: The Role of the Disciple in <i>Fons Vitae</i> and that of the King in <i>Kitāb al-Khazarī</i>

Abstract

The literary framework of Solomon Ibn Gabirol&amp;#8217;s &lt;i&gt;Fons Vitae&lt;/i&gt; is a conversation between a master and a disciple. In this article, the nature of the disciple&amp;#8217;s questions will be analyzed in order to explain the advantages of the dialogical process in Ibn Gabirol&amp;#8217;s thought. The literary framework of Judah ha-Levi&amp;#8217;s &lt;i&gt;Kitāb al-Khazarī&lt;/i&gt; is similar to that of &lt;i&gt;Fons Vitae&lt;/i&gt;. Ha-Levi&amp;#8217;s composition is built as a conversation that allegedly took place between the king of the Khazars and a Jewish scholar (&lt;i&gt;ḥaver&lt;/i&gt;). Analysis of the king&amp;#8217;s responses to the ḥaver shows that the king did not fully understand the &lt;i&gt;ḥaver&lt;/i&gt;&amp;#8217;s lessons, in which the deep meaning of Judaism is taught. In this article, the king&amp;#8217;s responses will be analyzed and, likewise, the question of Judah ha-Levi&amp;#8217;s intention in using this literary sophistication. As is shown in this article both famous Andalusian poets and thinkers, R. Judah ha-Levi and R. Solomon Ibn Gabirol, masters of linguistic phrasing and style, used the dialogical form not only as an opportunity to present their world views, but also as a method by which to critique their own philosophies.