The Philosophical Exegesis of Jacob Anatoli on the Book of Qohelet

In his Malmad ha-Talmidim, a collection of homilies following the order of the weekly scriptural portions, Jacob Anatoli (ca. 1194-1256) explains several verses of the book of Qohelet. In fact, the title of the book is taken from Qoh. 12:11. According to him, the main purpose of this book is to encourage the study of philosophy and science. It is the purpose of this paper to analyse how Anatoli interprets Qohelet from a philosophical and scientific point of view, and within the context of the history of Jewish exegesis. Anatoli’s comments will be compared with those of Abraham ibn Ezra and Samuel ibn Tibbon, some of the most important sources that he used. Anatoli’s references to his discussions with Miguel Scot, a Christian scientist with whom he collaborated, will also be included in the analysis.