Magen Avot — Shimon ben Tzemaḥ Duran

Magen Avot — "The Shield of the Fathers" — a major work of the Rashbatz, which formally presents itself as a commentary on the Pirké Avot but constitutes a vast philosophical and theological treatise on the foundations of Judaism. The work brings rabbinic tradition into dialogue with medieval Jewish philosophy (Maimonides, Crescas), in the post-1391 context where the philosophical legitimacy of Judaism becomes urgent in the face of mass conversions. Provenance: 1 Composed at Algiers, first half of the 15th century 2 Manuscript witnesses of diffusion (Sephardic/Oriental copies) 3 Partial editio princeps: Livorno, 1785 Codicological note — origin Algiers, central Maghreb, Algeria; script: Sephardic; early catalogues: Neubauer Catalogue 1886 · 1293-1295; editorial status: Partial edition available. — Source: Mémoires des Manuscrits Juifs du Moyen-Âge Maghrébin (MMJMM), https://mmjmm.org/corpus/catalogue/to-locate-duran-magen-avot.

Sources & resources

• Editio princeps partielle : Magen Avot, Livourne, 1785.
• Neubauer, A. Catalogue, Oxford, 1886, nos 1293-1295.
• Encyclopaedia Judaica, article « Duran, Simeon b. Zemah ».
• Fiche MMJMM : https://mmjmm.org/corpus/catalogue/to-locate-duran-magen-avot