❧ Description
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 / Collectif GMPL), https://mmjmm.org/corpus/catalogue/to-locate-duran-magen-avot.
