Saadiah Gaon: Founding Father of Hebrew Linguistics and Jewish Theology https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/history-ideas/2016/03/saadiah-gaon-founding-father-of-hebrew-linguistics-and-jewish-theology/

March 3, 2016 | Richard Baroff
About the author:

The 10th-century Egyptian-born scholar Saadiah ben Joseph was the head (or gaon) of one of Baghdad’s two great rabbinic academies, and thus one of the foremost Jewish religious authorities of his day. Among his many books was one that might be considered the first Jewish theological treatise, which paved the way for the work of Moses Maimonides. Richard Baroff writes:

Saadiah was a scrupulous scholar of the Hebrew language and of language in general. He wrote grammar books and dictionaries. Living in the midst of the Abbasid caliphate, he understood the need for Jews living under the crescent of Islam to read Arabic. Thus he translated most of the Hebrew Bible into Arabic. . . .

His magnum opus was the magisterial Book of Beliefs and Opinions. Like most of his writings, this great work of speculative thought, drawing on both Greek and Islamic philosophy, was originally composed in Arabic. . . .

As a philosopher, his quest was unity. But as a careful student of language, his mind was keenly attuned to different shades of meaning. Therefore, Saadiah has prevailed over a millennium as a great biblical commentator who always wishes to draw general conclusions from the text but who never is seduced by simple explanations.

Read more on Atlanta Jewish Times: http://atlantajewishtimes.com/2016/02/fighting-the-good-fight-in-old-baghdad/