Isaac Abravanel’s Question and Joseph Hayyun’s Answer: A New Stage in the Issue of Moses’ Role in the Composition of the Torah

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How to Cite:
Viezel, E. (2016). Isaac Abravanel’s Question and Joseph Hayyun’s Answer: A New Stage in the Issue of Moses’ Role in the Composition of the Torah. Religious Studies and Theology, 35(1), 53–72. https://doi.org/10.1558/rsth.27802

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In the second half of the 15th century, Isaac Abravanel addressed a question to Rabbi Joseph Hayyun, the spiritual leader of the Lisbon Jewish Community: Did God dictate the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) to Moses word by word as he did in the case of the other four books of the Torah, or was this book created independently by Moses? According to the author, Abravanel’s question and Joseph Hayyun’s answer mark a new chapter in the history of examining the level of creative freedom Moses had in writing the Torah.