Judah Moscato

Like many of his contemporaries, he believed that the ancient civilization and all the languages of culture were derived from Judaism and that it was the duty of the Jews to acquire these branches of knowledge, of which they had once been masters. He was widely read, especially in philosophy; and again like his contemporaries, although an admirer of Judah ha-Levi and Maimonides, he was an enthusiastic student of the Cabala. Moscato published, under the title Nefuẓot Yehudah (Venice, 1588; Lemberg, 1859), fifty-two sermons, which inaugurated a new epoch in homiletic literature. Most of these were delivered in Hebrew or in Italian; and while they observe the rules of rhetoric they deal with their subjects naturally and without forced exegesis. His other printed work, Ḳol Yehuda (Venice, 1594), was the first commentary on the "Cuzari" of Judah ha-Levi. Since this fact would at once secure for it a wide circulation, the rabbis Cividali and Saraval of Mantua urged him to publish it. It appeared posthumously, and since then has always been printed together with the "Cuzari." Moscato wrote poetry also, especially elegies on the deaths of friends and scholars, including one on the death of Joseph Caro. 1574), have recently become known. Here is an excerpt from Rabbi Moscato's book Kol Yehuda: Moscato cites Ibn Rushd and Abraham Bibago arguing that the source of all knowledge and science was Solomon, and that Greek philosophy borrowed from the Jews.

• Religion — Judaism • Name — Judah Moscato • Born — c. circa 1530 • Birthplace — Osimo, Papal States • Died — c. circa 1593 • Place of death — Mantua, Duchy of Mantua