Solomon Adeni

rdf:langString Solomon Adeni

rdf:langString Solomon ben Joshua Adeni (Hebrew: שלמה בן יהושע) or Shelomo bar Joshua Adeni (1567–1625) was a Yemenite Jewish author and Talmudist, who lived during the second half of the 16th century at Sana'a and Aden in southern Arabia, from which town he received the name "Adeni" or "the Adenite." In 1571, Solomon Adeni immigrated with his family to Ottoman Palestine. He was a pupil of the Talmudist Bezalel Ashkenazi and of the kabbalist Hayyim Vital. In 1624, or, according to other authorities, in 1622, he wrote a commentary on the Mishnah, entitled Melekhet Shelomoh (The Work of Solomon). Only a few fragments of this have been published, but they are quite sufficient to indicate the value of the whole work. In this commentary, Adeni exhibits considerable critical ability. He analyzes the Mishnah in a manner that is quite modern, and which is accompanied by a strictly scientific penetration that enables him to enter into the most minute details of the mishnaic text, its punctuation and spelling. The great value of Adeni's work was recognized by Manasseh ben Israel, who made use of its critical conclusions in his edition of the Mishnah of 1632. Adeni incorporated in his work Joseph Ashkenazi's valuable amendments to the Mishnah, and relies heavily upon the commentaries of Rabbi Shimshon of Sens, Rashi and Rabbi Solomon Sirilio. In addition to his commentary he wrote Dibre Emet (Words of Truth), which, according to Azulai, contains critical notes on the Masorah. In 1854 the manuscript of Melekhet Shelomoh, his first work, was in the hands of Nathan Coronel of Jerusalem, whereas that of his second work, Dibre Emet, seems to have been lost. He is buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery in Hebron.