Hebrew Prayer for the Fātimid Caliph and the Head of the Jerusalem Academy
Unknown
1127–1131
In [Your name, O] Me[rciful].
And we pray for the life of our lord, the g[reat] k[ing], the prince of the sons of Kedar, our master and lord, the Imām al-Āmir bī’aḥ[kām] Allāh, the Commander of the F[aithful] and for his sons, the r[oyal family], and all persons of his e[ntourage], who serve the k[ing] out of love and wa[ge] w[ar] f[or him] against…
This Hebrew prayer for political leaders, with an Arabic superscription and brief Judeo-Arabic opening words, is one of several such texts preserved in the Cairo Geniza. The first part is a prayer for the Fātimid caliph. The second part is a prayer for the gaon Maslīah ben Solomon ha-Kohen, who headed the Jerusalem academy from 1101 to 1131 and was formally recognized by the Fātimids in 1127. A spirit of messianism informs the text of this prayer. The biblical term Kedar in the first section was used by medieval Jews to refer to Arabs.
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What is the Cairo Geniza?
The Cairo Geniza collection is one of the most important sources for the history of the Jewish community in premodern Egypt and the entire medieval Mediterranean world.
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