The Kuzari: The Beliefs of the Philosopher

The Kuzari or The Book of Rejoinder and Proof in Support of the Humiliated Religion (Kitāb al-ḥujja wa-’l-dalīl fī naṣr al-dīn al-dhalīl) is an imagined discussion between the king of the Khazars and a Jewish sage. The dialogue ranges through aspects of Jewish, Muslim, and pagan religions, and the sage eventually persuades the king to convert to Judaism along with nobles in his kingdom. Based on a purported historical event, The Kuzari enjoyed enormous popularity as a theological defense of Judaism, especially after its translation in 1166 from Judeo-Arabic into Hebrew by Judah Ibn Tibbon (ca. 1120–after 1190). In these passages, ha-Levi offers the philosopher’s perspective. The philosopher argues in favor of rationalism, but the Khazar king refutes his argument.