David Abu Sulayman ibn Marwan al-Muqqamaṣ al-Raqqi (Arabic:داود إبن مروان المقمص translit.:Dawud ibn Marwan al-Muqammis; died c. 937) was aphilosopher andcontroversialist, the author of an earlyJewish philosophical work of theMiddle Ages. He was a native ofRaqqa,Mesopotamia, hence hislaqab.Abraham Harkavy derives hisnisba from the Arabic rootqammaṣ "to leap," interpreting it as referring to his asserted change of faith.[1] The name is writtenאלקומסיal-qumisi inMasudi'sAl-Tanbih (ed. De Goeje, p. 113), in aKaraite Jewish commentary toLeviticus and a manuscript copy ofYefet ben Ali's commentary to the same book,[2] and is perhaps a derivative from the city ofQumis, Iran.[3] Another Karaite bears the nameDaniel al-Kumisi, and inal-Hiti's chronicle, this name is also spelled with atsade (Jew. Quart. Rev. ix.432).
David, the father of Jewish philosophy, was almost unknown until the late 19th century. The publication ofJudah ben Barzillai's commentary to theSefer Yetzirah (Mekitze Nirdamim, 1885), in which is found a poor Hebrew translation of the ninth and tenth chapters of David's philosophical work, first brought the latter into notice. Barzilai says that he does not know whether David was one of thegeonim but claims to have heard thatSaadia Gaon had known him and had profited from his lessons.
Jacob Qirqisani reports that he converted to Christianity, and then back to Judaism.[4]
In 1898, Harkavy discovered in theNational Library of Russia fifteen of the twenty chapters of David's philosophical work entitledʿIshrūn maqālāt "Twenty Treatises". The subject matter is as follows:
David, like other Karaites such asJoseph ben Abraham and Qiriqisani, wereMu'tazilites, which was especially visible in his chapter on the attributes of God, wherein he holds that, though we speak of these attributes as we speak of human attributes, the two can not be compared, since nothing comes to Him through the senses as is the case with man. God's "life" is a part of His "being," and the assumption of attributes in the Deity cannot affect His unity. "Quality" can not be posited of the Deity. In his tenth chapter, "Rewards and Punishments," David holds that these are eternal in theworld to come. This chapter has many points in common with Saadia Gaon, drawing from the same source.[5]
David quotes two others of his works which are no longer in existence:Kitāb fī l-Budūd andKitāb fī Arḍ al-Maqālāt ʿalà l-Manṭiq, on the categories. In one passage, David relates that he had a philosophical disputation inDamascus with a Muslim scholar,Shabib al-Baṣri. A fragment of another work,Kitab al-Tawḥīd "Book on the Unity (of God)," has been discovered amonggenizah fragments and has been published byElkan Nathan Adler andIsaac Broydé inJew. Quart Rev. (xiii.52 et seq.). David does not betray his Jewish origin in his philosophical work. Contrary to the practice of Saadia,Bahya ibn Paquda, and other Jewish philosophers, he never quotes theBible, but citesGreek andArab philosophers. It is possible that this accounts for the neglect of his work by the Jews.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906)."David (abu Sulaiman) ibn Merwan al-Mukkamas al-Rakki".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
