A Note on an Anti-Christian Polemic in an Early Eichah Commentary

Abstract

This note draws attention to anti-Christian polemical activity in Ya ʾacov ben Reuven’s Karaite commentary to Lam. 4:22, found in the Eichah section in his Sefer ha ʾOsher. Apparently (if not a much later gloss), the passage at hand comes from an 11th or 12th century Byzantine setting.1 Unless otherwise warranted, I am inclined to accept the comment at face value as that of Ya ʾacov ben Reuven.2 The text, p. 7/150r MS C11 (Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia),3 says