Ya'qūb al-Qirqisānī's Twenty-Fifth through Thirty-Seventh Exegetical Principles

Abstract:In the introduction to his commentary on the book of Genesis, the early tenth-century Karaite Yaqub al-Qirqisani enumerated thirty-seven principles of biblical exegesis. Up until now, only the first twenty-four principles had been published, and only ten of those translated into a modern language. The purpose of this essay is to present the text of the twenty-fifth through thirty-seventh principles, critically edited, accompanied by an annotated English translation. The text is prefaced by a brief discussion of al-Qirqisani, his works, and the relationship of the exegetical principles to his other compositions.