The Anger of a Poet: Judah Ibn Shabbetai and the Depiction of Evil in Words of Curse and Excommunication

Abstract

La proximidad o distancia entre las diferentes comunidades que coexistieron en la Península Ibérica ha sido uno de los focos de interés al estudiar la literatura medieval en las últimas décadas. El “otro” es, muchas veces, aquel que no pertenece al propio grupo. Pero los textos nos ofrecen también muestras de conflictos intracomunitarios en los que el “enemigo” forma parte del colectivo del que se es miembro. El mundo y la sociedad a las que se pertenece se presentan, entonces, como un entorno hostil que provoca reacciones negativas. La literatura hebrea medieval se hace eco de conflictos (reales o imaginados) en los que el “yo” se situa frente a un “otro” pecador y malvado con quien se comparte religión y tradiciones. Como Ibn Gabirol (s. XI) o Bonafed (s. XV), Yehudah ibn Shabbettai escribe en el s. XIII “Palabras de maldición y excomunión” contra miembros de la aljama de Zaragoza y se defiende de sus acusaciones. Este obra es una interesante muestra de cómo el poeta construye a los adversarios y proyecta en ellos sus ideas sobre la maldad. El retrato de los oponentes, la causa del enfrentamiento y el castigo que les aguarda adquieren un particular significado para entender el panorama socio-cultural y literario de la época.

The proximity or distance between the different communities that coexisted on the Iberian Peninsula has been a focus of attention in the study of medieval literature in recent decades. Often, the Other is the one who does not belong to the same group. However, texts also provide examples of intra-community conflicts in which the ‘enemy’ is a member of the group. The world and society to which the author belongs, then, is presented as a hostile environment that elicits negative reactions. The resources at the writer’s disposal become weapons against the perpetrators of the damage and a conduit for his anger. Medieval Hebrew literature evinces conflicts (real or imagined) in which the Self is positioned in opposition to a sinful, evil Other who shares his religion and traditions. Like Ibn Gabirol (11th c.) and Bonafed (15th c.), in the 13th century Yehudah ibn Shabbetai wrote in opposition to the members of the Zaragoza aljama and defended himself against their accusations in The Writ of Excommunication. This work is an interesting example of how the poet constructed his adversaries and projected his ideas about evil onto them. The depiction of his opponents, the reason for the confrontation and the punishment awaiting them are of special significance in understanding the sociocultural and literary landscape of the time.