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Bible Encyclopedias
Me�r ben Simeon of Narbonne
The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia
Talmudist and controversialist; lived at Narbonne in the second half of the thirteenth century. He was a disciple of Nathan ben Me�r of Trinquetaille, and a contemporary of Na?manides, with whom he maintained a scientific correspondence. Me�r enjoyed a high reputation as a commentator. Asher ben David invokes his authority in his (Asher's) commentary on the thirteen attributes (); and the anonymous commentator on the Targum On?los highly praises Me�r in his "Patshegen."
Me�r was the author of a controversial work entitled "Mil?emet Mi?wah" (Parma MSS. No. 2749). It is divided into five parts: (1) an account of a religious disputation held in 1245 before the bishop En Guillem de la Broa and in the presence of the Jewish notables of Narbonne and Capestang; (2) controversies with Christian ecclesiastics; (3) conversations of an apologetic nature, and explanations of Biblical passages concerning the Messiah and of Talmudical haggadot interpreted by Christians in favor of their belief; (4) commentary on the "Shema'" and on the thirteen attributes of God; and (5) letter on the "Sefer ha-Ba?r," which work Me�r declares to be a forgery.
Another work by Me�r, entitled "Meshib Nefesh," defending the first chapter of Maimonides' "Yad ha-?az??ah" against the attacks of an anonymous writer, is also extant in manuscript (MS. Ginzburg, No. 572, 10).
According to Neubauer ("Isr. Letterbode," 3:57), Me�r is identical with the Me�r ben Simeon mentioned in a Talmudical compilation (Neubauer, "Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS." No. 1558, 2, � 665) and in other works, where he is sometimes called "HaMe'"
- Steinschneider, Hebr. Bibl. 16:44,67;
- Neubauer, in Archives des Missions, 3d series, 1:556;
- Lubetzki, Introduction to Sefer Hashlamah;
- Gross, in Monatsschrift, 1874, p. 571;
- idem, Gallia Judaica, pp. 423-425;
- Renan-Neubauer, Les Rabbins Fran�ais, pp. 558 et seq.
These files are public domain.
Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Me�r ben Simeon of Narbonne'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/​encyclopedias/​eng/​tje/​m/mea-r-ben-simeon-of-narbonne.html. 1901.