Ibn Gabirol and Judah ha-Levi's Usage of Dialogue: The Role of the Disciple in Fons Vitae and that of the King in Kitab al-Khazari

The literary framework of Solomon Ibn Gabirol's Fons Vitae is a conversation between a master and a disciple. In this article, the nature of the disciple's questions will be analyzed in order to explain the advantages of the dialogical process in Ibn Gabirol's thought. The literary framework of Judah ha-Levi's Kitab al-Khazari is similar to that of Fons Vitae. Ha-Levi's composition is built as a conversation that allegedly took place between the king of the Khazars and a Jewish scholar (haver). Analysis of the king's responses to the haver shows that the king did not fully understand the haver's lessons, in which the deep meaning of Judaism is taught. In this article, the king's responses will be analyzed and, likewise, the question of Judah ha-Levi's intention in using this literary sophistication. As is shown in this article both famous Andalusian poets and thinkers, R. Judah ha-Levi and R. Solomon Ibn Gabirol, masters of linguistic phrasing and style, used the dialogical form not only as an opportunity to present their world views, but also as a method by which to critique their own philosophies.