Jacob ibn Jau (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

''Ya'akov ben Gau''; Arab. ''Yakub ibn Jau'') was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

-manufacturer at Cordova, occupying a high position at the court of the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Hisham II Hisham II or Abu'l-Walid Hisham II al-Mu'ayyad bi-llah (, Abū'l-Walīd Hishām al-Muʾayyad bi-ʾllāh; 966 – 1044) (son of Al-Hakam II and Subh of Córdoba) was the third Umayyad Caliph of Spain, in Al-Andalus from 976 to 1009, and from 1 ...

. He died about 1000. Amador de los Ríos calls him "Ibn Gan." Jacob and his brother Joseph ibn Jau, finding in the court of the palace a large sum of money which had been lost by some

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

from the province during an assault upon them, resolved to use the money for presents for the caliph and the "

hajib Hajib or hadjib (, ) was a court official, equivalent to a chamberlain, in the early Muslim world, which evolved to fulfil various functions, often serving as chief ministers or enjoying dictatorial powers. The post appeared under the Umayyad Ca ...

" al-Mansur ibn Abi Amir, to gain favor thereby. They accordingly manufactured precious silks for garments, and flags with artistically woven Arabic mottos and emblems, the like of which had never been seen in

al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

, and presented them to the caliph and the powerful hajib. Al-Mansur thereupon made Jacob prince and chief judge of all the Jewish communities of the Andalusian caliphate, investing him with the right of appointing judges and

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

s, and of determining the taxes which the Jews were to pay to the state. Jacob was also invested with princely splendors; eighteen pages in gold-brocaded garments formed his guard of honor, and a state carriage was always at his disposal. The community of Cordova unanimously recognized him as its chief and granted him the right of entailing his dignities upon his descendants. In the dispute regarding the rabbinate of Cordova, Jacob and his family were on the side of

Joseph ibn Abitur Joseph ibn Abitur was a Spanish rabbi of around the 10th century. He was a student of Moses ben Hanoch. Abitur was from a very prestigious Spanish family from the city of Mérida. His great great grandfather was a communal and Rabbinic leader. ...

. Jacob deposed Rabbi Hanoch, and called in his place ibn Abitur, who was then staying in the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

. Ibn Abitur, however, refused the rabbinate out of respect for the learned and pious Hanoch. Jacob ibn Jau retained his position only a short time, for Al-Mansur, disappointed because Jacob would not extort large sums of money from his coreligionists as presents for him, cast Jacob into prison. After languishing there for a year Jacob was liberated through the intervention of the caliph himself, and reinstated, without, however, regaining his former prestige. Isaac ibn Saul, and Isaac ben Gikatilla of Elisana (

Lucena Lucena (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially known as the City of Lucena (), is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A) of the Philippines. The city is the largest urban center and capital of ...

) praised him in enthusiastic verses.

References

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

*Abraham ibn Daud, ''Sefer ha-Ḳabbalah'' (ed. Neubauer), pp. 69 et seq.; *Grätz, ''Gesch.'' v. 396 et seq.; *Rios, ''Hist.'' i. 160, 205 et seq.; *Munk, ''Notice sur Abou'l Walid'', p. 79 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob ibn Jau 1000 deaths 10th-century Jews from al-Andalus 10th-century people from al-Andalus Year of birth unknown