Isaac Abarbanel (Abravanel)
1437 – 1508 Portuguese-Spanish (Sephardic Jewish) Statesman, financier, Bible commentator, philosopher
Financier to kings who chose exile in 1492 rather than convert, and wrote sweeping Bible commentaries.
- Religion
- Judaism (Rabbinic)
- Affiliations
- Courts of Portugal, Castile and Naples
Abarbanel served as a treasury official for the rulers of Portugal, then Castile, and later Naples. When Ferdinand and Isabella ordered the Jews expelled in 1492, he pleaded with them to reverse the decree and, failing, left Spain with his people. He wrote extensive commentaries on the Bible that reflected on kingship, exile and messianic hope.