- Rabinowitz, “Eldad ha-Dani.” “Assin” is how the Arabic place name al-Sin is
pronounced. - For Islamic/Arabic and Chinese connections in this period, see Hourani,Arab
Seafaring. For a translation of some classical sources, see Ahmad et al.,Arabic
Classical Accounts. - I have written extensively, perhaps too much, on this issue. See Ben-Dor, “Even
unto China.” - Eldad also wrote an epistle to the Jews of Spain. Neubauer, “Where Are the Ten
Tribes?” II. - Cited in Neubauer, “Where Are the Ten Tribes?” II: 186.
- Cited in Neubauer, “Where Are the Ten Tribes?” II: 187. Neubauer provides
several additional examples of commentary following Sa‘adya (II: 186 – 190 ). - Cited in Epstein,Eldad ha-Dani, 7.
- Carmoly et al.,Relation d’Eldad le Danite;Carmoly,Sipur Eldad ha-Dani.
- The citations are from Schloessinger,Ritual of Eldad ha-Dani, 2.
- Neubauer, “Where Are the Ten Tribes?” II: 109 – 110.
- Adler,Jewish Travellers, 9.
- Ibid., 17.
- Ibid., 16.
- Ibid., 17 Eldad is conflating two stories here, but this probably indicates that he
was familiar with stories as they appeared in the written Midrash, which was redacted
only decades before. Another possibility is that Eldad is reworking the Qur’anic story
concerning the children of Moses, “a nation guided in truth” (Qur’an 7 : 159 ). - For a discussion, see Rabinowitz, “Eldad ha-Dani.” Rabinowitz also raised the
possibility that Eldad was a Chinese Jew. See also Adler’s introduction to his translation,
Jewish Travellers, 4 – 5. The most extensive study of Eldad’s story is in Epstein,Kitve R.
Avraham, 1 – 189. - Morag, “Eldad Haddani’s Hebrew,” 244 – 245.
25 .The Himyarite kings were known to have converted to Judaism, but it is hard to
determinewhat was meant by “conversion.” On the rise of Himyar, see Ba ̄faqı ̄h,
L’unification du Ye ́men antique, 12 – 34. There are plenty of Arabic, Greek, and Syriac
sources on the Jewish kings of Himyar. The most important studies of the Jews of
Himyar are Israel Ben-Zeev’sTa’rikh al-Yahudandha-Yehudim ba-‘Arav. - See, for example, Chaudhuri,Trade and Civilisation, 34 – 62.
- Ben-Zeev,ha-Yehudim ba-‘Arav, 55 – 71.
- For an account of these events based on these sources, see Smith, “Events in
Arabia.” See also Moberg,Book of the Himyarites, cxxxvi–cxli. - On Ka‘b as a storyteller, see Perlmann, “Another Ka‘b al-Ahba ̄r Story”; and
Halperin and Newby, “Two Castrated Bulls.” For another interpretation of the man’s
career, see Ben-Dor, “Response to Kanan Makiya.” Incidentally, or perhaps not, Ka‘b is
also a somewhat disputed figure in Islamic tradition. While most Suni scholars
accept him as a reliable authority, some maintain that he was a fraud and a swindler.
McAuliffe, “Assessing the Isra’iliyyat.” - Ben-Zeev,ha-Yehudim ba-‘Arav.
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