Daniel ben Judah

DANIEL BEN JUDAH.  (fourteenth century).  Daniel ben Judah is thought to have been a Roman dayan (or dayyan, a rabbi and judge) who composed the Yigdal, a metrical paraphrase of the thirteen articles of Jewish faith drawn up by Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon, 1130-1205).  The Yigdal is known to Christians through a further paraphrase by Thomas Olivers*, with its first phrase ‘The God of Abraham praise’*, often sung to LEONI. Little is known about Daniel ben Judah.  Indeed, it appears that only three pre-19th century writings mention his name.  One of them is catalogued as Add. 26968 in the British Library.  A second, without a catalogue number at the time of this writing, is preserved in the...