Yohanan ben Isaac Alemanno

Yohanan Alemanno (born c. 1435 in Constantinople or Mantua, died after 1504) was an Italian Jewish rabbi, noted Kabbalist, humanist philosopher, and exegete. He was also a teacher of the Hebrew language to Italian humanists such as Pico della Mirandola. Alemanno taught that the Kabbalah was divine magic. He was a pupil of Judah Messer Leon, but moved away from his teacher's Aristotelian sympathies towards Neoplatonic thought. His works include Hay ha-Olamim, Sefer sha`ar ha-heshek, and a Cheshek Shlomo. In his major work, "Ḥesheḳ Shelomoh" (The Delight of Solomon), he demonstrated philosophical acumen and knowledge of Arabic and Greek philosophers. The introduction to this work discusses the artistic and intellectual achievements of humanity, attributing them all to King Solomon, whom he places above Plato. Excerpts from this introduction, with additions by Jacob Baruch ben Moses Ḥayyim, were published in Livorno in 1790. Alemanno also authored "'Ene ha-'Edah" (The Eyes of the Congregation), a cabalistic commentary on the Torah; "Ḥayye Olam" (Eternal Life), a treatise on immortality; and "Liḳḳutim Collectanea," a compilation of aphorisms and quotations.