Kitab al Khazari

Kitab al Khazari, also known as the Kuzari, or Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion, is a philosophical work by Judah Halevi. First written in Arabic around 1140, it is regarded as one of the most important works of Jewish philosophy.

The book is framed as a dialogue between a rabbi and the king of the Khazars. According to the legend, the king convened a symposium to decide whether his people should convert to Judaism, Islam, or Christianity. The work presents a fictionalised account of this debate in favour of Judaism and emphasises the unique spiritual role of the Jewish people.

Halevi was a medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Hebrew poets, living under Muslim rule in Spain during a period when Jewish communities flourished within a relatively tolerant Islamic state.

This English translation by Hartwig Hirschfeld was published in 1905.