I immediately noticed that the excerpt from Constable from Judah ha-Levi were found in the Cairo Geniza, a testament to the vast network of trade, culture, and knowledge that al-Andalus was a part of. Cairo was an economic and cultural hub of the medieval Mediterranean networks, and the Geniza manuscripts give us a glimpse into that network. Judah ha-Levi clearly was well integrated in the Jewish Mediterranean network, but the Jews were not the only ones interacting and sharing ideas. Menocal tells us about Petrus Alfonsi, born Jewish in a Muslim-ruled city, who converted to Christianity and moved out of Spain and further into Europe. It was in London where he gained fame for his “conventional Arabic education in the sciences, philosophy, and rhetoric,” (149). It was not just the knowledge of al-Andalus that Petrus Alfonsi brought into northern European circles, but also the ways of thinking and sharing information. His Priestly Tales inspired a new form of storytelling in Europe. And Alfonsi was not the only Andalusian who inspired new thought in Latin Europe. Averroes commentaries on Aristotle, controversial as they were within the Church, pushed Europeans to consider reason and faith in a new light. All of these figures – Judah ha-Levi, Petrus Alfonsi, and Averroes – influenced not only the networks of communities within the Iberian Peninsula, but spread their ideas and their own reputations throughout the Mediterranean and European worlds.
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