Piyyut

Piyyut
Seph. Heb. /pee yooht"/; Ashk. Heb. /pee"yoot/, n., pl. Piyyutim Seph. Heb. /pee yooh teem"/; Ashk. Heb. /pi yooh"tim/. Judaism.
a liturgical poem included in the services on holidays and special Sabbaths in addition to the established prayers.

* * *

▪ Jewish literature
also spelled  piyut , plural  piyyutim , or  piyutim , Hebrew  piyūṭ 

      (“liturgical poem”), one of several types of liturgical compositions or religious poems, some of which have been incorporated into Jewish liturgy and have become virtually indistinguishable from the mandatory service, especially on the Sabbath and on Jewish religious festivals.

      Piyyutim were first composed in Palestine about the 4th or 5th century AD. It is not quite clear whether they arose merely as natural expressions of religious sentiments or as a deliberately disguised response to persecutions. In any case, piyyutim served a special purpose when, for example, a decree of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (AD 553) forbade Talmudic studies and the teaching of the Bible. Because the liturgy itself was not proscribed, piyyutim were used to inculcate such fundamental precepts as observance of the Sabbath and religious festivals and to exhort the congregation to love the Torah, to believe in God, and to place its hope and trust in God's abiding providence. These religious poems also served as a reminder of times past when God showed he had not abandoned his chosen people.

      The renowned Jewish philosopher Saʿadia ben Joseph (882–942) was an ardent advocate of piyyutim in Babylonia, but religious poetry met strong opposition there as an unnecessary innovation in the liturgy. Still, the piyyutim survived in Babylonia also because the common people responded to poetic songs that placed their suffering in a religious context.

      During the European Middle Ages, piyyutim were the most cultivated form of Hebrew literature, especially in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Rhyme was introduced in Spain, where piyyutim reached the height of their development. Among early masters of this poetry were Yose ben Yose, Yannai, and his pupil Eleazar Kalir, none of whose dates can be fixed with certainty.

      As late as the 18th century, piyyutim continued to be written, but only rarely were these later poems made part of standard liturgies.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • PIYYUT — (Heb. פִּיּוּט; plural: piyyutim; from the Greek ποιητής), a lyrical composition intended to embellish an obligatory prayer or any other religious ceremony, communal or private. In a wider sense, piyyut is the totality of compositions composed in …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Piyyut — A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט, IPA2|pijút and [pijutím] ) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Piyyutim have been written since Temple times. Most piyyutim are in… …   Wikipedia

  • Piyyut — Piyyout Un piyyout (plur. piyyoutim, en hébreu פיוט IPA : /pijút/ et [pijutím]) est un poème liturgique juif généralement destiné à être chanté ou récité pendant l office. Il existe des piyyoutim depuis l époque du temple de Jérusalem. La… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Piyyut — (pl. Piyyutim)    Liturgical hymns of the Jewish tradition. Originally written to enhance prayers, they eventually became detached as those prayers became more and more the province of the professional hazan (cantor) by the sixth century. The… …   Historical dictionary of sacred music

  • piyyut — …   Useful english dictionary

  • PROSODY, HEBREW — This article is a survey of the history of Hebrew poetic forms from the Bible to the present time. The entry is arranged according to the following outline: introduction the variety of formal systems the specific nature of hebrew literary history …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • POETRY — This article is arranged according to the following outline (for modern poetry, see hebrew literature , Modern; see also prosody ): biblical poetry introduction the search for identifiable indicators of biblical poetry the presence of poetry in… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • HEBREW LANGUAGE — This entry is arranged according to the following scheme: pre biblical biblical the dead sea scrolls mishnaic medieval modern period A detailed table of contents precedes each section. PRE BIBLICAL nature of the evidence the sources phonology… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • MUSIC — This article is arranged according to the following outline: introduction written sources of direct and circumstantial evidence the material relics and iconography notated sources oral tradition archives and important collections of jewish music… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • LITURGY — has conventionally been understood as the words that Jews recite in public worship. While written words are almost all that remains from earlier times, the study of liturgy today understands that the ways that these words are performed shapes… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”