Immanuel of Rome

Immanuel of Rome, or Manoello Giudeo (“the Jew”), was a 13th-14th-century scholar and poet. His biblical commentaries, few of which were printed, include linguistic, symbolic, and philosophical perspectives, similar to Jewish and non-Jewish works of the time. He is best known for his Machbarot, a poetic work on topics ranging from love and friendship to religion, that displays the combined influence of Jewish Sephardic poetry and of Italian literature. The poem Yigdal, included in the daily prayer book, is likely an adaptation of part of this work.