Unknown great-grandfather of Meir ben Samuel

From the Jewish Encyclopedia:

Meshullam the Great (called also the Roman, ):

Halakist and liturgical poet; flourished at Rome or at Lucca about 976. He carried on with Gershon Me'or ha-Golah and Simon the Great a scientific correspondence, which is included in the "Teshubot Geonim Ḳadmonim" (13a), and was the author of a commentary on Abot ("'Aruk," s.v. ). Meshullam engaged in polemics with the Karaites. From the Bible text he demonstrates that, contrary to their opinion, one may quit one's house on Sabbath and have one's house lighted on the night of Sabbath ("Semag," No. 66; "Sefer Ḥasidim,"No. 1147). Meshullam was a prolific liturgical poet. Of the piyyuṭim contained in the ḳerobah of the "Shaḥarit" service of the Day of Atonement, at least twenty (possibly thirty-two) belong to him. He wrote also: an "'Abodah," recited after the prayer for the synagogue reader and containing a cursory review of Biblical history from Adam down to Levi; a yoẓer for Passover; and two zulot. Altogether thirty-eight piyyuṭim are attributed to him. Although their language is labored, they are distinguished by their elevation of thought and conciseness. There was another payyeṭan called "Meshullam the Great," to whom probably belongs the Aramaic poetical Targum on the Decalogue which is generally attributed to Meshullam the Great ben Kalonymus (comp. Landshuth, "'Ammude ha-'Abodah," s.v.

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9168-kalonymus#anchor9

• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Apr 18 2023, 16:42:52 UTC