ly ▁observ ant , ▁and ▁of ▁an ▁independent ▁and ▁critical ▁spirit , ▁he ▁jud ged ▁persons ▁and ▁opinions ▁freely ▁and ▁open ly . ▁He ▁exc els ▁as ▁a ▁writer ▁and ▁as ▁a ▁Bible ▁comment ator , ▁and ▁often ▁up bra ids ▁the ▁Jews ▁of ▁his ▁native ▁land ▁for ▁their ▁ignor ance ▁and ▁h ollow ▁pret ensions , ▁at ▁the ▁same ▁time ▁pointing ▁with ▁adm iration ▁to ▁the ▁numerous ▁Jews ▁of ▁high ▁bre eding ▁he ▁has ▁met ▁on ▁his ▁travel s . ▁Following ▁the ▁principle ▁of ▁a ▁rational ▁Bib lic al ▁ex eg esis , ▁he ▁does ▁not ▁hes itate ▁occasionally ▁to ▁ref ute ▁h agg adic ▁trad itions ▁which ▁seem ▁to ▁conflict ▁with ▁reason ▁and ▁common ▁sense ; ▁and ▁at ▁times , ▁like ▁Abraham ▁ibn ▁Ez ra ▁and ▁Samuel ▁ben ▁Me ir , ▁he ▁even ▁states ▁his ▁disag re ement ▁with ▁hal ak ic ▁interpretation . ▁He ▁was ▁fully ▁convers ant ▁with ▁the ▁views ▁of ▁the ▁Kar ait es ▁and ▁Sam ar it ans ▁and ▁eager , ▁in ▁his ▁explanation ▁of ▁the ▁Bible , ▁to ▁ref ute ▁now ▁Christian ▁and ▁now ▁Muslim ▁do ctr ines . ▁He ▁bold ly ▁ex poses ▁errors ▁wherever ▁he ▁finds ▁them , ▁claim ing ▁" that ▁it ▁is ▁more ▁honor able ▁for ▁the ▁wise ▁to ▁commit ▁an ▁error ▁than ▁know ingly ▁to ▁mis re present ▁the ▁truth ." ▁ ▁Nor ▁does ▁he ▁shr ink ▁from ▁pointing ▁out ▁the ▁b lem ishes ▁he ▁finds ▁in ▁the ▁character ▁of ▁the ▁Patri arch s . ▁Being ▁gu ided ▁sole ly ▁by