Abraham Ibn Ezra and the rise of medieval Hebrew science / by Shelomo Sela.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sela, Shlomo.

Series:

Brill's series in Jewish studies ; v. 32.

Brill's series in Jewish studies ; v. 32

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Judaism and science--History.

Judaism and science.

Ibn Ezra, Abraham ben Meïr, 1089-1164.

Ibn Ezra, Abraham ben Meïr.

Jewish astrology.

Ptolemy, active 2nd century.

Ptolemy.

History.

Science.

Physical Description:

422 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston, MA : Brill, 2003.

Summary:

This book studies Abraham Ibn Ezra's (1089-1167) scientific thought. His life and oeuvre are viewed as the very embodiment of 'the rise of medieval Hebrew science', a process in which Jewish scholars gradually adopted the holy tongue as a vehicle to express scientific ideas.

Contents:

Early Hebrew and Arabic Scientific Literature by Jews 2

The Rise of Medieval Hebrew Science 6

Ibn Ezra's Biblical Exegesis

Italian and French Periods 9

Poetry, Theological Monographs and Science 12

Part 1 Abraham Ibn Ezra's Scientific Corpus 17

1. Mathematics, Astronomy, Scientific Instruments and Tools 19

2. Jewish Calendar 38

3. The Astrological Encyclopedia 57

4. Translations from Arabic into Hebrew 75

5. General Characterization of the Scientific Corpus 78

The scientific Book of Ibn Ezra, its Aims and Special Traits 85

Part 2 The Creation of a New Hebrew Scientific Vocabulary 93

Abraham Bar Hiyya and Abraham Ibn Ezra 96

Ibn Ezra's View of the Hebrew Language 104

Gevulot' Ares

The Seven Climates 107

Mus aq

Center 113

Mishpatim

Astrological Judgments 116

Nahash Bariah

The Head of the Dragon and its Tail 124

Shamayim

Heavens 126

Meshartim

Planets 129

Toledet

Nature 130

Heshev ha-'afudah

The Zodiac of the Astrolabe 137

Part 3 Eight Macro-Astrological Rules 144

The Double Rhythm of Human History 145

Medieval Nationality 148

Saturn and the Jews 151

Geographical Environment 158

Astrological Analysis of History 162

Social Rank and Political Power 168

The Fury of the Elements 170

The Wise Soul 172

The Scholar vis-a-vis the Righteous Person 178

Wisdom, Salvation from the Stars and Religious Devotion 184

Part 4 Ibn Ezra's Universe 192

Astrological-Cosmological Exegesis 192

Salvation from the Stars 195

Astrology versus Astronomy 199

Heavens and Earth 208

The Heavenly Region 208

The Sublunary Region 210

A Cluster of Sciences 211

A Demonstration of the Cosmic Structure 214

The Seven Spheres of the Seven Planets 214

The Slow Motion of the Host of Heaven 218

The Superior Sphere 224

The Two Primary Motions of the Heavens 233

Part 5 Four Encounters with Claudius Ptolemy 238

1. The Encounter with Claudius Ptolemy in Ibn Ezra's Scientific Work 240

Admiration and Approval 244

Disagreement and Rejection 247

2. The Encounter with Claudius Ptolemy in an Exegetical-Astronomical Discussion 257

3. The Encounter with Claudius Ptolemy in an Exegetical Discussion about the Jewish Calendar 273

Karaites versus Rabbanites 277

The Controversy over the Length of the Solar Year 280

Utility and Futility of Sciences in the Determination of the Jewish Calendar 286

4. The Encounter with Claudius Ptolemy in a Theological Excursus 288

Claudius Ptolemy and the Forty-Eight Constellations of the Sphere 290

King Ptolemy, the Thief 296

The Theft of Science from the Jews by the Greeks 305

The 'One Hundred and Twenty' Conjunctions 313

Appendix 1 Two Exegetical Examples Illustrating the Italian and French Periods 331

Appendix 2 Hebrew Texts 336

Works by Abraham Ibn Ezra 387.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [387]-402) and index.

ISBN:

9004129731

OCLC:

51324108