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ibn Tibbon Ibn Tibbon () is a family of Jewish rabbis and translators that lived principally in Provence in the 12th and 13th centuries. Prominent family members Prominent members of the family include: * Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon (1120–after 1190), ...
(born in
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
; flourished between 1240 and 1283) was a Jewish physician, author and translator in
Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
. The number of works written by Moses ibn Tibbon suggest that he reached a great age. He was the son of
Samuel ibn Tibbon Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon ( – ), more commonly known as Samuel ibn Tibbon (, ), was a Jewish philosopher and doctor who lived and worked in Provence, later part of France. He was born about 1150 in Lunel, Hérault, Lunel (Languedoc), and die ...
, a Jewish scholar and doctor who translated
Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...
into Hebrew. Moses married and was the father of Judah ibn Tibbon, who was prominent in the Maimonidean controversy which took place at
Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
, southern France. With other Jewish physicians of Provence, Moses was restricted by the order of the Council of
Béziers Béziers (; ) is a city in southern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. Every August Béziers ho ...
(May 1246), which prohibited Jewish physicians from treating Gentiles.


Works (original)

He wrote the following works: *Commentary on Shir HaShirim (Lyck, 1874). Written under the influence of
Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...
, it is of a philosophical and allegorical character, and is similar to that by his brother-in-law Abba Mari ben Simson ben Anatoli, whom he quotes repeatedly. *Commentary to the
Pentateuch The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () o ...
. Judah Mosconi (c. 1370), in his supercommentary on the writings of
Abraham ibn Ezra Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (, often abbreviated as ; ''Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra''; also known as Abenezra or simply ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167)''Jewish Encyclopedia''online; '' Chambers Biographical Dictionar ...
, expresses some doubt as to the authenticity of this commentary because of its often very unsatisfactory explanations. According to
Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (; 30 March 1816 – 24 January 1907) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist, and an important figure in Jewish studies and Jewish history. He is credited as having invented the term ''antisemitism.'' Education Mo ...
, it was a supercommentary on Abraham ibn Ezra. * ''Sefer Pe'ah'', an allegorical explanation of haggadic passages in the
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
and the
Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.
; or ''midrashot' ...
(Neubauer, "Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS." No. 939, 9). *Commentary on the weights and measures of the Bible and the Talmud (Vatican MSS., No. 298, 4; see Assemani, "Catal." p. 283; Steinschneider, "Joseph ibn Aḳnin", in Ersch and Gruber, "Encyc." section ii., part 31, p. 50; "Ginze Nistarot", iii. 185 et seq.). *''Sefer ha-Tanninim'', mentioned by Isaac de Lattes (l.c.), but without indication of its contents. *Letter on questions raised by his father, Samuel ibn Tibbon, in regard to Maimonides' '' Moreh Nebukim'' (''Guide for the Perplexed'') (Neubauer, "Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS." No. 2218, 2).


Translations

Moses ibn Tibbon's translations are considered more important than and outnumber his original works. They include versions of works written in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
by Arabs and Jews on philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. In the following list, the name of the author of the original work precedes the title by which the translation is known. Moses' most important translations are as follows: *
Averroes Ibn Rushd (14 April 112611 December 1198), archaically Latinization of names, Latinized as Averroes, was an Arab Muslim polymath and Faqīh, jurist from Al-Andalus who wrote about many subjects, including philosophy, theology, medicine, astron ...
: Commentaries, etc., on
Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
: '' Physica Auscultatio'' (about 1250; Steinschneider, "Hebr. Uebers." p. 109); ''Kelale ha-Shamayim weha-'Olam'' ('' De Cœlo et Mundo''; l.c. p. 126); ''Sefer ha-Hawayah weha-Hefsed'' (1250: '' De Generatione et Corruptione''; l.c. p. 130); ''Sefer Otot 'Elyonot'' (''
Meteora The Meteora (; , ) is a rock formation in the regional unit of Trikala, in Thessaly, in northwestern Greece, hosting one of the most prominent complexes of Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox monastery, monasteries, viewed locally as se ...
''; l.c. p. 135); ''Kelale Sefer ha-Nefesh'' (1244: ''
De Anima ''On the Soul'' (Greek: , ''Peri Psychēs''; Latin: ) is a major treatise written by Aristotle . His discussion centres on the kinds of souls possessed by different kinds of living things, distinguished by their different operations. Thus plant ...
''; l.c. p. 147); ''Bi'ur Sefer ha-Nefesh'' (1261: ''The Middle Commentary''; l.c. p. 148); ''Ha-Hush we-ha-Muḥash'' (1254: '' Parva Naturalia''; l.c. p. 154); ''Mah she-Aḥar ha-Ṭeba' '', (1258: '' Metaphysica''; l.c. p. 159); ''Bi'ur Arguza'' (commentary on Avicenna's "Arjuzah"; Renan, "Averroes," p. 189; Steinschneider, l.c. p. 699). *
Avicenna Ibn Sina ( – 22 June 1037), commonly known in the West as Avicenna ( ), was a preeminent philosopher and physician of the Muslim world, flourishing during the Islamic Golden Age, serving in the courts of various Iranian peoples, Iranian ...
: ''Ha-Seder ha-Ḳaṭon'' (1272: "The Small Canon"; l.c. p. 693, comp. p. 285). * Batalyusi: ''Ha-'Agullot ha-Ra'yoniyyot'' (''Al-Ḥada'iḳ'', on the "similarity of the world to an imaginary sphere"; l.c. p. 287), edited by D. Kaufmann ('Die Spuren al-Bataljusi's in der Jüdischen Religionsphilosophie," Leipsic, 1880). * Al-Hassar: ''Sefer ha-Ḥeshbon'' (1271: Treatise on Arithmetic; Steinschneider, l.c. p. 558; "Isr. Letterbode," iii. 8). *
Euclid Euclid (; ; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the '' Elements'' treatise, which established the foundations of geometry that largely domina ...
: ''Shorashim'', or ''Yesodot'' (1270: '' Elements''; Steinschneider, l.c. p. 506, comp. p. 510). * Alfarabi: ''Hatḥalot ha-Nimẓa'ot ha-Tib'iyyim'' (1248: ''Book of the Principles''; l.c. p. 291. comp. p. 47), edited by H. Fillpowski, in a Hebrew almanac of 5610 (Leipsic, 1849). *
Geminus Geminus of Rhodes (), was a Greek astronomer and mathematician, who flourished in the 1st century BC. An astronomy work of his, the ''Introduction to the Phenomena'', still survives; it was intended as an introductory astronomy book for students ...
: ''Ḥokmat ha-Kokabim'', or ''Ḥokmat Tekunah'' (1246, Naples: Introduction to the ''
Almagest The ''Almagest'' ( ) is a 2nd-century Greek mathematics, mathematical and Greek astronomy, astronomical treatise on the apparent motions of the stars and planetary paths, written by Ptolemy, Claudius Ptolemy ( ) in Koine Greek. One of the most i ...
'' of
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
; l.c. p. 539). * Ibn Al-Jazzar: ''Ẓedat ha-Derakim'' (1259. ''Viaticum'') * Hunain: ''Mabo el Meleket ha-Refu'ah'' (''Introduction to Medical Science''; l.c. p. 711). * Razi: ''Ha-Ḥilluḳ weha-Ḥilluf'' (''Book of the Classifications f Diseases'; l.c. p. 730); ''Al Iḳrabadhin'' (''Antidotarium''; l.c. p. 730). For his other translations see Steinschneider, l.c. pp. 177, 231, 362, 363, 416, 542, 544, 553; idem, "Cat. Bodl." cols. 1998 et seq.


Translations from Maimonides

True to the traditions of his family, Moses ibn Tibbon translated Arabic writings by Maimonides which his father had not addressed: *"Miktab" or "Ma'amar be-Hanhagat ha-Beri'ut," a treatise on hygiene in the form of a letter to the sultan, printed in ''Kerem Ḥemed'' (iii. 9 et seq.), in Jacob ben Moses Zebi's "Dibre Mosheh" (Warsaw, 1886), and by
Jacob Saphir Jacob Saphir (; 1822–1886), often pronounced Yaakov Sapir, was a 19th-century writer, ethnographer, researcher of Hebrew manuscripts, a traveler and Meshulach, emissary of the rabbis of Eastern European Jewry, Eastern European Jewish descent wh ...
ha-Levi (Jerusalem, 1885, from his own manuscript, under the title "Sefer Hanhagat ha-Beri'ut"). This translation (1244) was one of his first, if not the first (Steinschneider, "Hebr. Uebers." pp. 770 et seq.). *Commentary on the
Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...
. A fragment of his translation of Pe'ah, which was published by A. Geiger 1847, suggests that he may have translated the whole Seder Mo'ed (l.c. p. 925). *'' Sefer ha-Mitzvot'' another of his earliest translations (Constantinople, c. 1516-18, also printed in various editions of Maimonides' "Yad," but without Moses ibn Tibbon's preface). In his preface he justifies continuing his own translation, though having known of that of Abraham Ḥasdai, on the grounds that the latter had obviously used the first edition of the Arabic original, while he used a later revision (l.c. p. 927). *''Millot ha-Higgayon'', a treatise on logic (Venice, 1552, with two anonymous commentaries). No complete manuscript of the Arabic original is known. The terminology used by Moses ibn Tibbon has been adopted throughout Hebrew philosophical literature (l.c. p. 434). This is among collected works of Maimonides held by the
National Library of Israel The National Library of Israel (NLI; ; ), formerly Jewish National and University Library (JNUL; ), is the library dedicated to collecting the cultural treasures of Israel and of Judaism, Jewish Cultural heritage, heritage. The library holds more ...
, and images of the manuscript are online. *''Ha-Ma'amar ha-Nikbad'', a treatise on poisons, also called ''Ha-Ma'amar be-Teri'aḳ'' (extant in several manuscripts; see Steinschneider, "Cat. Bodl." col. 1919, iv.; idem, "Hebr. Uebers." p. 764). *Commentary on
Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the Classical Greece, classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referr ...
' "Aphorisms" (1257 or 1267: l.c. p. 769, comp. p. 659).


See also

*
Ibn Tibbon Ibn Tibbon () is a family of Jewish rabbis and translators that lived principally in Provence in the 12th and 13th centuries. Prominent family members Prominent members of the family include: * Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon (1120–after 1190), ...
, a family list. *
Hachmei Provence Hachmei Provence () refers to the hekhamim, "sages" or "rabbis," of Provence, now Occitania in France, which was a great center for Rabbinical Jewish scholarship in the times of the Tosafists. The singular form is ''hakham'', a Sephardic and Hach ...


References

*
Moritz Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (; 30 March 1816 – 24 January 1907) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist, and an important figure in Jewish studies and Jewish history. He is credited as having invented the term ''antisemitism.'' Education Mo ...
, Jewish Literature, pp. 96, 104, 125, 167, 184, 197; *
Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; ; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, writing on Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote wo ...
-
Adolf Neubauer Adolf Neubauer (11 March 1831 – 6 April 1907) was a Hungarian-born at the Bodleian Library and reader (academic rank), reader in Rabbinic Hebrew at Oxford University. Biography He was born in Bittse (Nagybiccse), Upper Hungary (now Bytča ...
, Les Rabbins Français, xxvii. 593 et seq., 750 et seq.; *idem, Les Ecrivains Juifs Français, pp. 356, 432, 686, 759; *
Heinrich Grätz Heinrich Graetz (; 31 October 1817 – 7 September 1891) was a German exegete and one of the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective. Born Tzvi Hirsch Graetz to a butcher family in Xions (no ...
, Gesch. vii. 103; *Winter and Wünsche, Die Jüdische Litteratur, iii. 661; * Henri Gross, ''Gallia Judaica'', pp. 59, 327, 356, 373, 534.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibn Tibbon, Moses Jewish French writers French translators Arabic–Hebrew translators Provençal Jews 13th-century French writers Medieval Jewish physicians of France Medieval Jewish writers 13th-century French Jews French male non-fiction writers 13th-century French physicians Rabbis from Marseille