Abraham Ibn Ezra's Introductions to Astrology

A Parallel Hebrew-English Critical Edition of the Book of the Beginning of Wisdom and the Book of the Judgments of the Zodiacal Signs. Abraham Ibn Ezra's Astrological Writings, Volume 5
Erscheinungsjahr 2017
ISBN: 978-90-04-34227-9
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Hebrew, Band 69, 822 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 1427 g

Reihe: Études sur le judaïsme médiéval

The present volume offers a critical edition of the Hebrew texts, accompanied by English translation and commentary of Reshit Hokhmah (Beginning of Wisdom) and Mishpetei ha-Mazzalot (Judgments of the Zodiacal Signs) by Abraham Ibn Ezra (ca. 1089–ca. 1161). The first, the summa and by far the longest of his astrological works, the target of the most cross-references from the rest of that corpus and the most influential, enjoyed the widest circulation among Jews in the Middle Ages and after. The second, by contrast, is the most obscure. It is never referred to elsewhere by its author and is the only work for which Ibn Ezra’s authorship must be substantiated. Reshit Hokhmah and Mishpetei ha-Mazzalot were written in order to explain concepts common to the various branches of astrology that Ibn Ezra addressed elsewhere and to elucidate the worldview that underlies astrology. These two treatises are the richest and most varied with regard to the astrological information they present. Reshit Hokhmah and Mishpetei ha-Mazzalot also exemplify the close collaboration between astronomy and astrology in medieval science and are the two components of Ibn Ezra’s astrological corpus with the most extensive, comprehensive, and significant astronomical content.

"A critical edition with English translation of Reshit Hokhmah was published in 1998 by Epstein. Sela has not only aspired to improve it but also supplied a commentary to render the text more comprehensible. Sela’s mission is successfully accomplished for both treatises. This multifarious book is another important contribution to a deeper understanding of the life and work of one of the most important medieval Jewish polymaths." - Ilana Wartenberg, Universität Bern, in: Journal for the History of Astronomy 50.1 (2019)

Autoren/Hrsg.

Sela, Shlomo

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Astronomie: Allgemeines
• Geisteswissenschaften Jüdische Studien Jüdische Studien
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturwissenschaft

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Abbreviations
Genenral Introduction
Organization and Contents
Arabic to Hebrew Translations
The Introductions
Zodiacal Signs and Planetary Dignities
The Astronomical Content of Mishpetei ha-Mazzalot and Reshit Hokhmah
Authorship, Date, and Place of Composition
Ibn Ezra’s Other Introductions to Astrology
Transmission of the Texts
Manuscripts Used for the Critical Editions of Reshit Hokhmah and Mishpetei ha-Mazzalot
Editorial and Translation Principles
Editorial Changes with Respect to the Previous Editions
Part One: Book of the Beginning of Wisdom by Abraham Ibn Ezra
Hebrew Text and English Translation
Part Two: Notes to the Book of the Beginning of Wisdom
Part Three: Book of the Judgments of the Zodiacal Signs by Abraham Ibn Ezra
Hebrew Text and English Translation
Part Four: Notes to the Book of the Judgments of the Zodiacal Signs
Part Five: Appendices
1. Manuscripts
2. Abu Ma'shar — Kitab al-mudkhal al-kabir
3. Kitab al-mudkhal (Al-Qabisi) and Kitab al-thamarah (Centiloquium)
4. Planets and Horoscopic Places
5. The lots of the Twelve Places
6. Hebrew-Arabic Technical Glossary
7. English-Hebrew Glossary (Reshit Hokhmah)
8. English-Hebrew Glossary (Mishpetei ha-Mazzalot)
9. Hebrew-English Index to the English-Hebrew Glossaries
10. Authorities and Sources (Reshit Hokhmah)
11. Authorities and Sources (Mishpetei ha-Mazzalot)
12. Index of Technical Terms and Biographical Notes
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Shlomo Sela is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Jewish Thought at Bar-Ilan University. His research focuses on Jewish attitudes toward the sciences, with special interest in the history of astrology in the Middle Ages. With this volume, he continues the publication of Abraham Ibn Ezra’s complete works on astrology.