Solomon Ibn Verga
Encyclopedia
Solomon Ibn Verga (Hebrew: שלמה אבן וירגה) was a Spanish
historian and physician, and author of the Shevet Judah (Hebrew: שבט יהודה "sceptre of Judah"). His relationship to Judah ibn Verga
cannot be determined; it is certain, however, that he was not the son of the latter, for he never refers to Judah as his father. Schudt (1718) was apparently misled by the title of the Shebeṭ Yehudah when he called its author "Solomon ben Schefet".
(Shebeṭ Yehudah, § 64.), but he lived also at Lisbon
as a marrano
, and was an eye-witness of the massacre there in 1506 (ibid § 60).
Later he escaped to Turkey
, probably to Adrianople, where he wrote the Shebeṭ Yehudah (Shevet Yehudah) an account of the persecutions of the Jews
in different countries and epochs. In a short preface he says that he found an account of some persecutions at the end of a work of Judah ibn Verga, which he copied; to this he added a narration of the persecutions of his own time, the compilation being afterward completed and edited by his son, Joseph ibn Verga
. The title "Shebeṭ Yehudah," which is an allusion to Judah ibn Verga ("shebeṭ" in Hebrew being the equivalent of the Spanish "verga", "staff"), refers to Gen. 49:10.
The work contains an account of 64 persecutions, besides narratives of many disputations and an account of Jewish customs in different countries. Ibn Verga endeavored to solve the problem why the Jews, particularly the Spanish Jews, suffered from persecutions more than any other people. He gives various reasons, among them being the superiority of the Jews ("whom the Lord loves He chastens": Proverbs 3:12), and chiefly their separation from the Christians in matters of food; their troubles were also a punishment for their sins. In general, Ibn Verga does not endeavor to conceal the faults of the Jews; he sometimes even exaggerates them.
As this work is the compilation of three authors, it is not arranged in chronological order. There is no connection between the narratives, but the Hebrew style is clear. Ibn Verga knew Latin
, and derived many narratives from Latin sources. This work contains also a treatise on the form of the Temple of Solomon. Leopold Zunz
(1840) points out the importance of the work from the geographical point of view, as it contains a considerable number of names of places, as well as a description of customs.
, Amsterdam 1651; into German by M. Wiener, Hanover, 1856, Leipzig 1858. Fragments of it have been translated by Eisenmenger
, Schudt, Menahem Man ha-Levi, and Joseph Zedner
. At the end of paragraph 64 Ibn Verga says that he wrote a work entitled Shebeṭ 'Ebrato, containing persecution narratives and some rabbinical treatises, now lost.
(1892). Loeb holds that, though an original writer, Ibn Verga is not always trustworthy, and that some of his material belongs really in the domain of legend. Ibn Verga was especially interested in the religious controversies held between Jews and Christians; and the fullest account of these controversies is given in his work. But even these seem to be fictitious—with the exception, perhaps, of that of the one at Tortosa
(§ 40). The Shebeṭ Yehudah is valuable, however, for the Jewish folk-lore and the popular traditions which it contains.
The only one of Verga's contemporaries that made use of his work seems to be Samuel Usque
, in his Consolação. The Latin translation of Gentius contains two peculiar mistakes on the title-page: the word is written , and is translated "tribe" instead of "rod". A Yiddish translation, with additions (Shebeṭ Yehudah ha-Shalem), was published in Wilna, 1900. Corrections to the text of M. Wiener are given by Loeb in Revue des études juives
17 p87.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
historian and physician, and author of the Shevet Judah (Hebrew: שבט יהודה "sceptre of Judah"). His relationship to Judah ibn Verga
Judah ibn Verga
Judah ibn Verga was a Spanish historian, kabalist, perhaps also mathematician, and astronomer, of the 15th century, born at Seville. He is supposed to have been the grandfather Judah ibn Verga (Hebrew: יהודה אבן וירגה) was a Spanish historian, kabalist, perhaps also mathematician, and astronomer,...
cannot be determined; it is certain, however, that he was not the son of the latter, for he never refers to Judah as his father. Schudt (1718) was apparently misled by the title of the Shebeṭ Yehudah when he called its author "Solomon ben Schefet".
Shevet Yehudah
Ibn Verga himself says that he was sent by the Spanish communities to collect money for the ransom of the prisoners of MálagaMálaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
(Shebeṭ Yehudah, § 64.), but he lived also at Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
as a marrano
Marrano
Marranos were Jews living in the Iberian peninsula who converted to Christianity rather than be expelled but continued to observe rabbinic Judaism in secret...
, and was an eye-witness of the massacre there in 1506 (ibid § 60).
Later he escaped to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, probably to Adrianople, where he wrote the Shebeṭ Yehudah (Shevet Yehudah) an account of the persecutions of the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in different countries and epochs. In a short preface he says that he found an account of some persecutions at the end of a work of Judah ibn Verga, which he copied; to this he added a narration of the persecutions of his own time, the compilation being afterward completed and edited by his son, Joseph ibn Verga
Joseph ibn Verga
Joseph ibn Verga was a Turkish rabbi and historian who lived at Adrianople at the beginning of the 16th century.He was the son of Solomon ibn Verga, author of Shebeṭ Yehudah, who emigrated from Spain to Turkey as a Marrano...
. The title "Shebeṭ Yehudah," which is an allusion to Judah ibn Verga ("shebeṭ" in Hebrew being the equivalent of the Spanish "verga", "staff"), refers to Gen. 49:10.
The work contains an account of 64 persecutions, besides narratives of many disputations and an account of Jewish customs in different countries. Ibn Verga endeavored to solve the problem why the Jews, particularly the Spanish Jews, suffered from persecutions more than any other people. He gives various reasons, among them being the superiority of the Jews ("whom the Lord loves He chastens": Proverbs 3:12), and chiefly their separation from the Christians in matters of food; their troubles were also a punishment for their sins. In general, Ibn Verga does not endeavor to conceal the faults of the Jews; he sometimes even exaggerates them.
As this work is the compilation of three authors, it is not arranged in chronological order. There is no connection between the narratives, but the Hebrew style is clear. Ibn Verga knew Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and derived many narratives from Latin sources. This work contains also a treatise on the form of the Temple of Solomon. Leopold Zunz
Leopold Zunz
Leopold Zunz was a German Reform rabbi and writer, the founder of what has been termed "Jewish Studies" or "Judaic Studies" , the critical investigation of Jewish literature, hymnology and ritual...
(1840) points out the importance of the work from the geographical point of view, as it contains a considerable number of names of places, as well as a description of customs.
Printed editions and translations
The Shebeṭ Yehudah was first printed in Turkey c. 1550; since then it has been reprinted several times. It has been four times translated into Judæo-German, first at Cracow, 1591. It has been translated into Spanish by Meir de Leon, Amsterdam, 1640; into Latin by GentiusGentius
Gentius was the last Illyrian king of the Ardiaean State. The name appears to derive from PIE *g'en- "to beget", cognate to Latin gens, gentis "kin, clan, race". He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept relations with Rome very strong...
, Amsterdam 1651; into German by M. Wiener, Hanover, 1856, Leipzig 1858. Fragments of it have been translated by Eisenmenger
Eisenmenger
Eisenmenger is a name of:- People :* Arthur Eisenmenger , German graphic designer , Austrian painter , German footballer* Johann Andreas Eisenmenger , German orientalist, Antisemite...
, Schudt, Menahem Man ha-Levi, and Joseph Zedner
Joseph Zedner
Joseph Zedner was a German Jewish bibliographer and librarian.After completing his education, he acted as teacher in the Jewish school in Strelitz , where the lexicographer Daniel Sanders was his pupil. In 1832 he became a tutor in the family of the book-seller A...
. At the end of paragraph 64 Ibn Verga says that he wrote a work entitled Shebeṭ 'Ebrato, containing persecution narratives and some rabbinical treatises, now lost.
Influence
The historical value of the data contained in the Shebeṭ Yehudah has been seriously questioned by Isidore LoebIsidore Loeb
Isidore Loeb was a French-Jewish scholar born at Soultzmatt, Haut-Rhin. The son of Rabbi Seligmann Loeb of Sulzmatt, he was educated in Bible and Talmud by his father...
(1892). Loeb holds that, though an original writer, Ibn Verga is not always trustworthy, and that some of his material belongs really in the domain of legend. Ibn Verga was especially interested in the religious controversies held between Jews and Christians; and the fullest account of these controversies is given in his work. But even these seem to be fictitious—with the exception, perhaps, of that of the one at Tortosa
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
(§ 40). The Shebeṭ Yehudah is valuable, however, for the Jewish folk-lore and the popular traditions which it contains.
The only one of Verga's contemporaries that made use of his work seems to be Samuel Usque
Samuel Usque
Samuel Usque was a Portuguese marrano Jewish author who settled in Ferrara.His major work is the Consolação ás Tribulações de Israel , Ferrara, 1553...
, in his Consolação. The Latin translation of Gentius contains two peculiar mistakes on the title-page: the word is written , and is translated "tribe" instead of "rod". A Yiddish translation, with additions (Shebeṭ Yehudah ha-Shalem), was published in Wilna, 1900. Corrections to the text of M. Wiener are given by Loeb in Revue des études juives
Revue des Études Juives
Revue des Études Juives is a French quarterly of Jewish studies, founded in July 1880 at the École pratique des hautes études, Paris by the Société des Études Juives...
17 p87.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- Heinrich GraetzHeinrich GraetzHeinrich Graetz was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective....
, Gesch. 3d ed. ix. 323, 324; - Giovanni Bernardo De RossiGiovanni Bernardo De RossiGiovanni Bernardo De Rossi was an Italian Christian Hebraist. He studied in Ivrea and Turin. In October 1769, he was appointed professor of Oriental languages at the University of Parma, where he spent the rest of his life...
, Dizionario, ii. 157-159; - Moritz SteinschneiderMoritz SteinschneiderMoritz Steinschneider was a Bohemian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider , who was not only an expert Talmudist, but was also well versed in secular science...
, Cat. Bodl. cols. 2391-2396; - Loeb, in R. E. J. xvii. 87;
- Wiener, preface to his edition of the Shebeṭ Yehudah
Literature
- F. Cantera: Schébet Jehuda (La vara de Judá) de Salomón ben Verga. In: Revista del Centro de Estudios Históricos de Granada y su Reino 13/14 (1924), 83-296; 15 (1925), 1-74. Reprint Granada 1927.
- Sina Rauschenbach (ed.): Shevet Jehuda. Ein Buch über das Leiden des jüdischen Volkes im Exil. In der Übersetzung von Meír Wiener. Herausgegeben, eingeleitet und mit einem Nachwort zur Geschichtsdeutung Salomon Ibn Vergas versehen von Sina Rauschenbach (Jüdische Geistesgeschichte 6). Berlin 2006. ISBN 978-3-937262-34-5