Yehuda ben Moshe
Encyclopedia
Yehuda ben Moshe ha-Kohen lived during the 13th century and became the personal physician of King Alfonso X of Castile
He also excelled as an astronomer
and was a prominent translator and writer at the Toledo School of Translators
where he translated important scientific
works from Arabic
and Hebrew
into Castilian
.
He was the Rabbi
of the Synagogue
of Toledo
, and one of the most influential personalities of the Jewish community in the city at that time.
He also translated the Lapidario, helped by the Christian Garci Pérez, and the famous Alfonsine tables
, compiled by Isaac ibn Sid
, that provided data for computing the position of the Sun, Moon and planets relative to the fixed stars.
Other works attributed to him are the Tratado de la açafeha into Latin, Tetrabiblon or Quatriparito (Ptolemy
), 15 treatises on astrology (effects of stars on man and properties of 360 stones with which to ward off negative astral influences), the IIII libros de las estrellas de la ochaua espera, the Libro de las cruces and the Libros del saber de Astronomía.
, had fallen ill with no physician being able to diagnose his malady. The king's priest had convinced the King that he was being punished by God for employing Jewish officials in his government. As a result it was feared that both Christian kingdoms of Portugal and Spain, which were on the verge of forming an alliance, would change their attitude towards the Jews and would decree their expulsion.
Legend has it that Yehuda ben Moshe decided to take the initiative and traveled to Portugal, where he gained access to the patient and came to the conclusion that the ailing prince was suffering from a blood-clot
. Yehuda performed a very difficult operation that turned out successfully, saving the life of the Prince. In this way he succeeded in counteracting the threatened deportation of Jews from Spain and Portugal.
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
He also excelled as an astronomer
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and was a prominent translator and writer at the Toledo School of Translators
Toledo School of Translators
The Toledo School of Translators is the name that commonly describes the group of scholars who worked together in the city of Toledo during the 12th and 13th centuries, to translate many of the philosophical and scientific works from classical Arabic, classical Greek, and ancient Hebrew.The School...
where he translated important scientific
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
works from Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
into Castilian
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
He was the Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
of the Synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
of Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, and one of the most influential personalities of the Jewish community in the city at that time.
Works
As a member of the School of Translators he helped Alvaro de Oviedo translate the version of Ibn Aben Ragel's Liber de Judiciis Astrologiae (Libro conplido en los iudizios de las estrellas), a treatise on judicial astrology that was used by Edigio de Tebladis de Parma and Pietro de Reggio.He also translated the Lapidario, helped by the Christian Garci Pérez, and the famous Alfonsine tables
Alfonsine tables
The Alfonsine tables provided data for computing the position of the Sun, Moon and planets relative to the fixed stars....
, compiled by Isaac ibn Sid
Isaac ibn Sid
Isaac ibn Sid was a Spanish-Jewish astronomer; he flourished at the Toledo School of Translators in the second half of the thirteenth century.From the surname "haḤazzan", given him by Isaac Israeli ben Joseph , it may be inferred that he was precentor at the synagogue.Isaac ibn Sid took a leading...
, that provided data for computing the position of the Sun, Moon and planets relative to the fixed stars.
Other works attributed to him are the Tratado de la açafeha into Latin, Tetrabiblon or Quatriparito (Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
), 15 treatises on astrology (effects of stars on man and properties of 360 stones with which to ward off negative astral influences), the IIII libros de las estrellas de la ochaua espera, the Libro de las cruces and the Libros del saber de Astronomía.
Mission to Portugal
The Crown Prince of Portugal, Denis of PortugalDenis of Portugal
Dinis , called the Farmer King , was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile and grandson of king Alfonso X of Castile , Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.-Biography:As heir to the throne, Infante Dinis was...
, had fallen ill with no physician being able to diagnose his malady. The king's priest had convinced the King that he was being punished by God for employing Jewish officials in his government. As a result it was feared that both Christian kingdoms of Portugal and Spain, which were on the verge of forming an alliance, would change their attitude towards the Jews and would decree their expulsion.
Legend has it that Yehuda ben Moshe decided to take the initiative and traveled to Portugal, where he gained access to the patient and came to the conclusion that the ailing prince was suffering from a blood-clot
Thrombus
A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system...
. Yehuda performed a very difficult operation that turned out successfully, saving the life of the Prince. In this way he succeeded in counteracting the threatened deportation of Jews from Spain and Portugal.