Eldad ha-Dani

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Eldad ha-Dani , German Eldad of the Danites , (late 9th century) was a Jewish world traveler and trader who appeared in North Africa and Spain around 880 .

The origins and life of Eldat are largely in the dark. According to his name, he belonged to the tribe of the Danaites who, according to him , had formed their own kingdom in Africa together with the nomadic tribes Naftali , Gad and Ascher . Starting from this empire, Eldat made various trips to North Africa. He described the individual settlement areas of the ten lost tribes of Israel and reported on their traditions. He claimed of his tribe that he lived “where the gold is”.

The question of the scientific reliability of his writings is controversial. His stories about the lost tribes as well as the different rules of slaughter allegedly brought back from his homeland attracted a lot of attention.

His book had a big impact and was passed on many times (often in an edited and expanded form).

literature

  • Heinrich Graetz : History of the Jews. Volume 2, Leipzig 1875.
  • Abraham Epstein: Eldad ha-Dani. Pressburg 1891.
  • Max Schlössinger: The Ritual of Eldad ha-Dani, reconstructed and edited from manuscripts and a Genizah fragment: with notes, an introduction and an appendix on the Eldad legends. Leipzig 1908.
  • Eldad ben Mahli, the Danite. In: Salomon Wininger : Great Jewish National Biography. Vol. II, Orient Printing House, Chernivtsi 1927.
  • Ismar Elbogen : ELDAD HADANI. In: Georg Herlitz (Hrsg.): Jüdisches Lexikon . Volume II, Jewish publishing house, Berlin 1927.
  • Azriel Shochat:  ELDAD HA-DANI. In: Encyclopaedia Judaica . 2nd Edition. Volume 6, Detroit / New York a. a. 2007, ISBN 978-0-02-865934-3 , pp. 293-294 (English).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. ( Gen 2.12  EU )
personal data
SURNAME Eldad ha-Dani
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Jewish world traveler and adventurer
DATE OF BIRTH 9th century
DATE OF DEATH uncertain: after 880