Yehuda ibn Tibbon
Jehuda ben Saul ibn Tibbon (* 1120 in Granada , † 1190 in Marseille ) was a Jewish translator of the Middle Ages. He is the progenitor of the Ibn Tibbon family ("ibn" means son; Jehuda ibn Tibbon is the first known representative of the family; whether he was named after his father is unknown) and was nicknamed the translator's father .
Yehuda ibn Tibbon moved to the south of France around 1150, probably due to the persecution of the Jews in Moorish Spain during his lifetime, and settled in Lunel, where he practiced medicine. From his will it can be seen that the achievements of his son Samuel ibn Tibbon did not meet his expectations. Yehuda was best known as a translator of Arabic works into Hebrew. In the introduction to his translation of the ethical work Chowot ha-Levavot ("Duties of the Heart") by Bachja ibn Pakuda , Yehuda ibn Tibbon explains that Jews in IslamicCountries that wanted to cultivate their interest in secular studies, in contrast to their co-religionists under Christian rule, were forced to study Arabic instead of Hebrew, since the Arabic language is characterized by richness and clarity; He gives a much more pragmatic justification in his will, in which he soberly states that many Jews, like his friend Shmuel ha-Nagid, had achieved rank and position with the Arab rulers simply through the ability to write Arabic . He also noted that a good translation requires a thorough knowledge of the source language , the target language and the subject the book is about. His other translations include the philosophical work Kusari by Jehuda ha-Levi , Emunot we-Deot by Saadia Gaon , a Hebrew grammar and dictionary by Jona ibn Jana, and Tikkun Middot ha-Nefesch by Solomon ibn Gabirol .
literature
- Encyclopedia Judaica , Vol. 15, p. 1129.
- Udo Tavares: Tibbon, Jehuda ben Saul ibn Tibbon. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 12, Bautz, Herzberg 1997, ISBN 3-88309-068-9 , Sp. 3-6.
See also
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Yehuda ibn Tibbon |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jehuda ben Saul ibn Tibbon (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Jewish translator of the Middle Ages |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1120 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Granada |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1190 |
| Place of death | Marseille |