SHABBETAY DONNOLO: A Reappraisal
Keywords:
Shabbetay Donnolo, medieval Judaism, Jewish astronomy, knowledge transferSynopsis

Publisher: UniorPress
Series: Archivio di Studi Ebraici
Pages: 150
Language: Italian
Abstract: This book presents a reassessment of the secondary literature written, mostly in Italian, on the life and works of the 10th-century Jewish medic Shabbetay Donnolo. After an introduction on the historical context, the study reconsiders the passages in the Life of Neilos the Younger, a 11th-century hagiography, in which Donnolo is mentioned, and casts doubts on their reliability. Regarding his works, the present study also discusses secondary literature that has attributed three astronomical texts to Donnolo, by showing how these attributions are not always sufficiently grounded and by presenting counter-evidence that seems to point to other, anonymous authors. A hypothesis is advanced regarding the cultural background of his astronomy teacher Bagdat and emphasis is placed on the unique role that Donnolo played in the knowledge transfer, from Asia to Western Europe, by transmitting ideas that ultimately originated in India and were gradually transformed along their path through Persia, Syria and the Arab world.
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