Ḥisdai ibn Shaprut

Ḥisdai ibn Shaprut

▪ Spanish-Jewish physician and writer
in full  Ḥisdai Abu Yusuf Ben Isaac Ben Ezra Ibn Shaprut, Ḥisdai  also spelled  Ḥasdai 
born c. 915, , Jaén, Spain
died c. 975, , Córdoba

      Jewish physician, translator, and political figure who helped inaugurate the golden age of Hebrew letters in Moorish Spain and who was a powerful statesman in a number of major diplomatic negotiations.

      After becoming court physician to the powerful Umayyad caliph ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān III (Abd al-Raḥmān IIIʿ), Ḥisdai gradually gained eminence in the Arab world, acting as vizier without title. He used his linguistic talents (he knew Hebrew, Arabic, and Latin) and persuasive personality in delicate diplomatic missions between Muslim and Christian rulers. On one occasion he helped negotiate a treaty with the Byzantine Empire. One of the presents from the Byzantine emperor to the caliph was a copy of a pharmacological text by the Greek physician Dioscorides (fl. c. AD 50); Ḥisdai helped translate it into Arabic. On another occasion, Ḥisdai paved the way for a peace treaty with the warring kingdoms of Navarre and León. After ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān died in 961, Ḥisdai continued to perform important services for ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān's son and successor, al-Ḥakam II, in whose reign he died.

      Ḥisdai helped inaugurate the golden age of Spanish Judaism, gathering under his patronage such major literary figures as Dunash ben Labrat (c. 920–c. 990) and Menahem ben Saruq (c. 910–c. 970), who helped establish scientific Hebrew grammar and a new mode in Hebrew poetry. Ḥisdai fostered the study of Jewish law and the Talmud (the rabbinic compendium of law, lore, and commentary), thereby making Spanish Jewry relatively independent of the Eastern Talmudic academies.

      Ḥisdai's correspondence (written by Menahem ben Saruq) with a Jewish Khazar king, Joseph, is of historic importance. The Khazars, a Turkic people dwelling in southern Russia, had converted to Judaism in the middle of the 8th century AD. Ḥisdai's letter and the king's response led a shadowy existence until their unexpected publication in the 16th century. After much controversy, the authenticity of both letters and the accuracy of their information seem well established.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hisdai ibn Shaprut — Chasdai ibn Schaprut (hebr. ‏חסדאי אבן שפרוט‎, arabisch ‏ حسداي بن شبروط‎ Hasdāy ibn Schabrūt, DMG Ḥasdāy b. Šabrūṭ; auch Chisdai; * um 915 in Jaén, gest. um 970 in Córdoba) war ein jüdischer Diplomat im mittelalterlichen Spanien. Er ist der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ḤISDAI (Ḥasdai) IBN SHAPRUT — (c. 915–c. 970), the first of the Jewish dignitaries in the service of Spanish rulers on whom information is extant. The family originated in the city of Jaen in eastern Andalusia. From there, Ḥisdai s father, who was a wealthy man, came to… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Hasdai ibn Shaprut — Chasdai ibn Schaprut (hebr. ‏חסדאי אבן שפרוט‎, arabisch ‏ حسداي بن شبروط‎ Hasdāy ibn Schabrūt, DMG Ḥasdāy b. Šabrūṭ; auch Chisdai; * um 915 in Jaén, gest. um 970 in Córdoba) war ein jüdischer Diplomat im mittelalterlichen Spanien. Er ist der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ibn Shaprut —    see Hisdai ben Isaac ibn Shaprut …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • Hisdai (or Hasdai) ben-Isaac ibn-Shaprut — (c. 915–c. 970)    Spanish physician and diplomat. Hisdai’s father was a wealthy and learned man in Cordova, the capital of the Umayyad caliphate in Spain. Hisdai himself studied medicine and entered the service of the caliph, ‘Abd al Rahman.… …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • IBN ABITUR, JOSEPH BEN ISAAC — (10th–11th century), Spanish talmudic scholar and poet. Frequently mentioned under the name of Ibn Shatanash, Ibn Abitur explains that this name was given to his great grandfather who wielded great power in Spain… including the power over life… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • IBN JAU, JACOB — (d.c. 990), wealthy silk merchant and manufacturer, and nasi (leader) of the Jews in Muslim Spain (including parts of Morocco) after the death of of Cordoba. The source of information on Jacob ibn Jau and his brother Joseph is the Sefer ha… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • IBN KAPRON, ISAAC — (10th century), poet and grammarian. In Latin and Spanish, the meaning of Isaac s name ( Cabron, Capron ) is related to goat ; he was called by this name, and others like it, in ridicule by his opponents. The Ibn Kapron family was an old and… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • MENAHEM BEN JACOB IBN SARUQ — (Saruk; tenth century), Spanish author and lexicographer. Born in Tortosa, he moved at an early age to Cordova, where Isaac, the father of , became his patron. After Isaac s death, Menahem went back to his native town for a short interlude, and… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • DUNASH IBN TAMIM — (c. 890–after 955/6), North African scholar, known also as Adonim, the Hebrew form of Dunash, and by the Arabic surname Abu Sahl. (The descriptive adjective shaflagi appended to his name by moses ibn ezra is inexplicable.) Dunash was from… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”