Abraham Ben Meir Ibn Ezra

A Polymath A Poet An Astrologer A Vagabond A disseminator of the fruits of a great culture towards the seeding of another Great Centers of Learning in History

The Academy in Athens 3rd century BC The House of Wisdom in Bagdad 8th– 11th centuries AD

The Library in -300BC – 270AD Great Centers of Learning in History

711 – 718 : Muslim conquest of Iberia, the Umayyad Caliphate rules the Iberian Peninsula

The Caliphate forms Universities, invest in culture and studies, and copies of all the previous learning centers find their way into Al-Andalus. The Golden Age of the Jews in Al-Andalus

• Jews enjoyed tolerance, and were welcomed into the Caliphate Government. • The result was an economic boom that yielded Jewish philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, poets, and rabbinical scholars. • Jews took part in the cultural boom of the Caliphate of Cordoba, translating ancient Greek texts into Arabic, Latin and Hebrew. • A time of fusion of the fruits of Greek knowledge and philosophy with Arab Scientific, mathematical and Literary achievements. Abraham Ibn Ezra was born into this culture, and received the best education of his time in Jewish studies, Arab sciences and literature, and Greek philosophy and astronomy.

Born in Tudela circa 1089

Lived in Toledo, then a great city

Lived in Cordoba and in Lucena, Granada and Sevilla We know very little about his life until the age of 50. We know he was married and had at least one son Isaac. We know from his poems that he experienced poverty. We know that he traveled extensively. We know he was exchanging ideas with other contemporary notable Jewish thinkers such as Yehuda Halevi Poems

Secular Poems - MY STARS Liturgical Poetry - Resignation On the day I was born, O God of earth and heaven, The unalterable stars altered. Spirit and flesh are Thine! Thou hast in wisdom given, If I decided to sell lamps, Man’s inward light divine; It wouldn’t get dark till the day I died. And unto him Thy grace accords My times are in Thy hand, The gift of spoken words. Thou knowest what is best, The world was fashioned by Thy will, Some stars. Whatever I do, And where I fear to stand, Nor did’st Thou toil at it, for still Thy strength brings succour bless’d. I’m a failure before I begin. Thy breath did Thy design fulfil. Thy loving-kindness, as within If I suddenly decided to sell shrouds, A mantle, hides my sin. Thy mercies are my sure defence, People would suddenly stop dying. And for Thy bounteous providence Thou dost demand no recompense. Poems

All untouched by time, or place, The Soul Executing her intent Without tool or instrument. Lord, my soul, athirst for Thee, When the body’s frame decay’d Liveth but Thy light to see, In the gloomy grave is laid, Though consumed with longing, Then the soul with joyful might lives, Heavenward takes her radiant flight, For new life that longing gives. Serving God her sole delight. Made in God’s similitude, Earthly treasures she forsakes, And with heavenly powers endued. In all there are hundreds poems: And a bond of union makes In His steps she followeth, praise poetry, complaint poems, With the angels of the Lord, Seeking Him with every breath, secular poems, and many hymns One with them in sweet accord. Passing free through boundless to be sung during prayer: the Endless is the good she sees, space, hunger of the soul for release, All celestial harmonies, and lamentation on the Jewish Joy and everlasting pleasure, fate and troubles. More and more beyond all measure. Wanderer in Latin Europe

• At age 50 Ibn Ezra leaves Spain, alone, and heads to Rome. • In the next 25 years he will write and teach Hebrew Communities in Italy, France and England: • The Bible • Hebrew Grammar • Math • Biblical Exegesis

• Ibn Ezra met the Jewish Communities of Latin Europe, and was shocked at their level of understanding. • He composed in Hebrew numerous biblical commentaries that were revolutionary for that time, introducing scientific explanations, and grammatical analysis unknown before his time. • His style is the ‘Talmudic style’ of presenting differing points of view and declaring which one he prefers. • His list of references suggests a photographic memory, and includes the Talmud, Mishna, The Sages, and Greek and Arab Science writers and philosophers. Philologist and Mathematician

• Along his way Ibn Ezra composed few grammar books. • He also composed mathematical books. • And shared his views on the NAME, as well as the importance of observing the commandments, Yesod Mora (the origin of the fear of God) • BUT, his fame in Latin Europe was derived by a series of books devoted to astrology. Notable Absence

• There is no reference to magic anywhere in Ibn Ezra’s writings: no talismans, no spells.

• What we -21st century students- refer to as mystical, is considered high science of that time.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Oil painting by an Italian painter. The Astrological Corpus

A summary of all the astrological knowledge gathered from the best writers up to 1140. The Astrological Corpus

• The Beginning of Wisdom (Re'shit Ho'khmah) – The Fundamentals of Astrology • The Book of Reasons (Se'fer Ha'Te'amim) – Commentary on the fundamentals. • The Book of Nativities (Se'fer Ha'Moladot) – Horoscopic Astrology • The Book of Lights (Se'fer Ha'Me'orot) – Medical Astrology • The Book of Elections (Se'fer Ha'Miv'harim) • The Book of Questions (Se'fer Ha'She’elot) – Horary Astrology • The Book of the World (Se'fer Ha'Olam) – Mundane Astrology • The Treatise of the Astrolabe (Kli Ha’Ne'hoshet) • The Astronomical Tables of Muhammad al-Khwarizmi (Ta’amei Lu’hot al- Khwarizmi) • The Sentences of the Signs (Mishpetey Hamazalot) – summary of the fundamentals. The Astrological Corpus

• Ibn Ezra introduces his sources for all his claims and therefore, his books can be read as a summary of the History of Western Astrology, and its prominent writers up to his time. • His books are practical guides to learning and practicing astrology and are still relevant today. The Beginning of Wisdom

1. The zodiac, and basic astronomy. 2. The signs, and the constellations (and the fixed stars). 3. The aspects and the houses. 4. The planets 5. The planets’ dignities and debilities. 6. The synodic cycles of the planets 7. In depth look at planetary conditions 8. 120 Aphorisms on planets significations in horary, nativity and mundane. 9. The Lots 10. Calculation of ‘crooked’ time and ‘right’ degrees, and Directions Ibn Ezra Sources

The History of Astrology up to 1140 Ptolemy

Claudius Ptolemy (100-170 AD), probably the most influential scientist of the ancient world. Lived in Alexandria, wrote in Greek on a variety of subjects. Ibn Ezra refers to him as ‘the king’. He is mentioned countless of times in all of Ibn Ezra’s writings. Ibn Ezra quotes often from the Tetrabiblos, yet it is the Almagest that is considered as the basis for all astrological reasoning. Dorotheus

Dorotheus of (c. 75), wrote the first full treatise on horoscopic astrology that survived to this day. Lived and worked in Alexandria. Ibn Ezra refers to him as Doronios. Ibn Ezra quotes him on several occasions, most notably on identifying ‘the Giver of Life’ and calculating the length of life. Vettius Valens

Vettius Valens (c.120- 175), born in Antioch, traveled extensively, and made a living as a professional astrologer. His book, the Anthologiy covers a life time of experience in astrological practice in 2nd century Alexandria.

Ibn Ezra refers to him as ‘Valis’ Ibn Ezra quotes him on few occasions: considerations of the triplicities, lords, and the lots. Science Sources

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Hipparchus (190-120 BC) • Aristotle’s four elements and • A Greek astronomer and four humors are the basis of the mathematician, known for publishing the first star catalog, rational of Ibn Ezra’s scientific finding a reliable way to calculate view of the world. eclipses, and maybe even the • The book on the soul is explicitly inventor of the Astrolabe. mentioned. • Ibn Ezra refers to him as ‘Abrax’. He is mentioned in the discussions on the precession, and as Ptolemy's source. Enoch

“Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (Genesis 5:23-24). In the Jewish apocrypha texts there are 3 versions of the Book of Enoch, all are mystical descriptions of Enoch’s voyages to the heavens, some with calendar details. Ibn Ezra seems to have had an astrology book attributed to Enoch, whose contents suggests a similarity to books mentioned by Greek writers as attributed to Hermes Trismagistus. (The doctrine of the houses, and the calculation of the Ascendant). It was common to find astrological texts attributed to famous mythical figures in the 2nd century AD (and in the 12th)

Ibn Ezra approves of anything that is attributed to Enoch. Sefer Yezira

Sefer Yetzirah – The Book of Creation is a mystical book attributed to Biblical Abraham, that is still being studied, debated, analyzed, and remains perplexing to anyone encountering it.

Even though the book (which is 5 pages long) has some references to astrology, Ibn Ezra mentions it in his other writings, most notably in his somewhat mystical books: The book of the One, and The book of the Name. Masha'Allah

Mashallah ibn Athari (c.740- 815), a Jewish origin astrologer in serving in the Abbasid court in Bagdad. Probably the first to synthesize Indian and Aristotelian cosmologies, and astrology.

Ibn Ezra’s books on Horary questions and eclipses are direct translations of the works of Mashallah. Al Khwarizmi

Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī (780 - 850), a Persian scholar, whose influence is especially noted in the field of mathematics. The word ‘Algebra’ is a derived from his book Al Jabr. His name through mistranslation is the origin of the term Algorithm.

Ibn Ezra translated his ‘astronomical tables’ (ephemerids) and advised to use only his methods and tables, instead of those of Ptolemy. Abu Maʿshar

Abu Maʿshar (787-886), A Persian in origin, served as a court astrologer in the Abbasid court in Bagdad. His astrological manuals have been and still are very popular, and have made a huge impact on subsequent generations.

Abu Maʿshar is probably Ibn Ezra’s most important Arabic source. To the extent that parts of ‘the beginning of wisdom’ are exact copies of his book on nativities. Al Kindy

Abu Yūsuf Yaʻqūb ibn ʼIsḥāq aṣ-Ṣabbāḥ al-Kindī (801- 873), served as the head of ‘the house of wisdom’ in the Abbasid court in Bagdad, and was in charge of the translations of the Greek texts to Arabic. Some call him the "father of Arab philosophy“, and he is the one who synthesized Aristotelian cosmology and the Muslim theology.

Ibn Ezra quotes from his astrological works in almost all his books. Other Sources

Andarzaghar Sahl • According to Prof. Pingree, al- • Sahl ibn Bishr al-Israili (c. 786– Andarzaghar lived during the 845 ?), A Jewish origin Persian, Sassanid period (224-637 AD). on whom we know very little. He is known in modern times on • He is known for his ‘reader his ideas regarding the triplicity friendly style’ of astrological rulers. writings, and a great influence on Ibn Ezra’s style of writing. Abraham Bar Hiya

Abraham Bar Hiya Savasorda is a contemporary of Ibn Ezra, born in 1070 in Barcelona, and the first to translate into Hebrew scientific books from Arabic. His writings precedes those of Ibn Ezra in Mathematics, Religion and Philosophy, Astronomy and Astrology, and may have influenced Ibn Ezra’s. He remained in Barcelona where he enjoyed high status, and a Government office. The first version of the Astrological Corpus was written in 1148 in Beziers in Southern France.

A probable date for the second version is 1154 in Rouen, in Northern France. Ibn Ezra in England

• Ibn Ezra spent his last years in England. • In London he wrote Yesod Mora, his only purely philosophical book, and Igeret Hashabat, on the Jewish calendar. • There is no definite record of his death, nor where he was. He was probably 75 years old. • His Legacy and contribution are beyond measure. Legacy within the Jewish Tradition

• Ibn Ezra’s writings never became a main stream influence: • His Biblical commentaries are not ‘required reading’, rather they are on the ‘recommended reading’ lists. • His poetry survived, but is not popular as Yehuda Halevi. • The other books (math, grammar, & calendar, mystical) have also survived but did not become standard reading. • The astrology corpus was ’outlawed’ by Maimonides. • His writings were copied and survived in the libraries of the few who appreciated them.