Eliezer the Astronomer (Hebrew: אליעזר החוזה or התוכן;[1] fl. 16th century) was a German Jewish scholar, known for his contributions to astrological literature.
He authored Ge Ḥizzayon ('Valley of Vision'), an astrological compilation that draws from Hebrew, Arabic, and Latin sources.[2] The work references Abraham bar Ḥiyya ha-Nasi, Ibn Ezra, Andruzagar, Albumasar, 'Ali ibn Riḍwan, 'Ali ibn Rajil, Leopold of Austria, Johannes, Guido Bonatti, and possibly Copernicus, as suggested by Dukes.[3]
In the introduction to Ge Ḥizzayon, Eliezer mentions that he began a great work on astrology, a chapter of which, titled Reshit Ḥokmah, is dedicated to Ibn Ezra. There is some uncertainty about whether the Sefer ha-Goralot (Vatican Manuscript no. 216), which bears the name "Eliezer," was authored by him. Similar uncertainty surrounds Vatican Manuscript no. 477, which contains a commentary on Ptolemy's Centiloquium and is also attributed to someone named Eliezer.
References
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gottheil, Richard; Broydé, Isaac (1903). "Eliezer the Astronomer". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 112.
- ^ Ben-Yakov, Yitzḥak Aizik (1880). Otzar ha-sefarim (in Hebrew). Vilna: Romm. p. 96.
- ^ Levy, Raphael (1927). The Astrological Works of Abraham Ibn Ezra: A Literary and Linguistic Study with Special Reference to the Old French Translation of Hagin. Johns Hopkins Studies in Romance Literatures and Languages. Vol. 8. The Johns Hopkins Press. p. 61.
- ^ Dukes, in Orient. Lit. xi., p. 318.