Detailed
Description |
|
Treatise on lunar and solar eclipses and astronomical tables and calendars. Apparently, the final version of a chapter on this subject by R. David b. Jonah Mizrahi of Baghdad who lived in the 17th century and was active mainly in the 1680's and 1690's.
R. Mizrahi wrote his treatise in the 1680's. He revised it several times, and, apparently, the final revision is preserved in this ms. The chapter on eclipses was copied several times over a period of 150 years, testifying to its immense popularity. One of the copies, made in the 1780' s is now lost, but is preserved in this ms. copied in 1846. This ms. is important for it sheds light on the history of Jewish astronomy in Iraq trom the 17th to 19th centuries and is the only surviving copy of the last known revision of R. Mizrahi's treatise on eclipses.
The ms. also includes other astronomical tables on the eclipses and the calendar. Most of them are not found in the other works by R. Mizrahi and it has not been established if they were composed by him or copied from other works. One of the tables on f. 31r is adjusted to the latitude of Damascus and it may have been composed by R. Mizrahi who, as we know, visited Syria in his travels. |
