Bagdaṭ e la scienza degli astri di Šabbeṯay Donnolo

Abstract

Bagdaṭ and the Science of the Stars of Šabbeṯay Donnolo
The Jewish medic and astronomer Šabbeṯay Donnolo lived in the 10^th century in the areas of southern Italy at that time under Byzantine rule. In order to learn the «science of the planets and of the constellations», he used sources belonging to different cultures. In his Sefer Ḥaḵmônî, he writes that he benefitted from the teachings of Bagdaṭ, a «gentile hailing from Babylon», whose identification has been a matter of debate. A new research hypothesis about Bagdaṭ’s origins is presented here, in order to contextualize the original elements of Donnolo’s cosmological thought. It appears that his education in astronomy should be linked not so much to the Byzantine environment in which he spent most of his life, but more so to the “translation movement” active in the Syro-Mesopotamian area during his time.