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Judah ibn Verga

Judah ibn Verga is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Judah ibn Verga rather than just read about it. In short: Judah ibn Verga (Hebrew: יהודה אבן וירגה) was a Sefardic historian, kabbalist, perhaps also mathematician, and astronomer of the 15th century. He was born at Seville and was the uncle of Solomon ibn Verga, author of the Scepter of Judah.

Judah ibn Verga — main illustration
Judah ibn Verga — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Judah ibn Verga belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Judah ibn Verga to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Judah ibn Verga from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Judah ibn Verga (Hebrew: יהודה אבן וירגה) was a Sefardic historian, kabbalist, perhaps also mathematician, and astronomer of the 15th century. He was born at Seville and was the uncle of Solomon ibn Verga, author of the Scepter of Judah. It is this work that furnishes some details of ibn Verga's life.

Biography He was held in high esteem by the governor of Andalusia. Once the Jews of Xerez de la Frontera, a small town near Seville, were accused of transferring the body of a converted Jew to their cemetery; they applied to Ibn Verga for help, who, when admitted to the presence of the governor, proved by means of a cabalistic writing that the real criminals were the priests (Shebeṭ Yehudah, § 38). He was very active in maintaining an understanding between the Marranos and the Jews; the Inquisition, on its introduction into Spain, desired him to betray the former. He succeeded, however, in escaping to Lisbon, where possibly he lived several years, until he was taken by the Inquisition; he died under torture (ib. § 62). Ibn Verga wrote a history of the persecutions of the Jews, largely taken from Profiat Duran's Zikron ha-Shemadot (comp. the synopsis in Grätz, Gesch. viii., note 1); his work, in turn, was the basis of the Shebeṭ Yehudah (see preface to the latter).

Other works The Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (MS. No. 1005, Hebr.), contains a series of scientific treatises written by a certain Judah ibn Verga, who is generally identified with the Judah ibn Verga of the Shebeṭ Yehudah. These treatises are:

Ḳiẓẓur ha-Mispar, a short manual of arithmetic (ib. folios 100-110a) Keli ha-Ofeḳi, a description of the astronomical instrument which he invented to determine the sun's meridian, written at Lisbon toward 1457 (folios 110b-118a) A method for determining heights (folios 118b-119b) A short treatise on astronomy, the result of his own observations, completed at Lisbon in 1457 (folios 120-127). Ibn Verga also wrote a commentary on Al-Farghani's compendium of the Almagest, about 1480 (Neubauer, "Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS." No. 2013, 4). There is, however, some reason for the statement that this identification is doubtful (comp. Shebeṭ Yehudah, § 62). Another Judah ibn Verga lived in the 16th century and corresponded with Joseph Caro (Abḳat Rokel, Nos. 99, 100).

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography Grätz, Gesch. 3d ed., viii. 322; Steinschneider, Hebr. Uebers p. 557; Wiener's introduction to the Shebeṭ Yehudah.

External links Jewish Encyclopedia article for JUDAH IBN VERGA

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Richard Gottheil; M. Seligsohn (1901–1906). "Ibn Verga, Judah". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Judah ibn Verga

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Judah ibn Verga claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Judah ibn Verga before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Judah ibn Verga ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Judah ibn Verga

In research
Judah ibn Verga appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Judah ibn Verga in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Judah ibn Verga is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 15th-century Castilian Jews, 15th-century Spanish historians, Jewish astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Judah ibn Verga outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Judah ibn Verga in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Judah ibn Verga means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Judah ibn Verga out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Judah ibn Verga in simple terms?

Judah ibn Verga (Hebrew: יהודה אבן וירגה) was a Sefardic historian, kabbalist, perhaps also mathematician, and astronomer of the 15th century. He was born at Seville and was the uncle of Solomon ibn Verga, author of the Scepter of Judah.

Why does Judah ibn Verga matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Judah ibn Verga?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Judah ibn Verga.

Tags

  • 15th-century Castilian Jews
  • 15th-century Spanish historians
  • Jewish astronomers
  • Jewish historians
  • Kabbalists
  • Writers from Seville

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