The Role of Science in the Jewish Community in Fourteenth‐Century France

FEW years ago L. V. Berman claimed that Samuel ben Judah of MarA seilles, a fourteenth-century French Jewish translator of scientific and philosophic texts from Arabic to Hebrew, wished to transfer the Greek spiritual heritage into Hebrew.' As we shall see, this move succeeded to a significant degree; indeed, the Jewish community was able to build on this heritage, and not merely copy it. But should we be surprised at their interest in such secular subjects as logic and mathematics? Did the fact that Greek science came to them via Arabic sources have any deep significance, or is this simply a matter of linguistic concern? First, let us recall that Jews were not involved in scientific activity in the Biblical period or in Hellenistic antiquity. In effect, there was no relevant antecedent tradition. Second, i t is often thought that Jewish interest in secular subjects invariably derives from contact with their non-Jewish neighbors. In the case of Jews in southern France this contact with Gentiles came after philosophy and science had already developed in the Jewish community. This anomaly is resolved by noting the dependence of these Jews on emigres from Muslim Spain who in turn had participated in, and been influenced by, the high culture of the Arabs there. The first part of this paper will consider this process of transmission, and the second part will describe some of the scientific achievements of Jews in fourteenth-century France. 4 1 + Soon after the Muslim conquests most Jews adopted Arabic as their vernacular, replacing Aramaic which had been the lingua franca of the Near East. Perhaps of greater importance, Arabic was used for a wide range of