Shlomo Sela

The main objective is to produce critical editions, accompanied with translation and commentary, of Abraham Ibn Ezra’s astrological writings, based on a scrutiny of Hebrew, Latin and Arabic manuscripts conserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and other libraries in Paris, related to the following topics: (i) Abraham Ibn Ezra’s Hebrew introductions to astrology: Reshit Hokhmah (Beginning of Wisdom), the most voluminous and most famous component of Ibn Ezra’s astrological corpus (8 manuscripts in BNF); Sefer Mishpetei ha-Mazzalot (Book of the Judgments of the Zodiacal Signs), an introduction to astrology which is significantly different from Reshit Hokhmah (2 manuscripts in BNF); the recently discovered second version of Reshit Hokhmah. (ii) Abraham Ibn Ezra’s astrological works which did not survive in Hebrew but are extant today in Latin translation, or were directly composed in Latin with Abraham Ibn Ezra’s collaboration: Liber de Nativitatibus (at least 2 manuscripts in libraries in Paris); Liber Nativitatum; Liber Eleccionum and Liber Interrogacionum. (3) Latin Astrological works which are considered to fall within the sphere of Abraham Ibn Ezra’s astrological work: Epitome totius astrologiae, a popular Latin astrological work, dated at least in part to 1142.