Paper short abstract:

This paper examines one of the earliest gynaecological texts produced in Hebrew, Sefer ha-toledet, which is Muscio’s fifth-sixth century abridged and simplified Latin version of Soranus of Ephesus’ Gynaecology, rendered into Hebrew by Doeg ha-Edomi in 1197-1199 in Provence.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines one of the earliest gynaecological texts produced in Hebrew, Sefer ha-toledet, which is Muscio's fifth-sixth century abridged and simplified Latin version of Soranus of Ephesus' Gynaecology, rendered into Hebrew by Doeg ha-Edomi in 1197-1199 in Provence. In it, I explore the reception and accommodation by Doeg ha-Edomi of Soranus' and Muscio's theories on female anatomy, physiology, and disease, and analyse his attitude regarding the ideas and concepts that disagree with Judaism, or challenge some accepted Jewish principles. I also discuss the bearing of rabbinic and Talmudic notions on women's bodies and their functioning in Doeg's approach to gynaecology, and assess their grade of continuity, if any, with the Greek/Hellenistic gynaecological notions collected in Mishnah and Talmud. Finally, I explore the reception of Soranus's adaptations and translations by later Jewish authors and translators, and their fate in Hebrew.