Cart
Benjamin of Tudela, Spanish explorer
Abstract
The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, written in the late twelfth century, has long been recognized as a unique source for both Jewish and Mediterranean history. This paper attempts to shift the focus to the text and its history, and examine the process of its translation and reception in early modern Europe. I focus on the first Latin translation (Antwerp, 1575), prepared by the Spanish biblical scholar Benito Arias Montano. In his dedication and preface, Montano presents Benjamin as an eminent member of the illustrious Spanish tradition of explorers and geographers. Moreover, he sees in the Itinerary a document that may be significant for the understanding of Scripture. Montano's conceptualization allows us to understand the complexities of translation as a cultural process – the attempts to bridge linguistic, religious, and chronological barriers that separated Benjamin from his early modern readers.
Keywords
- Benjamin of Tudela,
- Benito Arias Montano,
- early modern Spain,
- early modern geography,
- travel literature,
- translation history,
- cultural translation,
- Hebraism
Related articles
View all related articlesDetails
- Citation information:
- Published online: 17 Aug 2010
Author affiliations
- a Department of General History, Department of Land of Israel Studies , University of Haifa , Haifa, Israel
Author biographies
Zur Shalev received his PhD from Princeton University in 2004 and is currently a lecturer at the University of Haifa, Israel, where he teaches and studies early modern cultural and intellectual history, with particular interest in cartography, travel, and the history of Oriental scholarship. He has published articles on sacred geography, Hebraism, pilgrimage, Levant travel, and cosmography. His book on the tradition of sacred geography in early modern Europe is forthcoming, as well as an edited volume on Ptolemy's Geography in the Renaissance.
Librarians
- Librarians' area
- Pricing
- Institutional account
- Access entitlements
- Co-branding
- IP ranges
- Link resolver preferences
- Usage reports