Bendich Ahin

Bendich Ahin (died 1402),[1] also known as Maestro Bendit and Baruch Chaim (Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ חַיִּים‎, Barukh Ḥayyīm),[Note 1] was a fourteenth-century Jewish physician, astrologer, and mathematician in Arles.

In 1369, Ahin became court physician to Queen Joanna I of Naples.[3] In recognition of his medical services, he was exempted from Jewish taxes and tallages. The privilege was extended to his descendants.[4] According to Nostradamus, Ahin's astrological knowledge led him to predict the Queen's tragic death.[5]

Notes

1. The name "Ahim" corresponds to the Hebrew name Ḥayyim, which Provençal Jews pronounced Aym, Ayn, or Ain.[2]

References

1. Koren, Nathan (1973). Jewish Physicians: A Biographical Index. Jerusalem: Israel Universities Press. p. 11. ISBN 0-7065-1269-3.
2. Gross, Henri (1897). Gallia judaica: Dictionnaire géographique de la France d'aprės les sources rabbiniques (in French). Paris: Librairie Léopold Cerf. p. 83.
3. Depping, Georges Bernard (1845). Les juifs dans le moyen âge: Leur état civil, commercial et littéraire. Paris: Didier. p. 334.
4. Kober, Adolf (October 1944). "Jewish Converts in Provence from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century". Jewish Social Studies. 6 (4): 363. JSTOR 4464615.
5. Caesar de Nostredame (1614). L'histoire et chronique de Provence. Lyon. p. 427.

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