the Fourth Week of Advent
Click here to join the effort!
Bible Encyclopedias
Eliezer ben Faruḥ
The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia
or Jewish mathematician, said by certain Mohammedan authors to have first established the Jewish calendar. He is mentioned by Al-Biruni (972-1048) in his "Chronology of Ancient Nations"; and this account is repeated, almost word for word, in Al-Maḳrizi's (1364-1442) topographical history of Egypt. Steinschneider has connected him with a certain Andrazzur ibn Zadi Faruḥ, a famous Jewish astronomer mentioned by Al-Kabiṣi, the tenth-century Moslem astrologer, and by Abraham ibn Ezra in his "Sefer ha-Ṭe'amim." The first name seems to indicate that he was a Persian by birth; and it occurs in such varying forms as "Andruzagar," "Alezdegoz," "Alendruzgar." It has been suggested that there is a confusion here either with Eliezer ben Hyrcanus or Eleazar ben 'Arak. Sachau reads 
(1 Kings 4:17).
- Sachau, The Chronology of Ancient Nations, p. 68 (Arabic text, p. 58);
- De Sacy, Chrestomathie Arabe, 1:91 (for Al-Maḳrizi);
- Delitzsch, Anekdota zur Gesch. der Mittelalt. Scholastik, p. 375 (for Ibn Ezra);
- compare Steinschneider in Berliner's Magazin, 3:199;
- Monatsschrift, 33:479;
- Ha-Yonah, p. 18;
- Steinschneider, Hebr. Uebers. pp. 531, 854;
- idem, Arab. Lit. der Juden, p. 307.
These files are public domain.
Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Eliezer ben Faruḥ'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tje/e/eliezer-ben-faruay.html. 1901.
