Jacob ben Machir ibn Tibbon (Hebrew: יעקב בן מכיר ׳ן תיבון; c. 1236 – c. 1304), also known as Prophatius, was a Jewish astronomer. He was a member of the Ibn Tibbon family.
He was probably born in Marseille in c. 1236 and died in Montpellier in c. 1304. He was a grandson of Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon. His Provençal name was Don Profiat Tibbon; the Latin writers called him Profatius Judæus. Jacob occupies a considerable place in the history of astronomy in the Middle Ages. His works, translated into Latin, were quoted by Copernicus, Reinhold, and Clavius. He was also highly reputed as a physician, and, according to Jean Astruc ("Mémoires pour Servir à l'Histoire de la Faculté de Médecine de Montpellier," p. 168), Ibn Tibbon was regent of the faculty of medicine of Montpellier.
In the controversy between the Maimonists and the anti-Maimonists, Jacob defended science against the attacks of Abba Mari and his party; the energetic attitude of the community of Montpellier on that occasion was due to his influence.
Ibn Tibbon argued that translating Euclid was restoring wisdom lost to Jews from the exile.[1]
Jacob became known by a series of Hebrew translations of Arabic scientific and philosophical works, and above all by two original works on astronomy. His translations are:
The two original works of Jacob are:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Max Schloessinger, Isaac Broydé and Richard Gottheil (1901–1906). "Ibn Tibbon". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
