Elijah ben Shabbetai Be'er

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ELIJAH BEN SHABBETAI BE'ER

ELIJAH BEN SHABBETAI BE'ER (14th–15th centuries; also known as Elia di Sabato of Fermo and in England as Elias Sabot ), papal physician. He attended Popes Innocent vii (1404–06), Martin v (1417–31), and Eugene iv (1431–47), as well as the duke of Milan and the marquess of Ferrara. In 1410 he was summoned to England to treat King Henry iv and was empowered to bring with him a retinue of ten persons. A teacher of medicine at the University of Pavia, he was the first Jew recorded on the faculty of a European university. In recognition of his services, he was accorded the dignity of knight, and in 1405 was awarded Roman citizenship. An enigmatic medal was struck in 1497 (or 1503) in honor of his son Benjamin.

bibliography:

Gauthier, in: rej, 49 (1904), 259; Wiener, in: jqr, 18 (1905/06), 142ff.; Simonsen, ibid., 360; Milano, Italia, 155, 483, 629; Muenster, in: Scritti… Sally Mayer (1956), 224–58, includes bibliography; C. Roth, Jews in the Renaissance (1959), 39, 210, 215–6, 355.

[Ariel Toaff]

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Elijah ben Shabbetai Be'er

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