A Hebrew Translation of Hippocrates' De superfoetatione: Historical Introduction and Critical Edition

The De superfoetatione is a gynecological treatise, usually ascribed to Hippocrates, that deals with the treatment of pregnant women. The medieval tradition of the text has been limited to an anonymous, non-literal Arabic translation, probably written before 900 and published by John Mattock in 1968. This is extant in a unique manuscript whose text appears to contain several lacunae and errors.

The present article calls attention to an anonymous Hebrew translation of the De superfoetatione, found in a unique manuscript (Parma Biblioteca Palatina, Parmense 3040, ff. 25^r-28^v), and which is a literal rendering of Mattock's Arabic. A linguistic study of this translation suggests that the translator may have been Zeraḥiah ben Isaac Ḥen, a Catalan-born Hebrew translator active in Italy in the period 1277-1291. Traces of the translation's later influence are noted. Finally a critical edition of the translation is presented, including a comparison with the Arabic version and the Greek original.