Do’eg ha-Edomi

The translator who went by the name Do’eg ha-Edomi was one of the first known authors to translate works from Latin into Hebrew. Active in the Midi region of France, Do’eg was responsible for at least twenty-four medical translations between 1197 and 1199, including books by Galen and Hippocrates. His fluency in Hebrew and knowledge of biblical and rabbinic texts situate him as a member of the learned Jewish elite, and his keen knowledge of medical terms confirms that he was also a physician. He is thought to have converted to Christianity and then regretted his action, because his pseudonym refers to a biblical figure from the book of Samuel who was well-educated but ill-treated due to his foreign status and murderous acts; Do’eg translates to “the anguished one” and ha-Edomi means, here, “the Christian.”