Tombstone of David ben Solomon Gans
1613
Image
This is an image of the tombstone of David Ganz, Prague. Born in Lippstadt (now North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), Ganz (1541–1613) was a chronicler, mathematician, historian, astronomer, and astrologer. He studied at two of the great yeshivas of his time, those of Moses Isserles and of Sinai ben Bezalel, brother of the Maharal of Prague. Ganz first became interested in astronomy in his youth and encountered both Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe. Most of his writings have been lost. He is best known for his historical work—the only full-length work published in his lifetime—Tsemah David (The Sprout of David). The book is divided into two parts, the first dedicated to the history of the Jews, the second to non-Jewish history. His book on astronomy, Neḥmad ve-na’im (Nice and Pleasant), was published in 1743, more than a century after his death.
Credits
Geof / Wikipedia, DavidGans,Prag305.jpg. Available to license under (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
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