Meir Joseph Ben-joshua

Meir Joseph Ben-Joshua surnamed Ha-Sephardi, i.e. the Spaniard, a Jewish savant of note, flourished in the early part of the 16th century. He was born in 1496 at Avignon, whither his father had retired on leaving Spain. He is the author of a most valuable historic work, entitled דַּברֵי הִיָּמַים Chronicles of the Kings of France and the Ottoman Sovereigns, in two parts; the first from the creation till 1520, and the second of transactions from that time till 1553 (Venice, 1554; Amsterd. 1733). The value of the work consists in the fact that it throws aside much of the fable and wild imagination which render almost worthless all other rabbinical histories. Though contemporary with those events, the chronicler must be regarded as an impartial historian. A part of this work has been translated into Latin by L. Ferrand (Paris, 1670). To English readers this work is made accessible by C. H. Bialloblotzky's translation, The Chronicles of R. Joseph ben-Joshua Meir, the Se-phardi (Lond. 1836-38). See Furst, Biblioth. Jud. 2:115; Etheridge, Introd. to Hebrews Literat. p. 453; Lindo, 'ist. of the Jews of Spain and Portugal, p. 451; Jost, Geschichte des Judenthums, 3:124; Milman, History of the Jews, 3:461 (New York, 1870); Da Costa, Israel and the Gentiles, p. 397 sq. (New York, 1855). (B. P.)