Petachia(S), Moses Ben-jacob

Petachia(s), Moses Ben-Jacob a learned rabbi who flourished towards the latter half of the 12th century (Regensburg), is the author of the סַבּוּב הָעוֹלָם, also called סַבּוּב רִ פּתִחיָה, in which he relates his travels, made between 1075 and 1090 through Poland, Russia, Tartary, Syria, Mesopotamia, ancient Syria, Persia, etc., and wherein he describes the manners and usages of his co- religionists. It was first printed at Prague (1595), and reprinted by Wagenseil, entitled Itinerarium cum versione Wagenseilii, in his Sex exercitationes varii argumenti (Altorf, 1687; Zolkiew, 1792). It has been translated into French, with notes, by E. Carmoly, Tour de Monde de Petachia de Ratisbonne, traduit en Francais et accompagne du texte et des notes historiques, geographiques, et litteraires (Paris, 1831); into German by D. Ottensosser, with a Hebrew commentary (Furth, 1844); into English by Dr. A. Benisch. See First Bibl. Jud. 3:79 sq.; Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. 1:888; 3:956; Basnage, Histoire d s Juifs, page 655 (Taylor's English transl.); Gratz, Gesch. der Juden, 6:259, 424; Zunz, Zir Geschichte u. Literatur, page 166; the same author in Asher's edition of Tudela's Itinerary, volume 2, No. 40, 43, 44, 47; Etheridge, Introd. to Hebr. Lit. page 214; Da Costa, Israel and the Gentiles, page 187. (B.P.)