This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

The International Prester John Project: How A Global Legend Was Created Across Six Centuries Main Menu Orientation to Project Path One: 1122-1235 Path Two: 1236-1310 AD Path Three : 1311-1460 AD Path Four : 1461-1520 AD Path Five: 1521-1699 AD Path Six: 1700-1800 AD Global Middle Ages

Benjamin of Tudela

5281

Born in Navarre, Benjamin of Tudela (1130-74) was a Jewish merchant famous for a narrative of his travels to Europe, Asia, and Africa, which took place from 1159-1173. While little is known of Benjamin or his motivations to undertake such a journey, his 100-page travelogue became an influential piece of medieval travel lore and may have helped inspire the legend of Prester John.

Read a biography of Benjamin at the Jewish Virtual Library.

This page has tags:

Map 1.1: Author Origins and Travels; Textual Imaginings Christopher Taylor // christopher.eric.taylor@gmail.com
Contents of this tag:

Contents of this tag:

This page is referenced by:

Ten Lost Tribes of Israel The ten lost tribes of Israel denotes those sons of Jacob that left the Kingdom of Israel and is a curious addition to the Prester John Letter that can likely be traced back to the author of the Letter's familiarity with the Sefer Eldad.

The story of these lost tribes has long been a topic of messianic thought. During the Middle Ages, there were a number of hypotheses as to where these tribes were, when they would return, and what that return would mean for the world.

The attention to this prophecy in the Letter may help explain the early proliferation of Hebrew translations of the Letter.

In addition to a familiarity with the Sefer Eldad, the Letter's author seems to be influenced, in part, by the narrative of the Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela, whose mention of a text describing the alleged return of one of the tribes to Africa, may have helped inspire these details.

List of 12 Tribes of Israel, as given in the Old and New Testaments