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British Library Harley MS 5680 preserves a 1479 Hebrew Canon (Books 3 and 5) now in a public catalogue

Harley MS 5680 is a Hebrew copy of Canon Books 3 and 5, after Nathan ha-Me’ati’s 1279 translation, with a 1479 colophon, now described in the British Library archives catalogue. The dated object is that 1479 copy; the public English carrier is the BL catalogue. In the causal graph this event strengthens Protection of Minority Rights, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — an improving welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

Harley MS 5680 is a Hebrew copy of Canon Books 3 and 5, after Nathan ha-Me’ati’s 1279 translation, with a 1479 colophon, now described in the British Library archives catalogue. The dated object is that 1479 copy; the public English carrier is the BL catalogue. Avicenna did not commission a Hebrew book.

Context

Hebrew Canons also served Jewish physicians inside unequal civic status. High confidence on the manuscript as catalogued.

Avicenna is not the sole author of every later object, law, or museum label that uses the name. Shared work with courts, excavators, printers, spouses, officials, and later states does not erase a documented role, and it does not make an ancient person the signer of a twentieth-century statute.

Why it matters

A public Hebrew Canon witness is a minority-language access path, not a rights statute.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Avicenna

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.24 · verified

    Named physician-philosopher as heading of later editions, faculties, and commemorations. Printers, faculties, and agencies publish the instrument.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactBritish Library Harley MS 5680 preserves a 1479 Hebrew Canon (Books 3 and 5) now in a public catalogue
    2. strengthensDriverProtection of Minority Rights
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Having a say in government
    Improving path

    impact weight 0.35 · Effect from 1 January 1479 · verified

    A public Hebrew Canon witness is a minority-language access path, not a rights statute.

    • Having a say in government

      via Protection of Minority Rights

      Better

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.16 (weight 0.35 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

      via Protection of Minority Rights

      Better

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.16 (weight 0.35 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.

      Normal is zero · any amount = worse

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.British Library Harley MS 5680 — Avicenna’s Canon, Hebrew (Books 3 and 5)British Library · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Britannica — AvicennaEncyclopaedia Britannica · High credibility · verified

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorAvicenna
  2. contributed toFactBritish Library Harley MS 5680 preserves a 1479 Hebrew Canon (Books 3 and 5) now in a public catalogue
  3. strengthensDriverProtection of Minority Rights
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). British Library Harley MS 5680 preserves a 1479 Hebrew Canon (Books 3 and 5) now in a public catalogue. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/av-bl-harley-hebrew-canon

https://factrail.ai/facts/av-bl-harley-hebrew-canon

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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