The Book of Assaf is the earliest medical book written in Hebrew

Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...

. According to the book it was written by Assaf (or Assaph) Ben Berhiyahu (son of Birhiyahu) and Johanan Ben Zabda, who lived in Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 between the fourth and sixth century CE. The book discusses illness

Illness

Illness is a state of poor health. Illness is sometimes considered another word for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist...

es, treatments and prevention. Some of the ideas are still used today, such as exercise, eating healthy food, and staying clean. The Book of Assaf includes Assaf's Oathhttp://www1.umn.edu/phrm/oaths/oath5.html, which in many aspects resembles the Hippocratic Oath

Hippocratic Oath

The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine ethically. It is widely believed to have been written by Hippocrates, often regarded as the father of western medicine, or by one of his students. The oath is written in...

. The Israeli hospital Assaf ha'rofe (Hebrew Assaf the Physician), is named after him. Excerpts from the book appear in a modern Hebrew edition by Suessman Muntner