Spinoza and Medieval Jewish Philosophy

The first of its kind, this essay collection offers an extensive examination of Spinoza's relationship to medieval Jewish philosophy.

Steven Nadler (Edited by)

9781107037861, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 December 2014

248 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.5 kg

'This is a solid collection of essays. It is as important for what it forces one to understand about how to do philosophy in a historically interesting and revisionist way, as it is in presenting Spinoza both as a spoiler of what preceded him and as a foundational figure for what followed in his train.' Daniel Frank, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

Over the last two decades there has been an increasing interest in the influence of medieval Jewish thought upon Spinoza's philosophy. The essays in this volume, by Spinoza specialists and leading scholars in the field of medieval Jewish philosophy, consider the various dimensions of the rich, important, but vastly under-studied relationship between Spinoza and earlier Jewish thinkers. It is the first such collection in any language, and together the essays provide a detailed and extensive analysis of how different elements in Spinoza's metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and political and religious thought relate to the views of his Jewish philosophical forebears, such as Maimonides, Gersonides, Ibn Ezra, Crescas, and others. The topics addressed include the immortality of the soul, the nature of God, the intellectual love of God, moral luck, the nature of happiness, determinism and free will, the interpretation of Scripture, and the politics of religion.

Introduction Steven Nadler
1. Mortality of the soul from Alexander of Aphrodisias to Spinoza Jacob Adler
2. Spinoza and the determinist tradition in medieval Jewish philosophy Charles Manekin
3. The science of scripture: Abraham Ibn Ezra and Spinoza on biblical hermeneutics T. M. Rudavsky
4. Spinoza's rejection of Maimonideanism Steven Frankel
5. Ishq, Hesheq, and Amor Dei Intellectualis Warren Zev Harvey
6. Monotheism at bay: the gods of Maimonides and Spinoza Kenneth Seeskin
7. Moral agency without free will: Spinoza's naturalizing of moral psychology in a Maimonidean key Heidi Ravven
8. Virtue, reason, and moral luck: Maimonides, Gersonides, Spinoza Steven Nadler
9. 'Something of it remains': Spinoza and Gersonides on intellectual eternity Julie R. Klein
10. Hasdai Crescas and Spinoza on actual infinity and the infinity of God's attributes Yitzhak Y. Melamed.

Subject Areas: Jewish studies [JFSR1], Religious social & pastoral thought & activity [HRLP5], Judaism [HRJ], Religion: general [HRA], Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge [HPK], Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology [HPJ], Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD], Philosophy [HP], Medieval history [HBLC1]