The Conflict over the Ban on Philosophical Study, 1305: A Political Perspective

2014 ◽  
pp. 94-112
Author(s):  
Marc Saperstein
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Jewish History ◽  
Philosophical Study ◽  
Greek Philosophy ◽  
Significant Events ◽  
Political Perspective ◽  
Philosophical Texts ◽  
Proper Interpretation ◽  
New Framework

This chapter suggests a new framework in which to evaluate certain significant events in 1305. Few events of internal Jewish history during the Middle Ages more effectively exemplify diversity and conflict than the so-called ‘Maimonidean conflicts’ — the attempts by certain Jews to control the educational curriculum and public discourse of their communities by banning various philosophical texts and those who taught or studied them. One of the best-known of these episodes, the ban restricting the study of Greek philosophy, promulgated during the summer of 1305 by Solomon ben Adret (Rashba) and his colleagues in Barcelona, has been extensively treated by historians for over a century. The bitter conflict surrounding this ban is extensively documented in Minḥat kena'ot (A Zealous Offering), a collection of letters edited by Abba Mari of Lunel, one of the protagonists of that conflict and an ally of Ben Adret. Yet there is still no consensus among scholars about the proper interpretation of this dramatic episode, and sharp disagreement remains over what was fuelling the antagonism.

Res Communes Omnium: The History of an Idea from Greek Philosophy to Grotian Jurisprudence

Grotiana ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Schermaier
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Medieval Theology ◽  
Greek Philosophy ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Framework ◽  
The Middle Ages

AbstractSome legal historians are startled by the fact that Grotius was able to develop a new theory of res communes omnium and mare liberum by using antique ideas whereas these ideas were known in philosophy and jurisprudence throughout the Middle Ages. This contribution shows that Grotius's theory of res communes omnium was innovative only because he developed a new concept of ownership and placed it within a new framework of ius naturale. Both new concepts, ownership and ius naturale, had their predecessors in medieval theology and the jurisprudence of the Spanish Scholastics, but it was Grotius who merged them to a consistent new theory. This theory of res communes also enabled him to reconcile it with both the Roman legal sources and with contemporary practical needs.

scholarly journals Early Modern Jewish History

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Ruderman ◽  
Francesca Bregoli
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Jewish History ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Panoramic View ◽  
Early Modernity ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Modern Jewish History ◽  
Bibliographical Survey

The term “early modernity” as the name of a period roughly extending from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century has been only recently employed by historians of Jewish culture and society. Despite a plethora of new studies in the last several decades, few attempts have been made to define the period as a whole as a distinct epoch in Jewish history, distinguishable from both the medieval and the modern periods. Some historians have remained indifferent to demarcating the period, have simply designated it as an extension of the Middle Ages, or have labeled it vaguely as a mere transitional stage between medievalism and modernity without properly describing its distinguishing characteristics. A few historians have used the term “Renaissance” to apply to the cultural ambiance of Jews living in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries alone without delineating the larger period and the more comprehensive geographical area. The bibliographical survey that follows focuses on the entire period of three hundred years and attempts to provide a panoramic view of European and Ottoman Jewries both as distinct subcommunities and in their broader connections with each other.

Porphyry (c.233–309 AD)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Siorvanes
Keyword(s):  
Literary Criticism ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Greek Philosophy ◽  
Destructive Effect ◽  
Intellectual Activity ◽  
Living Species ◽  
The One ◽  
Ecological Preservation ◽  
Ancient Philosopher

The late ancient philosopher Porphyry was one of the founders of Neoplatonism. He edited the teachings of Plotinus into the form in which they are now known, clarified them with insights of his own and established them in the thought of his time. But, in reaction to Plotinus, he also advanced the cause of Aristotle’s philosophical logic. Indeed, Porphyry is responsible for the resurgence of interest in Aristotle, which continued to the Middle Ages and beyond. Because of Porphyry, later Greek philosophy recovered both its Platonic and its Aristotelian roots, and Neoplatonism aimed to combine inspired thought with academic precision. He was a scholar of great learning, with interests ranging from literary criticism and history to religion. An example is his defence of vegetarianism, which anticipated the modern debate on ecological preservation. Humans and animals belong to the same family. Seeking to preserve life is a matter of extending philanthropy and respect to all living species, which are our natural siblings. Ideally we ought to display ‘harmlessness’ even towards plants, except that our bodies, being composite and mortal, need to consume something else for food. Thus we should be ever conscious of the destructive effect that our eating habits and consumerism have on the creation of which we are part, and should try to keep to a simple lifestyle. Porphyry’s attention to logic, metaphysics and all other topics was driven by his firm belief that reason exercised by pure mind leads to the true essence of things, the One God. Intellectual activity detaches the soul from passions and confusions, and concentrates its activity on the real things. Porphyry attacked Christianity and Gnosticism because he thought they appealed to the irrational. Mysteries and rituals are fitted for those who are unable to practise inward contemplation. Salvation comes to those leading the life of the philosopher-priest.

The Historiographical Legacy of Salo Wittmayer Baron: The Medieval Period

AJS Review ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Robert Chazan
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
North America ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Jewish History ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

The impact of Salo Wittmayer Baron on the study of the history of the Jews during the Middle Ages has been enormous. This impact has, in part, been generated by Baron's voluminous writings, in particular his threevolume The Jewish Community and–even more so–his eighteen-volume Social and Religious History of the Jews. Equally decisive has been Baron's influence through his students and his students' students. Almost all researchers here in North America currently engaged in studying aspects of medieval Jewish history can surely trace their intellectual roots back to Salo Wittmayer Baron. In a real sense, many of Baron's views have become widey assumed starting points for the field, ideas which need not be proven or irgued but are simply accepted as givens. Over the next decade or decades, hese views will be carefully identified and reevaluated. At some point, a major study of Baron's legacy, including his influence on the study of medieval Jewish history, will of necessity eventuate. Such a study will have, on the one hand, its inherent intellectual fascination; at the same time, it will constitute an essential element in the next stages of the growth of the field, as it inevitably begins to make its way beyond Baron and his twentieth-century ambience.

‘Woman of valor’ : The character and status of women in jewish philosophy of the sixteenth century

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-254
Author(s):  
Shaul Regev
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Jewish History ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Ideal Woman ◽  
Vast Literature ◽  
Biblical Commentaries ◽  
Problematic Situations ◽  
Status Of Women ◽  
The Ideal

AbstractResearchers of Jewish History dealing with the topic of women’s character and status in Medieval Jewish texts drew their information mainly from Rabbinical Responsa and tended to neglect other types of literature: sermons and Biblical commentaries. Responsa were a primary source for two reasons—convenience and availability of the material. However, this type of literature was written out of necessity and dealt with the problematic situations in a woman’s life, whether with regard to her private life (as for instance in matters of marriage or divorce), her financial situation or other difficult issues. It may be possible to put together a clearer picture of women and their position in the Middle Ages, including their treatment by the men of their immediate surroundings, by examining and researching the vast literature of sermons and Biblical commentaries.Using an interpretation of Chapter 31 of the book of Proverbs (“Woman of Valor”), the preacher draws an image of the ideal woman and uses it to present his opinion on women, their shortcomings and their virtues. The main topic that preachers and interpreters discussed was the question of the perfection of women’s intellectual souls. As women did not usually acquire great intellectual learning, it stands to reason that they could not achieve perfection. Therefore, replacements were created that allowed women’s perfection to surpass that of men’s.

Greek Philosophy

Classics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Preus
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Greek Philosophy ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Philosophical Work ◽  
Secondary Literature ◽  
Imperial Period ◽  
Ancient Greek Philosophy ◽  
Philosophical Texts ◽  
Hellenistic Philosophy ◽  
Greek World

The title “Ancient Greek Philosophy” may be applied to philosophical texts written in Greek over a period of somewhat more than one thousand years, from the Milesian Anaximander before 500 bce to the Alexandrian John Philoponus, who died in 570 ce. The bibliography of the available texts, and translations, is significantly large, and the bibliography of secondary literature written about those texts in subsequent centuries is vast. This article is necessarily highly selective, designed primarily to give access to some of the basic works in each area of investigation. Separate bibliographies on individual philosophers, periods, and schools will follow. This article begins with a section on philosophy before Plato, including the Presocratics and Socrates, with some references to philosophers who were contemporaries of Plato and Aristotle. The second section focuses on Plato and early Platonists; the third section, on Aristotle and his immediate successors in the Peripatetic school. The fourth section focuses on philosophy after Aristotle, often called “Hellenistic” philosophy. This period notably includes Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics, as well as followers of Plato and Aristotle during the period from 322 bce until the Roman Empire engulfed the Greek world. The fifth section includes access to philosophy written in Greek during the Roman Imperial period, from the middle of the 1st century bce until the closing of the philosophical schools in the 5th and 6th centuries ce. It was during this time that many of the texts that provide our information about the earlier periods were written; many of the surviving texts are commentaries on works by Plato or Aristotle, for example, but significant original philosophical work was written, for instance, by Neoplatonists such as Plotinus and Porphyry, by Aristotelians such as Alexander of Aphrodisias, and by the medical philosopher Galen. This bibliography includes something of a combination of introductory texts suitable for someone beginning a study of a particular field, plus a significant number of texts and translations of the ancient authors, and a few more-specialized studies, where those may be of special interest.

German-Jewish Esotericism: The Case of Meir Wiener’s Expressionist Kabbalah

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Engel
Keyword(s):  
Jewish History ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
German History ◽  
German Expressionism ◽  
Jewish Culture ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
German Jewish ◽  
Western Esotericism ◽  
New Framework

Abstract The fact that bizarre intellectual trends and teachings, like occultism, parapsychology, and neopaganism played an important role in modern German culture is thoroughly documented by scholars of German history. Experts on German-Jewish history, however, still tend to describe German-Jewish culture as one formed around the ideals of ‘Bildung’ and the Enlightenment. As a result, German-Jewish occultism, mysticism, and other non-Enlightenment texts and authors have received relatively little scholarly attention. The present article aims to help correct this bias by introducing a new framework for the study of German-Jewish culture, and by examining an all but forgotten case study: Meir Wiener and his work. After introducing the term ‘Western esotericism’, developed by scholars of religious studies, the article uses it to explore two of Meir Wiener’s strangest and virtually forgotten works. Wiener, it is shown, produced fantastically esoteric works in the context of German expressionism and Kabbalah studies, which better represent their time and place than scholars have thus far acknowledged.

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