Syllabus
October 7, 2011
Philosophical reflection of Judaism in the Bible and the Talmud. Hellenistic Jewish philosophy: Philo of Alexandria
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 3-49
October 14
Historical and intellectual context of the birth of Jewish philosophy in the Middle Ages. Jewish kalām: Saadiah Gaon
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 53-83; or Husik, pp. xiii-l, 23-47; or Sirat, pp. 1-13, 18-37
October 21
Neo-Platonism: Isaac Israeli, Bahya ibn Paquda
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 95-101, 117-124; or Husik, pp. 1-16, 80-105; or Sirat, pp. 57-68, 81-85
November 4
Solomon ibn Gabirol
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 101-117; or Husik, pp. 59-79; or Sirat, pp. 68-81
November 11
Judah Halevi
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 136-151; or Husik, pp. 150-183; or Sirat, pp. 113-131
November 18
Aristotelianism: Abraham ibn Daud
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 152-172; or Husik, pp. 197-235; or Sirat, pp. 141-155
November 25
Maimonides I
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 172-207; or Husik, pp. 236-311; or Sirat, pp. 157-203
December 2
Maimonides II
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 172-207; or Husik, pp. 236-311; or Sirat, pp. 157-203
December 9
Maimonidean controversies. Jewish philosophy in the 13th century
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 207-236
December 16
The decline of Jewish medieval philosophy. Levi ben Gershom, Hasdai Crescas, Joseph Albo
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 236-291; or Husik, pp. 328-361, 388-427; or Sirat, pp. 282-308, 357-372, 374-381
January 6, 2012
The echo of Jewish medieval philosophy in modern Jewish thought
Reading: Guttmann, pp. 275-324
Annotation
Traditional, Orthodox Judaism is not interested in systematic reflection on the "Jewish faith"-its focus is rather on religious practice. The motivation for a rational, conceptual definition of traditional religious ideas comes, instead, from outside-first, through the direct influence of Greek and Hellenistic thought; then, and to a greater extent, through the influence of rationalistic branches of Islamic theology. While Jewish philosophy has accepted forms and terminology originally foreign to Judaism, it has always conserved the specific content that is bound up with interpretations of the distinctive role of Israel in world history.
The course aims to give a historical survey of the development of Jewish philosophy, from its beginnings in the ancient Greco-Roman world, the confrontation with medieval Islamic thinking, the full development of autonomous Jewish philosophical reflection, to its decline at the end of the Middle Ages. The main religious and philosophical ideas will be discussed and the most important Jewish philosophers will be presented.