Maharal's Dialogue with Contemporary Rabbinic Authorities: the Role of Profane Sciences in Jewish Thought of Early Modern Period
Abstract
Scientific discoveries of 16th century and their reflection leads early modern thinkers to relativisation of hitherto acknowledged tradition and to re-evaluation of the status of human being in the world. The major intention of my paper is to describe to which extend did this phenomenon apply to Jewish thinkers of Ashkenazi area with accent on rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezal'el (known as Maharal; 1512/1520/1525-1609).
I am confronting Maharal's intellectual discourse and his approach to profane sciences with attitudes of his contemporaries. Namely with Azariah dei Rossi (1513-1578) and with Eli'ezer Ashkenazi (1512-1585).
In the comparison of above mentioned we can observe a frame from which Maharal steps out with his swing towards tradition. According to Maharal, science deals with matters of our profane world, which are subordinated to the Torah and Jewish theology.
Physical imaginations of Talmud and other traditional texts cannot be understood as nowadays surpassed description of the order of this world, but as a key to the world to come. In my paper I aim to prove, that Maharal's response to appeals of humanism is one and clear - swing towards the tradition.