Language:
German
Pages:
VI, 352 Bl.
Year of publication:
1999
Dissertation note:
Wien, Univ., Diss., 1999
Keywords:
Delmedigo, Eliyahu 1460-1497
;
Religionsphilosophie
;
Averroes 1126-1198
;
Judentum
;
Religionsphilosophie
;
Islam
;
Geschichte 1496
;
Aristotelismus
;
Judentum
;
Neuplatonismus
;
Geschichte 1496
;
Maimonides, Moses 1135-1204
Abstract:
eng: Elijah ben Moses Abba Delmedigo (1460-1493), one of the most important Jewish philosophers of the Renaissance, attracted as a teacher of philosophy at Padua and other Italian towns a number of Christian Pupils including Pico della Mirandola. His work consists largely of supercommentaries on Averroes' 'Commentaries' on Aristotle and Latin translations of Averroes' works. Delmedigo's magnum opus 'Behinat Ha-Dat' - Examination of Religion - is composed in 1490, based on Averroes' 'Decisive Treatise', influenced by Maimonides and Albo, and deals with the relation between philosophy and religion. Science, so Elijah, constitutes demonstrable knowledge whereas the Torah is based on principles of a differenrent order. The philosopher who believed in the truth of the Torah must accept certain principles which cannot be demonstrated by philosophy. He should study the Torah in an inquisitive spirit, but it would be a mistake for simple believers to do this. The aim of the Torah is to guide human beings to the truth according to each person's ability, and the most important purpose of the Torah is to provide the basis for a good society. In the Behinat Ha-Dat Elijah was deeply critical of the kabbalists. According to Elijah, all mizvot have a rational basis. The divine commandments simply have an effect on the state of the social order. Elijah emphasizes that the Torah must be understood on its own terms without any recourse to metaphysical speculation.
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