In this fifth instalment of his Jewish Philosophy lecture series, David Solomon explores two significant Jewish thinkers living in Spain in the 14th and 15th centuries:
- Hasdai Crescas
- Yosef Albo.
Watch the lecture here: https://youtu.be/uZ0C8w28boc
He examines the philosophical contributions of Hasdai Crescas, including his ideas on:
- Divine knowledge replaced by Divine love
- Divine omniscience, providence, and omnipotence
- Prophecy
- Free Will
- The purpose of the world and the happiness of the soul.
Crescas, who was known for his critique of Aristotle, had revolutionary ideas that would pave the way towards a new humanism.
David then discusses Yosef Albo, a student of Hasdai Crescas, and Albo’s ideas on:
- The existence of God
- Revelation
- Reward and punishment.
Albo recognised true faith through a series of derivatives (shorashim), known as:
- Unity
- Incorporeality
- Eternality
- Perfection
- God’s interested omniscience
- Revelation through prophets
- The authenticity of the prophets
- Individual providence.
His ideas led to a systematic theological restatement of Jewish belief on the eve of a new philosophical era.
With late Medieval Spain as the historical setting for both of these extraordinary figures, David provides their fascinating but fraught historical backgrounds, including the impact of the 1391 massacres in Barcelona on Crescas and the disputations at Tortossa for Albo.
For a historical overview of the period, watch David’s series ‘Hope in Darkness: Jewish History of the 14th & 15th centuries’ here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:06 — 26.4MB)
Continue reading “#83 A Journey Through Jewish Philosophy (5)”
