Menachem Kellner

Torah in the Observatory

Gersonides, Maimonides, Song of Songs

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Rabbi Levi ben Gershom (Ralbag, Gersonides; 1288-1344), one of medieval Judaism's most original thinkers, wrote about such diverse subjects as astronomy, mathematics, Bible commentary, philosophical theology, "technical" philosophy, logic, Halakhah, and even satire. In his view, however, all these subjects were united as part of the Torah. Influenced profoundly by Maimonides, Gersonides nevertheless exercised greater rigor than Maimonides in interpreting the Torah in light of contemporary science, was more conservative in his understanding of the nature of the Torah's commandments, and was more optimistic about the possibility of wide-spread philosophical enlightenment. Gersonides was a witness to several crucial historical events, such as the expulsion of French Jewry of 1306 and the "Babylonian Captivity" of the Papacy. Collaborating with prelates in his studies of astronomy and mathematics, he had an entree into the Papal court at Avignon. Kellner portrays Gersonides, revered among Jews as the author of a classic commentary on the latter books of the Bible, as a true renaissance man, whose view of Torah is vastly wider and more open than that held by many of those who treasure his memory.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Academic Studies Press
• Seitenzahl: 376
• Erscheinungstermin: 10. Juni 2010
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 240mm x 161mm x 25mm
• Gewicht: 745g
• ISBN-13: 9781934843802
• ISBN-10: 1934843806
• Artikelnr.: 30843732

Autorenporträt

Born and educated in the United States, Menachem Kellner (Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis, 1973) has lived in Israel for the last 30 years. Author, editor, or translator of 16 books and over 100 scholarly articles, Kellner¿s most recent book is Maimonides¿ Confrontation with Mysticism (2006).