Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages: Science, Rationalism, and Religion (The Oxford History of Philosophy)

Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages: Science, Rationalism, and Religion (The Oxford History of Philosophy)

T. M. Rudavsky presents a new account of the development of Jewish philosophy from the tenth century to Spinoza in the seventeenth, viewed as part of an ongoing dialogue with medieval Christian and Islamic thought. Her aim is to provide a broad historical survey of major figures and schools within the medieval Jewish tradition, focusing on the tensions between Judaism and rational thought. This is reflected in particular philosophical controversies across a wide range of issues in metaphysics, language, cosmology, and philosophical theology. The book illuminates our understanding of medieval thought by offering a much richer view of the Jewish philosophical tradition, informed by the considerable recent research that has been done in this area. "Though yet another survey of medieval Jewish philosophy, this volume by Rudavsky is nevertheless an original and helpful volume in the genre. It is explicitly written as a complement if not supplement to othersurveys of medieval philosophy that have generally been found wanting regarding Jewish philosophers and their rich history of engagement with many of the same issues and even texts." -- Erik Dreff, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Religious Studies Review "Rudavsky's book is certain to contribute appreciably to its readers' philosophical felicity." -- James A. Diamond, Journal of the History of Philosophy "Rudavsky's ability to combine breadth, depth, and clarity, with concision and relative brevity is close to breath-taking. I have no doubt that this book will be of immense value to teachers of intellectual history, Jewish thought, and medieval philosophy. . . . Rudavsky has produced a magnificent and accessible work of scholarship that opens up an often-overlooked world of philosophy to scholars and laypeople alike." -- Samuel Lebens, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "an important contribution to the ongoing debate about how to define medieval Jewish philosophy ... Rudavsky's book demonstrates that there was a need for a fresh approach to the field. It may yet give scholars hope for a resurgence of interest in medieval Jewish philosophy among new students and veteran scholars alike." -- Alexander Green, H-Net T.M. Rudavsky is Professor of Philosophy at The Ohio State University. She, she is co-editor with Steven Nadler of the Cambridge History of Jewish Philosophy: From Antiquity through the Seventeenth Century (2009) and author of Time Matters: Time, Creation and Cosmology in Medieval Jewish Philosophy (2000). Her most recent book (2010) on Maimonides has appeared in the "Great Minds" series with Blackwell-Wiley Press. The author as well of numerous articles and encyclopedia entries, her major research continues to focus on issues connected to philosophical cosmology in medieval Jewish and scholastic thought.