This classic work by early-20th-century Jewish humanist and scholar Isaac Heinemann surveys the crucial phases of Jewish thought concerning correct conduct as codified in the commandments. Heinemann provides his own systematic insights about the intellectual, emotional, pedagogical, and pragmatic reasoning advanced by the major Jewish thinkers. This volume covers Jewish thinkers from the Bible, rabbis and Hellenistic philosophers through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, including Saadiah, Halevi, Maimonides, Albo, and many others. Heinemann addresses such questions as: ‘What were the Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern rationales offered for the commandments in the course of Jewish thought?’
Table of Content
The Reason for the Mitzvot. Author’s Preface to First Edition (1942). Translator’s Preface. 1. The Nature of Question. 2. The Biblical View. 3. The Views of the Rabbis. 4. The Views of the Hellenistic Jews. 5. Views of the Medieval Philosophers. 6. Saadia Gaon. 7. Bahya ben Joseph Ibn Pakudah. 8. Rabbi Judah Halevi. 9. Abraham Ibn Ezra. 10. Abraham Ibn Daud. 11. Maimonides. 12. Gersonides. 13. Hasdai Crescas. 14. Joseph Albo. 15. Don Isaac Abravanel. 16. Summary of the Medieval Thinkers. 17. Principal Conclusions. Abbreviations. Notes. Glossary. Index.
About the author
Leonard Levin teaches Jewish philosophy at the Academy for Jewish Religion, Yonkers, NY.
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