A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy

This book was written in 1916 by -then- Assistant Professor of Philosophy Isaac Husik (1876-1939). The printed edition has 603 pages. This book is not easy to read, you will really have to take your time to read it and absorb what Prof. Husik is telling you. The author has written this book with a public of both scholar and the 'intelligent non-technical reader' in mind. He treats only the rationalistic school in this book, so there is no information on mysticism or Kaballa. This book is a 'must' for anyone who is interested in Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy, and will also be interesting for anyone who is interested in Mediaeval Philosophy, History of the Jewish People, the Middle Ages, or Philosophy in general. As an example of this book I will copy the first few lines of the first chapter: ISAAC ISRAELI We know next to nothing about the condition of the Jews in Mohammedan Egypt in the ninth and tenth centuries. But the fact that the two first Jewish writers who busied themselves with philosophical problems came from Egypt would indicate that the general level of intellectual culture among the Jews at that time was not so low as the absence of literary monuments would lead us to believe. Every one knows of Saadia, the first Hebrew grammarian, the first Hebrew lexicographer, the first Bible translator and exegete, the first Jewish philosopher of mediæval Jewry. He was born in Egypt and from there was called to the Gaonate of Sura in Babylonia. But not so well known is his earlier contemporary, Isaac ben Solomon Israeli, who also was born in Egypt and from there went later to Kairuan, where he was court physician to several of the Fatimide Califs. The dates of his birth and death are not known with certainty, but he is said to have lived to the age of one hundred years, and to have survived the third Fatimide Calif Al-Mansur, who died in 953. Accordingly we may assume the years of his birth and death as 855 and 955 respectively. [...] Table of contents: PREFACE INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I. ISAAC ISRAELI II. DAVID BEN MERWAN AL MUKAMMAS III. SAADIA BEN JOSEPH AL-FAYYUMI IV. JOSEPH AL-BASIR AND JESHUA BEN JUDAH V. SOLOMON IBN GABIROL VI. BAHYA IBN PAKUDA VII. PSEUDO-BAHYA VIII. ABRAHAM BAR HIYYA IX. JOSEPH IBN ZADDIK X. JUDAH HALEVI XI. MOSES AND ABRAHAM IBN EZRA XII. ABRAHAM IBN DAUD XIII. MOSES MAIMONIDES XIV. HILLEL BEN SAMUEL XV. LEVI BEN GERSON XVI. AARON BEN ELIJAH OF NICOMEDIA XVII. HASDAI BEN ABRAHAM CRESCAS XVIII. JOSEPH ALBO CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES LIST OF BIBLICAL AND RABBINIC PASSAGES INDEX

I bought several books that I will read at some later time this is one of them. I need extra words

I've been re-reading parts of Isaac Husik's "History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy" in the Kindle edition (originally, it appears, produced as an e-book from Project Gutenberg). The Kindle edition is well-executed, with the rather detailed index hyperlinked to the text, so that there is no problem converting the old page references to location numbers just to find where something is mentioned. I first read Husik's book in a library copy, and longer ago than I care to remember. It was even then antiquated in detail (it is now approaching the centennial of its publication, in 1916), and more recent scholarship concerning the figures it covers can be found, or is at least referenced, in the two editions of "Encyclopedia Judaica" (not to be confused with the old "Jewish Encyclopedia," of the same vintage as Husik's book.) There has been a great deal of impressive scholarship in the general area of medieval Jewish thought since Husik wrote; most spectacularly, but not only, in the case of the mystical movements (Kabbalah and its predecessors). However, I don't know of a more modern treatment of medieval Jewish rationalistic thought (in English) that is equally comprehensive in coverage (twenty philosophers in eighteen chapters), and goes into much detail on each thinker -- sometimes tediously so, as Husik rehearses X's stand on Problem Y, so the reader can see how it differs from those of A, B, and C. However, this is exactly the sort of detail a student needs to form a correct impression of the various thinkers, and their intellectual world(s). The book is, however, weakest when it comes to the issue of the Muslim thinkers of the early Middle Ages, and their impact, individual and cumulative, on Jewish thought. This is treated in connection with, for example, Maimonides, but he is himself a major source of information on some now-obscure, but once influential, Arabic writings. Or perhaps this is just the most obvious to me, because later studies of H.A. Wolfson, notably his "The Philosophy of the Kalam" (1976), have so clearly shown what is missing in this area. (Note that Wolfson's posthumous volume was part of an unfinished series on Religious Philosophy from Plato, through Philo of Alexandria, to Spinoza, which also included part of a study of the Church Fathers.) I may have missed other faults, due to ignorance of the specialized literature. Besides the Kindle edition, "History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy" is available in PDF from archive.org (a Library of Congress website), which will be of most value for those who need precise page references. Two print editions appear to be currently available. The Dover paperback edition is that publisher's usual precise reproduction (sometimes with corrections) of the copy text. I have not seen the Kessinger version.

Although the style can sometimes be a little dry and list-like, this is the best book on the subject I've seen, even for people who have a strong background in the subject, including the primary and quesi-primary sources. Unlike some similar books, this one includes the Karaite philosophers. Despite the tendency of scholars to fall in love with whomever they're writing about, Husik call them like it is; see, for example, his remarks on R. Shlomo ibn Gabirol.

I like all the authors i order because i know them well. Adding to my library

Great book!

😎😎😎😎😎

personal enjoyment

This was a gift for my husband he likes it very much. That's about all I can say.

I enjoyed this book and found it interesting because my family used to be jewish in the past so i enjoyed reading it .