The rational Spanish sage Abraham ibn Ezra (1089–1164), whose views are included in most rabbinical Bibles with commentaries, stated that Moses did not write the entire Torah. Realizing that Moses was on top of the mountain alone where he died and did not descend to report what happened there even before he died, Abraham ibn [...]
Baruch Spinoza Borrowed His Basic Philosophy from ibn Ezra and Maimonides Non-Jews consider Baruch (or Benedict) de Spinoza an esteemed philosopher. Many feel that he breathed fresh air into philosophy and helped launch the open-minded enlightenment in the seventeenth century. Rebecca Goldstein, in her 2006 [...]
Is the Bible Really the Source of Philosophy? One of the fundamental questions posed by Jewish philosophers has always been, ironically, whether Judaism has a philosophy at all and where that philosophy stems from. Many people consider Philo the first Jewish philosopher, claiming that he introduced Greek ideas into Jewish thought. Yet he [...]
In my last article in which I compared Maimonides and Spinoza, I mentioned that I wrote more extensively on the subject in my book “Maimonides: The Exceptional Mind.” Here is one chapter. How Baruch Spinoza Borrowed His Basic Philosophy from ibn Ezra and Maimonides Non-Jews consider Baruch (or Benedict) de Spinoza an esteemed [...]
Spinoza taught what Maimonides taught before him One of the reasons why people are unable to accept changes in religion is that they think it is improper to change past traditions and thinking. They fail to realize that the more educated members of their religion had known the truth that is being [...]
Four Views about Divine Revelation There is no single view about divine revelation of the Bible. The following are four of the many opinions that scholars have offered. Abraham Ibn Ezra Ibn Ezra (1089-c.1167) mentions what he calls his “secret of the twelve” in his commentary to Deuteronomy 1:2. [...]
Ibn Ezra’s “Secret of the Twelve” Did Moses write the entire Torah? Do traditional Jewish commentators differ on the subject? Who wrote the story of the death of Moses? The twelve verses of Deuteronomy chapter 34 tell the story of the death of Moses. The introductory four verses narrate how God told [...]
Spinoza, Correspondence By Baruch de Spinoza Forgotten Books, 2008, 164 pages Whether one agrees or not with the ideas of the Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Jewish origin, Baruch de Spinoza, also called Bento de Espinosa and Benedictus de Spinoza (1632-1677), one must admit that his views are thought-provoking. They made an enormous impression upon [...]
