Joseph ibn Kaspi : : portrait of a Hebrew philosopher in medieval provence / / by Adrian Sackson.

• Author: Sackson, Adrian.
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2017]
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Language: English
• Series: Études sur le judaïsme médiéval 71.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (361 pages).

Joseph Ibn Kaspi was among the most prolific philosophical writers in one of the most vibrant, productive, creative periods in the history of Jewish philosophy. Born around 1280 in Provence, Ibn Kaspi penned works engaging a broad range of fields, including philosophy, theology, grammar, logic, biblical exegesis, and interreligious polemics. In Joseph Ibn Kaspi: Portrait of a Hebrew Philosopher in Medieval Provence , Adrian Sackson asks the question: What was Ibn Kaspi’s overarching intellectual project? The book focuses on several key themes: Ibn Kaspi’s conception of the formative (not just discursive) function of philosophy; his multi-layered esotericism; his distinct approach to the interpretation of Maimonides; his Maimonidean-philosophical approach to the interpretation of religious texts and practices; his Platonic political thought; his approach to messianism, and his attendant conception of the nature of human history.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Joseph Ibn Kaspi: An Intellectual Portrait -- A Hebrew Philosopher in Medieval Provence -- (Jewish) Philosophy as a Way of Life: Joseph Ibn Kaspi’s Intellectual Project -- Joseph Ibn Kaspi as Interpreter of Maimonides and Maimonidean Interpreter -- The Republic in Hebrew: Ibn Kaspi and Platonic Political Thought -- Rationalistic Messianism and the Vicissitudes of History -- Conclusion -- Joseph Ibn Kaspi, Terumat ha-Kesef: Summary of Plato’s Republic -- Joseph Ibn Kaspi, Tam ha-Kesef, Eighth Discourse: Critical Edition and Annotated English Translation -- Bibliography -- Indexes.