Crescas: Light of the Lord (Or Hashem) : Translated with Introduction and Notes

This volume is the first complete English translation of Hasdai Crescas's Light of the Lord. Light of the Lord is widely acknowledged as a seminal work of medieval Jewish philosophy and second in importance only to Maimonides'Guide of the Perplexed. Crescas takes on not only Maimonides but, through him, Aristotle, and challenges views of physics and metaphysics that had become entrenched in medieval thought. Once the Aristotelian underpinnings of medieval thought are dislodged, Crescas introduces alternative physical views and reinstates the classical Jewish God as a God of love and benefaction rather than a self-intellecting intellect. The end for humankind then is to become attached in love to the God of love through devoted service. Cover 1 Light of the Lord (Or Hashem) 4 Copyright 5 Table of Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Translator ́s Introduction 10 Crescas’s Life and Works 13 Structure of Light of the Lord 15 Physics 16 Providence and Choice 19 About the Translation 23 Introduction 25 Preface 35 Book I: Concerning the first root-principle, which is the first principle for all the beliefs of the Torah: the belief in the existence of God. 39 Part I 40 Chapter I 40 Class I. Proof of the impossibility of the existence of an infinite incorporeal magnitude. 41 Class II. Proof of the impossibility of the existence of an infinite corporeal magnitude. 46 Class III. Proof of the impossibility of the existence of an infinite moving thing-whether its motion is rectilinear or circular. 48 Class IV: A general proof of the impossibility of the existence of an actual infinite body, relying on the previous arguments in this regards. 54 Chapter II 55 Chapter III 55 Chapter IV 56 Chapter V 57 Chapter VI 58 Chapter VII 60 Chapter VIII 62 Chapter IX 62 Chapter X 62 Chapter XI 63 Chapter XII 64 Chapter XIII 66 Chapter XIV 67 Chapter XV 67 Chapter XVI 68 Chapter XVII 69 Chapter XVIII 69 Chapte rXIX 70 Chapter XX 71 Chapter XXI 71 Chapter XXII 71 Chapter XXIII 72 Chapter XXIV 73 Chapter XXV 73 Chapter XXVI 74 Chapter XXVII 74 Chapter XXVIII 75 Chapter XXIX 76 Chapter XXX 77 Chapter XXXI 77 Chapter XXXII 78 Part II 79 Chapter I 79 Speculation I. Investigation of the proof he formulated to establish the impossibility of the existence of an infinite incorporeal magnitude. 79 Speculation II. Investigation of the proofs he formulated to establish the impossibility of the existence of an infinite corporeal magnitude. 83 Speculation III: Investigation of the proofs he formulated regarding the impossibility of an infinite moving thing-whether its motion is rectilinear or circular. 86 Speculation IV. Investigation of the proofs he formulated to establish a general proof for the impossibility of the existence of an actual infinite body. 90 Chapter II 91 Chapter III 91 Chapter IV 93 Chapter V 94 Chapter VI 94 Chapter VII 95 Chapter VIII 96 Chapter IX 97 Chapter X 98 Chapter XI 98 Chapter XII 99 Chapter XIII 100 Chapter XIV 100 Chapter XV 100 Chapter XVI 102 Chapter XVII 103 Chapter XVIII 104 Chapter XIX 105 Chapter XX 105 Part III 106 Chapter I 106 Chapter II 109 Chapter III 110 Chapter IV 123 Chapter V 124 Chapter VI 128 Book II: Concerning the cornerstones of the Torah, that is, the foundations and pillars upon which the house of God is erected. Through their existence the existence of the Torah is conceivable as God has arranged it. Were the absence of even one of these conceivable, the entire Torah would collapse, God forbid. 129 Part I 129 Chapter I 130 Chapter II 133 Chapter III 137 Chapter IV 143 Chapter V 150 Part II 151 Chapter I 152 Chapter II 157 Chapter III 161 Chapter IV 165 Chapter V 168 Chapter VI 169 Part III 175 Chapter I 175 Chapter II 176 Part IV 178 Chapter I 178 Chapter II 180 Chapter III 189 Chapter IV 196 Part V 197 Chapter I 198 Chapter II 199 Chapter III 202 Chapter IV 207 Chapter V 209 Chapter VI 213 Part VI 214 Chapter I 215 Chapter II 235 Chapter III 245 Chapter IV 245 Chapter V 248 Book III: Division A: Concerning the true beliefs that we who believe in the divine Torah believe, the denier of any one of which is called a heretic. 251 Part I 252 Chapter I 253 Chapter II 258 Chapter III 259 Chapter IV 271 Chapter V 280 Part II 287 Chapter 1 287 Chapter II 288 Part III 291 Chapter I 292 Chapter II 296 Chapter III 296 Part IV 302 Chapter I 303 Chapter II 306 Chapter III 308 Chapter IV 309 Part V 314 Chapter I 314 Chapter II 315 Part VI 318 Chapter I 318 Chapter II 319 Part VII 322 Chapter I 322 Chapter II 323 Part VIII 324 Chapter I 324 Chapter II 325 Chapter III 329 Book III: Division B: Concerning beliefs tied to specific commandments. 330 Part I 330 Chapter I 330 Chapter II 333 Part II 334 Chapter I 334 Chapter II 335 Part III 339 Book IV: Concerning the beliefs and views of the tradition, toward which the intellect inclines. 340 Issue I 340 Issue II 343 Issue III 346 Issue IV 349 Issue V 351 Issue VI 354 Issue VII 356 Issue VIII 356 Issue IX 356 Issue X 358 Issue XI 360 Issue XII 361 Issue XIII 363 Bibliography 364 Primary Sources 364 Editions of Light of the Lord (Or Hashem) 364 Other Works by H.asdai Crescas 364 Works by Other Medieval–Renaissance Jewish Philosophers 364 Secondary Sources 364 Citations Index 370 Subjects and Names Index 378 This book is the first complete English translation of Hasdai Crescas's Light of the Lord , widely acknowledged as a seminal work of medieval Jewish philosophy and second in importance only to Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed . In it Crescas takes on not only Maimonides but, through him, Aristotle, and challenges views of physics and metaphysics that had become entrenched in medieval thought. Once the Aristotelian underpinnings of medieval thought are dislodged, Crescas introduces alternative physical views and reinstates the classical Jewish God as a God of love and benefaction rather than a self-intellecting intellect. The end for humankind then is to become attached in love to the God of love through devoted service.