In Defence of Judaism. Sources and Structure of ha-Emunah ha-Ramah

173 Pages·1990·45.257 MB·English

by  T.A.M. Fontaine

STUDlA SEMITICA NEERLANDlCA
T.A.M. Fontaine
edited by
prof. dr. M. Boertien, dr. C.H.). de Geus, prof. dr. J. Hoftijzer, prof. dr. J.H.
Hospers. prof. dr. J.R.T.M. Peters, prof. dr. mag. J .P.M. van def Plocg o.p.,
prof. dr. R.L.A. van Rompay. prof. dr. K. van def Toorn and prof. dr. K.R. In Defence
Veenhof.
For publication in the series see page 335.
of Jndaism:
Abrnham Ibn Dand
Sources and Structures of
ha-Emunah ha-Ramah
1990
VAN GORCUM, ASSEN/MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS
c 1990 Van Gorcum & Camp. b.v., p.a. Box 43, 9400 AA Assen, The Netherlands PREFACE
No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm or
any other means without written permission from the publisher.
The publication of this work was made possible through a grant from the Netherlands This book is a slightly adapted version of my doctoral thesis, written
Organization for Scientific Research (N.W.O.). under the supervision of Prof. H. Daiber of the Free University of
Amsterdam and the late Prof. T. van Velthoven of the University of
CIP-DATA KONINKLUKE BlULIOTHEEK, DEN tlAAG
Amsterdam and defended in public at the University of Amsterdam on
Fonlaine, T.A.M. 4 March 1986.
The changes consist principally of slight abridgements of cenain
In defence of ludaism : Abraham Ibn Daud / T.A.M. Fontaine : [trans. from the Dutch
passages. A number of remarks and suggestions from the members of
by H.S. Lake]. - Assen [etc.]: Van Gorcum. - (Studia Semitica Neerlandica: nr. 26)
VerI. van: Een vergelen dcnker : Abraham Ibn Daud : een ondcrzoek naa~ de bronne~ the examining committee have also been incorporated.
en de structuur van "ha-Emunah ha-Ramah". - [S.1. : s.n.] 1986. - ReVIew of thesIs
In the preparation of the English text I have had the assistance of
Universiteit van Amsterdam, 1986. - With index.
various persons and institutions. I am grateful to the Netherlands
SISO 158.3 UDC 296.1 NUGI 639
Subject headings: judaism / Ibn Daud, Abraham. Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for the financial suppon
that has made the translation and publication of this study possible. I
ISBN 90-232-2404-3
am much obliged to H.S. Lake for the meticulous care with which he
translated my Dutch text. In the course of our many entertaining
discussions of the translation my knowledge of and interest in the
English language have grown appreciably.
The staff of the Juda Palache Institute of Hebrew in the University
of Amsterdam made it possible for me to conven the computer files of
the translation into camera-ready text and I am most grateful to them.
In particular I should like to thank Annelies Kuyt, Emile Schrijver, Jan
Wim Wesselius and lrene Zwiep, who were always ready to give help
and advice when needed. I have much appreciated their valuable con
tribution, both theoretical and practical.
Last but not least I must thank my husband Meinard and our
children Pieter, David, Mirjam and Nadia for having the patience to put
up with me during the periods of fraughtness which inevitably occur at
times in an operation such as this.
Amsterdam. December 1989
Printed in The Netherlands by Van Gorcum, Assen
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction 1
Chapter 1.lbn Daud's motivation 7
Chapter 2. Substance and accident: the categories 13
a. Contents of ER 1.1 13
h. Discussion 14
1. Why does Ibn Daud stan his book like this? 14
2. [ho Daud as a follower of Aristotle? 16
3. Biblical passages 20
Chapter 3. Matter and/arm 23
a. Contents of ER 1.2 23
h. Discussion 24
1. Aristotelian starting points 24
2. Non·Aristotelian influences 26
3. Ibn Gabirol as a source? 26
4. Biblical passages 31
Chapter 4. Motion and infinity 33
a. Contents of ER 1.3-5 33
h. Discussion 35
1. Aristotelian starting points 35
.1 2. Influence of the /aliisifa 38
3. Differences from Aristotle 41
4. Biblical passages 46
Chapter 5. The soul 49
a. Contents of ER 1.6-7 49
h. Discussion 55
1. Introduction 55
2. The definition of the soul 56
3. The soul is substance 57
4. The faculties of the soul 61
5. The hierarchy of the faculties of the soul 66
6. The rational soul 68
7. The origin of the soul 69
8. The incorporeality of the intellect 72
9. The perfection of the intellect 73 b. Discussion
196
10. The role of the senses 75 1. Physical evil
196
11. The immortality of the human soul 76 2. Moral evil
202
12. The relationship between soul and body 79 3. The defence of the freedom of the will
206
13. Biblical passages 81 4. Providence
215
Chapter 6. God and his attributes 83 5. Points of contact with the Rabbinical tradition
219
a. Contents of ER !I.1-3 83 Chapter ll. Ethics
223
b. Discussion 86 a. Contents of ER III
225
1. Introduction 86 1. Virtues and justice
225
2. Ibn Daud's proof of the existence of God 88 2. Bliss
228
3. God's unity 95 3. The practice of religion and the use
4. The attributes 98 of the commandments
233
5. Biblical passages 107 Chapter 12. Recapitulation and conclusions
239
Chapter 7. The heavenly spheres and the intelligences 111 a. The interpretation of ER
239
a. Contents of ER 1.8 and !I.4 111 b. rbn Daud's sources and how he uses them
252
b. Discussion 115 Notes
275
1. Introduction 115 Concordance o[ editions of ha-Emunah ha-Ramah
313
2. The souls of the spheres 117 Abbreviations and bibliography
315
3. Ibn Daud's proof of the existence of the angels 119 Index
325
4. The emanation of the lower from the higher 125
5. Biblical passages 135
Chapter B. Prophecy 137
a. Contents of ER !I.5 137
b. Discussion 140
1. Introduction 140
2. Prophecy explained in terms of psychology 142
3. The defence of Moses' prophecy 150
Chapter 9. The degrees of providence 167
a. Contents of ER 11.6.1 167
b. Discussion 171
1. Intrc:xluction 171
2. God' s know ledge 172
3. The relationship between God and angels 176
4. The relationship between angels and men 180
5. Links with Rabbinical literature 183
6. Biblical passages 184
Chapter /0. Thefreedom of the will 193
a. Contents of ER 11.6.2 193
INTRODUCTION
The subject of this study is Abraham rbo Daud's philosophical work
ha-Emunah ha-Ramah ('The Exalted Faith').' Ibn Daud wrote the book
in Toledo in 1160-1, at about the same time as his historical work
Se/er ha-Qabbalah (,The Book of Tradition'). The philosophical tract
was originally written in Arabic, but that original has been lost.1
Towards the end of the fourteenth century it was twice translated into
Hebrew: in l392 by Samuel Motot, at the request ofIsaac h. Sheshet,]
under the title ha-Emunah ha-Nissa' ah (hereinafter referred to as EN),
and at about the same time by Salomo h. Lavi. working in Aragon.
This second translation was given the title ha-Emunah ha-Ramah
(hereinafter abbreviated ER), which is the version of the title most
commonly used for the tract.
I was led to write this book by the following considerations. In the
first place, little attention has yet been paid to Ibn Daud's philosophy.
In textbooks of Jewish mediaeval religious philosophy he is almost
unanimously dismissed as a thinker who was neither original enough
nor profound enough to have had much influence, which explains why
he was soon overshadowed by Maimonides. This may be entirely or
partly true, but the question is whether Ibn Daud's place in the shadow
of Maimonides is sufficient justification for ignoring his work. Even
the work of a less than great thinker can contain enough interesting
ideas to make it worth studying, even if they have been of no major
immediate influence or only began to bear fruit in some later period.
Ibn Daud's work is another link in the chain that is the history of
Jewish religious philosophy, and that in itself is reason enough to look
into his thinking more closely. Curiosity, then - a curiosity to know
more about the work of an author who has been allotted so ungrateful a
position in history was the mainspring behind my writing this book.
At the same time it seemed to me that, following the publication of
G.D. Cohen's edition and analysis of Se/er ha-Qabbalah, a new study
ofIbn Daud's philosophy was needed.' Cohen's penetrating study of
1
the text and his exciting and convincing argumentation regarding the other Islamic thinkers. It is now well over a century since Guttmann's
intentions underlying the writing of Sejer ha-Qabbalah gave rise to a articles appeared, and in that time much new source material has been
doubt as to what Ibn Daud might have written in his philosophical discovered, so that a new study of ER might lead to different results.
treatise. The two works belong together, they are both intended to be a Monographs on particular aspects of the text have also been written:
defence of the Jewish religion: Sejer ha-Qabbalah on a historical basis S. Horovitz (1911, psychology); F. Bodenheimer (1951, biology); M.
and ER on philosophical principles. Despite the fact that there is a clear Arfa (1954, an unpublished thesis in which the emphasis is on rbn
relationship between the contents of the two works, they were received Daud's conception of substance) and E. Bertola (1982, ethics).7 In the
quite differently: Sejer ha-Qabbalah became a 'classic' of Jewish 1970s H. Simon wrote two articles in which, among other things, he
literature, whereas ER is barely known at all, certainly not to a wide reviewed the contents of the tract. a One of these articles closes with the
audience. observation that although ER is a 'Durchgangsstufe' (transitional
Another reason for studying this tract, fInally. was that it can he stage), the obscurity into which the work has fallen is undeserved and
regarded as the counterpan of lehuda Halevi's Kuzari, a circumstance regrettable.9 But even if we count the reference's to ER in articles on
s
pointed out by other scholars. The title alone, 'The Exalted Faith', is a other authors or other subjects (references such as those in H.
direct reply to Halevi's subtitle for the Kuzari: 'Answers and proofs Wolfson's anicles, for example),1(l the total corpus is still rather
for the benefIt of the despised faith'. The tenor of ER is diametrically meagre, certainly if compared with the number of studies devoted to
opposed to that of the Kuzari: the general philosophy rejected by other thinkers and, above all, with the flood of publications that have
Halevi is defended by Ibn Daud. Although attention has been drawn, appeared on Maimonides.
particularly hy Kaufmann, to incidental parallel passages, there has Ibn Daud's work was printed for the fIrst time only in 1852, in the
never before been any serious inquiry, on the basis of a study of Ibn translation by Salomo b. Lavi. S. Weil published an edition and a
Daud's philosophy as a whole, into where Ibn Daud and Halevi stand Gennan translation, but relied exclusively on a single manuscript of the
relative to one another. It was with these three considerations in mind text (Munich 201). Neither text nor translation is particularly reliable,ll
that I decided to take a more detailed look at Ibn Daud's thinking. but failing better this was the publication on which the present work
had to be based. A new critical edition, drawing on all the available
As I have already observed, ER has been rather neglected by re source material and accompanied by an English translation, is in
. "b
searchers into the history of Jewish religious philosophy, and the preparatIOn, ut un&!o rtunately I have been unable to use it. For the
number of publications devoted to the work is commensurately quite present work I compared the printed text with the other as yet
small. In 1852 a dissertation of limited scope appeared in Augsburg. unpublished translation EN, a microfilm of which I received thanks to
This was J. Guggenheimer's Die ReligionsphUosophie des R. the kind cooperation of the Biblioteca Comunale at Mantua, which
Abraham ben David ha-Levi. At the time no printed edition of the text holds the only manuscript (Mantua 81) of the translation in question.
was available to the author, and his main aim was accordingly to give Major variants in EN have in most cases been elucidated in the notes.
the content of ER greater currency. After this, J. Guttmann, writing in
MGW] in 1877-8, published a series of articles on ER which were The central theme of my investigation was the question of what can
later published separately (Gottingen 1879). This very detailed study have been Ihn Daud's intentions in writing his philosophical work:
draws the reader's attention to parallels with Islamic philosophers, but what does he want to communicate to the reader, and why does he cast
does so largely on the basis of later translations or compendia. For the book in the fonn he does? Must we regard ER, a book which
example, rbn Sina is quoted from al-£h.ahrastani's review of the ranges over a very wide variety of subjects, as a sort of handbook, an
philosophy in Kittib al-milal wa-' l-nibal.6 Yet it is by no means cenain encyclopedia of philosophical knowledge in the middle of the twelfth
that rbn Daud did not have direct access to the works of Ibn Sina or century, or must we seek some inner connection between the various
2 3
subjects, and is there a particular purpose to the order in which they are
he borrows from others. In other words, investigating the sources
discussed? The question presents itself right at the beginning of the
must go hand in hand with research into the purpose of the text.
book. The subtitle reads: 'The book that brings conciliation between
philosophy and religion'. In the first few lines of the text, however,
The book is structured as follows. After an introductory frrst chapter,
Ibn Daud makes it clear that what made him write the book is the
chapters 2-11 discuss the chief themes in ER; here, as far as possible, I
question of whether man is free or determined in his actions. Jacob
keep to Ibn Daud's chapter structure and order. This is consonant with
Guttmann sees in Ibn Daud's opening words nothing more than a
Wolfson's assertion that 'any deviation from the original order in
justification for the fact that he is concerning himself with philo
which a system of philosophy is presented is in some respects a
sophical speculations, whereas in fact, says Gunmann, ER is all about vitiation of one of the essential characteristics of the system itself.
IS
the relationship between philosophy and religion. I) His son Julius Each chapter begins with a summary of Ibn Daud's treatment of the
Guttrnann, too, believes that the problem of free will is only one of the subject concerned. This is followed by a discussion of the sources
14
problems requiring the author's attentioo. It is debatable, however, used by him, in order to shed more light on his thinking and place it in
whether this interpretation does Ibo Daud full justice, and in this book a broader historical context. This discussion includes an examination
I attempt to determine, 00 the basis of a summary and examination of of his Biblical exegesis. Having thus reviewed the entire text, in the
the content of Ibn Daud's writing, the rightness or wrongness of the concluding chapter (chapter 12) I ~turn to the question asked above:
thesis defended by father and son Gunmann. what was Ibn Daud's purpose in writing this book? When that
For the interpretation of ER an investigation into the underlying question has been answered, we shall know where Ibo Daud really
sources is essential. The question of which Jewish and Islamic authors stands in the history of Jewish religious philosophy.
furnished the seeds for Ibn Daud's ideas is thus another important It will now be equally clear what I do not discuss in this book.
issue in this book. I am not concerned to identify one particular source Although I shall be referring to all the important themes in ER, it
for every view supported or rejected by Ibn Daud, or for every would be impossible to go into everyone of them in equal depth. In
statement he makes. Rather, I attempt to use the sources in order to almost every case the subject calls for a monograph of its own, and
shed light on his thought. Because it is not always possible to that is not the purpose of the present work. On the contrary, my aim is
understand the text merely by reading the text itself, knowledge of the to study the interrelation of the different subjects Ibn Daud discusses.
general context underlying the work: and of the philosophical themes of I must also emphasize that it is not my intention to examine the
the times can be useful in locating a particular problem in its correct relationship between Ibn Daud and Maimonides. My subject is Ibn
frame of reference. Daud himself, not Ibn Daud as the man who paved the way for a
At the same time, however, it is important to take into account the genius. He himself felt impelled to reply to Halevi, not to be the
way in which Ibn Daud uses the material he has borrowed from forerunner of Maimonides. Nor can I go into the question of whether
elsewhere. Does he simply reproduce ideas put forward by other ER had any influence on thinkers after Maimonides. It is widely
writers, or does he change their meaning? If he uses the same phrasing assumed that ER had little or no enduring influence,16 but it is possible
as another author, do his words stand in the same context as theirs? to have an open mind on this. It is legitimate to wonder, for example,
Besides identifying sources, we also have to consider the question of how the fact that we know of at least founeen manuscripts of ER (not
why Ibn Daud thinks it necessary to reject certain opinions, and why all of which have survived) can be reconciled with the supposition that
by contrast he finds others particularly convenient. With this in mind, such a major product of Ibn Daud's thought rapidly fell into obscurity.
it is important constantly to have a picture of the line of Ibn Daud's It is equally possible to wonder why, more than 230 years after the
argument so that we can understand what role is played by the material work was first written, two Hebrew translations suddenly appeared at
almost the same time: both in the last decade of the founeenth century.
4
5
Can this in any way be related to the dreadful events of 1391, when
everywhere in Spain the Jewish communities suffered severe persecu
Chapter 1
tion? In the context of this book, these questions will have to remain
unanswered, but I take this opportunity of saying that I hope other
investigators will one day be able to shed light on them.
IBNDAUD'S MOTIVATION
In his introduction to ER Ibn Daud tells us that he wrote his book as a
result of a question put to him some years previously by a friend: Is
man free in his actions or are his actions determined? For, his friend
had wondered, if man's actions are determined, then surely it is God
who makes man commit transgressions, so how can he then punish
him for them? On the other hand, if we accept that man has freedom of
action, this implies that God's omnipotence does not extend to
everything. To this Ibn Daud had replied that the problem was
rendered even more intractable by the fact that it is possible to adduce
passages in the Bible to support either alternative. Therefore, he
I
believed, there is nothing for it but to provide an explanation for certain
verses which, if they are interpreted literally, run counter to common
sense. It is just that many verses happen to be couched in language
comprehensible to ordinary people, without actually presenting the
matter as it really is.l
He had also answered that the inconsistency that arises if we assume
that everything is determined by God is greater and more difficult to
resolve than the inconsistency that the doctrine of free will implies.
However, the friend had remained unconvinced by this answer and
had been unable to resolve the antinomy.' According to Ibn Daud this
kind of thing happens quite often 'in our part of the world'. Many
people who concern themselves with philosophical speculation, he
says (Tl")1il "~Yl), become confused, and the reason for this is that
they neglect to examine the roots of the Jewish faith philosophically,
and to strive after reconciling philosophy and religion. So it can
happen that a newcomer to philosophy is no longer able to hold two
lamps: in his right hand the lamp of religion and in his left that of
7
6
philosophy. For if the lamp of philosophy starts burning, the Jamp of here with mentioning only that which may serve as an amplification of
religion goes out.4 In consequence, many people believe that it is better Ibn Daud's introduction.
to steer weU clear of philosophy, and the result of this is that people are Abraham Ibn Daud was born, presumably in one of the Jewish
helpless when it comes to matters such as the problem of the freedom communities, in Andalusia at the beginning of the twelfth century. The
s
of the will. only real biographical information that we have is found in his own
This state of affairs is caused partly by the fact that there are no Se/er ha-Qabbalah, where he tells us that he owes his scholarly
suitable books to encourage people to study philosophy in order so to education to his uncle, R. Barukh b. Yi~~aq Ibn Alba1.ia, who was a
be able to verify religion. Saadya's Sejer ha-Emunol we ha-de'ot is, rabbi in Cordoba, where he died in 1126 (SHQ VII.43). This uncle
with respect, insufficient, while Meqor /:fayyim by Ibn Gabirol has came of a family which inclined to the belief that a devout Jew must
done nothing but harm. For this reason Ibn Daud has set himself the
combine his study of the Torah with 'Greek wisdom', as it was called.
task, he declares, of 'opening to the roots of faith the eyes of those of That Ibn Daud also took this view is abundantly clear from his
our people who concern themselves with knowledge, by adducing introduction. It seems likely that his uncle familiarized him with the
witnesses from Scripture and proofs from the true philosophy." In this
scholarly curriculum of the day, as it was taught and studied in
way it will be seen that the true philosophy lies in the holy books.
Cordoba. Cordoba may at the time of Ibn Daud's youth have been past
He also tells us that the problem of the freedom of the will can only
the peak. of its cultural flourishing, but the fonner Omayyad capital still
be satisfactorily resolved when one has first acquired a knowledge of
exercised a powerful attraction on many scholars. Ibn Daud grew up at
various other philosophical problems. To illustrate what he means by
a time when the Almoravides, a Berber dynasty, ruled Andalusia: a
this, he first gives a sort of table of contents in which he sets out what
time, too, when the Jews in Andalusia enjoyed comparative peace and
subjects will be dealt with and why. I shall return to this table of quiet.
contents later on (cf. chapter 12, pp. 244-5). For the moment it is
The situation was quite different in 1160-1, when Ibn Daud wrote
enough to say that ER is divided into three parts of unequal length. The
his two books ER and Se/er Iul-Qabbalah. By now he was working in
first (pp. 4-43) discusses 'the minimum of knowledge required by one
Toledo, where in 1180 he died, allegedly a martyr for his faith.tO
who wishes to know the Jewish religion when he has left behind him
Toledo had been in the hands of the Christians since 1085. When and
the level of the great mass'. The second (pp. 44-98) is about <the
why he settled there we do not know, but we may speculate that he left
principles of religion' and the third (pp. 98-104) is on 'the healing of
his native region when, in 1147, the Almoravides were forced to give
the soul'.7
way to another Berber dynasty, the Almohades. This event had far
Finally Ibn Daud tells us for whom the lx>ok is intended: it is not for
reaching consequences for the Jews in Andalusia. As fanatical
him who in his innocence and ignorance has no concern for the protectors and defenders of Islam the new rulers would tolerate no
problem of the freedom of the will: such a person would do better to other religion, so that many Jews were forced to choose between
keep to the tradition. Nor is it for the expert on philosophy or conversion to Islam or flight to the Christian north of Spain.
theology. No, it is for him who is confused by traditional belief and Although, then, we unfortunately know next to nothing about Ibn
does not yet have enough philosophical knowledge to be able to Daud's life, thanks to his own inttoduction we can at least form some
discover the truth: this is for whom the book has been written, for in it impression of the circumstances and considerations that played a part
religion is built up on the basis of knowledge.' in the writing of his treatise. We learn from the introduction that it was
the mutual contradictoriness of certain verses in the Bible that led him
In his analysis of Se/er ha-Qabba/ah, G.D. Cohen gives an extensive to develop his own philosophy. This inconsistency. he believes, can
introduction on the period in which Ibn Daud lived and the milieu in be resolved with the help of a careful exegesis of the verses concerned.
which he must have received his upbringing.' I shall content myself
8 9