Philosopher and Prophet: Judah Halevi, the Kuzari, and the Evolution of His Thought

381 Pages·1995·54.72 MB·English

by  Yochanan Silman

Philosopher
and Prophet
Judah Halevi,
the Kuzari, and the Evolution
of His Thought
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Yochanan Silman
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PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET:JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT 1 2/17/2011 5:50:04 PM
PHILOSOPHER
AND
PROPHET
PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET:JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT 2 2/17/2011 5:50:10 PM
SUNY Series in Judaica
Michael Fishbane, Robert Goldenberg,
and Elliot Wolfson, editors
PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET:JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT 3 2/17/2011 5:50:12 PM
PHILOSOPHER
AND
PROPHET
JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND
THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT
YOCHANAN SILMAN
translated from the Hebrew by Lenn J Schramm
State University of New Y01·k Press
PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET:JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT 4 2/17/2011 5:50:15 PM
Publication of this volume was made possible by Bar Ilan University and
by the Kunin-Mazor Chair of Philosophy and the Rabbi A Safran Chair.
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 1995 State University of New York
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Printed in the United States of America
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For information, address State University of New York Press,
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Production by Marilyn P. Semerad
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Silman, Yochanan.
[Ben ftlosof lc-navi. English]
Philosopher and prophet :Judah Halevi, the Kuzari, and the
evolution of his thought /Yochanan Silman ; translated from the
Hebrew by Lenn j. Schramm.
p. em.- (SUNY series in Judaica)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7914-2461-8.- ISBN 0-7914-2462-6 (pbk.)
I. Judah, ha-Levi, 12th cem. Kitab al-l)ujjah. 2. Philosophy,
jewish. 3. Philosophy, Medieval. I. Title. II. Series.
BMSSO.j84S5513 1995
181' .06-dc20 94-42398
CIP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET:JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT 5 2/17/2011 5:50:17 PM
CONTENTS
Preface vu
Part I The Philosopher's Thought
Aristotelian Philosophy in the Kuzari 3
2 Divinity and Individuation 15
3 Form and Matter 31
4 Aristotelian Anthropology 51
5 Human Activity 77
Part II Halevi's Earlier Thought
6 Introduction to the EarlierThought 109
7 The Theology of the Early Thought 119
8 Anthropology in the Earlier Thought 131
9 The Historical Dimension in the Earlier Thought 13 7
10 The Jewish People, Their Commandments, and Their
Uniqueness in the EarlierThought 143
11 Eretz Israel as the Chosen Land 153
12 An Overview of Halevi's Earlier Thought 159
Part III Halevi's Later Thought
13 Introduction: Unique Features 169
14 Human Experience and the Divine Presence 173
v
PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET:JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT 6 2/17/2011 5:50:20 PM
CONTENTS
15 God and the World 183
16 The Later Anthropology 227
17 History in the LaterThought 253
18 The Jewish People, Their Commandments, and Their
Uniqueness in the LaterThought 275
19 An Overview ofHalevi's LaterThought 289
Part IV The Unity of the Kuzari
20 Introduction: The Structure of the Book and Its Unity 311
21 Theology and Anthropology 315
22 Form and Content in the Kuzari 331
Appendix: The Giving of the Torah and
Commandments as a Process 341
Bibliography 345
Indexes 349
VI
PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET:JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT 7 2/17/2011 5:50:23 PM
PREFACE
This study aims to shed light on the relations among the main
world-views represented in the Kuzari. To this end, all the intel
lectual and philosophical currents found in that work are pre
sented as a single body of thought, whose dialectic unity includes
Aristotelian philosophy as well. As we shall see, this unity is wo
ven by tensions inherent to Halevi's philosophical system as well
as by this biographical experiences. These tensions derive from
the fundamental contrasts between Halevi's thought at the time
he wrote the Kuzari and the tenets of Aristotelian philosophy,
to which he adhered at an earlier period in his life. In the in
terim, his thought had evolved as he developed various ways to
cope with the perceived shortcomings of the latter. According
to Halevi, the Aristotelian world-view is an exclusive, faithful, and
exhaustive expression of rational knowledge as such. Because he
holds that Judaism draws from another unique source, the op
position between Judaism and Aristotelian philosophy is funda
mental, not merely a chance expression of transient historical
circumstances.
Fundamental contradictions are also to be found in Halevi's
own thought at the time of the composition of the Kuzari, in
the opinions stated by the Rabbi. A large part of the present study
is devoted to the attempt to demonstrate that these contradic-
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PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET:JUDAH HALEVI, THE KUZARI, AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS THOUGHT 8 2/17/2011 5:50:26 PM
PREFACE
tions reflect defined currents of thought, each of which has a
large degree of internal consistency. An analysis of Halevi's
thought on key issues, supplemented by external evidence, indi
cates that these currents express two stages in the evolution of
his thought at the time he wrote the Kuzari: In the earlier stage,
Halevi still adhered to many tenets of Aristotelian philosophy; it
is in their spirit that he attempts to interpret the Jewish tradi
tion. Later, though, he broke with many of these tenets and
placed the emphasis on the unique experiences of the Jewish
people. From this perspective one can see the Kuzari as an au
tobiographical work in which Halevi described the evolution of
his thought, marked by vacillation and contradictions, which are
expounded in the course of the dialogue that ties the book to
gether. In this study, we shall refer to these two stages as the ear
lier thought and the later thought. For Halevi, though, these stages
did not have only autobiographical significance; they also repre
sent necessary stages in the spiritual development of man- both
the human individual and the human collective. This is why his
mature system incorporates the earlier thought, which he him
self had already renounced. In the exposition of his earlier
thought Halevi is addressing those who are not yet able to iden
tify with the later thought; his goal is to help them make their
world-view compatible with Judaism: its commandments and
beliefs, the historical destiny of the Jewish people in the present,
and its future vocation. 1 As I shall attempt to demonstrate, cer
tain parts and sections of the book can be assigned to one or
the other stage. Frequently one can distinguish parts or sections
on the basis of formal and literary considerations as well. These
signs confirm the basic division of the Kuzari.
In the present study we shall examine the main lines that
characterize the thought of the Aristotelian philosopher and
Halevi's earlier and later thought, while elucidating the dialectic
relations among these currents. The first part of this book
describes the Philosopher's doctrine; the second part, Halevi's
l. Furthermore, Halcvi was willing to grant a degree of legitimacy to what
he deemed erroneous world-views. See Chapter 19.
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PREFACE
earlier thought; and the third part, his later thought. Our identi
fication of the profound contradictions within Halevi's system re
quires that we consider the unity of the Kuzari; this is the topic
of the fourth part.
The Kuzari and especially Halevi's own thought is replete
with hierarchical structures. On the ontological plane, these
include the relation between actual existence and potential ex
istence; the relation between great historical events and natural
phenomena; the relation between degrees of existence, between
nations, countries, seasons, languages, and so on. On the norma
tive plane, we find hierarchical relations between deeds that are
pleasing to God and deeds that are not pleasing to God; between
action and intention, between action and contemplation; and
between the injunctions of reason and Divine commandments.
And on the epistemological plane, there are hierarchical relations
between different forms of cognition and between opposing
world-views. 2
Hierarchical order is also intrinsic to Aristotelian philoso
phy. Its acme is the First Cause; its lowest degree, hylic or pri
mordial matter. There are many differences among the various
hierarchical structures erected by the different systems ex
pounded in the Kuzari. These differences are a faithful mirror
of the different meanings given to the ontological poles, to the
nature of the relations that evolve between them, and to the ways
in which they can be constituted. In this study, an investigation
of these differences is the main methodological point of depar
ture for understanding the relations among and within the sys
tems in the Kuzari. By considering the essence and source of
the "ladder set on the earth and its top reached the heavens,"
we learn about the nature of the "heavens," the nature of the
"earth," and about the meaning of "ascending" the ladder.
We shall examine the differences among hierarchical struc
tures from four angles: (1) their source, (2) their location and
2. Sec j. Schlanger, "La doctrine de Ia hierarchic dans le livre du Ku::ari
de jehuda Halcvi (1 085-1141),'' Colloque imenuaiouul sur le neoplawnisme,
Roywtmonl, 9-13 juin 1969 (Paris, 197 I), pp. 339-353.
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