Overview

In The Beginning of the World in Renaissance Jewish Thought, Brian Ogren offers a deep analysis of late fifteenth century Italian Jewish thought concerning the creation of the world and the beginning of time. Ogren's book is the very first to seriously juxtapose the thought of the great Jewish thinker Yohanan Alemanno, Alemanno's famed Christian interlocutor, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, the important Iberian exegete active in Italy, Isaac Abravanel, and Abravanel's renowned philosopher son Judah, known as Leone Ebreo. By bringing these thinkers together, this book presents a new understanding of early modern uses of Jewish texts and hermeneutics. Ogren successfully demonstrates that the syntheses of philosophy and Kabbalah carried out by these four intellectuals in their quests to understand the beginning itself marked a new beginning in Western thought, characterized by simultaneous continuity and rupture.

Full Product Details

Author:   Brian Ogren
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   27
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.458kg
ISBN:  

9789004330627

ISBN 10:   9004330623
Pages:   12
Publication Date:   08 September 2016
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: In the Beginning PART ONE: BERESHIT - THE WISDOM OF THE BEGINNING Chapter One: On the Wisdom of Language - Yohanan Alemanno on the Word of God and the Simulacrum of Creation Chapter Two: On the Wisdom of Christ - Giovanni Pico della Mirandola on the Truth of the Son and the Creation of the World Chapter Three: On the Wisdom of Angels - Isaac Abravanel on the Separate Intellects, Bodies, and the Garments of Creation Chapter Four: On the Wisdom of Beauty - Leone Ebreo on Art and Creation PART TWO: TOHU VA-VOHU - ASTOUNDING AND SUBSTANTIAL BEGINNINGS Chapter Five: Hylomorphic Time - Yohanan Alemanno on Form, Matter, and the Days of Creation Chapter Six: Edifices and Days - Giovanni Pico della Mirandola on Formation, Teshuvah, and the Return to Christ Chapter Seven: Ex-Nihilo Creation - Isaac Abravanel on the Formation of the World, Evil, and Peace Chapter Eight: Chaos and Divine Spirit - Leone Ebreo on Greek Mythology, Jewish Lore, and the Gendered Creation of the Universe Concluding Remarks - On Sources and Influences in Relation to The Beginning Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Brian Ogren, Ph.D. (2008), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is the Anna Smith Fine Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies in the Department of Religion at Rice University. He has authored works on Kabbalah and Jewish philosophy, including Renaissance and Rebirth (Brill, 2009).

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