Overview

This broad-ranging study, the first full-length investigation of conceptions of faith and trust in the Judeo-Arabic tradition, explores a family of related concepts—faith (imān, emunah), conviction (i‘tiqād), and trust/reliance (tawakkul/ittikāl)—in Saadya, Baḥya, Halevi, Maimonides, Abraham Maimonides, and the Egyptian pietist circle of Abraham he-Ḥasid. The work points to a rich spectrum of conceptions of faith and trust—from the purely cognitive to the experiential and affective. What emerges are themes of faithfulness, loyalty, experiential certainty, and trustworthiness, expressed in devotion to a way of life that embodies these ideals. The virtue of trust expresses steadfast commitment to the truth. This study vividly illustrates the “Jewish-Arab symbiosis,” highlighting the shared spiritual language and rich, intertwined worlds of Islamic and Jewish philosophy, theology, and mysticism.

Full Product Details

Author:   Diana Lobel
Publisher:   Academic Studies Press
Imprint:   Academic Studies Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 23.30cm
Weight:   0.671kg
ISBN:  

9798887193977

Pages:   240
Publication Date:   14 March 2024
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Glossary of Key Terms (Arabic-Greek-Hebrew)  Glossary of Key Terms (English)  Introduction  Wolfson’s Double Faith Theory: The Greek and Arabic Aristotle on Epistemological Conviction (Pistis/Taṣdīq) with Respect to First Principles (Archai/Mabādi’, Awā’il)  Saadya Gaon: Faith (Amānā) Becomes Rational Conviction (I‘tiqād)  Baḥya ibn Paquda: Reliance on God (Tawakkul)  Judah Halevi and al-Ghazālī: Faith as Fruitional Experience (Dhawq and Mushāhada)  Maimonides: Conviction (I‘tiqād) and Faith/Trust (Īmān, Emunah) Abraham Maimonides and al-Ghazālī on Trust (Ittikāl, Tawakkul)  The Circle of Abraham he-Ḥasid: Unveiling (Kashf) and Experiential Faith (Īmān, Yaqīn)  Conclusion  Bibliography  Index

Reviews

 “In this penetrating study, Diana Lobel navigates the philosophical and religious dimensions of faith and trust in Judeo-Arabic thought. Approaching this multifaceted literature with scholarly care and insight, she reveals the variety of the experience of belief, ranging from rational conviction to experiential certainty and reliance on the Divine. This work skillfully unravels the complex interplay of these ideas, highlighting both harmony and discord within this spectrum. Lobel’s analysis not only elucidates the profound heritage of the Judeo-Arabic intellectual tradition, but also demonstrates its enduring relevance and broad appeal across various academic fields.” — Omer Michaelis, Senior Lecturer of Jewish Philosophy, Tel Aviv University  “Diana Lobel’s Faith and Trust: An Introduction to Judeo-Arabic Thought, her fourth book on the most influential medieval Jewish thinkers who wrote in Judeo-Arabic, is in many ways an excellent introduction to the earlier ones. The present volume focuses on concepts such as faith, reliance, trust, conviction, belief, experience, and certainty, as expounded by leading medieval Judeo-Arabic thinkers and that comprise the foundation of their philosophical and theological teachings. The present study offers rich and stimulating chapters, each arranged chronologically and devoted to one of these major thinkers. Lobel is a learned and very intelligent reader of the Judeo-Arabic philosophers and is thoroughly familiar with the secondary literature on them. In Faith and Trust, she shows once again that she is also well attuned to the Judeo-Arabic technical terminology, its nuances and its roots in ancient Greek philosophy and medieval Islamic philosophy and theology.”  — Steven Harvey, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University  “This excellent book brings into focus the concepts of faith, conviction, and trust in medieval Judeo-Arabic thought. Lobel thoroughly examines the related Hebrew term emunah (faith or belief), and the Judeo-Arabic concepts of faith (īmān), conviction (i‘tiqād), reliance (tawakkul), and certainty (yaqīn) and their cognitive, experiential, and affective perspectives. These Judeo-Arabic concepts discussed by Saadya, Baḥya ibn Paqūda, Judah Halevi, Maimonides, and Abraham Maimonides are investigated in depth. Hence, the present research is highly recommended to all those who are interested in Jewish thought in general and in Judeo-Arabic thought in particular.”  — Binyamin Abrahamov, Emeritus Professor of Arabic, Bar-Ilan University

"""This excellent book brings into focus the concepts of faith, conviction, and trust in medieval Judeo-Arabic thought. Lobel thoroughly examines the related Hebrew term emunah (faith or belief), and the Judeo-Arabic concepts of faith (īmān), conviction (i'tiqād), reliance (tawakkul), and certainty (yaqīn) and their cognitive, experiential, and affective perspectives. These Judeo-Arabic concepts discussed by Saadya, BaÎya ibn Paqūda, Judah Halevi, Maimonides, and Abraham Maimonides are investigated in depth. Hence, the present research is highly recommended to all those who are interested in Jewish thought in general and in Judeo-Arabic thought in particular."" -- Binyamin Abrahamov, Emeritus Professor of Arabic, Bar-Ilan University"

Author Information

Diana Lobel, Associate Professor of Religion, Boston University, is author of Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious Experience in Judah Halevi’s Kuzari (2000), A Sufi -Jewish Dialogue: Philosophy and Mysticism in Ba ḥya Ibn Paq ūda’s Duties of the Heart (2007), The Quest for God and the Good (2011), Philosophies of Happiness (2017), and Moses and Abraham Maimonides: Encountering the Divine (2021).

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