Prophecy

More than any other topic, prophecy represents the point at which the Divine meets the human, the Absolute meets the relative. How can a human being attain the Word of God? In what manner does God, when conceived as eternal and transcendent, address corporeal, transitory creatures? What happens to God's divine Truth when it is beheld by minds limited in their power to apprehend, and influenced by the intellectual currents of their time and place? How were these issues viewed by the great Jewish philosophers of the past, who took the divine communication and all it entails seriously, while at the same time desired to understand it as much as humanly possible in the course of dealing with a myriad of other issues that occupied their attention?
This book offers an in-depth study of prophecy in the thought of seven of the leading medieval Jewish philosophers: R. Saadiah Gaon, R. Judah Halevi, Maimonides, Gersonides, R. Hasdai Crescas, R. Joseph Albo and Baruch Spinoza. It attempts to capture the `original voice' of these thinkers by looking at the intellectual milieus in which they developed their philosophies, and by carefully analyzing their views in their textual contexts. It also deals with the relation between the earlier approaches and the later ones. Overall, this book presents a significant model for narrating the history of an idea.

One: R. Saadiah Gaon, The Book of Beliefs and Opinions.- The Role of Prophecy.- The Verification of Prophecy.- The Nature of the Prophetic Phenomenon.- Prophecy in R. Saadiah's Other Writings.- Conclusion.- Two: R. Judah Halevi, The Kuzari.- Prophecy in the View of Halevi's "Philosopher".- Prophecy as an Empirically Verifiable Supernatural Phenomenon.- Prophecy and the Perfection of the Individual.- Prophecy in Kazari 4.3-17.- The Amr Il?h?.- Conclusion.- Three: R. Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides), The Guide of the Perplexed.- Prophecy in the Early Writings.- Prophecy in The Guide of the Perplexed.- Conclusion.- Postscript: The Treatise on Resurrection.- Four: R. Levi ben Gershom (Gersonides), The Wars of the Lord.- Prophecy in the Commentary on Averroes' Epitome of Parva Naturalia.- Prophecy in The Wars of the Lord.- Prophecy in Gersonides' Bible Commentaries.- Conclusion.- Five: R. Hasdai Crescas, The Light of the Lord.- Book 1, Section 3, Chapter 3: Divine Unity.- Book 2, Section 1: God's Knowledge of Particulars.- Book 2, Section 2: Providence.- Book 2, Section 4: Prophecy.- Book 2, Section 6: The Purpose of the Torah.- Book 3, Section 6: Mosaic Prophecy.- Other Beliefs Relating to Prophecy: The Urim and Tummim.- Conclusion.- Six: R. Joseph Albo, The Book of Principles.- Book 1: Law.- Book 2: The Existence of God.- Book 3: Torah from Heaven.- Book 4: Reward and Punishment.- Conclusion.- Seven: Baruch Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus.- Preface to Tractatus Theologico-Politicus.- Chapters 1-2: Prophecy and Prophets.- Chapters 3-5: Prophecy and the Hebrews, Divine Law and Jewish Ritual.- Prophecy in the Other Chapters of the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus.- Conclusion.- Epilogue.- The Idea of Prophecy in Medieval Jewish Philosophy: An Overview;The Medium and the Message: Between the Treatise and the Idea; I think What I Read; Natural, Supernatural and Magical; Prophecy and Language; The Prophetic Experience; Prophetic Knowledge; The Idea of Prophecy in Modern Jewish Thought; A Final Word.