Hebrew Scholasticism in the Fifteenth Century

Book excerpt: Thus, in fifteenth century Italy and Spain there came into being what we may call a "Hebrew Scholasticism": Jewish authors composed philosophical treatises in which they discussed the same questions and used the same methods as contemporary Christian Schoolmen. These thinkers were not simply influenced by Scholasticism: they were real Schoolmen who tried to participate (in a different language) in the philosophical debate of contemporary Europe. A history of "Hebrew Scholasticism" in the fifteenth century is yet to be written. Most of the sources themselves remain unpublished, and their contents and relationship to Latin sources have not yet been studied in detail. What is needed is to present, edit, translate and comment on some of the most significant texts of "Hebrew Scholasticism", so that scholars can attain a more precise idea of its extent and character. This book aims to respond to this need.