Customer Reviews

A History of Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages

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Simply:
One of the Greatest Books of the 20th Century!
Colette Sirat's erudition and her grasp of very subtle philosophic distinctions, places this magnificent work beyond most surveys of Philosophy. Her excellent Bibliography and her magnificent Chapter 6 on Maimonides are well worth the price of admission! It's the second hardest book that i have ever tackled, for it's the equivalent of a massive shoehorn for expanding the mind...yet i caution the prospective reader with a warning: familiarity with Plato & Aristotle is a vital prerequisite for understanding the great Jewish & Arab philosophers. They bequeathed the lost writings of the Ancients to the West. [...for the record, The Theology of the Early Greek Philosophers by the late Werner Jaeger is the hardest book i have ever encountered and also worth the glorious ascent up the mountain.]

From the first I knew of Medieval Jewish Philosophy as a Golden Age more than thirty years ago when I stumbled upon Isaac Husik and his superlative survey, I've always had a special place in my heart for that period. Between Julius Guttmann and Husik I would go back and forth depending upon my attitude at the time - scholarly or survey. This tome by Colette Sirat seems to be an excellent interweave: not too abstruse, not too simple. To me, a delight.