Crescas: Light of the Lord (Or Hashem): Translated with introduction and notes

The Light Of The Lord

This book is the first translation in English of "The Light of the Lord" ("Or Hashem") a masterpiece of medieval Jewish philosophy by Hasdai Crescas (1340 -- 1410). Roslyn Weiss, Clara H. Stewardson Professor of Philosophy at Lehigh University, prepared the translation together with an introductory essay and notes on the text. Weiss is a scholar of both Greek philosophy and Jewish philosophy, both of which are crucial to understanding Crescas.

Crescas wrote his book near the end of his life to combat what he saw as the unfortunate influence of Aristotelianism on Jewish philosophy in general and on Maimonides in particular. The "Light of the World" explores questions of philosophy and belief and critiques Maimonides' "Guide for the Perplexed". Crescas planned to write a second volume critiquing Maimonides' restatement of Jewish law, but this project was never completed. Crescas' book is daunting and difficult. It is written in a concise, sometimes cryptic, style with many allusions to Aristotle, to Jewish and Arabic philosophical predecessors, and to the Bible and traditional Jewish commentaries.

Weiss' translation and Introduction help guide the reader through Crescas and also help the reader understand why Crescas is worth knowing. Her Introduction offers a brief summary of Crescas' life and work and of the structure and content of "The Light of the Lord". Weiss writes: "[b]ecause in his view Aristotelian physics and metaphysics deform and distort Judaism, Crescas dares to question the adequacy of the "Guide's" arguments and to challenge its unflinching determination to place God beyond human conception and understanding and to remove from Him all anthropomorphism and anthropopathism. If there is a single driving aim of "The Light of the Lord" it is to restore to Jewish thought its Jewish soul."

Weiss encourages the reader to focus on love as the key to understanding Crescas. She writes:

"Crescas is one of the great systematic philosophers: all lines of thought in 'Light of the Lord' are interconnected, converging on the single unifying theme of love. Love is at the heart of every issue: creation, infinity of space and time, providence, free will, prophecy, the end of Torah and of human existence, and the soul's immortality. Anything that cannot be subsumed under love, anything that lies outside or obstructs this central theme, is rejected. Of the three components of Torah -- deeds, beliefs, and love and fear of God -- it is the last, Crescas asserts, which though smallest in quantity, is greatest in importance."

"The Light of the Lord" consists of an Introduction, a Preface and four large sections called "books" subdivided into parts. Broadly, Crescas identifies what he understands to be key beliefs of Judaism and shows how these beliefs have been considered and in his view distorted through Aristotelianism and Maimonides' philosophy. Crescas offers extensive philosophical arguments of his own to rebut Maimonides. He works to draw the reader back to the Jewish Bible and traditional Jewish commentaries and to show the wisdom and tenability of their teachings in the face of critiques. Although it isn't clear what role he assigns to philosophy and "speculation", Crescas tends to argue that proper philosophy is consistent with the teachings of the Torah but is insufficient to attain these teachings through its own lights.

The first book of "The Light of the Lord" is the most difficult section of the work. Crescas analyzes Maimonides' proof of the existence of God and Maimonides' discussion of what humans can know of God. This is done,in part to a discussion and refutation of 25 claims Maimonides draws from Aristotle that he uses to prove God's existence. Crescas attacks Aristotelianism as a basis for religion. In the process he develops a concept of infinity that ultimately become important to the rise of the scientific world outlook and that is still discussed. Crescas' God is infinite, the source of all knowledge, and deeply involved in what happens in the world. Some of his attributes are known to people in an analogical way, contrary to Maimonides' teaching.

But what most spoke to me in Crescas, and what I think will speak to most readers, is part of his discussions of the "cornerstones" of the Torah in Book II. This is a long, difficult section, but Crescas takes issue with what he sees as the overly-intellectualized character of Maimonides' thought which gives precedence to the intellect in understanding God and religion. Crescas focuses instead on love. For Crescas, there is an "end" (meaning) of human life in developing the love of God through practice and in understanding that God loves man and individual persons. This is done for Jews through adherence to the Torah, but Crescas extrapolates his teaching. at least to an extent, to all humanity. The lengthy concluding section of Book II, in part VI is eloquent in exploring the theme of love and seems to me at the heart of Crescas' philosophy. Over-simplification is treacherous, but much of Crescas speaks to the heart rather than to the narrowness of the intellect. It is this part of the book that is the focus of the whole, including the treatment of infinity in the first Book. Crescas finds that in terms of space, most of the Torah appears to be given over to developing right views and right deeds. Yet Crescas finds a third quality much more important. He writes:

"When we investigated the Torah and its parts, we found in it one part small in quantity but large in quality that concerns neither views nor deeds absolutely. This part is the love of God and the true fear of Him. I say that this is what guarantees this end in every respect, both according to the Torah and the tradition, and according to speculation." (214-215)

In the third book of "The Light of the Lord" Crescas develops and explains a number of "true beliefs" that are necessary for those who believe in the Torah but that are somewhat less fundamental than the beliefs discussed in the second book. In the fourth and relatively short final book, Crescas discusses additional thirteen additional matters of belief that are not explicitly and uses philosophy and Scripture to work towards what he deems the preferred resolution of each. decided in the Torah.

"The Light of the Lord" will appeal most to readers with a deep interest in Jewish and religious philosophy. It is a book that requires sustained reading over time. Weiss writes that she endeavored in her translation "to render 'The Light of the Lord' accessible to many readers -- scholars, students, and the interested public. I have not simplified the text or offered a comprehensive commentary on it. 'Light of the Lord', even in English, remains exceedingly demanding. What I have provided is a text to be wrestled with. It is my hope that it will spark renewed engagement with a thinker who merits far more attention and study than he has hitherto received."

Weiss' fulfilled her goals with her translation and introduction of Crescas' "Light of the Lord". Although demanding, her work is, in every way, a treasure. Weiss has performed a mitzvah in making Crescas' book available to readers.

Robin Friedman