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Overview
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a major historical figure during the waning of the Middle Ages. Statesman, diplomat, courtier, and financier, he was, at the same time, a scholar of encyclopedic learning, a philosopher, an exegete, a prolific author, a mystic, and an apocalyptist. In Abravanel, B. Netanyahu suggests, two long lines of tradition met and concluded: that of medieval Jewish statesmen and that of medieval Jewish philosophers. In what is both a biography and an exploration of Abravanel's thought and influence, Netanyahu describes how Abravanel illuminated the grave crisis and profound transformation experienced by the Jewish people after the Spanish expulsion. First published in 1953, Don Isaac Abravanel has been out of print for several years. This new edition includes revisions in the text, notes, and bibliography.Synopsis
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a major historical figure during the waning of the Middle Ages. Statesman, diplomat, courtier, and financier, he was, at the same time, a scholar of encyclopedic learning, a philosopher, an exegete, a prolific author, a mystic, and an apocalyptist. In Abravanel, B. Netanyahu suggests, two long lines of tradition met and concluded: that of medieval Jewish statesmen and that of medieval Jewish philosophers. In what is both a biography arid an exploration of Abravanel's thought and influence, Netanyahu describes how Abravanel illuminated the grave crisis and profound transformation experienced by the Jewish people after the Spanish expulsion.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"A basic reference and one which cannot be ignored by any responsible scholar in the fields of Spanish and Jewish studies. . . . It is one of those rare books which make interesting reading both for scholars and for the general reader interested in Judaism and its rich cultural and religious history."-Francisco Márquez, Harvard University"This is the study of the life and ideas of Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), a major figure at the end of the Middle Ages and during the transformation of Judaism after the Spanish expulsion. The author traces Abravanel's tumultuous career as a financier and statesman in Portugal, Spain, Naples, and Venice and analyses his world outlook, view of history, poltical ideas, and mystical messianism."-W. Charles Heiser, S. J., Theology Digest, Fall 1999