Gersonides on Providence, Covenant, and the Chosen People: A Study in Medieval Jewish Philosophy and Biblical Commentary (Suny Series in Jewish Phil)

Rating:
Summary: An accessible review of a complicated philosopher
Review: Levi ben Gershom, better known as Gersonides, or the Ralbag, isn't an easy philosopher to read. Very few of his works have modern translations, and those that do exist are of little help to those without a background in medieval philosophy.

For those of us who are interested in the radical theological innovators of the medieval era, such as Gersonides and Maimonides, it is helpful to have a guide such as Eisen's book to guide us through Gersonide's sophisticated arguments. It is concise, well written, helpful, and does not make the mistake of talking down to the reader. A certain amount of intellectual sophistication is assumed on the part of the reader - but I assume that this would be true of anyone who wishes to read Gersonides to begin with!

For further reading, I would suggest any of the many journal articles by Menachem Kellner.

Rating:
Summary: An accessible review of a complicated philosopher
Review: Levi ben Gershom, better known as Gersonides, or the Ralbag, isn't an easy philosopher to read. Very few of his works have modern translations, and those that do exist are of little help to those without a background in medieval philosophy.

For those of us who are interested in the radical theological innovators of the medieval era, such as Gersonides and Maimonides, it is helpful to have a guide such as Eisen's book to guide us through Gersonide's sophisticated arguments. It is concise, well written, helpful, and does not make the mistake of talking down to the reader. A certain amount of intellectual sophistication is assumed on the part of the reader - but I assume that this would be true of anyone who wishes to read Gersonides to begin with!

For further reading, I would suggest any of the many journal articles by Menachem Kellner.

Rating:
Summary: Phooey!
Review: My interest in Gersonides was because he felt that the perfection of mathematics proved the existence of God. Although this book is well written, Gersonides comes off as a real [...]. The arrangement of the subject material makes it a complete waste of time.