Resianne Fontaine

Commission VII: Jewish Philosophy (2008-2012)

This report of the Commission for Jewish Philosophy is based on information and personal bibliographies sent to the President of the Commission by over forty scholars in the field via the Questionnaire for SIEPM Commission Reports. Like the previous report that appeared in the Bulletin de philosophie medievale 49 (2007), 27-44, it is thus intended to be representative and not at all exhaustive. The report features a selected bibliography, arranged alphabetically by author, of over two hundred studies in the field of medieval Jewish Philosophy, written in Western languages between the years 2008-2012. In addition, it provides a list of editions and translations in the field that have appeared during this period, as well as a list of Ph.D. dissertations in the field. The report also mentions some of the most important international conferences that have taken place, and some of the major projects. In general, the authors have tried to present a picture of the study of medieval Jewish Philosophy over the past five years, what has been its focus, what it has accomplished, and where it seems to be going. Finally, the authors address certain important issues that were raised at the meeting of the Commission for Jewish Philosophy at the 2012 SIEPM Congress in Freising.

Creating a New Literary Genre

This chapter focuses on the importance of knowledge transfer from the world of Islam to the world of Judaism, for the study of medieval Jewish philosophy. It then explores the importance of the Hebrew philosophic manuscripts it describes, and to what extent Steinschneider was aware of their importance and made it known to his readers. The chapter describes how the Leiden catalogue differs from previous ones in presenting its works on Jewish philosophy. It compares the Leiden catalogue to later catalogues by Steinschneider and others to determine to what extent the later catalogues follow the purpose and structure of the Leiden one. After these comparisons, the chapter traces the use made of the catalogue by historians and bibliographers of medieval Jewish philosophy. It suggests in what sense it may be said to represent a new literary genre. Keywords:Hebrew manuscripts; medieval Jewish philosophy; Steinschneiders Leiden Catalogue