Joseph Albo (; ) was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

who lived in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

during the fifteenth century, known chiefly as the author of ''

Sefer ha-Ikkarim ''Sefer HaIkkarim'' () is a fifteenth-century work by rabbi Joseph Albo, a student of Hasdai Crescas. It is an eclectic, popular work, whose central task is the exposition of the principles of Judaism. The work contains several internal contra ...

'' ("Book of Principles"), the classic work on the fundamentals of Judaism.

Biography

Albo's birthplace is generally assumed to be Monreal del Campo, a town in

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

. This is based on Astruc ha-Levi's report of the religious debate held at Tortosa in 1413-14, which mentions Albo as one of the Jewish participants and notes he was the delegate of the congregation of Monreal. However, the

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account of this debate makes no reference to this locality.

Heinrich Graetz Heinrich Graetz (; 31 October 1817 – 7 September 1891) was a German exegete and one of the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective. Born Tzvi Hirsch Graetz to a butcher family in Xions (no ...

believes that Albo could not have been less than thirty years of age when he was sent to take part in the disputation, and he accordingly places the date of Albo's birth not later than 1380. His date of death is given variously as 1444 (most likely) or 1430. He is mentioned, however, as preaching at Soria in 1433. The use Albo makes of medical illustrations creates the presumption that he was adept in medical science, which suggests that he may have practiced

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. He was versed to some degree in the writings of

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

Aristotelians. His teacher was Hasdai Crescas, author of '' Or Adonai.'' Opinions vary on whether Crescas was still alive when '' Sefer HaIkkarim'' was published.

''Sefer ha-Ikkarim''

Albo is best known for his philosophical work, ''Sefer ha-Ikkarim'' ("Book of Principles"), completed in 1425 in Soria.

References

* Philippe Bobichon, ''Sefer ha-'Iqqarim « Livre des Principes » III, 25 Un chapitre de la controverse judéo-chétienne dans l'Espagne du XV e siècle'' (texte hébreu traduction, commentaires), Madrid, CSIC, 201
online
* Philippe Bobichon, "Polémique anti-chrétienne et théologie dans le Sefer ha-‘Iqqarim (« Livre des Principes ») de Joseph Albo (xve s.)" Yod 15/2010, pp. 115- 14
online

External links

* , Adventures in Philosophy * {{DEFAULTSORT:Albo, Joseph 1380 births 1444 deaths 15th-century Spanish philosophers Philosophers of Judaism 15th-century Aragonese rabbis Jewish apologists Medieval Jewish philosophers 15th-century writers from the Crown of Aragon