Foundational Voices in Medieval Jewish Thought: Best Five Books Edition
Dr. Deborah Kaye's article, “Foundational Voices in Medieval Jewish Thought: Best Five Books Edition,” appeared in Religious Studies Review 51.2, June 2025, pp. 269–276. It forms part of the journal’s fiftieth-anniversary special issue and reviews seminal works on Saʿadyah Gaon, Rashi, Nahmanides, Maimonides, and Judah Halevi within their Mediterranean and interfaith contexts.
This essay explores five seminal works in medieval Jewish philosophy that provide profound insights into the intellectual, cultural, and religious contexts of the medieval period. The works under review by Robert Brody, Eric Lawee, Moshe Halbertal, Sarah Stroumsa, and Raymond P. Scheindlin examine key figures and periods in Jewish thought, including Sa'adyah Gaon, Rashi, Nahmanides, Maimonides, and Judah Halevi. Together, they address fundamental questions: How do religious and cultural traditions adapt during times of political upheaval? How do intellectual leaders preserve tradition while engaging with external philosophical influences? What role do sacred texts play in shaping communal and individual identity? Finally, how did Jewish thinkers navigate their participation in broader intellectual currents while maintaining the integrity of their faith?
The questions these works pose resonate across disciplines and traditions, inviting scholars of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to engage in a cross-cultural dialogue. By examining leadership, mysticism, cultural exchange, and textual transmission, the reviewed works illuminate how medieval Jewish thinkers contributed to the preservation and evolution of their traditions. This introduction sets the stage for an exploration of these themes, which demonstrate how Jewish thought intersected with the broader intellectual and cultural trends of the Mediterranean and beyond.