Gersonides on Providence, Covenant, and the Chosen People

It is an important study of a completely original sort. It is a pioneering work, not only in the specific topic which it treats, but especially in its bringing together the philosophical and exegetical works of one of the most important philosophers of the later Jewish Middle Ages. In so doing, it opens up a major area of study that has been seriously neglected. In the case of Gersonides, as with other medieval Jewish thinkers, there is a tendency to treat the exegetical works as having no philosophical value or interest. This book establishes the philosophical importance of the exegetical works and shows that they are of critical value for an understanding of the philosophy of Gersonides.

The book is a sober and careful examination of an important issue in Jewish thought: the doctrine of the chosen people. It advances the field of Gersonides’ studies; it is the first in-depth treatment of Gersonides’ biblical commentaries.