Prophecy and Intellect. On a Philosophical Problem in medieval Spanish Judaism (Ha-Levi, ibn Daud, Maimonides)

Abstract

The phenomenon of prophecy is a significant topic with a relevant uniqueness in medieval Jewish thought. In Jewish tradition, prophecy was a form of intermediation between the divine and human. Our intention in this paper is to explore and understand this problem like a theological idea and like an intellectual phenomenon of consciousness with obvious epistemological implications. We shall do taking into account the philosophical influences of this conception, fundamentally Islamic thinkers, and focusing our search in the most significant perspectives about the topic, namely Yehudah Ha-Levi, Abraham ibn Daud and Moses Maimonides.