Some Lost Writings of Judah Abravanel (1465?-1535?) Found in the Works of Giordano Bruno (1548-1600)

62 SHOFAR SOME LOST WRITINGS OF JUDAH ABRAVANEL (1465?-1535?) FOUND IN THE WORKS OF GIORDANO BRUNO (1548-1600) by David Harari David Harari is a research fellow at the Hebrew University ofJerusalem. During the academic years 1989/90 and 1990/91 he was a Monkarsh Fellow at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. He has written numerous articles on Jewish philosophy. Judah Abravanel-called Leone Ebreo in Italy, his adopted countrywas strongly influenced by his father Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), philosopher and exegete, who was the financier of the King Alfonso V of Portugal and also of the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella. In his great biographical poem, Complaint Against Time, Judah Abravanel describes his father's influence: And beautiful is my knowledge and wisdom shines inside me A part of it's inherited from my father my teacher Father of sciences, and he is my master, my rabbi And another part of it is acquired by my own efforts I conquered it by my bow and sword.1 An anecdote highlights this spiritual and moral guidance the renowned philosopher of love received during his childhood. Isaac Abravanel, as aforementioned, was the financier of King Alfonso V of Portugal. One day, some courtiers came to the king and told him that Isaac Abravanel was enriching himselfso much that if he continued he would be IJudah Abravanel, "Complaint Against Time," in The Philosophy of Leone Ebreo: Four Lectures, edited by Menahem Dorman and Ze'ev Levy (Haifa: Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1985), p. 17. (In Hebrew, my translation). Vol. 10, No. 3 Spring 1992 63 richer than the king. Although he did not believe them, the king resolved to discuss the issue with his financier. In response to the king's question, Isaac Abravanel declared a certain sum. The king insisted on knowing about all his assets, and the financier repeated exactly the same amount. The king became angry and said that unless Abravanel answered his question he could have no choice but to believe the courtiers. Finally, Isaac Abravanel confessed: "What I told you, my king, was the amount that I have given as charity until the present time, and the money no one can ever take from me. The rest is not important, because tomorrow, you; my king, might decide to take back from me all my richness. " This answer pleased King Alfonso very much, and Abravanel was held in even higher esteem. But after Alfonso's son, Joao II, became king, Isaac Abravanel was accused and unjustly convicted for plotting against the new king. Joao II wanted to execute Abravanel, who barely escaped with his life. Joao II was enraged and because he could not kill Abravanel he confiscated all his possessions. This story iIlustrates well, in fact prophesies, what ultimately happened, and demonstrates Isaac Abravanel's wisdom and spirit. Gonzalez Uubera, in conclusion of his article "Spain in the Age of Abravanel," writes: He was a man who, in an age of intellectual decadence and moral defeatism, revived the glories of the Spanish school of Biblical exegesis. More important still, he was an example of fortitude and steadfastness. If we seek the reason for Abravanel's greatness, we can find the answer in his character: Abravam:1 was a truly religious man, and his learning and his life were built upon the Rock ...2 Having sketched this background, that is to say the esprit of the household where Judah Abravanel was raised, we may now raise the problems which emerged at the outset of our work concerning the Jewish philosopher of love. All researchers ofJudah Abravanel's philosophy and works have been confronted from the beginning to the end of their research with five enigmas. The first enigma is this: did Judah Abravanel ever write his fourth dialogue? All editions of his Dialogues on Love contain only three dialogues: He had promised, however, a fourth dialogue entitled The 21. G. Llubera, "Spain in the Age of Abravanel," in Isaac Abravanel: Six Lectures, edited by J. B. Trend and H. Loewe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1937), pp. 17-37. 64 SHOFAR Effects ofLove. The second enigma: what happened to Abravanel's important work The Harmony of the Sky...