Gersonides contributions meaning

Medieval Jewish philosopher

For the printers of Hebrew books, see Gersonides (printers).

Levi ben Gershon ( – 20 April ), better known by his Graecized name as Gersonides, or by his Latinized name Magister Leo Hebraeus,^[1] or in Hebrew by the abbreviation of first letters as RaLBaG,^[2] was a medieval French Jewish philosopher, Talmudist, mathematician, physician and astronomer/astrologer.

He was born at Bagnols in Languedoc, France. According to Abraham Zacuto and others, he was the son of Gerson ben Solomon Catalan.

Biography

As in the case of the other medievalJewish philosophers, little is known of his life.

His family had been distinguished for piety and exegetical skill in Talmud, but though he was known in the Jewish community by commentaries on certain books of the Bible, he never seems to have accepted any rabbinical post. It has been suggested^{[by whom?]} that the uniqueness of his opinions may have put obstac