— Albo, Joseph Alcau, F^liz
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
Chrisluuiizc Judaism. onlcr 111 deprive llie
The coiiti-ary
is tin- truth. In dispuliinis of their wenpim. and with llie clear purpose of iieufiivorite tmli/injr Mainioiiides in tliis respect, Alho ignores
C'lirislisin
marks
his dis(piisition Tlie title of his hook indicates his in its intirety. method at the very outset. Basic to his investijralion is the rccosrnition that "human happiness is Hut conditioned by knowieilije jp'yl and conduct." "human intellect eau not allaiuunio perfect kiiowl edfie ami ethical conduct, since its power is limited anil soon exhausted in the <'outemplation of the things the truth of which it would tiiid; therefore, of necessity, there must he somethini; above hiuuan interi'St
intellect throujrli which knowledge and conduct can attain to a degree of excellence that admits of no
doubt.'" The insuflicirncy of human intellect postulates the necessity of divine guidance; and thus it is the duty of every man to know the God-giveu hiw. But to know it is possible only if one has established the true principles, without which Ibi're can be uodivine law. Seeing that on this vital theme
tlurearesomuch divergence. confusion, and shallowness, Alho resolves to erect a structure for the true religion.
His great criterion
in this his search is the quesprinciples are indispensable to a religiim that is both divine and true/ All revealed religions and it is in behalf of revealed religion that he sets out (m his excursion recogui/e three fundamental principles. But would the identity of these three jirineiples in revealed religions not entitle the' devotees of each to claim their own as the one true religion? No, replies Albo: these three principles may be alike indispensable to the so called revealed religions, and, therefore, basic to any religion Funda- claiming to be revealed; but only that mental religion is the true one that underPrinciples. stands these l)asic thoughts correctly. And the test for this correctness of understanding he holds to be the further recognition of certain other truths and inferences that must follow logically from the acknowled.gnicut of the three fundamentals. Unless a revealed religion accept all of these inferences, it is not to be recognized as the one true religion. Now Judaism is not only l)ased upon the three fundamental principles, but it acknowledges also the binding force of the inferences from them. As a cou.sequenee, Juilaism is the true revealed religion. Having drawn this conclusion. Alho has attained the end for which he undertook his investigation. His purpose, as this analysis of his introduction shows, was not to place Judaism upon a solid philosophical founilation, but to vindicate for Judaism, as opposed to the other revealed religious, the right to the distinction of being the true revealed religion. His argument may be ojien to serious objection. It is certainly true that he starts vvitli a petitiu priiuipii. He assunu'S th;it religion and writes as a theologian, not as a phiis revealed losopher. But his theology is triumphant. Granting his premises, one can not but concede the consistency of his deductions. Albo's terminology is probablj' original with him. The three fundamentals he designates 'ikknriut. or roots cikkiir g/it/mn/iim; Dan. iv. 10 (l.-)|, 2il I'^ti]). Hence the title of his work. The (eight derived and neccssjiry truths upon the recognition and correct application of which depends whether the revealed religion prove itself to be the true religion he calls K/ioras/ihn. or secondary roots. Both of these the 'ikkarim and the shorashim are indispensable to the subsistence of the trunk of the tree. The branches. tion.
What
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however, are not in this category. Traditional customs and other outgrowths, of which there are H great number in every religion the 'ninijuii (twigs), as he calls thiin are not absolutely
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His Pecul-
the Messianic hope.
This apolojfelic
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neces.sary to the lifeof religion. They may be removed or may die olT. and minology. still the trunk will subsist. Since the three ikkarim are the same in all religions. Albo calls them also the 'ikhirini hililiin (the universal principles or roots; see Tilnzer's work (|Uoted above). The eight shorashim he styles sometimes 'ikkarim itenitii/iiii, as well as, in some cases. 'ikhiriiii iiiei/iihiKliiii (specialized or jiarticular roots). But his terminology is not consistent throughout the
iar Ter-
work. In the elaboration of his Bchenie
Albo
finds
ample
opportunity to criticize the opinions of his predeces.sors. He seems to be anxious to keep all heresyhunting within proper bounds. Accordingly, he endeavore to establish the boundary -lines between which Jewish skepticism may be exercised without risk of forfeiture of orthodoxy. His canon for distinguishing heterodoxy from orthodoxy is the recognition of the truth of ilie Toi-ah. But a remarkable latitude of inlerprelation is allowed; so much so, that it would indeed be dillicull under Albo's theories to impugn the orthodoxy of I'ven the most liberal. He rejects the assumption that creation ex
an es.sential implication of the belief in the Deiiy; and criticizes with a free hand the articles of faith by JIaimouides, and also the six that C'rescas had evolved. He shows that neither Maimonides nor Crescas keeps in view his own fundamental criterion; nanu-ly, the absolute indispensiibility of a princijilc without which the trunk of the tree could not sulisist and on this score he rejects most of iii/iilo is
their creed.
According to Albo. the first of his fundament;il root-principU's the belief in the existence of God embraces the following shorashim. or .secondary radicals: (1) God's unity; Ci) His incorporeality (3) His independence of time; and (4) His perfection: in Him there can be neither weakness nor other defect. The second root principle the belief in revelation, or the communication of divine instruction by God to man leads him to derive the following three secondary radicals: (I) The appointment of prophets as the mediums of this divine revelation ("J) the belief in the unicpie greatness of Moses as a prophet and {'.i) the binding force of the Mosaic law until another shall
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have been divulged and proclaimed
manner
in as public a (before six hundreii thousjindmen). later
No
prophet has, conse(piently, the right to abrogate the Mosaic dispensation. Finally, from the third rootpriuciiili the belief in divine ret ril)Ution he derives one secondary raili<'al: the belief in bodily resurrection. According to Albo, therefore, the belief in the Messiah is only a twig or branch. It is not necessary to the soundness of the trunk. It is. lieuce, not an integral part of Judaism. Nor is it true that every law is binding. Though every single ordinance has the power of conferring happiness in its observance, it is not true that every law, or that all of the Law, must be observed, or that through the neglect of one
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or the other law, or of any part of the Law, the .Tew violates the divine covenant. The anti-Paulinian drift and point of this contention are palpable. The style of Albo's work is rather homiletic. His lihraseology suffere from i)rolixity and his argu;
exceedingly wearisome. Nevertheless, his book has come to be a standard popular treatise, and notwithstanding the .severe polemics against Albo. made by Isimc Abravanel and others, it has wielded considerable influence in shaping the
mentation
is
at times
