Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/371

323 ;

sermons

<lclivi'ioil

in various

batlis, festivals, anil oilier Biiii.in(RAiMiv



synagogues on

occasions (Venice,

De Doion. ItcxiMiiim Lrhnn

Ilnli,

^^

Sal)lOO'J).

Nos. 73

M(/.; Itot'st, CutiiUniur It/ iht liitmtilhiil lAiiraiy, Stelnschni'iiliT, Cut. ll'titl. No. IHS7 ; KuufiuuDU, Uic littKiUu (see Index), Lelpsic, 1884.

1.

cl

KTil

SUtne,

M. K.

ALBERTI, CONKAD (pseudonym for RAD SITTENFELD) Girnian novelist,

and actor; born

CONdram

Breslau.

,Iuly U. Having tinislied his education in his native IHIi'i. city, he went to Berlin, where he became an actor. After a few years he returned to his studies and devoteil himself entirely to literary work. He was one of the jiioneers of naluralism in Uermany. which introduced realism inin literature, sociological aspects into literary criticism, and which culminated

alisl,

in

erilie.

al

Sudcrmann and Hauptmaim.

Among

Alberti's many critical books and pamphlets niav be mentioned " Gustav Freytag" (1884

"Bettina von Arniin" (1885), "Ludwig Biirne" (188G), "Ohne t^chminke" (1887), " Der Jloderne Healismus in der Dcutschen Eitteratur"

2d ed.,

1S8(>),

(1889),"Xalurund Kunst " (18".»1); among his novels: " "Riesen und Zwcrge" (188T; 2d ed., 1889), " Plebs (1887), " Der Kami)f ums Dasein " (a .series of novels,

Albany

THE JEWISH K.NCYCLUl'EDlA

82S

1888-94),

"Fahrende Fran"

(1895);

among

his

dramas: "Brot!" (1888), "Ein Vorurleil " (1891), "BlulT" (1893), "Die Franziisin" (1894); and among " his political writings: " Norddeutsche Heichspolitik (1896), "TUrkische Zuslilnde" (1896). Buii.KxiKAPiiv: Meyer, Konvenatiims-Lcxihon, alb der Sittenfthl.

ed.,

un-

M. B.

ALBERTUS MAGNUS

(Count

BollTill' most eminent (icrnian ]ihilosoplicr stadt) und theologian of the .Middle Ages and the real founder of the .scii'niilic tendency within the ordi-r of Dominicans; boiii at Laiiingen, Bavaria, 1193; During his so(lied at Cologne on the Rhine in I2HI). journ in Paris, whither he went in 1345 to acquire the degree of master of theology, he took part in the conference ordered by I'ope Innocent IV. in 1248, which decreed the burning of the Talmud, a work which Albertus .Magnus utilized tlirough tlic' instrumentiilily of .Jewish authors, and to whieli he owed many useful suggeslions (,IoOl, " Verhilltniss di'S Albertus .Magnus zu Maimonide.s," p. .iv.). In wide reading and vei-satility of knowledge he was hurilly 8«rp«.s,sed by any of his contemporaries. Albertus Magnus devoleil special attention to Jewish literaof



was accessible to him. The famous Jewish physician and philosopher Isaac Israeli the elder, w hos<! views, mostly tiiki'ii from his works, " De Dilinitionibus" and " De Klenunlis." .lbertus ture so far as

it

often cpiolis, and to whom hi' ascribes the identilication apted by the philosophei-s of ethereal spirits with the angels of th<- Bible ("Summu Theologiie," ii. 2, (|uaslii) 8; ed. Ix'yden, 1651. xviii. 7(i), is consldereii by him as a chief representative of tinJewish philosophy of iMaimonides (" Metaphysica," .iii. (|U,islio 76; ed. Eeydin, iii. 375). AllK'rtus .Magnus devoted special study to the " Kons Vilie " of Avkkiiuon (Solomon iun G.mliol.). In II critical survey of the views of the elder philosopher.s, which is found at the begininng of his " De Causis et I'rocessu I'niversitatis." not work only the doctrines of the Epicuri'ans, of the Stoics, of Socrates, and of Plato, bit also those of Avicebron. are thoroughly examined. .Mthough he contesis very strongly most of the vicwsof .Vvicebron. from the Peripat<>tic standpoint, he recognizes theoriginalily of the system sketched

Albertus Magnus

out ill the ' Fons Vit.e." According to Avicebron's philosophy, the unity of the tirst principle which lienctrates the universe was succeeded by a duality; namely, (</) the tirst form, identical with the intelligence, and (/)) the first matter, by w hich the form is supported [if/ii/.v. .532). Form can neither exist without matter, nor matter without form {i/jt'd. p. .562). Alliertus Magnus not only recognizes the originality of Avicebron in his doctrine of the tirst matter and the first form, but also in his docAttitude trine of human free-will; he shows Toward this by calling Solomon ibn Gabirol Avicebron. the only iihilo.so])lier who represents the tirst princi|)leasactin,g thnnigh an inilivjdual will (j/<. p. 549). The stran,i:e impression which the doctrine, as outlined in the "Fons Vitic," produced upon him led him even to suspect that this book was not written by Avicebron him.self, but was foisted upon him by some sophist (p. 5.50;

compare "Sunima Theologiie,"

i.

quieslio 20;

"De

chap. 6). This did not hinder him. however, from apiiropriating in certain points, as for instance in the division of forms, the doctrines outlined in that w ork (" De Natura et Origine Animiv," i. chap. 2; compare " Fons Vitie," ed. Bilumker, iv. 32, 255). Quite dilTcrent from his attitude toward the doctrine of Gabirol is his attitude toward that of Maimonidcs. the Rabbi Jloyses -Egyiitus. as he calls him. from whose "Jloreh Xebukim," which he quotes uniler the title "Dux Neutrorum." he not only took single pa.ssages.biit entire .sections, and incorporated them into liis works. Like Maimonides, st^uiiling essentially upt>n the ground of Arabic .ristotelian philoso|)hy, Albertus Alagniis, in his etTort to harmonize the doctriiKS of Biblical revelation, followed in many points the authorof .MoreliNc Inikim." But. nevertheless, being inferior to the Jewish thinker in the energy and solidity of his conception of (he world, he was not able to estalilish even aiiproxinmtely harmonious relations between reason and revelation as Maimonides had done. The fundamental principle of his doctrine of the knowledge of God was that, as between Intellectu et Intelligibili."

the finite

and the

I.

i.

inlinite there exists not the least

analogy, therefore the same attribute, applied to the finite and to the inlinite. does not signify the same He was undoubtedly thing (" D(' Causis." p. .551). influenced by Maimonides (" Moreli." i. 56) when he agrees expressly with his allegalion that, except by divine griue. there is no other knowledge of God possible than bv negative qualilications ("De Causis," " M<">reh, " i. .58). p. 593 Albertus Magnus follows Maimonidi's in the theory of Creation to a greater extent than any one would suspect cviii from the lengthy verbaFollower tim ipiolations. World beginning and of Maieternity, Biblical and Aristotelian cosmonides. mog<my, arc two systems of philosophy that are irreconcilable. Albertus Magnus follows the guidance of Maimonides the more willingly on this point, since the latter had succeeded in shaking the .Vristotelian proofs of the eternity of the world, without departing, however, from the principles of Aristotelianism t"Morch," ii.

13-25;

compare

i.

74).

.Mbertussjiysabout this matter in his " Physics" (viii. 1, chaps, xi.. XV.) is derived partly fnuu the ideas con taini'd in the " .Moreh." partly from long texFollowtual selections taken from the same work. ing .Maimonides. who refutes the proofs prodiiced concerning the et<'rnily of the by the Peripatetics "Summa TheoW'orld (" Physics. " viii. 1, chap. xi. logiie." ii. 1,4. 3; compare" MonOi," ii. 14), Albertus Is of opinion that the eternity of the world must be

What