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Alfred L. Ivry

New York University, Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Emeritus

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Alfred L. Ivry is professor emeritus in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. He is the author, editor, or translator of ten books. Most recently, he is the author of *Maimonides' “Guide of the Perplexed”: A Philosophical Guide*; and recently edited Averroes’s Middle Commentary on Aristotle’s “De Anima” in both Arabic and Hebrew critical editions, as well as supplying an English-language translation.

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Articles by Alfred L. Ivry

Alfred L. Ivry, “Jewish Philosophy,” in Phillip I. Lieberman, ed., The Cambridge History of Judaism, vol. 5: Jews in the Medieval Islamic World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021), 796-824

Alfred L. Ivry, “Samuel Miklos Stern: A Memorial,” Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, vol. 20, no. 4 (2021): 525-526

I first met Samuel Stern in the Fall of 1963, when I arrived in Oxford as a postgraduate Fulbrigh... more I first met Samuel Stern in the Fall of 1963, when I arrived in Oxford as a postgraduate Fulbright Scholar to study Islamic philosophy with Richard Walzer. To my surprise and delight, the university matriculated me to give my wife Joann and myself a social and academic home in the newly created Linacre House (now College), and with a renewal of the Fulbright Award, I subsequently fulfilled the two years' residency requirement for doctoral studies. My real home at Oxford, however, was with the Walzers in Bladon Close, Summertown, where I worked with Dr. Walzer on the metaphysics of the ninth-century al-Kindī, "the philosopher of the Arabs." 1 Weekly tutorials were held in the Walzer living room, a place filled with Impressionist paintings rescued from the Nazis that Sofie Walzer (née Cassirer) had inherited. Mrs. Walzer would bring in tea at the end of the session, and Samuel Stern would also occasionally join in. He lived with the Walzers and assisted Sofie in numismatic and ceramic studies based on the collections in the Ashmolean. I had read Stern's book on Isaac Israeli (written in collaboration with Alexander Altmann) and related articles, such as "Ibn Hasday's Neoplatonist," while still in the States, and was familiar as well with some of his publications on al-Kindī and Maimonides. I was struck with the immense erudition that each article exhibited, the exceptional scope and depth with which he conducted each study. Not only did Stern show complete philological control of his subjects, he was also thoroughly familiar with their historical and philosophical significance. As shown as well in his studies of Judah Halevi and other Jewish poets, he accurately discerned their indebtedness to themes and structures of Arabic poetics. 2 As is evident in his many encyclopaedia entries, Stern had profound knowledge of the literary and political persona of medieval Islam. He unravelled the Neoplatonic dimension of Shī'ī thought, and traced from their origins Ismā'īlī encounters with Fāt imid partisans and Sunni opponents. Stern's fascination with cultural interchange is evident in his exposition of the use made by medieval Jewish poets of muwashshah  s, strophic verses, borrowed from Arabic poetry. 3 His presentation and exposition of the poems and of their authors'

Alfred L. Ivry, “Pines’s Translation of the Guide: Alternative Possibilities,” in Josef Stern, et al., eds., Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed in Translation: A History from the Thirteenth Century to the Twentieth (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2019), 241-256

Alfred L. Ivry, “Maimonides and the Meaning of Life,” in Stephen Leach and James Tartaglia, eds., The Meaning of Life and the Great Philosophers (London: Routledge, 2018), 104-109

Alfred L. Ivry, “Al-Ghazālī, Averroes and Moshe Narboni: Conflict and Conflation,” in Georges Tamer, ed., Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazālī, vol. 1 (Leiden: Brill, 2015), 275-287

Alfred L. Ivry, “The Challenge of Philosophy on Religious Thought: The World of Moses Maimonides,” The Sephardi Report, vol. 4, no. 1 (2010 [2012]): 25-32

Alfred L. Ivry, “Averroes’ Treatises on the Intellect,” in Ahmad Hasnawi, ed., La lumière de l'intellect (Leuven: Peeters, 2011), 381-390

Alfred L. Ivry, “The Weight of Midrash on Rashi and Maimonides,” in Ephraim Kanarfogel and Moshe Sokolow, eds., Between Rashi and Maimonides: Themes in Medieval Jewish Thought, Literature and Exegesis (New York: Yeshiva University Press, 2010), 301-318

Alfred L. Ivry, “Foreword,” in Alexander Altmann and Samuel Miklos Stern, Isaac Israeli: A Neoplatonic Philosopher of the Early Tenth Century, second edition (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2009), vii-xi

Alfred L. Ivry, “Simon Rawidowicz’ Maimonides,” Iggud, vol. 2 (2009): 227-232 (Hebrew)

Alfred L. Ivry, “Maimonides’ Psychology,” in Idit Dobbs-Weinstein, et al., eds., Maimonides and His Heritage (Albany: SUNY Press, 2009), 51-60

Maimonides was strongly drawn to philosophy, we all know, even as we know that he was content, by... more Maimonides was strongly drawn to philosophy, we all know, even as we know that he was content, by and large, to work within the philosophical theories current in his day. Much research has been devoted to identifying the particular philosophers with whom Maimonides agrees, and to clarifying the specific points at which he disagrees with his predecessors. 1 As Maimonides makes clear, he is not offering his readers a full, let alone original, exposition of any one area of philosophical discourse. He assumes that the reader knows the material, and can follow him in his adoption or rejection of it. Of course, he does not fully subscribe to either of the two dominant philosophical paradigms current in his time, the Aristotelian or the Neoplatonic. But he does not critique them wholesale either.

Alfred L. Ivry, “Preface,” in Arthur Hyman and Alfred L. Ivry, eds., Maimonidean Studies, vol. 5 (New York: Yeshiva University Press, 2008), xiii-xiv

Alfred L. Ivry, “Moses Maimonides: An Averroist avant la lettre?” Maimonidean Studies, vol. 5 (2008): 121-139

Alfred L. Ivry, “Averroes’ Understanding of the Philosopher’s Role in Society,” in Anna Akasoy and Wim Raven, eds., Islamic Thought in the Middle Ages: Studies in Text Transmission and Translation, in Honour of Hans Daiber (Brill: Leiden, 2008), 113-122

Alfred L. Ivry, “The Image of Moses in Maimonides’ Thought,” in Aviezer Ravitzky, ed., Maimonides: Conservation, Originality, Revolution, vol. 2 (Jerusalem: Shazar, 2008), 481-497 (Hebrew)

Alfred L. Ivry, “The Ontological Entailments of Averroes’ Understanding of Perception,” in Simo Knuuttila and Pekka Kärkkäinen, eds., Theories of Perception in Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy (Dordrecht: Springer, 2008), 73-86

is the foremost medieval commentator on Aristotle. As such, his thoughts on perception are found ... more is the foremost medieval commentator on Aristotle. As such, his thoughts on perception are found in a number of his writings, particularly in his commentaries on the Parva naturalia 1 and the De anima. Helmut Gätje, Harry Wolfson and others have studied Averroes' views on this subject, 2 and they have located him within the Islamic philosophical tradition of his predecessors.

Alfred L. Ivry, “Guide 2:24 and All That (i)jâza,” Aleph, vol. 8 (2008): 237-246

Alfred L. Ivry, “Themistius,” in Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 19 (2007), 691

Alfred L. Ivry, “Soul,” in Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 19 (2007), 33-35

Alfred L. Ivry, “Nature,” in Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 15 (2007), 33-35

Alfred L. Ivry, “Jewish Philosophy,” in Phillip I. Lieberman, ed., The Cambridge History of Judaism, vol. 5: Jews in the Medieval Islamic World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021), 796-824

Alfred L. Ivry, “Samuel Miklos Stern: A Memorial,” Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, vol. 20, no. 4 (2021): 525-526

I first met Samuel Stern in the Fall of 1963, when I arrived in Oxford as a postgraduate Fulbrigh... more I first met Samuel Stern in the Fall of 1963, when I arrived in Oxford as a postgraduate Fulbright Scholar to study Islamic philosophy with Richard Walzer. To my surprise and delight, the university matriculated me to give my wife Joann and myself a social and academic home in the newly created Linacre House (now College), and with a renewal of the Fulbright Award, I subsequently fulfilled the two years' residency requirement for doctoral studies. My real home at Oxford, however, was with the Walzers in Bladon Close, Summertown, where I worked with Dr. Walzer on the metaphysics of the ninth-century al-Kindī, "the philosopher of the Arabs." 1 Weekly tutorials were held in the Walzer living room, a place filled with Impressionist paintings rescued from the Nazis that Sofie Walzer (née Cassirer) had inherited. Mrs. Walzer would bring in tea at the end of the session, and Samuel Stern would also occasionally join in. He lived with the Walzers and assisted Sofie in numismatic and ceramic studies based on the collections in the Ashmolean. I had read Stern's book on Isaac Israeli (written in collaboration with Alexander Altmann) and related articles, such as "Ibn Hasday's Neoplatonist," while still in the States, and was familiar as well with some of his publications on al-Kindī and Maimonides. I was struck with the immense erudition that each article exhibited, the exceptional scope and depth with which he conducted each study. Not only did Stern show complete philological control of his subjects, he was also thoroughly familiar with their historical and philosophical significance. As shown as well in his studies of Judah Halevi and other Jewish poets, he accurately discerned their indebtedness to themes and structures of Arabic poetics. 2 As is evident in his many encyclopaedia entries, Stern had profound knowledge of the literary and political persona of medieval Islam. He unravelled the Neoplatonic dimension of Shī'ī thought, and traced from their origins Ismā'īlī encounters with Fāt imid partisans and Sunni opponents. Stern's fascination with cultural interchange is evident in his exposition of the use made by medieval Jewish poets of muwashshah  s, strophic verses, borrowed from Arabic poetry. 3 His presentation and exposition of the poems and of their authors'

Alfred L. Ivry, “Pines’s Translation of the Guide: Alternative Possibilities,” in Josef Stern, et al., eds., Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed in Translation: A History from the Thirteenth Century to the Twentieth (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2019), 241-256

Alfred L. Ivry, “Maimonides and the Meaning of Life,” in Stephen Leach and James Tartaglia, eds., The Meaning of Life and the Great Philosophers (London: Routledge, 2018), 104-109

Alfred L. Ivry, “Al-Ghazālī, Averroes and Moshe Narboni: Conflict and Conflation,” in Georges Tamer, ed., Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazālī, vol. 1 (Leiden: Brill, 2015), 275-287

Alfred L. Ivry, “The Challenge of Philosophy on Religious Thought: The World of Moses Maimonides,” The Sephardi Report, vol. 4, no. 1 (2010 [2012]): 25-32

Alfred L. Ivry, “Averroes’ Treatises on the Intellect,” in Ahmad Hasnawi, ed., La lumière de l'intellect (Leuven: Peeters, 2011), 381-390

Alfred L. Ivry, “The Weight of Midrash on Rashi and Maimonides,” in Ephraim Kanarfogel and Moshe Sokolow, eds., Between Rashi and Maimonides: Themes in Medieval Jewish Thought, Literature and Exegesis (New York: Yeshiva University Press, 2010), 301-318

Alfred L. Ivry, “Foreword,” in Alexander Altmann and Samuel Miklos Stern, Isaac Israeli: A Neoplatonic Philosopher of the Early Tenth Century, second edition (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2009), vii-xi

Alfred L. Ivry, “Simon Rawidowicz’ Maimonides,” Iggud, vol. 2 (2009): 227-232 (Hebrew)

Alfred L. Ivry, “Maimonides’ Psychology,” in Idit Dobbs-Weinstein, et al., eds., Maimonides and His Heritage (Albany: SUNY Press, 2009), 51-60

Maimonides was strongly drawn to philosophy, we all know, even as we know that he was content, by... more Maimonides was strongly drawn to philosophy, we all know, even as we know that he was content, by and large, to work within the philosophical theories current in his day. Much research has been devoted to identifying the particular philosophers with whom Maimonides agrees, and to clarifying the specific points at which he disagrees with his predecessors. 1 As Maimonides makes clear, he is not offering his readers a full, let alone original, exposition of any one area of philosophical discourse. He assumes that the reader knows the material, and can follow him in his adoption or rejection of it. Of course, he does not fully subscribe to either of the two dominant philosophical paradigms current in his time, the Aristotelian or the Neoplatonic. But he does not critique them wholesale either.

Alfred L. Ivry, “Preface,” in Arthur Hyman and Alfred L. Ivry, eds., Maimonidean Studies, vol. 5 (New York: Yeshiva University Press, 2008), xiii-xiv

Alfred L. Ivry, “Moses Maimonides: An Averroist avant la lettre?” Maimonidean Studies, vol. 5 (2008): 121-139

Alfred L. Ivry, “Averroes’ Understanding of the Philosopher’s Role in Society,” in Anna Akasoy and Wim Raven, eds., Islamic Thought in the Middle Ages: Studies in Text Transmission and Translation, in Honour of Hans Daiber (Brill: Leiden, 2008), 113-122

Alfred L. Ivry, “The Image of Moses in Maimonides’ Thought,” in Aviezer Ravitzky, ed., Maimonides: Conservation, Originality, Revolution, vol. 2 (Jerusalem: Shazar, 2008), 481-497 (Hebrew)

Alfred L. Ivry, “The Ontological Entailments of Averroes’ Understanding of Perception,” in Simo Knuuttila and Pekka Kärkkäinen, eds., Theories of Perception in Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy (Dordrecht: Springer, 2008), 73-86

is the foremost medieval commentator on Aristotle. As such, his thoughts on perception are found ... more is the foremost medieval commentator on Aristotle. As such, his thoughts on perception are found in a number of his writings, particularly in his commentaries on the Parva naturalia 1 and the De anima. Helmut Gätje, Harry Wolfson and others have studied Averroes' views on this subject, 2 and they have located him within the Islamic philosophical tradition of his predecessors.

Alfred L. Ivry, “Guide 2:24 and All That (i)jâza,” Aleph, vol. 8 (2008): 237-246

Alfred L. Ivry, “Themistius,” in Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 19 (2007), 691

Alfred L. Ivry, “Soul,” in Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 19 (2007), 33-35

Alfred L. Ivry, “Nature,” in Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 15 (2007), 33-35

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Islamic Philosophy, Science, Culture and Religion: Studies in Honor of Dimitri Gutas’, eds. Felicitas Opwis and David Reisman,” Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, no. 42 (2015): 369-373

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Exchange and Transmission Across Cultural Boundaries’,” Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, no. 41 (2014): 335-340

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘The Matter and Form of Maimonides’ Guide’, by Josef Stern,” Speculum, vol. 89, no. 2 (April 2014): 546-548

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Avicenna and His Legacy: A Golden Age of Science and Philosophy’, by Y. Tzvi Langermann,” Speculum, vol. 89, no. 1 (January 2014): 214-216

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Maimonides in his World: Portrait of a Mediterranean Thinker’, by Sarah Stroumsa,” Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, no. 39 (2012): 487-492

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Maimonides on the Origin of the World’, by Kenneeth Seeskin,” Philosophy in Review, vol. 26, no. 1 (February 2006)

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Moses Maimonides: The Man and His Works’, by Herbert A. Davidson,” Journal of the History of Philosophy, vol. 43, no. 4 (October 2005): 484-485

read Plato well (111). Walter Leszl's long article, "Plato's Attitude to poetry and the fine arts... more read Plato well (111). Walter Leszl's long article, "Plato's Attitude to poetry and the fine arts, and the origins of aesthetics" , is, in fact, only part I of a longer discussion, the second part of which will appear in volume II of this series (asterisked note to 199) in which he tries to replace Kristeller's view that the system of "fine arts" is a distinctively modern idea and hence absent in ancient authors. The weakness of the case as stated thus far is that Leszl fails to recognize the important distinction between concepts explicitly articulated and those which later scholars find "implied" by what ancients "must have" thought and confirmed by certain "traces" in what they write. Like Leszl's article, Francesco Bearzi's "Il contesto noetico del Simposio" (199-251) is part of a much longer connected study of the four passages-Diotima's speech in the Symposium, Republic, excursus in Seventh Letter, and Phaedrus 247-50-in which intellectual intuition is treated. Despite its seemingly mysterious language, he sees the view presented as rigorously rational.

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Happiness in Premodern Judaism: Virtue, Knowledge, and Well-Being’, by Hava Tirosh-Samuelson,” Iyyun, vol. 54 (July 2005): 324-330

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Maimonides and the Hermeneutics of Concealment’, by James A. Diamond; and ‘Politics and the Limits of Law’, by Menachem Lorberbaum,” AJS Review, vol. 28, no. 2 (November 2004): 361-364

Different attitudes are linked to the Sunni-Shi'i divide, and the influence of Sufism is discusse... more Different attitudes are linked to the Sunni-Shi'i divide, and the influence of Sufism is discussed. The attention to saints among Jews (often, but not only, termed tzaddikim), serves to underline that one is dealing with a widespread phenomenon which elite literati could not eliminate from their purview. It is not clear why Christian groups are not included in the study, particularly as they are occasionally mentioned and because some of the shrines are traditionally attributed to Christian figures like St. John the Baptist, known as Yahya b. Zakariya.

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Jewish and Islamic Philosophy: Crosspollinations in the Classic Age’, by Lenn E. Goodman,” Journal of the History of Philosophy, vol. 41, no. 2 (April 2003): 271-272

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Searching for a Distant God: The Legacy of Maimonides’, by Kenneth Seeskin,” Shofar, vol. 20, no. 2 (Winter 2002): 166-168

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Oeuvres philosophiques et scientifiques d’al-Kindî, vol. 2: Métaphysique et cosmologie’, by Roshdi Rashed and Jean Jolivet,” Isis, vol. 92, no. 1 (March 2001): 155-156

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed, Part One’, trans. by Michael Schwarz,” Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 91, no. 3-4 (January-April 2001): 482-484

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Maïmonide et le problème de la personne’, by Thierry Alcoloumbre,” Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 91, no. 3-4 (January-April 2001): 479-481

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘La filsofia antica nel Medioevo ebraico: Le traduzioni egraiche medievali dei testi filosofici antichi’, by Mauro Zonta,” Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 90, no. 1-2 (July-October 1999): 207-208

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Evil and Suffering in Jewish Philosophy’, by Oliver Leaman,” Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 89, no. 3-4 (January-April 1999): 434-436

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Jewish Philosophy and the Academy’, eds. Emil Fackenheim and Raphael Jospe,” Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 89, no. 3-4 (January-April 1999): 432-433

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Dilemmas in Modern Jewish Thought: The Dialectics of Revelation and History’, by Michael M. Morgan,” Shofar, vol. 14, no. 2 (Winter 1996): 163-165

Dilemmas in Modern Jewish Thought: The Dialectics of Revelation and History, by Michael M. Morgan... more Dilemmas in Modern Jewish Thought: The Dialectics of Revelation and History, by Michael M. Morgan. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992. 181 pp. Michael Morgan, Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Studies at Indiana University, here presents a series of essays, written within the last decade and a half, which explore the dialectical relationship of revelation and history. The complexity and tensions of that relationship are aptly captured in the first essay of the book, in which Morgan writes (p. 12) that "genuine Jewish religiosity can neither dispose of nor be enslaved to history. Judaism is about history and transcendence and their intermingling." The principal figures examined from this dual political and metaphysical perspective are Spinoza, Mendelssohn, Leo Strauss, Franz Rosenzweig, and Emil Fackenheim. The book is dedicated to Fackenheim and is thoroughly infused with his teachings. While not unaware of proble his mentor's approach, Morgan is a loyal and loving disciple, as re other works of his will know.

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Alfarabi, Avicenna and Averroes, On Intellect’, by Herbert A. Davidson,” International Studies in Philosophy, vol. 29, no. 2 (1997): 124-125

Alfred L. Ivry, “Review of ‘Maimonides: A Guide for Today’s Perplexed’, by Kenneth Seeskin,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, vol. 63, no. 1 (Spring 1995): 153-155

Alfred L. Ivry, *Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: A Philosophical Guide* (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2016)

*Maimonidean Studies, vol. 5*, eds. Arthur Hyman and Alfred L. Ivry (New York: Yeshiva University Press, 2008)

Alfred L. Ivry, *Averroës’ Middle Commentary on Aristotle’s De Anima* (Jerusalem: The Israel Academy of Arts and Science, 2003)

Alfred L. Ivry, *Averroës’ Middle Commentary on Aristotle's De Anima* (Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2002)

*Perspectives on Jewish Thought and Mysticism: Alexander Altmann Memorial Volume*, eds. Alfred L. Ivry, et al. (Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998)

*Averroës’ Middle Commentaries on Aristotle’s De Anima*, ed. Alfred L. Ivry (Cairo: The Egyptian Academy of the Arabic Language and Supreme Council of Culture, 1994)

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Alexander Altmann, *The Meaning of Jewish Existence*, ed. Alfred L. Ivry (Hanover and London: Brandeis University Press, 1991)

*Thought and Action: Essays in Memory of Simon Rawidowicz on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of his Death*, eds. A.A. Greenbaum and Alfred L. Ivry (Haifa: Tcherikover, 1983)

Alfred L. Ivry, *The Treatise on the Perfection of the Soul by Moses of Narbonne* (Jerusalem: The Israel Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1977)

Alfred L. Ivry, *Al-Kindi’s Metaphysics: Translation and Commentary* (Albany: SUNY Press, 1974)