Kreisel, Howard

Howard Kreisel is a prominent scholar of medieval Jewish philosophy and holds the Miriam Martha Hubert Chair in Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His extensive research focuses on medieval Jewish philosophical traditions, particularly the rationalist schools and their understanding of prophecy, divine knowledge, and religious epistemology. His major work "Prophecy: The History of an Idea in Medieval Jewish Philosophy" (2001) provides a comprehensive analysis of how Jewish philosophers from Saadia Gaon through the 15th century conceptualized prophecy, examining tensions between philosophical and traditional religious accounts. Kreisel has made significant contributions to understanding Maimonides' thought, the influence of Islamic philosophy on Jewish thinkers, and the development of Jewish Aristotelianism. His scholarship illuminates how medieval Jewish philosophers negotiated between revelation and reason in their conceptions of divine-human communication.