Report on the International Conference on Abraham Abulafia and the Early Maimonideans: Trends, Approaches, and Sceptical Strategies (March 12–15, 2018)

The purpose of the conference organised by Racheli Haliva was to celebrate and discuss Moshe Idel’s new book, Abraham Abulafia’s Esotericism: On Secrets and Doubts. The book will be published by De Gruyter (Berlin) during 2018– 19 in the MCAS’s publication series Studies and Texts in Scepticism (STIS). The conference focussed on the different trends and sceptical attitudes Maimonideanism took in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries by examining various approaches to major religious topics such as the nature of the Torah, the commandments, the Hebrew language, the people of Israel, and the land of Israel. This comparative approach points to distinctive philosophical trends—as represented by Samuel ibn Tibbon, Shem-Tov ibn Falaquera, Joseph ibn Kaspi, Levi ben Abraham, Isaac Albalag, Moshe Narboni, Zeraḥyah Ḥen, and Hillel of Verona—focussing on major Jewish religious topics. Among these trends, the place of Abraham Abulafia and the early writings of Joseph Gikatilla, both of whom wrote commentaries on Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed, stands out. The questions asked here concern the possibility of drawing a map of radical versus conservative Maimonideanism and to discern whether or not the two kabbalists are as radical as the philosophers in treating the same subject matter. The conference was comprised of Kabbalah and Jewish philosophy scholars, including internationally renowned and established experts alongside new voices of a younger generation. All of the participants had received advance copies of Idel’s book and had explored its various themes and intersections with their own respective research focusses. The conference combined formal lectures with a workshop format, and a considerable amount of time was allocated to free discussion. The report here will provide a chronological talk-by-talk overview and conclude with a short summary of a number of recurring themes that came up during the discussions, which can perhaps provide occasion for subsequent scholarship. The conference opened with David Abulafia (University of Cambridge/UK), whose presentation “Naples and Mediterranean Crossroads” outlined the complicated history of the kingdoms of Sicily and Naples, mainly in the thirteenth century, and provided historical context for the intellectual undertakings explored in the conference. The presentation focussed on the reigns of Frederic II and his successor Charles I of Anjou, their politics and attitude to scholarship and non-Christian groups, and the condition of the Jewish community under both monarchs’ rules. By the time Abraham Abulafia arrived at Capua in 1279, Charles had already stabilised his regime