8/10/2019 Ben Gershom's Theory of Creationism

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Levi Ben Gershoms Theory of Creationism in the Light of

Averroes Theory of Eternity

Ashraf Hassan Mansour

Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of

Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

Levi ben Gershom (1288-1344), the Catalan Medieval Hebrew Philosopher and one of

the most important Jewish Philosophers in all time, defended the idea of the creation of

the world against the Aristotelian theory of eternity, in opposition to Averroes (1126-1198), the last great philosopher to defend Eternalism before ben Gershom. Although ben

Gershom himself was an Averroist in many respects and was the first of the Jewish

philosophers to study Averroes thoroughly and to offer commentaries on Averroescommentaries on Aristotle, he toke the opposite side on the issue of the origin of the

world. Presenting himself as a defender of faith and of reason at the same time, he

opposed Maimonides (1135-1204) thesis that reason cant prove either the creation orthe eternity of the world. Henceforth he tried to demonstrate creationism on philosophical

bases, showing thereby that reason and faith can go along in harmony, an originally

Averroist theme that ben Gershom twisted it to defend creationism contra Averroes! But

ben Gershom knew well all the problems pertaining to the idea ofcreatio ex nihilo, thatis the impossibility of something coming out of nothing, so he embraced a variety of

creationism, that is, the creation of the world from prime matter, not from total

nothingness, originally a Platonian theory. By this theory, the world will have abeginning in time and will come out of privation, that is a privation of form not matter.

Ben Gershom also defended the idea of the everlastingness of the world though itsbeginning in time, so the world according to him has a beginning but has no end, and that

is what was called Infinitum a parte post, infinity in the future only.

Ben Gershom tried to base his demonstration of creationism on two principles: contingentcharacteristics and teleology, proving that the nature of Heavens corresponds to both of

them. So what makes a thing created is that it contained characteristics that do not

constitute part of its essence or make its existence necessary. And if its existence is forthe purpose of another thing and not for itself, than it is also created. Ben Gershom tried

to apply both those principles on Heavens, repeating thereby the same argument used by

Philoponus (490-570) in countering Aristotles theory of eternity. But this is exactly what

makes ben Gershoms theory superfluous in a comparison with Averroes, becauseAverroes did make many criticisms of Philoponus and based his own theory on a

refutation of Philoponus refutations of Aristotle. So in a thought experiment that makes ahypothetical dialogue between ben Gershom and Averroes, we find that ben Gershoms

theory of eternity cant hold an Averroian criticism.