Overview
Saadia ben Joseph (882–942), gaon of Sura, wrote The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, the first systematic Jewish philosophical theology in the Islamic world. He defended rabbinic Judaism against Karaites and used Arabic kalām methods to show that Torah and intellect agree when both are rightly understood.
Main ideas
God gave both revelation and intellect so tradition can be verified by demonstration. Inquiry is commanded, not forbidden. The world is created ex nihilo rather than co-eternal with God. Divine justice requires that obedience and disobedience not share the same outcome.
Major works
- The Book of Beliefs and Opinions
- Commentary on Sefer Yetzirah
- Biblical translations and commentaries
Legacy
Saadia founded medieval Jewish rational theology and supplied vocabulary for later figures including Halevi and Maimonides, even where they revise his kalām.