'''Hasdai ben Abraham Crescas''' (Hebrew: '''חסדאי קרשקש''') (born in Barcelona, Catalonia c. 1340 - 1410/1411) was a Jewish_philosopher and a renowned Halakhist (teacher of Jewish law). == Biography == Hasdai Crescas came from a family of scholars; he was a disciple of the Talmudist and philosopher Nissim ben Reuben, known as ''The RaN''. Following in the footsteps of his teacher he became a Talmudic authority and a philosopher of great originality. He is considered important in the history of modern thought for his deep influence on Baruch_Spinoza. While Crescas did not occupy an official position as Rabbi, he seems to have been active as a teacher. Among his fellow students and friends, Isaac_ben_Sheshet (known as the ''RIBaSH''), famous for his Responsa, takes precedence. Joseph_Albo is the best known of his pupils, but at least two others have won recognition, Rabbi Mattathias of Saragossa, and Rabbi Zechariah ha-Levi. Crescas was a man of means. As such he was appointed sole executor of the will of his uncle Vitalis Azday by the King of Aragon in 1393. Still, though enjoying the high esteem even of prominent non-Jews, he did not escape the common fate of his coreligionists. Imprisoned upon a false accusation in 1378, he suffered personal indignities because he was a Jew. His only son died in 1391, a martyr for his faith, during the anti-Semitic persecutions of that period. Nevertheless he kept his faith. Notwithstanding this bereavement, his mental powers were unbroken; for the works that have made him immortal were written after that terrible year. Another episode of his life worthy of note is connected with the appearance of the pseudo-Messiah of Cisneros, one of whose adherents he became. In 1401-02 he visited Joseph_Orabuena at Pamplona at the request of the King of Navarre, who paid the expenses of his journey to various Navarrese towns (Jacobs, l.c. Nos. 1570, 1574). He was at that time described as "Rav of Saragossa." == His works == His works on Jewish law, if indeed ever committed to writing – have not reached us. But his concise philosophical work ''Or Adonai'', ''The Light of the Lord'' became a classical Jewish refutation of medieval Aristotelianism, and a harbinger of the scientific revolution in the 16th century. Three of his writings have been preserved: # His letter to the congregations of Avignon, published as an appendix to Wiener's edition of "Shevet Yehudah" (see above), in which he relates the incidents of the persecution of 1391. # An exposition and refutation of the main doctrines of Christianity. This "tratado" was written in Catalan in 1398. The Catalan original is no longer extant; but a Hebrew translation by Joseph_ibn_Shem-Tov, with the title ("Refutation of the Cardinal Principles of the Christians"), has been preserved. The work was composed at the solicitation of Spanish noblemen. Crescas' object in writing what is virtually an apologetic treatise on Judaism was to present the reasons which held the Jews fast to their ancestral faith. # His primary work, ''Or_Adonai_(book)'', ''The Light of the Lord''. A separate article exists on this topic. A commentary on the Talmudic tractate Gittin, historically attributed to the 13th century Rabbi Yom_Tov_Asevilli (''Ritva''), has been more recently attributed by many scholars to Hasdai Crescas{{fact}}. == Works == * ''The Light of the Lord'' (Hebrew: ''Or Hashem'' or ''Or Adonai'') * ''The Refutation of the Christian Principles'' (polemics and some philosophy) * ''Passover Sermon'' (religious philosophy and some halakha) == Important studies == * Harry Austryn Wolfson, ''Crescas' Critique of Aristotle''. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1929. Crescas, Hasdai Crescas, Hasdai Crescas, Hasdai Crescas, Hasdai Crescas, Hasdai Crescas, Hasdai Crescas, Hasdai Fr:Hasdaï_Crescas He:חסדאי_קרשקש