Judah Leon Abravanel
Portuguese Jewish philosopher, physician, and poet known for 'Dialogues of Love'
Chronology: 1460 – 1530
Origins & Early Life
Judah Leon Abravanel or Abrabanel (Hebrew: יְהוּדָה בֶּן יִצְחָק אַבְּרַבַנְאֵל, romanized: Yehuda ben Yitzhak Abravanel; c. 1460 Lisbon – c. 1530? Naples?), otherwise known by the pen name of Leo the Hebrew (in Latin: Leo Hebraeus; in Portuguese: Leão Hebreu; in Italian: Leone Ebreo; in Spanish: León Hebreo; in French: León l'Hebreu), was a Portuguese–Jewish philosopher, physician, and poet.
Pivotal Works & Achievements
He served as personal physician to the Spanish viceroy in Naples and wrote Telunah ʿal ha-Zeman ("Complaint against Time") as well as four poems about his father, Isaac. Abravanel's best-known work was the philosophical dialogue on love Dialoghi di amore ("Dialogues of Love"), regarded as one of the most important philosophical works of its time. In it, human beings come to know love at three levels, "of pleasure, of profit, of virtue", and from these come to recognize love as the ultimate goal of the universe, attainable in its fullest sense only through union with God. The work was widely published and translated during the latter part of the 16th century. == Biography == The Abravanel (or Abrabanel) family was extraordinarily prominent among Jewish families in the Middle Ages, active in public...
Enduring Legacy & Impact
The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.
Source: Wikipedia