Amour et Sagesse. Les Dialogues d’amour de Juda Abravanel dans la tradition salomonienne

The Dialogues of Love by Yehudah Abravanel (c. 1465 – c. 1525) is one of the most interesting examples of the encounter between Renaissance Platonism and Jewish tradition. Exploring some of the dialogic models for Yehudah’s work as well as the influence of the Biblical commentaries by his father Isaac, this book re-reads the Dialogues in the light of medieval interpretations of the Song of Songs and Solomonic tradition. Already adopted by some Renaissance Jewish readers, this perspective suggests a new interpretation of the Dialogues: Yehudah’s work may be regarded as an allegory of the encounter between a Jewish teacher – Philon – and the “foreign science” of philosophy – Sophia – which both seduces him and questions his wisdom.

Angela Guidi is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the French Research Center in Jerusalem (CRFJ). Her research focuses on the relationship between Jewish and Christian literature and philosophy in Europe (15th – 17th centuries).