Stoic Physics in the Writings of R. Saadia Ga'on al-Fayyumi and its Aftermath in Medieval Jewish Mysticism*

Abstract

R. Saadia Ga'on (882–942) of Baghdad sought to avoid anthropomorphism by arguing that scriptural phrases which seem to ascribe materiality to the Deity in fact refer not to God Himself, but rather to a created entity, God's Glory, which he described as a very tenuous “air.” This paper argues that Saadia's conception of a quasi-divine “air” through which God accomplishes His acts in the material world is heavily indebted to the Stoic theory of pneuma . It follows that the immanentist theology of Ḥasidey Ashkenaz (German Pietists), which is known to have been substantially influenced by Saadia, in fine is also indebted to Stoic philosophy and physics.

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