Background
He was born in Bagnols and lived in Orange and Avignon, but little is known of his life.
He was born in Bagnols and lived in Orange and Avignon, but little is known of his life.
In his book, Levi describes an improved quadrant which he had invented, more easy to handle than the clumsy instruments previously used. The famous astronomer Regiomontanus was so impressed that he followed Levi’s instructions to build an instrument which he called Jacob’s staff. This was utilized by all the great explorers, including Columbus, for their calculations and remained in nautical use for three hundred years. He also devised a camera obscura for astronomical observation and put forward an original explanation for the movement of the stars. He wrote a treatise on a cure for gout and an exposition of parts of Euclid’s Elements.
Levi commented on most books of the Bible. His explanations contained both grammatical and lex-icographical interpretations as well as summaries of the philosophical and ethical aspects. In seeking to reconcile the Pentateuch with the philosophy of his day, he often resorted to symbolism and allegory.
His Wars of the Lord was meant to fill in lacunae left by earlier thinkers, notably Moses Maimonides. Its six philosophical sections deal with the soul (psychology), prophecy, God’s knowledge, divine providence, the nature of the heavens (cosmology), and the eternity of matter.
Some of his ideas, notably on divine knowledge, were regarded as heretical and led some Jewish thinkers to ban his works for study (they called his book “The Wars against The Lord”). Spinoza was among those he influenced. According to Levi, the world was not created out of nothing but was formed from eternal matter. A strong believer in astrology, he held that whatever happens on earth depends on the celestial spheres.