323
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
323
sermons
<lclivi'ioil
in various
batlis, festivals, anil oilier
Biiii.in(;RAiMiv
synagogues on
occasions (Venice,
De Doion. ItcxiMiiim Lrhnn
Ilnli,
^^
Sal)lOO'J).
Nos. 73
M(/.; Itot'st, CutiiUniur It/ iht liitmtilhiil lAiiraiy,
Stelnschni'iiliT, Cut. ll'titl. No. IHS7 ; KuufiuuDU, Uic
littKiUu (see Index), Lelpsic, 1884.
1.
cl
KTil
SUtne,
M. K.
ALBERTI, CONKAD (pseudonym for
RAD SITTENFELD) Girnian novelist,
and actor; born
CONdram
Breslau.
,Iuly U.
Having tinislied his education in his native
IHIi'i.
city, he went to Berlin, where he became an actor.
After a few years he returned to his studies and devoteil himself entirely to literary work. He was one
of the jiioneers of naluralism in Uermany. which
introduced realism inin literature, sociological aspects into literary criticism, and which culminated
alisl,
in
erilie.
al
Sudcrmann and Hauptmaim.
Among
Alberti's many critical books and pamphlets niav be mentioned " Gustav Freytag" (1884
"Bettina von Arniin" (1885), "Ludwig Biirne" (188G), "Ohne t^chminke" (1887), " Der
Jloderne Healismus in der Dcutschen Eitteratur"
2d ed.,
1S8(>),
(1889),"Xalurund Kunst " (18".»1); among his novels:
"
"Riesen und Zwcrge" (188T; 2d ed., 1889), " Plebs
(1887), " Der Kami)f ums Dasein " (a .series of novels,
Albany
THE JEWISH K.NCYCLUl'EDlA
82S
1888-94),
"Fahrende Fran"
(1895);
among
his
dramas: "Brot!" (1888), "Ein Vorurleil " (1891),
"BlulT" (1893), "Die Franziisin" (1894); and among
"
his political writings: " Norddeutsche Heichspolitik
(1896), "TUrkische Zuslilnde" (1896).
Buii.KxiKAPiiv: Meyer, Konvenatiims-Lcxihon, alb
der Sittenfthl.
ed.,
un-
M. B.
ALBERTUS MAGNUS
(Count
BollTill'
most eminent (icrnian ]ihilosoplicr
stadt)
und theologian of the .Middle Ages and the real
founder of the .scii'niilic tendency within the ordi-r
of Dominicans; boiii at Laiiingen, Bavaria, 1193;
During his so(lied at Cologne on the Rhine in I2HI).
journ in Paris, whither he went in 1345 to acquire
the degree of master of theology, he took part in
the conference ordered by I'ope Innocent IV. in 1248,
which decreed the burning of the Talmud, a work
which Albertus .Magnus utilized tlirough tlic' instrumentiilily of .Jewish authors, and to whieli he owed
many useful suggeslions (,IoOl, " Verhilltniss di'S
Albertus .Magnus zu Maimonide.s," p. .iv.). In wide
reading and vei-satility of knowledge he was hurilly
8«rp«.s,sed by any of his contemporaries.
Albertus
Magnus devoleil special attention to Jewish literaof
was accessible to him. The famous
Jewish physician and philosopher Isaac Israeli the
elder, w hos<! views, mostly tiiki'ii from his works,
" De Dilinitionibus" and " De Klenunlis." .lbertus
ture so far as
it
often cpiolis, and to whom hi' ascribes the identilication a
pted by the philosophei-s of ethereal spirits
with the angels of th<- Bible ("Summu Theologiie,"
ii. 2, (|uaslii) 8; ed. Ix'yden, 1651. xviii. 7(i), is consldereii by him as a chief representative of tinJewish philosophy of iMaimonides (" Metaphysica,"
.iii. (|U,islio 76; ed. Eeydin, iii. 375).
AllK'rtus .Magnus devoted special study to the
" Kons Vilie " of Avkkiiuon (Solomon iun G.mliol.).
In II critical survey of the views of the elder
philosopher.s, which is found at the begininng of his
" De Causis et I'rocessu I'niversitatis." not
work
only the doctrines of the Epicuri'ans, of the Stoics,
of Socrates, and of Plato, bit also those of Avicebron. are thoroughly examined.
.Mthough he contesis very strongly most of the
vicwsof .Vvicebron. from the Peripat<>tic standpoint,
he recognizes theoriginalily of the system sketched
Albertus Magnus
out ill the ' Fons Vit.e." According to Avicebron's
philosophy, the unity of the tirst principle which
lienctrates the universe was succeeded by a duality;
namely, (</) the tirst form, identical with the intelligence, and (/)) the first matter, by w hich the form is
supported [if/ii/.v. .532). Form can neither exist without matter, nor matter without form {i/jt'd. p. .562).
Alliertus Magnus not only recognizes the originality of Avicebron in his doctrine of the tirst matter
and the first form, but also in his docAttitude trine of human free-will; he shows
Toward this by calling Solomon ibn Gabirol
Avicebron. the only iihilo.so])lier who represents
the tirst princi|)leasactin,g thnnigh an
inilivjdual will (j/<. p. 549).
The stran,i:e impression
which the doctrine, as outlined in the "Fons Vitic,"
produced upon him led him even to suspect that
this book was not written by Avicebron him.self,
but was foisted upon him by some sophist (p. 5.50;
compare "Sunima Theologiie,"
i.
quieslio 20;
"De
chap. 6). This did
not hinder him. however, from apiiropriating in certain points, as for instance in the division of forms,
the doctrines outlined in that w ork (" De Natura et
Origine Animiv," i. chap. 2; compare " Fons Vitie,"
ed. Bilumker, iv. 32, 255).
Quite dilTcrent from his
attitude toward the doctrine of Gabirol is his attitude toward that of Maimonidcs. the Rabbi Jloyses
-Egyiitus. as he calls him. from whose "Jloreh
Xebukim," which he quotes uniler the title "Dux
Neutrorum." he not only took single pa.ssages.biit entire .sections, and incorporated them into liis works.
Like Maimonides, st^uiiling essentially upt>n the
ground of Arabic .ristotelian philoso|)hy, Albertus
Alagniis, in his etTort to harmonize the doctriiKS of
Biblical revelation, followed in many points the authorof
.MoreliNc Inikim." But. nevertheless, being
inferior to the Jewish thinker in the energy and
solidity of his conception of (he world, he was not
able to estalilish even aiiproxinmtely harmonious relations between reason and revelation as Maimonides
had done. The fundamental principle of his doctrine of the knowledge of God was that, as between
Intellectu et Intelligibili."
the finite
and the
I.
i.
inlinite there exists not the least
analogy, therefore the same attribute, applied to the
finite and to the inlinite. does not signify the same
He was undoubtedly
thing (" D(' Causis." p. .551).
influenced by Maimonides (" Moreli." i. 56) when he
agrees expressly with his allegalion that, except by
divine griue. there is no other knowledge of God possible than bv negative qualilications ("De Causis,"
" M<">reh, " i. .58).
p. 593
Albertus Magnus follows Maimonidi's in the theory
of Creation to a greater extent than any one would
suspect cviii from the lengthy verbaFollower tim ipiolations. World beginning and
of Maieternity, Biblical and Aristotelian cosmonides. mog<my, arc two systems of philosophy that are irreconcilable. Albertus
Magnus follows the guidance of Maimonides the
more willingly on this point, since the latter had
succeeded in shaking the .Vristotelian proofs of the
eternity of the world, without departing, however,
from the principles of Aristotelianism t"Morch," ii.
13-25;
compare
i.
74).
.Mbertussjiysabout this matter in his " Physics" (viii. 1, chaps, xi.. XV.) is derived partly fnuu the
ideas con taini'd in the " .Moreh." partly from long texFollowtual selections taken from the same work.
ing .Maimonides. who refutes the proofs prodiiced
concerning the et<'rnily of the
by the Peripatetics
"Summa TheoW'orld (" Physics. " viii. 1, chap. xi.
logiie." ii. 1,4. 3; compare" MonOi," ii. 14), Albertus
Is of opinion that the eternity of the world must be
What
