[SydPhil] Reminder: Invitation – The Belfer Oration in the History of Jewish Philosophy (30 June)

[David Bronstein]

Invitation – The Belfer Oration in the History of Jewish Philosophy (30 June)



The Notre Dame Centre for the History of Philosophy together with The Great Synagogue Sydney cordially invite you to attend The John and Anna Belfer Oration in the History of Jewish Philosophy.



The inaugural lecture in this new annual series, generously endowed by the Belanna Trust, will be delivered by Rabbi Dr Benjamin Elton on the topic ‘The First Rabbinic Philosopher: Saadia Gaon (882-942)’. (Abstract below.)



The John and Anna Belfer Oration will be launched by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, and will feature a special performance by the Choir of The Great Synagogue conducted by Daniel Rojas.



When: Monday, June 30, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM — 7:30 PM (doors open at 5:30pm)
Where: The Great Synagogue, 187A Elizabeth St, Sydney NSW

Attendance is free. Registration is essential.

Register here: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/W2p1C3QNPBi2wEmEKhgf5hQXtRG?domain=events.nd.edu.au
Poster: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/rZRfC4QOPEilyvJv5fxh2h4gL0Q?domain=tinyurl.com

Oration Abstract: Saadia ibn Yusuf al-Fayoumi (882–942), known as Rav Saadia Gaon, transformed Jewish intellectual life in multiple spheres, including biblical exegesis and Hebrew grammar, as well as the focus of this lecture, Jewish philosophy. Although Saadia was not quite the first Jew of his epoch to engage in philosophy, he was by far the most significant Jewish philosopher since Philo of Alexandria 900 years earlier. After Saadia, philosophy remained central to rabbinic Judaism continuously for the next 550 years. It seems, then, that Saadia was responsible for a clear and lasting change in the place philosophical exploration held in Jewish religious and intellectual life. This lecture will ask why and how Saadia achieved this transformation of the role of philosophy in Judaism, why he was the first rabbinic philosopher, and to what extent his efforts ensured that he was far from the last.


--
David Bronstein, PhD
Co-Director, Centre for the History of Philosophy<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/lbv6C5QPXJi6oD0D9syiQhkgNi3?domain=notredame.edu.au>
Director, Institute for Ethics and Society<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/awbHC6XQ4LfyEBoBmh5sph5McKx?domain=notredame.edu.au>
Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow
University of Notre Dame Australia (Sydney)
Australian Research Council Future Fellow, 2023-26
Associate Editor, Australasian Journal of Philosophy
Recently published:
Aristotelian Metaphysics: Essays in Honour of David Charles (OUP)<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/r8XnC71R2NTZvJmJNfqtkhoQyPB?domain=global.oup.com>
Definition and Essence from Aristotle to Kant (Routledge)<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/RhcTC81V0PTYlKjKquwuOhy-NEe?domain=routledge.com>

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