Introduction to the History of Hebrew Philosophy

...who have set a value upon it, it is my intention to deal with philosophy. Since very many schools original: "sectae"; here referring to distinct philosophical traditions or "sects" of Greek philosophy have emerged, the rules of the plan to which I have once bound myself demand that I explain them individually. Indeed, those schools that arose in a more recent age demand this from us as if by their own right; for it is proper to deal more accurately with matters that touch us more closely, as the benefit that flows to us from them is more obvious.

I confess that the field I am entering is vast, and neither the lifespan nor the strength of a single man is sufficient to run its course. Yet, I do not allow myself to be turned away from my purpose by that argument. It is not within a person's power to set fixed limits on their own strength or age; however, it is rightly considered one's duty to apply whatever of these they have received from God, so that they do not seem to have passed through life in silence, like the cattle This is a famous allusion to the Roman historian Sallust's work, The Conspiracy of Catiline, where he argues that humans must exert their minds to avoid being like "beasts of the field" who live only for their physical appetites. which nature has made downcast and obedient to their bellies.

Therefore, even if I cannot complete this race, I will run as far as the reasons I have given, the duties of the office I hold, and other circumstances that might hinder a successful beginning will allow. Yet, so that what is published in this manner does not appear incomplete, I intend to treat the individual parts of the history so that no part depends on another. Thus, it will ultimately be the same whether the remaining parts follow, or whether the thread is broken after only one or two have been brought to public light.

In all these schools, moreover, I will conduct myself in such a way that