Introduction to the History of Hebrew Philosophy

A 2

In the Great Rabbinic Library, Volume I, page 56 and following.

(b) There are some who claim that Adam was the most skilled master of all arts and disciplines. Athanasius Kircher Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680) was a famous Jesuit polymath known for his attempts to decode Egyptian hieroglyphs and his massive works on every imaginable subject, from volcanoes to music. asserts, in his work The Egyptian Oedipus, Volume 2, Part 1, Class 2, page 48, that Adam was a theologian, philosopher, physician, astrologer, chemist, and mathematician, based on the testimony of the Rabbis and the Samaritan Paraphrast The "Samaritan Paraphrast" refers to the Samaritan Targum, a translation and explanation of the Torah used by the Samaritan community.. Others agree with him, and for this reason, Pierre Bayle Pierre Bayle (1647–1706) was a French philosopher and pioneer of the Enlightenment, famous for his skepticism and his massive Historical and Critical Dictionary. ridicules them in his Historical and Critical Dictionary under the entry for Adam. Truly, the things these authors claim are not only uncertain, but are for the most part false. For in those disciplines which today make up the circle of erudition The "circle of erudition" (Latin: circulus eruditionis) is a literal translation of the Greek enkyklios paideia, from which we get the word "encyclopedia"—the complete cycle of knowledge an educated person should possess., many useless things are included, as well as many things that can only be established through the experience of many centuries.

But if Adam’s wisdom is confined within the limits we have established, these difficulties naturally vanish. Even more uncertain are the things some people relate concerning the books written by Adam; on this matter, one should consult Peter Lambecius in his Introduction to the History of Literature, Book 1, chapter 3, section 2. Furthermore, Pierre Bayle, in the place cited above, criticizes Juan Eusebio Nieremberg Juan Eusebio Nieremberg (1595–1658) was a Spanish Jesuit mystic and prolific author who wrote on natural history and theology. in his Origin of the Holy Scriptures, Book 2, chapter 13, for presenting certain songs original Latin: cantica, often referring to hymns or psalms. composed by Adam as if they were authentic. Nor has it been sufficiently proven whether Adam was the inventor of writing original Latin: litterarum auctor, literally the "author of letters" or the alphabet.; on this point, very learned men also disagree with one another. Compare Samuel Petit Samuel Petit (1594–1643) was a French Protestant scholar of ancient law and history. in his Observations, Book 2, chapter 1, and Thomas Bang Thomas Bang (1600–1661) was a Danish theologian and philologist who wrote extensively on the divine origin of the Hebrew language. in his...