The Texture of the Divine: Imagination in Medieval Islamic and Jewish Thought

by Aaron W. Hughes

The Texture of the Divine explores the central role of the imagination in the shared symbolic worlds of medieval Islam and Judaism. Aaron W. Hughes looks closely at three interrelated texts known as the Hayy ibn Yaqzan cycle (dating roughly from 1000--1200 CE) to reveal the interconnections not only between Muslims and Jews, but also between philosophy, mysticism, and literature. Each of the texts is an initiatory tale, recounting a journey through the ascending layers of the universe. These narratives culminate in the imaginative apprehension of God, in which the traveler gazes into the divine presence. The tales are beautiful and poetic literary works as well as probing philosophical treatises on how the individual can know the unknowable. In this groundbreaking work, Hughes reveals the literary, initiatory, ritualistic, and mystical dimensions of medieval Neoplatonism. The Texture of the Divine also includes the first complete English translation of Abraham Ibn Ezra's Hay ben Meqitz.

Genres: Judaism, Islam

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[David]

In The Texture of the Divine Jonathan Ray dissects three initiatory tales from the Islamic and Jewish writers who lived in Spain during the Middle Ages. Ray systematically developed his thesis about the value of the initiatory tale in illustrating the Neoplatonic philosophy of these writers. He also was effective at showing the unique cultural touchstones relevant to the writers.

I was most interested in his interpretation of Avraham Ibn Ezra's Hay ben Meqitz because I thoroughly enjoy Medieval Jewish poetry and was most familiar with it. Another bonus of this book is that he does a complete translation of Hay ben Meqitz which is beautiful. Ray explained the reverence for beauty during the time period and it's connection to the divine. "Music, poetry, as well as thoughtful worship, are the preparatory stages through which the [initiate] begins a process that culminates in the conjunction with G-d.” (p. 94) Using the beauty of prose and a story about a novice learning from a master about connecting to G-d, all the authors were able to express aspects of their love of G-d and how to find it ourselves.

Ray also distinguished how ibn Ezra's initiatory tale contained a uniquely Jewish emphasis that focused on informed action. “In typical Jewish fashion, [the initiate of ibn Ezra's tale] realizes that he must now put the theoretical knowledge that he has acquired on his journey into praxis. It is not sufficient that the protagonist has received this knowledge; he must now return to society and work for its improvement.” (p. 125).

It was intriguing to discover the medieval relationship of the creation, perception and imagination of beauty as a gateway to the Divine. This belief certainly resonates with religious thought today in the way religious people discuss the beauty of a sunrise or other natural phenomenon. I suppose a big difference is now poetry is not as venerated as it was in the past. The full text of the two Muslim writers that Ray discussed was not included in the book and that would have added to the appreciation of these prose.