From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Isaac Husik
Isaac Husik
he received a Masters degree in Mathematics in 1899. Ul-
timately, however, his interests turned to the study of
the classics, especially Aristotle, and he received his Ph.D.
in Philosophy from University of Pennsylvania in 1903.
His thesis, entitled Judah Messer Leon’s Commentary on the
Vetus Logica, was published in Leyden in 1906.
While still a student at Penn, Husik accepted an In-
structorship in Hebrew and Bible at Gratz College, but
simultaneously remained an instructor in Philosophy at
Penn. He eventually left Gratz, and was appointed full
Professor of Philosophy at Penn in 1922. He taught class-
es also at Yeshiva College, Hebrew Union College, and Co-
lumbia University Summer School.
In 1923, Husik was appointed editor of the Jewish
Publication Society of America, in which capacity he
served until his death. He additionally served in a wide
range of voluntary communal positions, and married
Rose Gorfine late in life. He died suddenly at the age of
63. The philosopher Leo Strauss called him in his "Preface
to Isaac Husik, Philosophical Essys: Ancient, Medieval, and
Modern" (1952): "one of the most distinguished historians
of philosophy America had produced".
Works
Husik’s best known work is A History of Mediaeval Jewish
Portrait of Isaac Husik
Husik. Philosophy [1] (Jewish Publication Society, 1916, and sev-
eral times thereafter), which was considered at the time
Isaac Husik (1876–1939) (Hebrew: )יצחק הוזיקwas a to be a pioneering effort in English-language scholarship.
Jewish historian, translator, and student of philosophy, Like Julius Guttmann’s Philosophies of Judaism, Husik’s
one of the first three individuals to serve as official facul- book offers rather thin treatment of mystical topics and
ty at Gratz College in Philadelphia. thinkers, instead favoring the rational face of Jewish
thought. Husik had extensive knowledge of Hebrew, Ara-
bic, German, and Greek, and relied heavily on primary
Biography sources in these languages when available.
Husik was born in Vasseutinez near Kiev, Ukraine on A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy discusses the
10 February 1876. Because of the worsening climate un- philosophies of the following individuals:
der the Russian imperial May Laws, in 1888, when he • Isaac Israeli
was 12 years old, he moved with his mother to Philadel- • David ben Merwan al-Mukkamas
phia. His father, the teacher Wolf Husik, rejoined them • Saadia ben Joseph al-Fayyumi
the following year. Isaac received his early instruction • Joseph al-Basir
from his father and from Dr. Sabato Morais, rabbi at the • Joshua ben Judah
Sephardic congregation Kahal Kadosh Mikveh Israel in • Solomon ibn Gabirol
Philadelphia, and one of the founders of the Jewish Theo- • Bahya ibn Pakuda
logical Seminary (JTS). Husik attended JTS while prepar- • Pseudo-Bahya
ing for secular studies, and received direct guidance from • Abraham bar Hiyya
Dr. Morais, but did not ultimately pursue a rabbinical ca- • Joseph ibn Zaddik
reer. • Judah Halevi
Husik attended Central High School (Philadelphia), • Moses ibn Ezra
and then enrolled at University of Pennsylvania, where • Abraham ibn Ezra
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Isaac Husik
• Abraham ibn Daud October 2, 1940, Volume 41.. Philadelphia: Jewish
• Moses Maimonides Publication Society of America. pp. 57–65.
• Hillel ben Samuel
• Levi ben Gerson
• Aaron ben Elijah of Nicomedia
External links
• Hasdai ben Abraham Crescas • Works by Isaac Husik at Project Gutenberg
• Joseph Albo See also: Husik
Among Husik’s other works are a translation of Joseph Persondata
Albo’s Book of Principles ( )ספר העקריםin five volumes, Name Husik, Isaac
which restores many passages removed by Christian cen-
Alternative names
sors, a translation of von Ihering’s Law as a Means to an End
(Zweck im Recht), and a translation of Stammler’s The The- Short description
ory of Justice. Date of birth 1876
Place of birth
References Date of death 1939
• Husik, Isaac (1916/1940). A History of Mediaeval Jewish Place of death
Philosophy. New York: Meridian Books. [2]
• Greenstone, Julius H. (1939). "Isaac Husik". The
American Jewish Yearbook 5700: September 14, 1939 to
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isaac_Husik&oldid=436286537"
Categories:
• 1876 births
• 1939 deaths
• 19th-century American people
• 20th-century American people
• 19th-century Ukrainian people
• 19th-century writers
• 20th-century writers
• Jewish American writers
• Jewish Ukrainian writers
• Gratz College
• Yeshiva University faculty
• Hebrew Union College faculty
• Columbia University faculty
• University of Pennsylvania alumni
• Ukrainian Jews
• American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
• Imperial Russian emigrants to the United States
• Ukrainian emigrants to the United States
• People from Kiev
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