CHAPTER 4: BAHYA IBN PAQUDA – THE PHILOSOPHER OF THE HEART

CHAPTER 4: BAHYA IBN PAQUDA – THE PHILOSOPHER OF THE HEART In this chapter, narrator Shelomó ibn Gabirol transports us to 11th-century Zaragoza, a vibrant intellectual center under the Banu Hud dynasty. Here we meet Bahya ibn Paquda, a Jewish judge and thinker who, concerned about the mechanization of faith, wrote his masterpiece, "The Duties of the Heart" (Hovot ha-Levavot). The work, a synthesis of Neoplatonism, Islamic theology, and Jewish tradition, proposes a spiritual path of ten "gates" to move from external observance to inner devotion. From the rational proof of God's unity (tawhīd) to pure love as the ultimate goal, Bahya offers a map of the soul that profoundly influenced Jewish piety for centuries, becoming a pillar of the spiritual life of Zaragoza's Jewish quarter and a treasure of Sephardic wisdom. CREDITS AND SOURCES Narrator: Ibn Gabirol (Shelomó ibn Gabirol) Direction and Production: Javier Bona López Documentation and Advisory: Miguel Ángel Motis Dolader (San Jorge University of Zaragoza) Final Note “If you enjoyed this episode, I invite you to share it and help spread the word. You can also listen to our other series on the medieval Jewish quarters of Calatayud, Tarazona, and Híjar on the three main podcasting platforms.” Sources and Bibliography [1] LOMBA FUENTES, Joaquín. “The Duties of the Hearts by Ibn Paquda.” Espíritu: Journal of the Balmesiana Philosophical Institute, Vol. 46, No. 115, 1997, pp. 67–76. [2] RUIZ CALLEJÓN, Encarnación. “Bahya ibn Paquda: ‘What Reason Desires Is Something for Which It Is Not Prepared’.” Chilean Journal of Medieval Studies, No. 5, 2014, pp. 33–52. [3] IBN PAQUDA, Bahya. The Duties of the Hearts. Translation, introduction, and notes by Joaquín Lomba Fuentes, Fundación Universitaria Española, 1994. [4] MOTIS DOLADER, Miguel Ángel. The Jewish Quarter of Zaragoza. Guide published by the Zaragoza City Council, 2005. Zakhor. Remember. Shalom.