The Image of King Solomon in Simone Luzzatto’s Writings
In: Simone Luzzatto’s Scepticism in the Context of Early Modern ThoughtSearch for other papers by Warren Zev Harvey in
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Abstract
The biblical figure cited most often by Rabbi Simone Luzzatto, both in his Discourse and in his Socrates, is King Solomon, who is cited more than Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, or any other prophet or king. He is often quoted as a source of political wisdom, and his views are sometimes said to concur with those of Plato, Aristotle, Tacitus, or other classical authors. On occasion, the views cited in his name seem to be in conversation with those of Machiavelli and other Italian thinkers. Like Socrates in Plato’s Apology (20e–21a), Solomon was called “the wisest of all human beings” (1 Kgs 5:9–11; see 1 Chr 2:6). In Luzzatto’s writings, both Solomon and Socrates represent wisdom, but the two are not identical. Solomon’s wisdom, for example, is more political, economic, and pragmatic, while Socrates’s wisdom is more scientific and sceptical. Who is the wisest of all human beings in Luzzatto’s eyes? In order to answer this question, this chapter provides an overview of all the passages from the Discourse and Socrates in which Solomon is either referenced or cited.