The Book on Spirit and Soul

Isaac al-Isrā’īlī

Kitāb fī l-rūḥ wa-’l-nafs, 1-3, 7-9, 15

Early 10th Century

The Book on Spirit and Soul and the Difference between the Two, compiled by Rabbi Isaac, the Son of Solomon, known as the Israelite, the Physician, may his Soul rest in Peace

Isaac, the son of Solomon, the physician, says: Know that the soul is a resplendent simple substance; “simple” means: exempt from composition and the qualities, viz. warmth…

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The Book on Spirit and Soul (Kitāb fī l-rūḥ wa-’l-nafs) is one of al-Isrā’īlī’s most Jewish-focused philosophical texts. Al-Isrā’īlī details a Neoplatonic view of the soul and its relationship to human mortality, offers an approach to reward and punishment of the rational soul in the hereafter, and cites from the Hebrew Bible for support of his views. This work attracted attention from later Neoplatonists. It survives mainly in medieval Hebrew translation, though parts of the Arabic original have also been discovered. This excerpt focuses on the nature of the soul and how it is treated in the next world.

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