Lettrism as Implicit Philosophy in 10th-century Jewish and Muslim Creation Theories
Intellectual History of the Islamicate World August 9, 2024 Elizabeth Sartell
This article presents a comparative reading of two 10th-century Islamicate lettrist works: Kitāb Khawāṣṣ al-ḥurūf by Ibn Masarra and a commentary on the Sefer Yetsirah by Saʿadia Gaon. Close analysis of both treatises emphasizes that philosophy coexists with other ways of knowing in lettrist theories. While some lettrist authors overtly employ a philosophical structure, this paper argues that...