Debating Philosophy in the Medieval Jewish Community of Montpellier

The 1304-1306 controversy over the role of rationalist philosophy in Jewish culture and society engulfed the entire regions of Occitania and northern Iberia in heated debate, but took special form in Montpellier. There, most participants in the discussion were moderates who appreciated the contributions of Greco-Islamic philosophy to intellectual life, but were artificially polarized by the introduction of legislation limiting the study of such philosophy. My paper will examine how the necessity of choosing to support or oppose the legislative proposal changed the course of the public discussion, arguing that most participants were in agreement about the core subjects of the controversy but were radicalized. This created a situation in which the dominant Maimonideanism so characteristic of the region was seriously challenged. Ultimately, however, the upheaval of the expulsion of Jews from Montpellier in the fall of 1306 halted the legislative effort, resulting in an efflorescence of philosophical writings among resettled Occitan Jews during the fourteenth century. I will also explore the ways in which philosophy was publicly discussed in Montpellier, with special attention to the public nature of the debate and the social pressures employed by both proponents and opponents of the ban to gain support for their views.