Epicurus and epicureanism in rabbinic literature, maimonides, and rabbi nachman of breslov

Although the authors of the Tannaitic and Amoraitic literature were unaware of the philosophical doctrines of Epicurus, they were aware of the attitudes and behavior of members of the Epicurean sect and offered a valuable account of the interaction of Epicureans with rabbinic figures. Actual knowledge of Epicurus’s doctrines appears first in Islamic Spain and reaches its most developed form in the discussions of Maimonides in the Mishneh Torah and the Guide of the Perplexed. In the MT, Maimonides reworks the Talmudic material in light of his knowledge of the philosophical opinions of Epicurus. In the Guide he suggests that Kalam theology can be understood as a religious form of Epicureanism, and this is one of his reasons for opposing the Kalam. Maimonides believes that Aristotle has disproved Epicurus, but his arguments on this point contain weaknesses. Finally, Rabbi Nachman of Breslev seems to have had some knowledge of the theories of Epicurus, since he associates Epicurus, for the first time in Jewish literature, with the so-called empty space or void discussed in the Kabbala. He grants more validity to Epicurean theories than did previous writers, merging Epicurean physics with a Kabbalistic theory of divine creation by means of retraction.