1671 – Court of the Gentiles – Theophilus Gale | Hebrew Philosophy & Theology

Theophilus Gale wrote his famous “The Court of the Gentiles” in three separate works. Gale’s purpose in writing this book was to attribute the origin and learning from philosophy to ancient Hebrew texts. According to Lowndes, “this learned and elaborate work, the leading object of which is to trace all human learning, philosophy, and religion to the ancient Scriptures and the Jewish Church, is still great repute.”

This book was work that many people at the time thought was an inferior work compared to other works of Hebrew philosophy. The church attacked and criticized Gale’s book and called it ‘chaotic and unsystematic.’ Biblical scholars, peers of Gale’s, claimed it lacked insight. However, Gale was able show various systems and truths of Hebrew scriptures, many of which traced back to ancient Greece, Middle East and South Asian sources.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The court of the gentiles
• Author(s): Theophilus Gale
• Publisher: London, printed by J. Macock, for Thomas Cockeril
• Edition: 1671-1677 edition.
• Binding: Fine modern full leather
• Format: (8vo), two volumes
• Size: 8 in x 6.5 in (20 cm x 17 cm)
• Collation: Vol. II: 448 pp; Vol. IV: 528 pp
• Contents Include:
  • Origins of philosophy and religion
  • Hebrew scriptural traditions
  • Ancient Greek philosophical influences
  • Comparative theological studies
  • Historical learning and intellectual traditions
• Reference(s): Wing G139; Lowndes 855

Condition:

Fine. Modern leather bindings with marbled boards. Leather and boards remain exceptionally well preserved with no notable rubbing, wear, or marks. Text clean and highly presentable.

Why Collect This?

• Landmark work of seventeenth-century theology and philosophy
• Important attempt to connect classical learning with Hebrew scripture

Item Number: # 50515