Organisation

dr. T.A.M. (Resianne) Smidt van Gelder-Fontaine


Education and current position


Born in Amsterdam, I studied Semitic Languages at the University of Amsterdam, where I received my MA in 1976 (major: Hebrew, minors: Arabic and History of Philosophy). My Ph. D. was on the Sources and Structure of the Ha-Emunah ha-Ramah (The Exalted Faith) of the twelfth-century Jewish thinker Abraham Ibn Daud (University of Amsterdam, 1986).   From 1986-1990 I was a post-doc at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, and from 1992-1998 I was a research-fellow of the Netherlands Royal Academy of Sciences at the same Institution. In 1994 I started teaching at the Vrije Universiteit, where I worked at the Dept of Semitic Languages from 1998-2001. In September 2001 I switched to the Dept of Hebrew at the University of Amsterdam, where I have worked as an associate professor (universitair docent) ever since. In 2007 (March-August) I was a fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Jerusalem in a research group entitled "Transmission and Appropriation of the Secular Sciences and Philosophy in Medieval Judaism: Comparative Perspectives, Universal and National Aspects".  In the summer of 2012 I participated in a research-group entitled "Jewish Physicians in medieval Christian Europe: Professional Knowledge as a Cultural Change" at the same Institute.    

Research

During my studies I became interested in medieval Jewish philosophy and its background. Over the years I have specialized in this field, working primarily on medieval translations of philosophical and scientific texts from Arabic into Hebrew, and since a few years also on translations from Latin into Hebrew. In general my research concerns editions of medieval Hebrew texts that are still in manuscript. I am currently working on an edition of a part (on natural philosophy) of the 13th -century Hebrew 'encyclopedia', the Midrash ha-Hokhmah . Another area of interest is the reception of medieval Jewish philosophy and science on the part of Jewish scholars in the early modern period, in particular in Pinhas Hurwitz's Sefer ha-Berit . Moreover, over the years I have become interested in the history and development of medieval Hebrew philosophical terminology.   Since 2009 I have been active as a co-organizer of the international project PESHAT - A Digitized Multilingual Thesaurus of theMedieval Philosophical and ScientificHebrew terminology , together with Gad Freudenthal (Paris/Geneva); Reimund Leicht, (Jerusalem), and Giuseppe Veltri (Halle).  I am associate editor of Aleph: Historical Studies in Science & Judaism , published by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; of the Editorial Board of Amsterdam Studies in Jewish Thought (Springer), and of Studia Rosenthaliana (Peeters).
Together with Gad Freudenthal (Paris/Geneva) I have co-organized the congress 'Latin into Hebrew. The Transfer of Philosophical, Scientific, and Medical Lore from Christian to Jewish Cultures in Southern Europa (12-15 th Centuries)', held in Paris at the CNRS, 7-9 December 2009. A volume with selected publications edited by the two organizers will be published in 2013.

Teaching

Over the years, I have been teaching various subjects. In the department's BA program: introductory courses in medieval Jewish cultural history, modern Hebrew (language acquisition);  Biblical and Targumic Aramaic, modern Hebrew and Israeli literature, medieval Hebrew philosophical and 'ethical' ( musar ) literature. In the MA program in Hebrew language and culture, I have been teaching a part of our 'Methodology' course as well as a course on 'introductions' ( haqdamot ) in various genres of Hebrew literature.  

Books

In Defence of Judaism : Abraham Ibn Daud. Sources and structure of ha-Emunah ha-Ramah. (Assen 1990)
(author's name: T.A.M. Fontaine; for all other publications below: Resianne Fontaine)
Otot ha-Shamayim. Samuel Ibn Tibbon's Hebrew translation of Aristotle's Meteorology . A Critical Edition with Introduction, Translation and Index. Leiden, Brill 1995 (Aristoteles-Semitico-Latinus, no. 8)    

Edited volumes

With Andrea Schatz and Irene E. Zwiep: Sepharad in Ashkenaz. Medieval Knowledge and Eighteenth-Century Enlightened Jewish Discourse (Amsterdam 2007 (Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen. Verhandelingen, Afd. Letterkunde, Nieuwe Reeks, deel 189)    
With R. Glasner, R. Leicht and G. Veltri: Studies in the History of Science and Culture. A Tribute to Gad Freudenthal , Leiden etc: Brill, 2011    

Selected recent articles

(with Steven Harvey) 'Creating a New Literary Genre: Steinschneider's Leiden Catalogue', in: Gad Freudenthal and Reimund Leicht (eds.), Studies on Steinschneider. Moritz Steinschneider and the Emergence of the Science of Judaism in Nineteenth-Century Germany . Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2011, 277-300
(with Steven Harvey) 'Jewish Philosophy on the Eve of the Age of Averroism: Ibn Daud's Necessary Existent and His Use of Avicennian Science', in: Peter Adamson (ed.), In the Age of Averroes: Arabic Philosophy in the Sixth/Twelfth Century . London: Warburg Institute, 2011, 215-227  
'The first survey of the Metaphysics in Hebrew', in: R. Fontaine, R. Glasner, R. Leicht and G. Veltri (eds), Studies in the History of Science and Culture. A Tribute to Gad Freudenthal . Leiden etc: Brill, 2011, 265-282
'For the dossier of Abraham Ibn Daud: some observations on an anonymous commentary on his ha-Emunah ha-Ramah ' Zutot  7 (2010): 35-40  
'Exhalations and other meteorological themes' in: Steven Nadler and Tamar Rudavsky (eds), The Cambridge History of Jewish Philosophy . Cambridge UP, 2009, [434]-449  
 'Averroes' commentary on Aristotle's De Generatione Animalium and its use in two 13th century Hebrew encyclopedias', in: W. Raven and A. Akasoy (eds), Islamic Thought in the Middle Ages. Studies in Text, Transmission and Translation in Honour of Hans Daiber . Brill 2008, 489-501 
'Was Maimonides an epigone?' Studia Rosenthaliana 40 (2007-2008): 9-26  
'Love of one's Neighbour in Pinhas Hurwitz's Sefer ha-Berit', in: R.W. Munk and M.J.F. Baasten (eds), Studies in Hebrew Language and Jewish Culture, Presented to Albert van der Heide on the Occasion of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday . Dordrecht etc.: Springer,2007,244-268
'Natural Science in Sefer ha-Berit : Pinchas Hurwitz on Animals and Meteorological Phenomena' in: Resianne Fontaine, Andrea Schatz and Irene E. Zwiep (eds), Sepharad in Ashkenaz. Medieval Knowledge and Eighteenth-Century Enlightened Jewish Discourse (Amsterdam 2007), 157-181 
'The immortality of the soul in Pinhas Hurwitz's Sefer ha-Berit : philosophers vs Kabbalists' in Jewish Studies Quarterly 13 (2006) no. 3, 223-233
(with Shlomo Berger), ' "Something on Every Subject": on Pre-Modern Hebrew and Yiddish Encyclopedias',   Journal of Modern Jewish Studies 5/3 (2006), 269-284
'The theme of the three worlds in Judah ben Solomon's Midrash ha-Hokhmah ', in J. Hamesse and O. Weijers (eds), Écriture et réécriture des textes philosophiques et médiévaux. Volume d'hommage offert a Colette Sirat. Turnhout: Brepols, 2006, 429-444
'Medieval Jewish Philosophy in the collection of Leeser Rosenthal' Studia Rosenthaliana 38-39 (2005-06): 15-24  

2013

2012

  • R. Fontaine (2012). The early reception of Aristotle through Averroes in medieval Jewish philosophy: the case of the Midrash ha-Hokhmah. In A.M.I. van Oppenraay & R. Fontaine (Eds.), The letter before the spirit: the importance of text editions for the study of the reception of Aristotle Vol. 22. Aristoteles Semitico-Latinus (pp. 211-225). Leiden [etc.]: Brill.
  • G. Freudenthal & R. Fontaine (2012). Gersonides on the Dis-/order of the Sublunar World and on Providence. ALEPH : Historical Studies in Science and Judaism, 12 (2), 299-328.
  • R. Fontaine (2012). Abraham b. Dāwūd. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas & E. Rowson (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam. - Three. - 2012-2 (pp. 3-4). [Leiden]: Brill.
  • R. Fontaine (2012). 'Happy is he whose children are boys': Abraham Ibn Daud and Avicenna on Evil. In D.N. Hasse & A. Bertolacci (Eds.), The Arabic, Hebrew and Latin reception of Avicenna's metaphysics (Scientia Graeco-Arabica, 7) (pp. 159-175). Berlin: De Gruyter.
  • S. Harvey & R. Fontaine (2012). Creating a new literary genre: Steinschneider’s Leiden catalogue. In R. Leicht, G. Freudenthal & R. Leicht (Eds.), Studies on Steinschneider: Moritz Steinschneider and the emergence of the science of Judaism in nineteenth-century Germany Vol. 33. Studies in Jewish History and Culture (pp. 277-300). Leiden [etc.]: Brill.

2011

  • R. Fontaine & S. Harvey (2011). Jewish philosophy on the eve of the age of Averroism: Ibn Daud's necessary existent and his use of Avicennian science. In P. Adamson (Ed.), In the age of Averroes: Arabic philosophy in the sixth/twelfth century Vol. 16. Warburg Institute colloquia (pp. 215-227). London: Warburg Institute [etc.].
  • R. Fontaine (2011). Averroes as a commentator of Aristotle: the case of the Meteorologica and the De animalibus. In A. Hasnawi (Ed.), La lumière de l'intellect: la pensée scientifique et philosophique d'Averroès dans son temps: actes du IVe colloque international de la SIHSPAI (Société internationale d'histoire des sciences et de la philosophie arabes et islamiques), Cordoue, 9-12 décembre 1998 (pp. 99-108). Leuven: Peeters.

2009

  • R. Fontaine (2009). Exhalations and other meteorological themes. In S. Nadler & T. Rudavsky (Eds.), Cambridge history of Jewish philosophy.- [1]: From antiquity through the seventeenth century (pp. 434-449). New York: Cambridge University Press.

2008

  • R. Fontaine (2008). Was Maimonides an epigone? Studia Rosenthaliana, 40, 9-26.
  • R. Fontaine (2008). Averroes’ commentary on Aristotle’s De Generatione Animalium and its use in two thirteenth-century Hebrew encyclopedias. In A. Akasoy & W. Raven (Eds.), Islamic thought in the Middle Ages: studies in text, transmission and translation, in honour of Hans Daiber (Islamic philosophy, theology and science & texts and studies, 75) (pp. 489-502). Leiden: Brill.

2006

  • R. Fontaine (2006). 'The immortality of the soul in Pinhas Hurwitz's Sefer ha-Berit: philosophers vs Kabbalists'. Jewish Studies Quarterly, 13 (3), 223-233.
  • R. Fontaine & S. Berger (2006). 'Something on every subject': on pre-modern Hebrew and Yiddish encyclopedias. Journal of modern Jewish studies, 5 (3), 269-284.
  • R. Fontaine (2006). The theme of the three worlds in Judah ben Solomon s Midrash ha-Hokhmah. In J. Hamesse & O. Weijers (Eds.), Ecriture et réécriture des texts philosophiques médiévaux. Volume d'hommage offert à Colette Sirat (pp. 429-444). Turnhout: Brepols.

2015

2013

2011

2010

  • R. Fontaine (2010). The first survey of the 'Metaphysics' in Hebrew. In R. Fontaine, R. Glasner, R. Leicht & G. Veltri (Eds.), Studies in the history of culture and science: a tribute to Gad Freudenthal (Studies in Jewish history and culture, 30) (pp. 265-282). Leiden/Boston: Brill.

2008

  • R. Fontaine (2008). Evaluatierapport van onderzoeksvoorstel. (extern rapport). Jerusalem: Israel Academy of Sciences.
  • S. Harvey & R. Fontaine (2008). Commission VII: Jewish Philosophy [of the Société Internationale pour l’Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale]. Bulletin de Philosophie Médiévale, 49, 27-44.

2007

  • R. Fontaine (2007). 'Love of one's Neighbour in Pinhas Hurwitz's Sefer ha-Berit'. In R.W. Munk & M.J.F. Baasten (Eds.), Studies in Hebrew Language and Jewish Culture, Presented to Albert van der Heide on the Occasion of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday (pp. 244-268). Dordrecht: Springer.
  • R. Fontaine (2007). 'Natural Science in Sefer ha-Berit: Pinchas Hurwitz on Animals and Meteorological Phenomena'. In R. Fontaine & e.a. (Eds.), Sepharad in Ashkenaz. Medieval Knowledge and Eighteenth-Century Enlightened Jewish Discourse (pp. 157-181). Amsterdam.

2006

  • R. Fontaine (2006). Aristotle's De Anima in a medieval Hebrew Encyclopedia: The case of the Midrash ha-Hokhmah. In M.C. Pacheco & J.F. Meirinhos (Eds.), Intellect et imagination dans la Philosophie Médiévale. Actes du XIe Congres International de Philosophie Médiévale de la Société Internationale pour l'Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale (S.I.E.P.M.) (vol. 1) (pp. 593-602). Turnhout: Brepols Publishers.
  • R. Fontaine (2006). 'Medieval Jewish Philosophy in the collection of Leeser Rosenthal'. Studia Rosenthaliana, 38-39, 15-24.

2010

  • R. Fontaine (2010). Abraham Ibn Daud. In E.N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encylopedia of philosophy. Stanford, CA: The Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University.
  • R. Fontaine (2010). Abraham bar Hiyya of Barcelona. In G. Dunphy (Ed.), The encyclopedia of the medieval chronicle (pp. 4). Leiden [etc.]: Brill.

2009

  • R. Fontaine (2009). [Review of the book Hebrew scholasticism in the fifteenth century: a history and source bookh Thought 9]. Journal of Semitic Studies, 54(2), 597-599.
  • R. Fontaine (2009). Abraham ibn Daud. In H.J. Klauck, B. McGinn, C.L. Seow, H. Spieckermann, B.D. Walfish & E. Ziolkowski (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the Bible and its reception. - 1 (pp. 216-217). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
  • R. Fontaine (2009). Abraham bar Hiyya. In H.J. Klauck, B. McGinn, C.L. Seow, H. Spieckermann, B.D. Walfish & E. Ziolkowski (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the Bible and its reception. - 1 (pp. 213-214). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

2008

  • R. Fontaine (2008). [Review of the book Studies in Judaica (Te’udah ; 16-17)]. Bibliotheca Orientalis, 65(3-4), 482-485.[go to publisher's site]

2006

  • R. Fontaine (2006). 'Entry 'Judah ben Solomon ha-Kohen''. In M. Berenbaum (Ed.), Encyclopaedia Judaica (2e editie). Farmington Hills: Thomson Gale.
  • R. Fontaine (2006). ''Entry 'Ibn Daud, Abraham ben David Halevi''. In Encyclopaedia Judaica (2e editie). Farmington Hills: Thomas Gale.
  • R. Fontaine (2006). 'Entry: Abraham Ibn Daud'. In E.N. Zalta & e.a. (Eds.), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford: Stanford University.
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