Basic Principles of Jewish Kalam
Some of the basic principles of the Jewish Kalam are as follow (Stroumsa 2003). See also Rambam's characterization of the principles below.
- Observation of the natural world reveals the existence of a Creator
- The world/universe must have been created ex nihilo rather than from preexisting matter
- The Creator is absolutely different (opposite) from anything in the created world
- The Creator is a perfect unity, with no division
- Human moral criteria can be applied to God. To say God is "wise" or God is "good" is to apply those terms meaningfully, and their meaning is related to the mundane meaning of those terms (cf. Rambam)
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