Newton, Spinoza, and Maimonides Reveal the Secrets of Existence at the National Library
The National Library of Israel has launched "The Question of Questions," an exhibition exploring the mysteries of the universe through the works of great thinkers from Newton to Maimonides.
The National Library has opened a new exhibition, "The Question of Questions: On the Secrets of the Universe and Existence." It reveals a surprising side of Isaac Newton: the brilliant physicist and mathematician who uncovered the mathematical order of nature was also a theologian deeply engaged in mysticism and alchemy.
The exhibition features rare artifacts, including manuscripts by Newton and Baruch Spinoza, alongside works by Maimonides and Ibn Sina. These items address fundamental questions: how the universe is built, the nature of time, and the purpose of human existence.
A Dialogue Across Centuries
Newton's manuscripts reached the library after British scholars identified their theological and alchemical significance in 1936. Alongside them, the exhibition displays:
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An illuminated manuscript of Maimonides' "Mishneh Torah."
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A Hebrew translation of Ibn Sina's "The Canon of Medicine."
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Works by Ibn Rushd, the Cordovan philosopher known as the "father of rationalism."
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Writings by Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei.
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Baruch Spinoza's personal copy of his "Theological-Political Treatise," featuring his own handwritten notes.
Curators Neta Asaf, Karin Shabtai, and Noa Manheim note that these thinkers were polymaths who moved freely between medicine, philosophy, astronomy, and religion. "Today, our knowledge is fragmented," says Neta Asaf. "We are used to separating the humanities from the natural sciences, but it wasn't always this way. The exhibition invites us to combine fields of knowledge rather than separate them."
Relevance in the Age of AI
Co-curator Noa Manheim highlights the exhibition's contemporary relevance: "It is an opportunity to see how questions that bother us today—such as 'What defines humanity?' in the AI era—were addressed by thinkers like Aristotle or Thomas Aquinas."
The exhibition challenges our binary thinking. We are accustomed to dichotomizing science and mysticism, yet these thinkers utilized both for profound inquiry. The display showcases an intense dialogue between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, where Greek thought was processed and transmitted through Jewish intermediaries, forming a shared intellectual legacy. It serves as a call to break down theological, linguistic, and geographical boundaries.
