Editing Jewish philosophy (section)

=== Bahya ben Joseph ibn Paquda ===
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[[Bahya ibn Paquda|Bahye ben Yosef Ibn Paquda]], of Zaragoza, was author of the first Jewish system of ethics ''Al Hidayah ila Faraid al-hulub'', ("Guide to the Duties of the Heart").  Bahya often followed the method of the Arabian encyclopedists known as "the [[Brethren of Purity]]" but adopts some of Sufi tenets rather than Ismaili.  According to Bahya, the Torah appeals to reason and knowledge as proofs of God's existence.  It is therefore a duty incumbent upon every one to make God an object of speculative reason and knowledge, in order to arrive at true faith.  Baḥya borrows from [[Sufism]] and [[Jewish Kalam]] integrating them into Neoplatonism.  Proof that Bahya borrowed from Sufism is underscored by the fact that the title of his eighth gate, ''Muḥasabat al-Nafs'' ("Self-Examination"), is reminiscent of the Sufi  ''Abu Abd Allah Ḥarith Ibn-Asad'', who has been surnamed ''El Muḥasib'' ("the self-examiner"), because—say his biographers—"he was always immersed in introspection"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=134&letter=B&search=Bahya#ixzz0Tx3CqjNq |title=Bahya Ben Joseph Ibn Paḳuda |publisher=JewishEncyclopedia.com |access-date=2012-10-22}}</ref>