CRESCAS, HASDAI BEN ABRAHAM Jewish philosopher, was born at Barcelona and lived all his life in Spain. He is best known for his "Or Adonai" (the Light of the Lord), which is of importance as having affected Spinoza, especially in the distinction between attributes and properties and on the subjects of creation and free-will. It was written de liberately to free Judaism from the domination of Aristotle under which it had been brought by Maimonides, and its most important part is a criticism of the Aristotelian propositions on the nature of God. Crescas also wrote a Refutation of the Cardinal Principles of the Christians in Spanish.
See C. E. G. Hirsch in the Jewish Encyclopaedia (iv.) 35o; Joel, Zur. Genesis Der Lehre Spinozas (Breslau, 1871) ; P. Bloch, die Willensfreiheit von Chasdai Crescas (Munich, 1879) ; "Philosophy of Don Hasdai Crescas" in Columbia University Oriental Studies, vol. xvii. (192o) .