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The article explores kabbalistic philosophical concepts and systems of thought with regard to the rabbinic and biblical notion of wisdom as a feminized entity. Topics discussed include the characteristics of the divine female according to the Jewish mystical doctrine Kabbalah, the concept of prime matter in Aristotelian and Neoplatonic traditions, and the rabbinic literature focusing on the divine attributes to judgment and mercy.

Abstract This paper examines the view held by Francesco Piccolomini (1523-1607) on the relation between prime matter and extension. In his discussion of prime matter in the Libri ad scientiam de natura attinentes Piccolomini develops a theory of prime matter that incorporates crucial elements of the viewpoint adhered to by the Neoplatonist Simplicius. The originality of Piccolomini's undertaking is highlighted by contrasting it with the ideas found in Jacopo Zabarella's De rebus naturalibus. The case of Piccolomini shows that, in order to classify early modern metaphysical theories of prime matter, the category 'prime matter as sheer dimensionality' is indispensable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]