An Overview of the Medieval Universe
Due to combinations of experience, science, and tradition, most people believed that the earth was the center of the universe. According to the Maharal's world view, the universe is made of three parts. 1) The intellectual realm or the world of truth: Non-physical beings, pure intellects: Since these beings have no body, they do not act in the physical sense, but simply contemplate the contents of their minds. 2) Harmony: Celestial spheres which surround earth and continuously rotate around the center of the universe. Their orbiting path is fixed. 3) Change and Conflict: The lower world where humans live. Everything is composed of four elements: fire, air, water and earth. Earth is at the center being the heaviest. It is surrounded by water, then air, then fire. Earth is the most natural of the substances and the further one goes from this natural realm, the elements become less material and purer. Above fire are the celestial bodies, the lowest one being the moon. Above those are the intellects, the lowest one being the Active Intellect, the highest one being God.
Analysis of Change
There are two types of change: 1) Change due to intrinsic nature: Gravity is defined as an innate quality of objects as opposed to an external force. It is the nature of fire to rise up to go above the air. Any element will strive to return to its natural place. Earth will sink in water as air will rise from water. Growth is also defined as an intrinsic quality - the nature to grow and mature.
2) Changes from other things: Objects have the ability to affect other objects. E.g. can make other things hot or cold. Only objects that have a particular property can impart that quality to other things.
The Problem of Creation
The creation of the world is the second type of change since it was a causal interaction between God and the world. However, since God is one and the earth has multiplicity, how did multiplicity come into being? Since God is one, he cannot cause in something else a quality which he lacks. Maharal does not want to challenge the oneness of God or to say that God has the trait of multiplicity.
Maharal focuses on the answer of Alfarabi: Since God at the head of the universe is pure intellect, he caused/created one thing - the intellect. This intellect was not a pure one; it thought about two things, itself and its creator - God. Thus, this new intellect had a germ of multiplicity. This intellect caused a new one etc. We now have a chain of intellects and celestial spheres, and the further one goes way from it, i.e. to the center of the earth, the more material things become, and thus further removed from God.
The Maharal's Solution
The Maharal rejects this approach, and offers one that implies the creation of the world was divided in two distinct stages. First there was the creation of the material world, and then there was the creation of the potential.