Maimonides: Torah and Philosophic QuestA 12th-century rabbi, scholar, physician, and philosopher, Moses Maimonides is best known for his two great works on Judaism: Mishneh Torah and Guide to the Perplexed. They have often been viewed by scholars as having different audiences and different messages, together reflecting the two sides of the author himself: Maimonides the halakhist, who focused on piety through obedience to Jewish law; and Maimonides the philosopher, who advocated closeness with God through reflection and knowledge of nature. David Hartman argues that while many scholars look at one aspect of Maimonides to the exclusion or dismissal of the other, the way to really understand him is to see both adherence to the law and philosophical pursuits as two essential aspects of Judaism. This expanded edition contains a new postscript by Hartman that sheds new light on his argument and indeed on Judaism as Maimonides interpreted it. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 3 |
1 Philosophy in Maimonides Legal Works | 28 |
2 Halakhic and Aggadic Categories and Their Relationship to Philosophic Spirituality | 66 |
3 Reason And Traditional Authority within Halakhah and Philosophy | 102 |
4 The Philosophic Religiious Sensibility | 139 |
5 Morality and aht Passionate Love for God | 187 |
Notes | 215 |
| 269 | |
| 289 | |
Postscript | 299 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abraham accept according to Maimonides actions Aggadah aggadic al-Farabi appeal approach argument Aristotle authority Averroes Avot belief biblical Book Book of Commandments claims commandments Commentary conception concern demonstrative Deut disagreement divine exalted God's Guide Halakhah halakhic halakhic Jew hasid Hebrew Helek Hilkhot Teshuvah Hilkhot Yesodei ha-Torah human Husik Ibid ides idolatry Iggeret Teman individual interpretation Introduction to C.M. Islamic Israel Jerusalem Jewish Judaism kavvanah Kuzari legislation logical Maimon Maimonidean Maimonides writes man's meaning ment messianism midrashic miracles Mishneh Torah mitzvot moral Moses Mossad Harav Kook Mutakallimun nature norms obedience olam ha-ba one's PAAJR passion perfection Philo philosophic philosophic Jew political practice prayer prophecy prophet rabbis rational reason reflects regarding rejection relationship religious revelation Sages Scholem Sinai Spinoza spiritual statement Strauss Talmud theoretical thought tion tradition Treatise on Resurrection truth understanding University Press Urbach wisdom worship yirah York