A thorough and accessible introduction to Maimonides, arguably one of the most important Jewish philosophers of all time. This work incorporates material from Maimonides’ philosophical, legal, and medical works, providing a synoptic picture of Maimonides’ philosophical range.
Maimonides was, and remains, one of the most influential and important Jewish legalists, who devoted himself to a reconceptualization of the entirety of Jewish law
Offers both an intellectual biography and an exploration of the most important philosophical works in Maimonides’ corpus
Persuasively argues that Maimonides did see himself as engaged in philosophical dialogue
Maimonides’ philosophy is presented in a way that is accessible to readers with little background in either Jewish or medieval philosophy
Secondary readings are provided at the end of each chapter, as well as a bibliography of recent scholarly articles on some of the more pressing philosophical topics covered in the book
About the Author
T. M. Rudavsky is Professor of Philosophy at The Ohio State University. She specializes in medieval Jewish philosophy, and is the author of Time Matters: Creation, Time and Cosmology in Medieval Jewish Philosophy (2000). She has edited three volumes: Divine Omniscience and Omnipotence in Medieval Philosophy: Islamic, Jewish, and Christian Perspectives (1984); Gender and Judaism: Tradition and Transformation (1995); and The Cambridge History of Medieval Jewish Philosophy (co-edited with Steven Nadler, 2009). In addition, she has written numerous articles pertaining to medieval Jewish philosophy.
Features
Maimonides was, and remains, one of the most influential and important Jewish thinkers
Offers both an intellectual biography and an exploration of the most important philosophical works in Maimonides’ corpus
Persuasively argues that Maimonides did see himself as engaged in philosophical dialogue
Maimonides’ philosophy is presented in a way that is accessible to readers with little background in either Jewish or medieval philosophy
Secondary readings are provided at the end of each chapter, as well as a bibliography of recent scholarly articles on some of the more pressing philosophical topics covered in the book