Interpreting Maimonides Critical Essays

Moses Maimonides (1138?1204) was arguably the single most important Jewish thinker of the Middle Ages, with an impact on the later Jewish tradition that was unparalleled by any of his contemporaries. In this volume of new essays, world-leading scholars address themes relevant to his philosophical outlook, including his relationship with his Islamicate surroundings and the impact of his work on subsequent Jewish and Christian writings, as well as his reception in twentieth-century scholarship. The essays also address the nature and aim of Maimonides' philosophical writing, including its connection with biblical exegesis, and the philosophical and theological arguments that are central to his work, such as revelation, ritual, divine providence, and teleology. Wide-ranging and fully up-to-date, the volume will be highly valuable for those interested in Jewish history and thought, medieval philosophy, and religious studies.

Introduction; 1. Maimonides and the Almohads Herbert A. Davidson; 2. Al-Ghazālī's purported 'Influence' on Maimonides: a dissenting voice in trending scholarship Y. Tzvi Langermann; 3. Maimonides on the intellects of women and gentiles Hannah Kasher; 4. What the Guide of the Perplexed is really about Kenneth R. Seeskin; 5. On or above the Ladder? Maimonidean and anti-Maimonidean readings of Jacob's Ladder James T. Robinson; 6. Reading the Guide of the Perplexed as an intellectual challenge Sarah Klein Braslavy; 7. Jewish ritual as trial in the Guide of the Perplexed Yehuda Halper; 8. Maimonides on the divine authorship of the law Charles H. Manekin; 9. Divine knowledge and providence in the Guide of the Perplexed Daniel Davies; 10. The world and the rye: perplexity about ends in Guide of the Perplexed iii.13 and iii.25 David Wirmer; 11. Early quotations from Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed in the Latin Middle Ages Diana Di Segni; 12. Pines' agendas for reading the Guide of the Perplexed from 1963 to 1979 Josef Stern; 13. How to begin to study Strauss' 'How to Begin to Study the Guide of the Perplexed' Warren Zev Harvey.

Charles H. Manekin is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is the author of On Maimonides (1980) and The Logic of Gersonides (1991), and the editor of Medieval Jewish Philosophical Writings (Cambridge, 2008).
Daniel Davies is Research Associate for the PESHAT project at the Universität Hamburg. He is the author of Method and Metaphysics in Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed (2011).