Maimonides' confrontation with mysticism

Maimonides, unquestionably one of the greatest medieval philosophers of his time, is also one of the most difficult to write about. For instance, The Guide for the Perplexed requires a background in Aristotelian philosophy to be fully grasped, and the 'Mishneh Torah' a familiarity with Jewish law! Such broad skills make a true Maimonidean out of reach for all but the very few.

Menachem Kellner has dedicated his life and career to understanding this enigmatic Jewish scholar and philosopher, and the 'confrontation with mystircism' no doubt adds to his impressive portfolio of commentary and analysis. Well done to 'The Littman Library of Jewish Civilisation' as well for bringing out so many classic and contemporary titles in the nuanced field of Jewish Studies.

You get the feeling that Kellner aims to provide an all-round education to the reader in addition to specifically dealing with the Maimonides/mystercism problem. The text covers so many areas in order to get to the bottom of this issue, such as Maimonides attitude towards the Judaism that had emerged at his time (a term the authors admits would not mean much at the time to Maimonides) and the nature and character of Halakhah (Jewish law) and its relationship with science and theology. The author's unique ability is to so succinctly communicate Maimonides' thoughts despite the fact that they are dispersed over so much work and time.

There is so much to offer here and it goes well beyond the confines of the specific question at stake, rendering the title a key addition to anyone looking to grapple with one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of all time.

Maimonides' confrontation with mysticism is published by The Littman Library of Jewish Civilisation




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