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Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds
This authoritative biography of Moses Maimonides, one of the most influential minds in all of human history, illuminates his life as a philosopher, physician, and lawgiver. A biography on a grand scale, it brilliantly explicates one man’s life against the background of the social, religious, and political issues of his time.
Maimonides was born in Córdoba, in Muslim-ruled Spain, in 1138 and died in Cairo in 1204. He lived in an Arab-Islamic environment from his early years in Spain and North Africa to his later years in Egypt, where he was immersed in its culture and society. His life, career, and writings are the highest expression of the intertwined worlds of Judaism and Islam.
Maimonides lived in tumultuous times, at the peak of the Reconquista in Spain and the Crusades in Palestine. His monumental compendium of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah , became a basis of all subsequent Jewish legal codes and brought him recognition as one of the foremost lawgivers of humankind. In Egypt, his training as a physician earned him a place in the entourage of the great Sultan Saladin, and he wrote medical works in Arabic that were translated into Hebrew and Latin and studied for centuries in Europe. As a philosopher and scientist, he contributed to mathematics and astronomy, logic and ethics, politics and theology. His Guide of the Perplexed , a masterful interweaving of religious tradition and scientific and philosophic thought, influenced generations of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish thinkers.
Now, in a dazzling work of scholarship, Joel Kraemer tells the complete story of Maimonides’ rich life. MAIMONIDES is at once a portrait of a great historical figure and an excursion into the Mediterranean world of the twelfth century. Joel Kraemer draws on a wealth of original sources to re-create a remarkable period in history when Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions clashed and mingled in a setting alive with intense intellectual exchange and religious conflict.
Maimonides was born in Córdoba, in Muslim-ruled Spain, in 1138 and died in Cairo in 1204. He lived in an Arab-Islamic environment from his early years in Spain and North Africa to his later years in Egypt, where he was immersed in its culture and society. His life, career, and writings are the highest expression of the intertwined worlds of Judaism and Islam.
Maimonides lived in tumultuous times, at the peak of the Reconquista in Spain and the Crusades in Palestine. His monumental compendium of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah , became a basis of all subsequent Jewish legal codes and brought him recognition as one of the foremost lawgivers of humankind. In Egypt, his training as a physician earned him a place in the entourage of the great Sultan Saladin, and he wrote medical works in Arabic that were translated into Hebrew and Latin and studied for centuries in Europe. As a philosopher and scientist, he contributed to mathematics and astronomy, logic and ethics, politics and theology. His Guide of the Perplexed , a masterful interweaving of religious tradition and scientific and philosophic thought, influenced generations of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish thinkers.
Now, in a dazzling work of scholarship, Joel Kraemer tells the complete story of Maimonides’ rich life. MAIMONIDES is at once a portrait of a great historical figure and an excursion into the Mediterranean world of the twelfth century. Joel Kraemer draws on a wealth of original sources to re-create a remarkable period in history when Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions clashed and mingled in a setting alive with intense intellectual exchange and religious conflict.
621 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
April 1, 2022
When considering Maimonides (philosopher, lawgiver and physician) the task from a research standpoint is an arduous one. Joel L. Kraemer takes up this challenge (John Henry Barrow Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago) and depicts the life of a man born in Muslim ruled Córdoba in 1138---who met quietus in 1204 in Egypt.
Surgical microcosms and surgeons are my coveted pulchra cappuccino as of late, pursuit of such illuminates my “bewölkt” days, however; Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds was a silent, glimmering invitation to find wisdom existing twixt the worlds of Judaism and Islam.
“Córdoba...it was a medley of flowers and aromas---jasmine, narcissus, violets, and roses. New methods of agriculture and a sophisticated irrigation system of water mills and waterwheels, technologies imported from Syria.”
---Joel L. Kraemer
Maimonides mentors: Al-Farabi, Avicenna (read at The Huntington Library in San Marino, California) and Averroes. He had three names: Rambam, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon and Mūsā bin Maymūn. This text inspired me to question life and the concept of a God beyond the “niedrig” doctrine of human anthropomorphic comprehension.
This Rabbi was court physician to Sultan Saladin and to his progeny Afdal while acting as leader to the Jewish community and teaching. Maimonides gift was laws via the Misneh Torah and he---as then and now---still sways Jewish, Christian and Muslim thinkers. Six hundred and twenty-one pages of biographical wisdom. Read and retain.
Surgical microcosms and surgeons are my coveted pulchra cappuccino as of late, pursuit of such illuminates my “bewölkt” days, however; Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds was a silent, glimmering invitation to find wisdom existing twixt the worlds of Judaism and Islam.
“Córdoba...it was a medley of flowers and aromas---jasmine, narcissus, violets, and roses. New methods of agriculture and a sophisticated irrigation system of water mills and waterwheels, technologies imported from Syria.”
---Joel L. Kraemer
Maimonides mentors: Al-Farabi, Avicenna (read at The Huntington Library in San Marino, California) and Averroes. He had three names: Rambam, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon and Mūsā bin Maymūn. This text inspired me to question life and the concept of a God beyond the “niedrig” doctrine of human anthropomorphic comprehension.
This Rabbi was court physician to Sultan Saladin and to his progeny Afdal while acting as leader to the Jewish community and teaching. Maimonides gift was laws via the Misneh Torah and he---as then and now---still sways Jewish, Christian and Muslim thinkers. Six hundred and twenty-one pages of biographical wisdom. Read and retain.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2020
Moses ben Maimon, or more popularly, Maimonides, was one of the greatest thinkers of his time. He was born in Muslim-ruled Spain in 1138, and lived most of his life in Cairo, Egypt. This book details his life, the history and culture of his time, his works, his influence, and his writings. I am just amazed by how much is known about Maimonides. His life was intertwined between Jews and Muslim Arabs.
The times he lived in were tumultuous. He left Spain, because of Muslim pressure to convert from Judaism. He went to Cairo, which actually was a much more tolerant civilization at that time. He lived through the Crusades. The Crusaders were kidnapping people, including Jews, and holding them for ransom. Maimonides felt that it was his duty to raise ransom-money from his community, in order to rescue fellow Jews.
His writings were both in Arabic and Hebrew. Maimonides wrote the 14-volume Mishneh Torah in Hebrew. These books have survived to this day, and have had enormous influence on Judaism, even to this day. He also wrote the book "Guide for the Perplexed" in Arabic, using Hebrew letters. The guide discusses how religious people should think about God, and he warns not to think of God as if he were a human.
Maimonides was also a lawyer, a judge, and a physician. People liked to use his medical services because he ascribed to Hippocrates' edict to "do no harm." This was quite contrary to the majority of physicians of his time.
This book is very long and detailed. It seems to be rather dry in style, and did not engage me. The sentences often use awkward phrasing that just seem too scholarly for my taste. I did not read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sean Pratt. His reading is good, but it irked me that his pronunciations of some of the words are just plain wrong, in any language.
The times he lived in were tumultuous. He left Spain, because of Muslim pressure to convert from Judaism. He went to Cairo, which actually was a much more tolerant civilization at that time. He lived through the Crusades. The Crusaders were kidnapping people, including Jews, and holding them for ransom. Maimonides felt that it was his duty to raise ransom-money from his community, in order to rescue fellow Jews.
His writings were both in Arabic and Hebrew. Maimonides wrote the 14-volume Mishneh Torah in Hebrew. These books have survived to this day, and have had enormous influence on Judaism, even to this day. He also wrote the book "Guide for the Perplexed" in Arabic, using Hebrew letters. The guide discusses how religious people should think about God, and he warns not to think of God as if he were a human.
Maimonides was also a lawyer, a judge, and a physician. People liked to use his medical services because he ascribed to Hippocrates' edict to "do no harm." This was quite contrary to the majority of physicians of his time.
This book is very long and detailed. It seems to be rather dry in style, and did not engage me. The sentences often use awkward phrasing that just seem too scholarly for my taste. I did not read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sean Pratt. His reading is good, but it irked me that his pronunciations of some of the words are just plain wrong, in any language.
August 8, 2025
The Life Of The Great Eagle
Among the many honorary titles applied to the Jewish sage Maimonides (1138 -- 1204) was the "Great Eagle" derived from the Book of Ezekiel. 17:3: "Thus saith the Lord God: The great eagle with the great wings and the long pinions and brilliant colors." In his biography, "Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds" (2008), Joel L. Kraemer examines the life and work of the Great Eagle, or the Great Rav to explain why Maimonides is held in high esteem and why he remains important. Kraemer is Professor Emeritus in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. His study of Maimonides began in 1947, at the age of 14. Kraemer has published books of Islamic thought and books for the specialist in Maimonides. Although his biography of Maimonides is lengthy and detailed, it is written to appeal at least as much to the interested educated reader as to the scholar. An intriguing aspect of this book is the sources on which it draws. Kraemer makes extensive use of what is known as the Cairo Genizah -- a body of 300,000 documents from the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo. These papers include many contemporary letters and manuscripts of Maimonides and much information about him and his times.
Kraemer tries to show the continued importance of Maimonides. The book has an ecumenical cast, as Kraemer stresses the interaction between Muslim, Christian, and Jewish scholars in Maimonides's day and, in particular, Maimonides's heavy indebtedness to Muslim thought. On a related theme, Maimonides was a polymath and a renaissance figure who mastered medicine, the sciences, and logic as well as Jewish philosophy and law. He has become a model for many Jewish people in his combination of high secular and religious accomplishment. Again, Maimonides was deeply aware of what even in his time was developing as the conflict between science and reason on the one hand and religious faith on the other hand. He tried valiantly to reconcile the two in his famous late masterwork "The Guide of the Perplexed." Finally, Maimonides saw has age as tending towards degeneracy, with its increased secularization and loss of religious commitment. He was pessimistic about the religious state of his world. This theme too has echoes in our day.
Even with the Genizah manuscripts, there are many gaps in the knowledge of Maimonides's life, particularly in his early years. Kraemer thus offers a combination of biography, history, as he explains the complex and changing Muslim world in which Maimonides lived, and exposition of Maimonides's works and thought. Kraemer sees Maimonides as endeavoring to "revolutionize Judaism by turning it into a religion of reason. Maimonides wanted to change Judaism from a religion rooted in history, in great events, such as the Exodus and revelation, to a religion implanted in nature and knowledge of natural beings, God's works rather than God's words."
The book is arranged chronologically in five parts. The first two parts cover Maimonides's first 22 years when he lived in Spain. He then lived in Fez, Morocco for 5 years and in Acre for one year. He apparently converted to Islam under duress and fear for his life and did penance by a trip to the Holy Land. The final three parts of the book cover the 38 years that Maimonides spent in Egypt where he wrote his major works, was a physician to the ruling class, participated actively in Jewish communal and business life, wrote responsa on questions of Jewish law, and served as Head of the Jews among many other accomplishments. Political and personal details are interspersed with discussions of Maimonides's works. Some of the historical information is fascinating but difficult to follow. Besides his forced conversion to Islam, the most interesting personal information about Maimonides involves his relationship with his brother, David who died during a shipwreck taking much of the wealth of Maimonides's family with him. Maimonides grieved over his death and was despondent and depressed for many years.
Maimonides's reputation rests largely upon his writings. The best portions of Kraemer's book are those in which he discusses Maimonides's voluminous works, especially the Commentary on the Mishna, the Mishneh Torah, and the Guide of the Perplexed. Each of these books is difficult and profound.
The Mishna is part of the Talmud -- called the oral law -- of traditional Judaism, and it includes discussions among the early sages of Jewish law. Maimonides's commentary written between 1161 -- 1168 discusses and summarizes in a philosophical way the teachings of the Mishna. It is best-known for its elucidation of the "Thirteen Principles of Faith" -- the first attempt to establish a creed for traditional Judaism. Controversial at first, Maimonides's thirteen principles have become part of Orthodoxy.
The Misheh Torah. written between 1168 -- 1177, was an even more difficult and influential work. It was in fourteen lengthy volumes in which Maimonides created for the first time a code of Jewish law out of the welter of discussion in the Talmud. Part of Maimonides's reason for writing this work was to settle difficult questions of practice so Jews could devote time to the sciences. This work went far in the attempt to create a Judaism based upon rationalism. In Kraemer's discussion of the text, I was interested in his treatment of Maimonides's views on abortion. He avoids the temptation of reading current ideas on this difficult question into Maimonides.
Maimonides's most famous work remains the Guide of the Perplexed. In this difficult, obscure book, Maimonides tried to resolve the apparent contradictions between science and reason and religious faith and to explain some of the parables and concepts that occur in the Bible. Maimonides was heavily influenced by Islamic thought and by Islamic commentators on Aristotle. The book is written in a deliberately difficult way, with apparent contradictions and esoteric teachings. Readers from Maimonides's time to our own have disagreed radically in its interpretation and in their views of Maimonides's own attitude towards religion. Kraemer's summary of the book draws many insightful parallels between Maimonides' approach to science and reason and that latter taken by Spinoza -- a thinker who was excommunicated by the Jewish community of the Netherlands and who was as far as possible from Jewish orthodoxy. With all this, one can only be hesitant in concluding that Maimonides succeeded in his avowed goal of harmonizing science and reason with religious faith. His attempt, however, has inspired many Jews and persons of other faiths.
Kraemer's book concludes with a consideration of Maimonides as a physician, emphasizing his emphasis on the emotions, on ethical teachings and on the similarities of his teachings with stoicism.
Kraemer has written a thorough and eloquent introduction to a great Jewish thinker. Reflection on what remains valuable in Maimonides's thought is a matter for each reader.
Robin Friedman
Among the many honorary titles applied to the Jewish sage Maimonides (1138 -- 1204) was the "Great Eagle" derived from the Book of Ezekiel. 17:3: "Thus saith the Lord God: The great eagle with the great wings and the long pinions and brilliant colors." In his biography, "Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds" (2008), Joel L. Kraemer examines the life and work of the Great Eagle, or the Great Rav to explain why Maimonides is held in high esteem and why he remains important. Kraemer is Professor Emeritus in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. His study of Maimonides began in 1947, at the age of 14. Kraemer has published books of Islamic thought and books for the specialist in Maimonides. Although his biography of Maimonides is lengthy and detailed, it is written to appeal at least as much to the interested educated reader as to the scholar. An intriguing aspect of this book is the sources on which it draws. Kraemer makes extensive use of what is known as the Cairo Genizah -- a body of 300,000 documents from the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo. These papers include many contemporary letters and manuscripts of Maimonides and much information about him and his times.
Kraemer tries to show the continued importance of Maimonides. The book has an ecumenical cast, as Kraemer stresses the interaction between Muslim, Christian, and Jewish scholars in Maimonides's day and, in particular, Maimonides's heavy indebtedness to Muslim thought. On a related theme, Maimonides was a polymath and a renaissance figure who mastered medicine, the sciences, and logic as well as Jewish philosophy and law. He has become a model for many Jewish people in his combination of high secular and religious accomplishment. Again, Maimonides was deeply aware of what even in his time was developing as the conflict between science and reason on the one hand and religious faith on the other hand. He tried valiantly to reconcile the two in his famous late masterwork "The Guide of the Perplexed." Finally, Maimonides saw has age as tending towards degeneracy, with its increased secularization and loss of religious commitment. He was pessimistic about the religious state of his world. This theme too has echoes in our day.
Even with the Genizah manuscripts, there are many gaps in the knowledge of Maimonides's life, particularly in his early years. Kraemer thus offers a combination of biography, history, as he explains the complex and changing Muslim world in which Maimonides lived, and exposition of Maimonides's works and thought. Kraemer sees Maimonides as endeavoring to "revolutionize Judaism by turning it into a religion of reason. Maimonides wanted to change Judaism from a religion rooted in history, in great events, such as the Exodus and revelation, to a religion implanted in nature and knowledge of natural beings, God's works rather than God's words."
The book is arranged chronologically in five parts. The first two parts cover Maimonides's first 22 years when he lived in Spain. He then lived in Fez, Morocco for 5 years and in Acre for one year. He apparently converted to Islam under duress and fear for his life and did penance by a trip to the Holy Land. The final three parts of the book cover the 38 years that Maimonides spent in Egypt where he wrote his major works, was a physician to the ruling class, participated actively in Jewish communal and business life, wrote responsa on questions of Jewish law, and served as Head of the Jews among many other accomplishments. Political and personal details are interspersed with discussions of Maimonides's works. Some of the historical information is fascinating but difficult to follow. Besides his forced conversion to Islam, the most interesting personal information about Maimonides involves his relationship with his brother, David who died during a shipwreck taking much of the wealth of Maimonides's family with him. Maimonides grieved over his death and was despondent and depressed for many years.
Maimonides's reputation rests largely upon his writings. The best portions of Kraemer's book are those in which he discusses Maimonides's voluminous works, especially the Commentary on the Mishna, the Mishneh Torah, and the Guide of the Perplexed. Each of these books is difficult and profound.
The Mishna is part of the Talmud -- called the oral law -- of traditional Judaism, and it includes discussions among the early sages of Jewish law. Maimonides's commentary written between 1161 -- 1168 discusses and summarizes in a philosophical way the teachings of the Mishna. It is best-known for its elucidation of the "Thirteen Principles of Faith" -- the first attempt to establish a creed for traditional Judaism. Controversial at first, Maimonides's thirteen principles have become part of Orthodoxy.
The Misheh Torah. written between 1168 -- 1177, was an even more difficult and influential work. It was in fourteen lengthy volumes in which Maimonides created for the first time a code of Jewish law out of the welter of discussion in the Talmud. Part of Maimonides's reason for writing this work was to settle difficult questions of practice so Jews could devote time to the sciences. This work went far in the attempt to create a Judaism based upon rationalism. In Kraemer's discussion of the text, I was interested in his treatment of Maimonides's views on abortion. He avoids the temptation of reading current ideas on this difficult question into Maimonides.
Maimonides's most famous work remains the Guide of the Perplexed. In this difficult, obscure book, Maimonides tried to resolve the apparent contradictions between science and reason and religious faith and to explain some of the parables and concepts that occur in the Bible. Maimonides was heavily influenced by Islamic thought and by Islamic commentators on Aristotle. The book is written in a deliberately difficult way, with apparent contradictions and esoteric teachings. Readers from Maimonides's time to our own have disagreed radically in its interpretation and in their views of Maimonides's own attitude towards religion. Kraemer's summary of the book draws many insightful parallels between Maimonides' approach to science and reason and that latter taken by Spinoza -- a thinker who was excommunicated by the Jewish community of the Netherlands and who was as far as possible from Jewish orthodoxy. With all this, one can only be hesitant in concluding that Maimonides succeeded in his avowed goal of harmonizing science and reason with religious faith. His attempt, however, has inspired many Jews and persons of other faiths.
Kraemer's book concludes with a consideration of Maimonides as a physician, emphasizing his emphasis on the emotions, on ethical teachings and on the similarities of his teachings with stoicism.
Kraemer has written a thorough and eloquent introduction to a great Jewish thinker. Reflection on what remains valuable in Maimonides's thought is a matter for each reader.
Robin Friedman
May 2, 2022
The legendary Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides was born in the fading light of Andalusian civilization and ended his life in the New York City of its time: the bustling imperial metropolis of Islamic Cario. Though he was famous in his lifetime we have relatively scant personal details about Maimonides life, other than that he married, had a younger brother who perished in a shipwrecked, and had children who took on similarly intellectual pursuits as their scholarly father. This lack of detail owed to the style of the medieval period in which personal biography was uncommon. This brilliant history takes a different tack to get at Maimonides life: it reconstructs the world around him using other sources about his times, and then fills in the blanks with what we do know about Maimonides from his own personal correspondence and witness accounts of his major life events. The result is a satisfying biography that also serves us a captivating general history of this period, not to mention an overview to Maimonides written works.
Maimonides was a polymath of a type that was common in the pre-modern Islamic world, as well as in classical Greece and Rome. He was a doctor, political leader (of a sort), philosopher, religious scholar, and judge all in one. Maimonides also engaged in common trade, something that he encouraged intellectuals and religious figures to do rather than simply living off the people. Maimonides lived as a Jew in the Islamic Caliphate and was subject to the Pact of Umar which protected minorities but also kept them in a legally subordinated place in the social hierarchy. As a man, he was greatly esteemed for his knowledge by elite Muslims who sought him out for companionship and intellectual discourse. Like other educated Jews he also worked at a high level in government, serving the royal court of various regimes as a doctor and advisor. Following the conquest of Cairo by Saladin al-Ayubi, Maimonides was appointed as Chief of the Jews in the Caliphate and served essentially as communal governor of their affairs, as well as a representative to the sultan.
Maimonides spent his entire life writing and working for the uplift of the Jewish people. But he also was clearly in search of knowledge for its own sake. His writings laid the groundwork for much of the religion of Judaism as we understand it today, transforming the Jews from a tribe from a particular history into a people who bore a systematized religion with a particular philosophy on human origins and legal methods similar to Islam. He lived in a thoroughly Islamic world during its own golden age, and naturally his intellectual perspective was heavily shaped by that. The philosophical precepts for Judaism's views on the origins of the universe and proofs of God which Maimonides laid down in his books drew heavily from Islamic thinkers whom he read and discoursed with. Among his favorites were al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Rushd; but many other Islamic thinkers also helped shape Maimonides thought. Maimonides had a complex relationship with Islam, praising it sometimes as the world's preeminent civilization while lamenting at others the oppression he suffered or heard about in the Maghrib and Yemen against Jews. He unambiguously preferred Islam to Christianity however. He viewed the latter as polytheism due to the doctrine of the Trinity, while considering Muslims to be monotheists like himself. This is perhaps the basis for his famous ruling that Jews may enter mosques if need be but not churches.
This is a beautifully written history that I could barely put down despite its dense subject matter. Maimonides was truly one of the great thinkers of world history and his intellectual and cultural contributions reverberate even today. I enjoyed reading about his life, as reconstructed in this ingenious manner by Joel L. Kraemer, as a means of learning more about Jewish history. I enjoyed it even more though as a way to access the universal lessons of this wise man, that have fortunately been preserved for us by time. A practical lesson I took away from his writings is how to be more conscientious in prayer. Even in his time people often rushed to treat prayer like a task to get out of the way. Maimonides counselled sitting quietly for a bit before and after to make sure one is focused on the divine. The "Rambam" or "Great Eagle" was a titan of intellectual history as great as Ibn Sina or Aristotle and deserves to be remembered as such.
Maimonides was a polymath of a type that was common in the pre-modern Islamic world, as well as in classical Greece and Rome. He was a doctor, political leader (of a sort), philosopher, religious scholar, and judge all in one. Maimonides also engaged in common trade, something that he encouraged intellectuals and religious figures to do rather than simply living off the people. Maimonides lived as a Jew in the Islamic Caliphate and was subject to the Pact of Umar which protected minorities but also kept them in a legally subordinated place in the social hierarchy. As a man, he was greatly esteemed for his knowledge by elite Muslims who sought him out for companionship and intellectual discourse. Like other educated Jews he also worked at a high level in government, serving the royal court of various regimes as a doctor and advisor. Following the conquest of Cairo by Saladin al-Ayubi, Maimonides was appointed as Chief of the Jews in the Caliphate and served essentially as communal governor of their affairs, as well as a representative to the sultan.
Maimonides spent his entire life writing and working for the uplift of the Jewish people. But he also was clearly in search of knowledge for its own sake. His writings laid the groundwork for much of the religion of Judaism as we understand it today, transforming the Jews from a tribe from a particular history into a people who bore a systematized religion with a particular philosophy on human origins and legal methods similar to Islam. He lived in a thoroughly Islamic world during its own golden age, and naturally his intellectual perspective was heavily shaped by that. The philosophical precepts for Judaism's views on the origins of the universe and proofs of God which Maimonides laid down in his books drew heavily from Islamic thinkers whom he read and discoursed with. Among his favorites were al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Rushd; but many other Islamic thinkers also helped shape Maimonides thought. Maimonides had a complex relationship with Islam, praising it sometimes as the world's preeminent civilization while lamenting at others the oppression he suffered or heard about in the Maghrib and Yemen against Jews. He unambiguously preferred Islam to Christianity however. He viewed the latter as polytheism due to the doctrine of the Trinity, while considering Muslims to be monotheists like himself. This is perhaps the basis for his famous ruling that Jews may enter mosques if need be but not churches.
This is a beautifully written history that I could barely put down despite its dense subject matter. Maimonides was truly one of the great thinkers of world history and his intellectual and cultural contributions reverberate even today. I enjoyed reading about his life, as reconstructed in this ingenious manner by Joel L. Kraemer, as a means of learning more about Jewish history. I enjoyed it even more though as a way to access the universal lessons of this wise man, that have fortunately been preserved for us by time. A practical lesson I took away from his writings is how to be more conscientious in prayer. Even in his time people often rushed to treat prayer like a task to get out of the way. Maimonides counselled sitting quietly for a bit before and after to make sure one is focused on the divine. The "Rambam" or "Great Eagle" was a titan of intellectual history as great as Ibn Sina or Aristotle and deserves to be remembered as such.
July 14, 2011
An excellent, accessible, and detailed commentary on Maimonides' writings, life, and achievement. Maimonides ( 1138-1204) was the most important legal and religious philosopher of his time, and his "Guide for the Perplexed" remains a landmark. He was born in Cordoba, Spain, moved with his family to Fez, Morocco, and finally settled in Cairo, writing and teaching in Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew. He was at one time court physician to Saladin and Great Rav of the Jewish Community in Cairo under Muslim rule. His works, many in original manuscripts, were uncovered in the find of the famous Cairo Geniza. Kraemer adduces numerous quotes from all his major writings, letters, and supporting material, so that one can glean a beginning understanding of the principles and issues that occupied Maimonides' thought, even without much prior background. Highly recommended.
January 13, 2023
An excellent biography that teaches one a lot about medieval Spain and North Africa, and explores the relationship between medieval Jewish and medieval Muslim intellectual, religious, and legal life. Although the issues are complex, and the text long, the author does a wonderful job of providing context for the great man’s philosophical and practical contributions to Jewish culture. And by the way, how wonderful to read this biography after visiting Maimonides’ beautiful birthplace, Cordoba!
December 8, 2019
At times I suspect the author did not read his own book otherwise how can he say such things as ‘Maimonides loathed superstition in every shape and form’ while also telling us about Maimonides’ beliefs in esoteric rituals concerning women’s menstruation and bathing rituals and other just as equally misogynistic beliefs, or a host of what seems to me as not believable beliefs based on nothing more than his feelings and his appeal to authorities.
Galen as interpreted by Maimonides is still four humors non-sense and really doesn’t fit into our current understanding of health, medicine or modern psychology despite the author claiming to the contrary. The author really doesn’t need to defend the non-defensible by telling the reader that Galen as channeled by Maimonides map’s into modern thought; the modern reader already realizes that Maimonides is worth studying today even when he channels the spirit of his time period; it’s when Maimonides steps above and beyond the maddening crowd that makes him all the more appreciated today or for troglodytes ignored today.
In general, I stay away from biographies for the same reason I don’t collect stamps. I’m not overly concerned with individual facts of the specific, but I do want to know the thoughts and ideas that made a person great and worth understanding today. Sometimes, context from the time period is necessary in order to get at the subtleties and nuances, this book does provide those, but there seemed to be a lack of explication on the depth of Maimonides’ thought and the collection of facts seemed like a book of stamps, void of the connective threads needed in order to get the meaning of the whole from the parts.
The author connected Aristotle and Spinoza to Maimonides, but he hardly mentioned St. Thomas Aquinas. I felt like if the author had written a book on Aquinas, I would not have realized why Aquinas was such a great thinker and would have saw him only as a Catholic religious thinker with nothing much to tell me beyond that. Of course, he would have been wrong and I got that impression from this apologia on Maimonides which never really gets at why Maimonides is worth knowing by somebody who is not religious whatsoever just as Aquinas is and is always worth reading both by believers and non-believers.
This is book is free off of Hoopla in audio format. It covers the time period very well. The author is definitely an expert in this time period and Jewish thought. Though, he doesn’t always get beyond the scholastic, academic or religious significance when he should have been giving the reader more substance to Maimonides’ thought and why his reason before faith and rational with empirical foundations are relevant today. Spinoza is worth reading, Aquinas is worth reading, and I suspect Maimonides is worth reading, but if all I had to go on was this book I wouldn’t be able to say that about Maimonides. I’ve put ‘Guide for the Perplexed’ on my future reading list.
Galen as interpreted by Maimonides is still four humors non-sense and really doesn’t fit into our current understanding of health, medicine or modern psychology despite the author claiming to the contrary. The author really doesn’t need to defend the non-defensible by telling the reader that Galen as channeled by Maimonides map’s into modern thought; the modern reader already realizes that Maimonides is worth studying today even when he channels the spirit of his time period; it’s when Maimonides steps above and beyond the maddening crowd that makes him all the more appreciated today or for troglodytes ignored today.
In general, I stay away from biographies for the same reason I don’t collect stamps. I’m not overly concerned with individual facts of the specific, but I do want to know the thoughts and ideas that made a person great and worth understanding today. Sometimes, context from the time period is necessary in order to get at the subtleties and nuances, this book does provide those, but there seemed to be a lack of explication on the depth of Maimonides’ thought and the collection of facts seemed like a book of stamps, void of the connective threads needed in order to get the meaning of the whole from the parts.
The author connected Aristotle and Spinoza to Maimonides, but he hardly mentioned St. Thomas Aquinas. I felt like if the author had written a book on Aquinas, I would not have realized why Aquinas was such a great thinker and would have saw him only as a Catholic religious thinker with nothing much to tell me beyond that. Of course, he would have been wrong and I got that impression from this apologia on Maimonides which never really gets at why Maimonides is worth knowing by somebody who is not religious whatsoever just as Aquinas is and is always worth reading both by believers and non-believers.
This is book is free off of Hoopla in audio format. It covers the time period very well. The author is definitely an expert in this time period and Jewish thought. Though, he doesn’t always get beyond the scholastic, academic or religious significance when he should have been giving the reader more substance to Maimonides’ thought and why his reason before faith and rational with empirical foundations are relevant today. Spinoza is worth reading, Aquinas is worth reading, and I suspect Maimonides is worth reading, but if all I had to go on was this book I wouldn’t be able to say that about Maimonides. I’ve put ‘Guide for the Perplexed’ on my future reading list.
April 30, 2017
A comprehensive and accessible biography of the enormously influential medieval philosopher and Jewish theologian. Lucid, richly detailed, and insightful.
April 22, 2018
This book gives you a pretty full picture of Maimonides life. At times it goes into great details about the lives of the people around him, like the prince he worked for and the political climate of the time. Overall, I liked the book but did not love it.
The following are some of my favorite excerpts of the book:
“It is also told that Maimonides’ first wife died young, and that his son, Abraham, was the offspring of a second wife. We know that he married late in life, circa 1173, when he was about thirty-five, and Abraham was born 1186, when he was forty-eight. Biographers surmise that this could not have been his first wife.” – pg. 7
“Furthermore, I suffered many well-known calamities in Egypt, including sickness, financial loss and the attempt by informers to have me killed.
The worst disaster that struck me of late, worse than anything I have ever experienced from the time I was born until this day, was the demise of that upright man (may the memory of the righteous be a blessing) [his brother David], who drowned in the Indian Ocean while in possession of much money belonging to me, to him and to others, leaving a young daughter and his widow in my care.
For about a year from the day the evil tidings reached me, I remained prostrate in bed with severe inflammation, fever and mental confusion, and well nigh perished.
From then until this day, that is, about eight years, I have been in a state of disconsolate mourning. How can I be consoled? For he was my son; he grew up upon my knees; he was my brother, my pupil. It was he who did business in the market place, earning a livelihood, while I dwelled in security.
…And were it not for the Torah, which is my delight, and for scientific matters, which let me forget my sorrow, I would have perished in my affliction [Ps. 119:92.]” – pgs. 255-256
“Moreover, the Karaites observed the Sabbath strictly, prohibiting lights in the house, heating warm food, and sexual relations. The Karaites prohibited entry into Rabbanite synagogues illuminated by lamps on the Sabbath.” – pg. 274
“The sensible course is for a man first to choose an occupation that will give him a livelihood, then buy himself a home; and after that, take a wife…” – pg. 337
“But it is beyond human mind to fathom the designs of the Creator; for our ways are not his ways, neither are our thoughts his thoughts. All these matters relating to Jesus of Nazareth and the Ishmaelite [Muhammad] who came after him, only serve to clear the way for King Messiah, to prepare the whole world to worship G-d with one accord, as it is written, At that time I will change the speech of the people to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord [Zeph 3:9]. Thus the messianic hope, the Torah, and the commandments have become familiar topics – topics of conversation [among the inhabitants] of the far isles and many peoples, uncircumcised of heart and flesh. They are discussing these matters and the commandments of the Torah.” – pg. 354
“Likewise, Spinoza claimed that “if men were born free, that is, guided only by reason, they would form no conception of good and evil.” Maimonides and Spinoza held that knowledge of good and evil is conventional, that it depends on the consensus of society, whereas knowledge of true and false is understanding of what is necessary.” – pg. 378
“Maimonides begins the chapter with a parable about a king in his palace and people who are at a distance from the palace or approaching it. It is a lengthy and difficult journey from the walls of the city to the center of the palace, but the reward is great when one reaches the inner sanctum of the king’s palace.
The ruler is in his palace and his subjects are within the city and outside the city. There are seven levels:” – pg. 399
[See pages 399 and 400 for details of the seven levels of acquiring wisdom or levels of growth that different people are at different times.]
“Maimonides then described his daily schedule.
I dwell in Fustat while the king resides in Cairo, and between the two places there are two Sabbath limits [400 cubits = slightly more than one mile]. I have a very difficult assignment with the king. I must see him daily at the beginning of the day. When he is weak, or when one of his sons or concubines is ill, I do not leave Cairo, and most of my day I spend in the King’s palace. And I must attend to the king’s officers every day. One or two officials is invariably ill, and I must administer their medical treatment.
In sum, every day, I go up to Cairo early in the morning, and if there is no mishap or incident, I return to Fustat after midday in any case. As soon as I arrive, in a state of hunger, I find all the vestibules [of my home] filled with gentiles, noble and common, judges and magistrates, a mixed multitude, who know the time of my return. I dismount from my riding animal, wash my hands, and go out to them to persuade them to wait for me while I have a light repast, which I do from time to time. I then go out to heal them and write [prescriptions] for them. They come in and out sometimes until night, and at times, by faith in the Torah, until the end of two hours into the night [around 8:00 pm]. I speak with them while lying down because of great fatigue. When night falls I am utterly exhausted that I cannot speak.
The result is that no Israelite can speak with me or meet with me except on the Sabbath. Then they all come after the prayer, and I direct the community concerning what they should do all week. …This is my daily schedule, and I have only told some of what you would see, with the help of G-d (may He be exalted).
In an earlier letter to Jonathan of Lunel, depicting an illness he had written:
Most of the day I lie in bed, and the yoke of the gentiles is on my neck regrading medical matters, which have sapped my strength, and have not left me one hour, neither day or night. But what can I do now that my reputation has reached most countries?” – pgs. 440-441
“But as for other compositions, such as the books of Empedocles, the books of Pythagoras, the books of Hermes, and the books of Porphyry – all these are ancient philosophers on which it is not worth wasting one’s time.
The discourse of Plato, the teacher of Aristotle, in his books and compositions, contain enigmas and parables and are also superfluous for an intelligent man; for the books of his pupil Aristotle cover all that was composed previously. His opinion – I mean to say, the opinion of Aristotle – is the ultimate of human opinion, save for those who received divine overflow, so that they attained the rank of prophecy, which is the highest rank.” – pg. 443
“Because of this, I do not find an hour for studying anything of the law, and I only study Scripture on the day of the Sabbath. As for the rest of the sciences, I do not find time to study any of them. I am deeply aggrieved by this.” – pg. 445
“Like the philosophical schools in late antiquity, Maimonides taught that a main cause of disorder and suffering were the passions, unregulated desires and exaggerated fears. Philosophy or the law is a therapeutic of the passions, a transformation of the person’s mode of seeing and being.
The training that Maimonides prescribed, like Stoic training, required exercising the soul to be unmoved by passions. The goal is a life of virtue, equanimity, and imperturbability. In living this kind of life, we are not subservient to the play of chance that affects us when we seek physical pleasure or material things, for wisdom and virtue depend upon ourselves alone.” – pg. 463
The following are some of my favorite excerpts of the book:
“It is also told that Maimonides’ first wife died young, and that his son, Abraham, was the offspring of a second wife. We know that he married late in life, circa 1173, when he was about thirty-five, and Abraham was born 1186, when he was forty-eight. Biographers surmise that this could not have been his first wife.” – pg. 7
“Furthermore, I suffered many well-known calamities in Egypt, including sickness, financial loss and the attempt by informers to have me killed.
The worst disaster that struck me of late, worse than anything I have ever experienced from the time I was born until this day, was the demise of that upright man (may the memory of the righteous be a blessing) [his brother David], who drowned in the Indian Ocean while in possession of much money belonging to me, to him and to others, leaving a young daughter and his widow in my care.
For about a year from the day the evil tidings reached me, I remained prostrate in bed with severe inflammation, fever and mental confusion, and well nigh perished.
From then until this day, that is, about eight years, I have been in a state of disconsolate mourning. How can I be consoled? For he was my son; he grew up upon my knees; he was my brother, my pupil. It was he who did business in the market place, earning a livelihood, while I dwelled in security.
…And were it not for the Torah, which is my delight, and for scientific matters, which let me forget my sorrow, I would have perished in my affliction [Ps. 119:92.]” – pgs. 255-256
“Moreover, the Karaites observed the Sabbath strictly, prohibiting lights in the house, heating warm food, and sexual relations. The Karaites prohibited entry into Rabbanite synagogues illuminated by lamps on the Sabbath.” – pg. 274
“The sensible course is for a man first to choose an occupation that will give him a livelihood, then buy himself a home; and after that, take a wife…” – pg. 337
“But it is beyond human mind to fathom the designs of the Creator; for our ways are not his ways, neither are our thoughts his thoughts. All these matters relating to Jesus of Nazareth and the Ishmaelite [Muhammad] who came after him, only serve to clear the way for King Messiah, to prepare the whole world to worship G-d with one accord, as it is written, At that time I will change the speech of the people to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord [Zeph 3:9]. Thus the messianic hope, the Torah, and the commandments have become familiar topics – topics of conversation [among the inhabitants] of the far isles and many peoples, uncircumcised of heart and flesh. They are discussing these matters and the commandments of the Torah.” – pg. 354
“Likewise, Spinoza claimed that “if men were born free, that is, guided only by reason, they would form no conception of good and evil.” Maimonides and Spinoza held that knowledge of good and evil is conventional, that it depends on the consensus of society, whereas knowledge of true and false is understanding of what is necessary.” – pg. 378
“Maimonides begins the chapter with a parable about a king in his palace and people who are at a distance from the palace or approaching it. It is a lengthy and difficult journey from the walls of the city to the center of the palace, but the reward is great when one reaches the inner sanctum of the king’s palace.
The ruler is in his palace and his subjects are within the city and outside the city. There are seven levels:” – pg. 399
[See pages 399 and 400 for details of the seven levels of acquiring wisdom or levels of growth that different people are at different times.]
“Maimonides then described his daily schedule.
I dwell in Fustat while the king resides in Cairo, and between the two places there are two Sabbath limits [400 cubits = slightly more than one mile]. I have a very difficult assignment with the king. I must see him daily at the beginning of the day. When he is weak, or when one of his sons or concubines is ill, I do not leave Cairo, and most of my day I spend in the King’s palace. And I must attend to the king’s officers every day. One or two officials is invariably ill, and I must administer their medical treatment.
In sum, every day, I go up to Cairo early in the morning, and if there is no mishap or incident, I return to Fustat after midday in any case. As soon as I arrive, in a state of hunger, I find all the vestibules [of my home] filled with gentiles, noble and common, judges and magistrates, a mixed multitude, who know the time of my return. I dismount from my riding animal, wash my hands, and go out to them to persuade them to wait for me while I have a light repast, which I do from time to time. I then go out to heal them and write [prescriptions] for them. They come in and out sometimes until night, and at times, by faith in the Torah, until the end of two hours into the night [around 8:00 pm]. I speak with them while lying down because of great fatigue. When night falls I am utterly exhausted that I cannot speak.
The result is that no Israelite can speak with me or meet with me except on the Sabbath. Then they all come after the prayer, and I direct the community concerning what they should do all week. …This is my daily schedule, and I have only told some of what you would see, with the help of G-d (may He be exalted).
In an earlier letter to Jonathan of Lunel, depicting an illness he had written:
Most of the day I lie in bed, and the yoke of the gentiles is on my neck regrading medical matters, which have sapped my strength, and have not left me one hour, neither day or night. But what can I do now that my reputation has reached most countries?” – pgs. 440-441
“But as for other compositions, such as the books of Empedocles, the books of Pythagoras, the books of Hermes, and the books of Porphyry – all these are ancient philosophers on which it is not worth wasting one’s time.
The discourse of Plato, the teacher of Aristotle, in his books and compositions, contain enigmas and parables and are also superfluous for an intelligent man; for the books of his pupil Aristotle cover all that was composed previously. His opinion – I mean to say, the opinion of Aristotle – is the ultimate of human opinion, save for those who received divine overflow, so that they attained the rank of prophecy, which is the highest rank.” – pg. 443
“Because of this, I do not find an hour for studying anything of the law, and I only study Scripture on the day of the Sabbath. As for the rest of the sciences, I do not find time to study any of them. I am deeply aggrieved by this.” – pg. 445
“Like the philosophical schools in late antiquity, Maimonides taught that a main cause of disorder and suffering were the passions, unregulated desires and exaggerated fears. Philosophy or the law is a therapeutic of the passions, a transformation of the person’s mode of seeing and being.
The training that Maimonides prescribed, like Stoic training, required exercising the soul to be unmoved by passions. The goal is a life of virtue, equanimity, and imperturbability. In living this kind of life, we are not subservient to the play of chance that affects us when we seek physical pleasure or material things, for wisdom and virtue depend upon ourselves alone.” – pg. 463
April 18, 2013
I selected this book for its subtitle "life and world...", expecting a portrait of the 12th century in Spain, Morocco and Egypt. I was anticipating more on Spain's re-conquest, the Crusades and a description of everyday life at the time. The book leaned more towards "civilization's greatest minds" which made it an intellectual history and a heavy slog for a general reader like me with minimal background.
Maimonides, who emigrates with his family from Spain to Fez to Egypt is physician with a scholarly avocation. He brings together all existent law and writes on religions and legal issues. His avocation becomes a vocation.
Joel Kraemer describes this period in the infancy of the world's great monotheistic religions. While monarchs raised armies to fight the groups, commerce between the groups flourished and religious scholars shared spiritual and intellectual ideas.
It seemed to me that all three religions embedded mores of the culture into their religions. Religions re-enforced the culture rather than determined it. This was most apparent to me in the religious laws regarding women. Laws regarding female mobility, their dress, control over their marriage, their financial affairs, etc. seem more earthly than divinely inspired.
The author writes of the insecurity of the times. Illness, shipwreck and banditry are only a few ways to die young. There is not only a fear for one's own life, but a fear among survivors. Kraemer cites Maimonides' brother going down to the sea with a large piece of the family's savings.
This book has both depth and breadth. I give this book the full 5 stars for the author's achievement in bringing all this together.
Maimonides, who emigrates with his family from Spain to Fez to Egypt is physician with a scholarly avocation. He brings together all existent law and writes on religions and legal issues. His avocation becomes a vocation.
Joel Kraemer describes this period in the infancy of the world's great monotheistic religions. While monarchs raised armies to fight the groups, commerce between the groups flourished and religious scholars shared spiritual and intellectual ideas.
It seemed to me that all three religions embedded mores of the culture into their religions. Religions re-enforced the culture rather than determined it. This was most apparent to me in the religious laws regarding women. Laws regarding female mobility, their dress, control over their marriage, their financial affairs, etc. seem more earthly than divinely inspired.
The author writes of the insecurity of the times. Illness, shipwreck and banditry are only a few ways to die young. There is not only a fear for one's own life, but a fear among survivors. Kraemer cites Maimonides' brother going down to the sea with a large piece of the family's savings.
This book has both depth and breadth. I give this book the full 5 stars for the author's achievement in bringing all this together.
August 1, 2017
Elevator pitch: Dude was a really important.
This was very interesting, if dry. The plus side of this book is that it is very accessible. I feel that Maimonides is as mythic a figure as any of folks in the Torah itself, and I never knew anything about him besides he was a doctor and wrote some super important books. This really drew a very human picture, down to knowing he wrote responsa in bed at the end of his day. He is one of the greatest minds in all of humanity, not just Judaism.
This was very interesting, if dry. The plus side of this book is that it is very accessible. I feel that Maimonides is as mythic a figure as any of folks in the Torah itself, and I never knew anything about him besides he was a doctor and wrote some super important books. This really drew a very human picture, down to knowing he wrote responsa in bed at the end of his day. He is one of the greatest minds in all of humanity, not just Judaism.
May 9, 2015
My appreciation for Maimonides has been multiplied by this book, after learning about his life and achievements beyond the religious aspects. The man behind the legend is very interesting and amazing, giving the times and circumstances. Really worthwhile!
June 7, 2019
Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds
Joel Kraemer
Jewish Philosopher circa 12th century Egypt and in Jewish religious circles he is really a big deal.
Simply he has common sense truth for humankind treat people the way you want to be treated. Complicatedly his is a philosophy of faith and that God exists, God is unity and spirituality and eternity. God only should be worshipped, that true prophets revealation are from God. Moses is the most important prophet. The Torah is divine. God is aware of all our actions have faith in the coming messiah and resurection of the dead.
Joel Kraemer vividly portrayed the lives of people who were just as full on and complicated and alive to those that lived then as those that live now & he showed me that we should never forget that.
Joel has brought a rich story you will find it's like peering back through a time machine telescope into the royal courts daily activities for instance his meticulous letter writing and then his descendants preserving his writings and letters to be collated and rediscovered and published centuries later that's just amazing.
It was so enriching listening to Maimonides philosophy it was as if he was right next to you whispering gently to me. It definately moved me this highly revered philospher holy smokes it was good. If I could give it a 6 I would. anyway loved this and you would to if philosophy is your thing.
Joel Kraemer
Jewish Philosopher circa 12th century Egypt and in Jewish religious circles he is really a big deal.
Simply he has common sense truth for humankind treat people the way you want to be treated. Complicatedly his is a philosophy of faith and that God exists, God is unity and spirituality and eternity. God only should be worshipped, that true prophets revealation are from God. Moses is the most important prophet. The Torah is divine. God is aware of all our actions have faith in the coming messiah and resurection of the dead.
Joel Kraemer vividly portrayed the lives of people who were just as full on and complicated and alive to those that lived then as those that live now & he showed me that we should never forget that.
Joel has brought a rich story you will find it's like peering back through a time machine telescope into the royal courts daily activities for instance his meticulous letter writing and then his descendants preserving his writings and letters to be collated and rediscovered and published centuries later that's just amazing.
It was so enriching listening to Maimonides philosophy it was as if he was right next to you whispering gently to me. It definately moved me this highly revered philospher holy smokes it was good. If I could give it a 6 I would. anyway loved this and you would to if philosophy is your thing.
May 14, 2020
Amazing work by the author, based on surviving copies of Moses Maimon's works, and the unique tradition of letters being copied and stored in a genizah.
Starts off with a picture of the times
Moves on to his travels, political conditions, and contemporaries.
As he settles in Egypt in his 30s, and works on his heavy-weight compendiums.
The book then details interesting bits of them in the second half.
This man was truly a polymath.
Be warned, the text can get heavy, especially with the language of the times, when translated.
I'd love to lay my hands on his books, with a modern translation.
Starts off with a picture of the times
Moves on to his travels, political conditions, and contemporaries.
As he settles in Egypt in his 30s, and works on his heavy-weight compendiums.
The book then details interesting bits of them in the second half.
This man was truly a polymath.
Be warned, the text can get heavy, especially with the language of the times, when translated.
I'd love to lay my hands on his books, with a modern translation.
January 10, 2020
Fantastic,complicated book about a fascinating and intelligent man and his times
September 26, 2014
This is a fabulous book about one of the great philosophers of Western Civilization. He modernized the Jewish legal code and equally important demonstrated the compatibility of Jewish theology with Aristotelian philosophy just as Thomas Aqunias had for Christian theology and his fellow Spanish countryman Averroes had for Muslim theology. Thus due to Maimonides the three great religions believing in the same good also shared a common philosophical outlook.
This book should be read by Jews, Christians and Muslims all of whom have something to learn about their own beliefs from it.
This book should be read by Jews, Christians and Muslims all of whom have something to learn about their own beliefs from it.
February 13, 2019
Interesting Content in a Difficult Volume
This book has a way of taking the reader back to the 12th century and provides some very interesting content including translations of original documents that have survived all of these centuries. . It's written in a very scholarly style and somewhat difficult to understand. Unless the reader is an accomplished scholar an accompanying dictionary is a must. For this I found reading the book on a kindle enabled instantaneous definitions of the frequent unfamiliar words. This book is rather un-approachable to an everyday reader.
This book has a way of taking the reader back to the 12th century and provides some very interesting content including translations of original documents that have survived all of these centuries. . It's written in a very scholarly style and somewhat difficult to understand. Unless the reader is an accomplished scholar an accompanying dictionary is a must. For this I found reading the book on a kindle enabled instantaneous definitions of the frequent unfamiliar words. This book is rather un-approachable to an everyday reader.
March 8, 2017
This was a terribly written book about an incredibly interesting individual. Let's just say it was worse than reading an 8th grade history textbook from cover to cover...
November 11, 2019
An amazing biography. rich, interesting, intelligent and simply a joy to read
December 4, 2018
Thoroughly researched.
June 1, 2022
A lengthy detailed account of Maimonides and his legacy with extensive historical cultural backdrop of the era
March 1, 2022
Think you know the history of the late middle ages? Think you know about Rabbinic Judaism or the history of the Jews during the twelfth century? Read this book! It covers those things and much more. This authoritative biography on the 12th-century philosopher Maimonides was written by a scholar who was known for his work on the cultural transmission of the intellectual heritage of Greek antiquity to the worlds of Islamicate civilization. The book is more than a biography. It analyzes most of Maimonides' writings. I enjoyed every minute of this superbly produced audiobook and learned an enormous amount.
November 27, 2024
I was much more interested in his life and times than his writings, which probably doesn’t make sense when you’re listening to a book about Maimonides, so those sections dragged a bit for me, but the book was fascinating overall.
November 22, 2016
The book is a biography of Moses ben Maimon or Maimonides. It covers his life, including his milieu, his writings, and his relations. The book starts in part one in Spain, or Andalusia, where it covers the politics, culture, and Maimonides early studies and writings. In part two it moves on to his life in Morocco and the Holy Land. In this part it also covers a controversial issue of whether or not he converted to Islam, which in any case he had returned to Judaism if he did. Part three, four, and five cover his life in Egypt. There, in the early years he worked on his The Commentary on the Mishnah, (the Mishnah being the core to the Talmud), his time as the leader of the Jewish community, his writing of a letter to Yemen, dealing with the Jewish persecution there, and his relationship with his son, David. In the middle years the book deals with how he dealt with a shady character who tried to usurp authority, his role in community affairs, the many responsa he wrote to written inquiries, and the writing of his great compendium of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah. Finally, covering his later years when he wrote his major philosophical work, The Guide of the Perplexed. It is a work attempting to jive Jewish religion with Aristotelian philosophy, written to a long time student in a series of letters. Also covered were some of his later works, and the his life as a Physician, which kept him so busy he had too little time for himself or visitors who were seeking his company.
This is a well research biography by Joel L. Kraemer. He uses many primary sources in this biography, and it shows. In the book there is a one thing more that proves the proverb, there is nothing new under the Sun (of course, this is not always true). On page 468 Kraemer relates Maimonides’ advice to the depressive, writing: ”His advise to give up negative ways of thinking that distorts reality and cause distress resembles the teaching of cognitive therapy.” One other thing I would like to mention is that I read his The Guide of the Perplexed, and I was not impressed.
The book was good and interesting for the most part. At times, being a long book (close to 500 pages), it seemed to lagged. Still it was informative and enjoyable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about one of the, if not, the most important Jewish religious scholar and philosopher of the Middle Ages.
This is a well research biography by Joel L. Kraemer. He uses many primary sources in this biography, and it shows. In the book there is a one thing more that proves the proverb, there is nothing new under the Sun (of course, this is not always true). On page 468 Kraemer relates Maimonides’ advice to the depressive, writing: ”His advise to give up negative ways of thinking that distorts reality and cause distress resembles the teaching of cognitive therapy.” One other thing I would like to mention is that I read his The Guide of the Perplexed, and I was not impressed.
The book was good and interesting for the most part. At times, being a long book (close to 500 pages), it seemed to lagged. Still it was informative and enjoyable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about one of the, if not, the most important Jewish religious scholar and philosopher of the Middle Ages.
January 28, 2011
A very scholarly biography. There are probably 100 pages of references in the back to original sources that back up the author's telling of Maimonides' life. He does a fantastic job of explaining the background, and giving overviews of Maimonides writings. The author is Jewish and is quick to point out the persecution that Jews experienced in this era while it seems that other authors try to make this era seem like a time of Muslim tolerance. But even though the author is quick to point out persecutions in other things he is even handed, for instance he states Maimonides belief about Christianity being antinoministic (having no law) but then goes on to show that a brief reading of the Gospels would show this to not be true.
The book is a great read because the author seems to love his subject matter and is obviously fascinated with Maimonides. He loves to show off the genius of this Rabbinic philosopher. He also does not go to ridiculous lengths to sound sound educated. At times the author does use big words, but he never does it to show off or impress. Instead he focuses on explaining his subject matter. This is what is needed out of a biography. However, the author does assume that the reader has some basic knowledge of philosophy. So, if you are completely unschooled in this matter it may be wise to pick an introductory book on this matter. The author also discusses the Torah, The Writings, and the Prophets quite frequently. It helps if you have already read the Old Testament as well.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Maimonides, has some basic background in philosophy, and has read the Bible atleast once.
The book is a great read because the author seems to love his subject matter and is obviously fascinated with Maimonides. He loves to show off the genius of this Rabbinic philosopher. He also does not go to ridiculous lengths to sound sound educated. At times the author does use big words, but he never does it to show off or impress. Instead he focuses on explaining his subject matter. This is what is needed out of a biography. However, the author does assume that the reader has some basic knowledge of philosophy. So, if you are completely unschooled in this matter it may be wise to pick an introductory book on this matter. The author also discusses the Torah, The Writings, and the Prophets quite frequently. It helps if you have already read the Old Testament as well.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Maimonides, has some basic background in philosophy, and has read the Bible atleast once.
April 1, 2016
This is a great work of scholarly erudition. However, a biography should give insight into the person not just his writings or his world. I feel like I know nothing of who Maimonides was as a person. There is no more depth to him than a Wikipedia article would have even with 600 pages with which to work. Also, the commentaries on his writings are solid, but a serious scholar should read the primary sources available and make his or her own decision on their merits. The best thing about this book was the historical context in which Maimonides is placed. Even if you've read about the medieval Spanish and Islamic worlds, there are many fascinating details that are added when dealing with an individual as the subject as opposed to an entire civilization. This is what recommends the book to the common reader. However, if you are not interested in medieval Islam and its dealings with Christianity in Spain and Northern Africa, this book is not for you. If you are a serious scholar of Judaism or is Medieval Islam you will find much of value in this fabulously researched tome.
December 12, 2019
A lot of not-Maimonides in this book. I understand we're limited on sourcing and material on the man, but where there are gaps the author should just say so. No need to wax on about what may or may not have been unless there's some real umph to it. Furthermore, there is too much of his "world," as I'm largely interested only in how that connects to him, which was not always demonstrated.
To add, some of the passages around Egyptian eroticism and the Song of Songs as an erotic poem are, unnecessary, to say the least.
The book was strongest while actually discussing Maimonides work and thought, though much of it focused on form rather than content. There was a distinct lack of depth, though the chapter on medical philosophy was interesting.
You don't really get a sense of Maimonides as a person from this book. The end is illustrative: Despite concluding with Maimonides praising his son, we hear almost nothing about his family. I expect there are better biographies out there.
To add, some of the passages around Egyptian eroticism and the Song of Songs as an erotic poem are, unnecessary, to say the least.
The book was strongest while actually discussing Maimonides work and thought, though much of it focused on form rather than content. There was a distinct lack of depth, though the chapter on medical philosophy was interesting.
You don't really get a sense of Maimonides as a person from this book. The end is illustrative: Despite concluding with Maimonides praising his son, we hear almost nothing about his family. I expect there are better biographies out there.
January 17, 2022
Didn't finish -- no fault of the author or the book, it just wasn't the right book for me just now. I expect I'll return to it one day.
Read
July 25, 2010I'm about half way through what I'd call a fairly dense "lay academic" book. And I'm enjoying putting context around a figure who I spent so much time with in college and yeshiva.
And that's great - but somehow it's not quite a "biography" or at least not by my usual expectations. Because what I'm getting is context -- but not a real sense of the person beyond the genius. Perhaps that's a lack in the sources. But still, a lot of the book seems like context without subject.
We'll see how if goes when I finish it.
And that's great - but somehow it's not quite a "biography" or at least not by my usual expectations. Because what I'm getting is context -- but not a real sense of the person beyond the genius. Perhaps that's a lack in the sources. But still, a lot of the book seems like context without subject.
We'll see how if goes when I finish it.
June 13, 2014
Finally finished with this huge tome. Kraemer's book is very comprehensive, including many references to tertiary characters and sources. While this level of detail may be important to historians and religious scholars, it becomes tedious for the average reader. The minutiae interferes with the narrative. Nonetheless, I learned much about this great man and his work that I did not know previously. Warning: this is a two bookmark book.
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