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Biography of MaimonidesName: MaimonidesBirth Date: March 30, 1135 Death Date: December 13, 1204 Place of Birth: Cordova, Spain Nationality: Gender: Male Occupations: philosopher Maimonides Maimonides (1135-1204), or Moses ben Maimon, was the greatest Jewish philosopher of the Middle Ages. His commentaries on, and codification of, the rabbinic tradition established him as a major religious authority in Judaism.Maimonides was born at Cordova, Spain, on March 30, 1135. From his father, Rabbi Maimon ben Joseph, he received his early education in mathematics and astronomy as well as in rabbinic literature, which interpreted the Jewish Scriptures and defined the laws and ritual of the Jewish community. Living in southern Spain, Maimonides also came into contact with Greek and Arabian philosophy, especially the thought of Avicenna.In 1148, when Maimonides was only 13, the Almohads conquered Cordova and introduced a policy that forced conversion, exile, or death on non-Moslems. After 12 years of wandering from town to town in southern Spain, the family finally settled at Fez in Morocco. During this period of wandering, Maimonides wrote a treatise on the Jewish calendar and …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…t on Dec. 13, 1204, and, after a period of mourning in the Jewish communities in Egypt, his body was transported to Palestine and buried at Tiberias in Galilee. His Guide became the fundamental text for medieval Jewish philosophy. Further Reading There are two English translations of Maimonides's Guide. The best is The Guide of the Perplexed, translated with an excellent introduction by Shlomo Pines (1963). Older but still useful is the translation by M. Friedländer (1881; rev. ed. 1962). Of high quality is the work of I. Münz, Maimonides: The Story of His Life and Genius, translated by H. T. Schnittkind (1912; trans. 1935). Two collections of essays on Maimonides that reflect scholarship are I. Epstein, ed., Moses Maimonides: 1135-1204 (1935), and Salo Baron, ed., Essays on Maimonides: An Octocentennial Volume (1941). Also useful is A. Cohen, ed., The Teachings of Maimonides (1927; repr. 1968). A good introduction to Maimonides is Ilil Arbel's Maimonides: A Spiritual Biography (2001). |