Maimonides: Faith in Reason

by Alberto Manguel

An exploration of Maimonides, the medieval philosopher, physician, and religious thinker, author of The Guide of the Perplexed , from one of the world’s foremost bibliophiles
 
Moses ben Maimon, or Maimonides (1138–1204), was born in Córdoba, Spain. The gifted son of a judge and mathematician, Maimonides fled Córdoba with his family when he was thirteen due to Almohad persecution of all non-Islamic faiths. Forced into a long exile, the family spent a decade in Spain before settling in Morocco. From there, Maimonides traveled to Palestine and Egypt, where he died at Saladin’s court.
 
As a scholar of Jewish law, a physician, and a philosopher, Maimonides was a singular figure. His work in extracting all the commanding precepts of Jewish law from the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud, interpreting and commenting on them, and translating them into terms that would allow students to lead sound Jewish lives became the model for translating God’s word into a language comprehensible by all. His work in medicine—which brought him such fame that he became Saladin’s personal physician—was driven almost entirely by reason and observation.
 
In this biography, Alberto Manguel examines the question of Maimonides’ universal appeal—he was celebrated by Jews, Arabs, and Christians alike. In our time, when the need for rationality and recognition of the truth is more vital than ever, Maimonides can help us find strategies to survive with dignity in an uncertain world.

Genres: Religion, Biography, Judaism, Philosophy, Jewish, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Alberto Manguel (born 1948 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine-born writer, translator, and editor. He is the author of numerous non-fiction books such as The Dictionary of Imaginary Places (co-written with Gianni Guadalupi in 1980) and A History of Reading (1996) The Library at Night (2007) and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey: A Biography (2008), and novels such as News From a Foreign Country Came (1991).

Manguel believes in the central importance of the book in societies of the written word where, in recent times, the intellectual act has lost most of its prestige. Libraries (the reservoirs of collective memory) should be our essential symbol, not banks. Humans can be defined as reading animals, come into the world to decipher it and themselves.

Reviews

[Brodolomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volim Mangela i mislim da bih čitao sve što napiše – pod uslovom da je napisano u njegovoj esejističkoj formi, jer se s njegovim romanima još nisam susreo. Čitati Mangela znači provoditi vreme u blagosti, nalik na vreme neobaveznog preturanja po policama s knjigama, bez opterećenja ciljem, ali s tihom radošću otkrića. Njegova erudicija nikada nije zagušujuća niti „otežana“ učenošću, kao što je to slučaj s nekim drugim načitanim piscima. Naprotiv, kod njega je znanje blago i razrešeno opterećenja, nalik na balone iz jedne Bodlerove pesme – spremne za putovanje, lagane, i estetski lepe.

„Majmonid: vera u razum“ je knjiga iz Jejlove edicije "Život Jevreja", koja obuhvata više od stotinu biografija znamenitih ličnosti, od Avrama i cara Solomona, do Stenlija Kjubrika i Barbre Strejsend. Odabir da baš Alberto Mangel piše o Majmonidu, najznačajnijem jevrejskom filozofu srednjeg veka, može delovati iznenađujuće jer se on ne bavi ni judaistikom, pa ni istorijom filozofije u užem smislu. I to je dobro jer takvih knjiga sigurno ima dosta. Upravo zato je ovaj tekst dragocen. Mangel ne pristupa Majmonidu kao stručnjak, već kao ono što je kod njega uvek u prvom planu – kao čitalac. Ali ne staje na tome: on vidi i samog Majmonida kao čitaoca. I to nikad ne zaboravlja.

Jevreji su nazivani narodom Knjige jer se njihova religijska praksa velikim delom zasniva na neprekidnom čitanju i na interpretaciji, interpretaciji interpretacije, pa i interpretaciji interpretacije interpretacije svetih tekstova. U tom nekom nizu interpretatora našao se i Majmonid, koji je ipak postao i daleko najuticajniji, pa samim time i kontroverzniji među nizom interpretatora jer je veri pridružio razum. Vera i razum kod Majmonida nisu suprotstavljeni – oni su nužni jedno drugom. Bog se, po Majmonidu, ne spoznaje samo kroz objavu (Toru), već i kroz filozofski um – pre svega kroz Aristotelovu misao (Majmonid je čitao Aristotela kroz prizmu arapskih prevoda i komentara). Pravi vernik nije onaj koji prihvata bez razmišljanja, već onaj koji i svet i svete tekstove obrađuje razumom a život živi zlatnom sredinom (opet Aristotel). U suštini: Bog je jedinstven, nematerijalan i neshvatljiv (može se opisati samo onim što nije) – ali čovek ga mora tražiti razumom. Poslednje i najobimnije poglavlje donosi širok spektar različitih čitanja i Majmonidovog uticaja u evropskoj kulturi.

Nisam bio siguran na početku da li me ova tema uopšte zanimala, ali sam uživao od prve do poslednje strane. Mangel sve objašnjava s takvom merom: dovoljno filozofskih refleksija da stvari imaju težinu, dovoljno istorisjkog konteksta da ne ostaneš izgubljen, i taman toliko književnih digresija i referenci da ti bude milina.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nice high level overview of Maimonides. The author also discusses Maimonides’ impacts up to the modern age and includes those who agreed and disagreed with his tenets. The Jewish Lives series often provides a high level overview that points you in the right direction if you want to know more and this book is no different. I recommend it for anyone unfamiliar or barely familiar with the Rambam.

[küb · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Bilgi, Tanrı sevgisine götürür, diye yazmıştır Maimonides ve ‘kişinin sevgisinin tabiatı, bilgisinin tabiatına bağlıdır.’ “

Maimonides veya İslam dünyasında Musa bin Meymun adıyla bilinen Yahudi bilgininin hayatına Manguel bakışıyla göz atıyoruz. Bize Maimonides’in gelişimini, yaşamını, hayat dinamiğini, fikri gelişim aşamalarını sererek düşünce gücünün nasıl güçlendiğini ortaya koyuyor.
Ortak paylaşı olan geniş toplulukların nasıl potansiyellere sahip olacağını göstermesi açısından çok başarılı. Üzerine düşüneceğiniz ve dahası düşüncenin nasıl hassas terazide bir sanat olduğunu gösteren bir kitap.

Maimonides şöyle yazar: "[Cahil biri] var olan her şeyin onun şahsi menfaati için var olduğunu hayal eder; sanki onun dışında hiçbir şey yoktur. Başına istemediği bir şey gelirse de var olan her şeyin kesinlikle kötü olduğuna hükmeder. Fakat insan var olanı değerlendirip kendi kendine bir temsilini oluşturabilseydi ve kendisinin var olan içinde ne kadar küçük bir yer tuttuğunu bilseydi hakikat onun için apaçık ve net hale gelirdi."

[Olivia Ransom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, concise book, in a few words, I would call it Maimonides for beginners, a must-read.

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

A somewhat sketchy and wholly uncritical overview.

[Alvaro Zinos-Amaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

An erudite but accessible introduction; exactly what one would wish for.

Chapters 2, 3 & 4, the biographical core, are perforce shorter than I would have liked, but get the job done.

Chapter 16 is a tour de force of historical reception and influence. Not coincidentally, it is much longer than the preceding chapters, and feels like we're only scratching the surface. It makes me dream of a book, perhaps titled Maimonidesism, a la Alex Ross' Wagnerism, which would cover in depth Maimonides' huge intellectual and spiritual influence.

[M. Altuğ Yayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alberto Manguel’in Maimonides adlı eserinin, İbn Meymun üzerine derli toplu ve özlü bir biyografi sunduğunu düşünüyorum. Maimonides’in düşünce dünyasında belirleyici olan temel unsurlar başarıyla ortaya konmuş. Özellikle onun felsefi ve teolojik görüşleri üzerindeki İslamî etkilerin gösterilmesi, eseri daha da zenginleştiriyor. Manguel, farklı kültürlerin iç içe geçtiği bir entelektüel ortamda yetişen bu büyük düşünürü anlamak için etkili bir yol açıyor. Kitap, ortak bir yaşamın nasıl ortak fikirler doğurabileceğine dair bana ilham veren, verimli bir okuma deneyimi sundu.

[Rory Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but a little sketchy and uncritical.

Moses Maimonides (d.1204) was a fascinating medieval figure who applied imaginative creativity and rigorous logic to Jewish thought, thereby producing some classic treatises on the Law and on general theological themes. His views have led to condemnation from some Jewish thinkers, while others have treasured his ideas and recommend his books.

This book provides a clear account of the major events in Maimonides life, including the persecution which caused him to flee from Spain. We head how Maimonides may have even gone through the motions of converting to Islam. This is by no means certain, but in his correspondence with other Jews Maimonides stressed the duty to stay alive, rather than dying needlessly as a martyr, so that may be advice which he himself followed.

One of the particularly enjoyable features of the book is the way that it brings Maimonides to life with his personal difficulties and family problems, as well as his quirks. We hear for example of him providing medical assistance to a Muslim sultan, and recommending wine as part of his treatment. Explaining himself he said that he would be remiss as a medical doctor to not recommend what he knows is healthy for the body, and it is up to his patient to apply any religious factors in deciding whether to follow his advice.

One of the factors which make Maimonides views particularly interesting is that he had a clear vision of the role of how faith and reason should interact. He explained that there are three ways to acquire knowledge: through logic, through sensory perception and through prophetic testimony. All three routes enable people to learn about the world and about God, so faith and reason are, to some extent on a continuum. However, when it comes to knowledge of God, Maimonides also insisted that theology is decidedly apophatic as all that humans can know is what God is not, rather than what God is.

We hear of disagreements between Maimonides and Muslim scholars, such as the Mutakallim’s belief that ‘everything that is conceivable by the imagination is admissible’ (27%). Expressed in that way, this sounds like a version of what would later be described as logical possibility. We are told that Maimonides dismissed the idea, but it is not clear in this book why he took that approach.

Similarly, we are told that Maimonides fell out with members of his Jewish community over his attempts to reconcile Aristotle and the book of Genesis. We hear that these disagreements rumbled on for centuries after his death, but the full detail of the disagreement is not provided in this book, so it isn’t clear whether, and to what extent Maimonides or his critics were arguably wrong.

One of the surprising features of this book is how much detail is given in the final chapters to tracing the history of the reception of Maimonides thought. A very comprehensive review cites centuries of thinkers and their views of Maimonides. This is interesting, but it is provided at the expense of giving us more information about Maimonides' thought and at the expense of critically evaluating his ideas. I would have welcomed more detail about the expression of his thought and the content of his disagreements, rather than so much detail about the history of the reception of his thought.

(These comments are based on the 2023 Yale University Press edition)

[Israel Drazin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maimonides: Faith in Reason
Yale University Press (Jewish Lives)
By Alberto Manguel
256 pages, 2023
ISBN 978-0-300-21789-6
$14.84
Maimonides: Faith in Reason

Alberto Manguel’s 2023 “Maimonides: Faith in Reason,” a significant addition to Jewish studies, is published by Yale University Press. This book is a comprehensive introduction to the life, books, and ideas of the great Jewish philosopher, law writer, and physician Moses ben Maimon, also known as Rambam and Maimonides. Manguel, the author of ten nonfiction and three fiction books not on Jewish subjects, contributes his book to the series of Jewish Lives. In partnership with the Leon D. Black Foundation, Yale University Press has published over sixty books, including this volume in Jewish Lives. Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretive biographies designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity, with over thirty more books forthcoming.
The Manguel book is 256 pages long, with a four-page preface, sixteen chapters comprising 178 pages, a three-page conclusion, extensive learned notes ending on page 212, a two-page list of Maimonides's principal works, two pages of acknowledgment, and a two-column fourteen-page index. Manguel frequently compares Maimonides's ideas with those of prominent, highly respected thinkers, Jewish and non-Jewish, which is enlightening and helps readers better understand Maimonides. Readers will learn much from Manguel’s interpretations.
In his first four chapters, he provides a fascinating biography and history of the great sage. He then follows this with chapters devoted to Maimonides the physician, scholar, philosopher, and believer, lessons drawn from the Exodus, Talmud, the Law, Mishneh Torah, The Guide of the Perplexed, what virtue is, and a lengthy chapter on the many famous Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers who read and thought about Maimonides. These include those who immediately reacted to the publication of his books and later renowned thinkers such as Spinoza and St. Thomas Aquinas. He describes how these scholars agreed and disagreed with Maimonides.
In this chapter, he also reveals the widespread disagreements on interpreting what we read Maimonides is saying. I experienced this disagreement also. For example, when I had correspondence with the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, a mystic requested that I, who was then on active duty as a general in the US Army, speak about the Noahide Commandments. I agreed. In a letter I wrote to him after doing so throughout the world. I said I did so as a follower of Maimonides, not because I am a Lubavitcher Chasid. He responded that he was also a follower of Maimonides. While some scholars would agree that Maimonides had mystical ideas, I think he did not.
To cite another example. I corresponded with a highly respected professor who was an expert on Maimonides. I have read and am still reading his many books and articles. In one book, he wrote his interpretation of Maimonides's statement that prophets needed a high level of imagination. I wrote suggesting that the need for a high-level imagination was more straightforward than he suggested. I said that since each prophet needed to articulate their vision in clear language and did so in their way with their poetic expressions, metaphors, and examples, they needed an excellent imagination to do so effectively. This made him very angry at me.
I am emphasizing these differences in interpretation to alert readers that while the book is very good, not everybody will agree with everything that Manguel states. I do not know of any book about Maimonides that everyone would think is entirely correct.
While praising and recommending this book, I also do not agree with everything he writes. What bothered me the most is that Manguel did not reveal that Leo Strauss took the position, written as the Introduction to Pines’ Guide of the Perplexed, which I agree with, that Maimonides wrote his Guide for two audiences: enlightened, educated people and the average reader who might feel threatened by philosophical ideas. As a result, there are often statements in the Guide that Maimonides expected his educated readers to ignore. These were ideas written to please the average reader.
Many scholars reject Strauss’ understanding. Among them is the famed scholar Isadore Twersky, who knew more about Maimonides than I and the formerly mentioned scholar. But, of course, even great minds make mistakes. What is important to note is that accepting the views written for the typical reader as Maimonides's actual view leads, in my opinion, to wrong conclusions.
An example is Manguel’s discussion of Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles. Many scholars who accept Stauss’ view recognize that Maimonides only accepted the introductory principles that spoke about God, not the rest. Manguel, who ignores Strauss’ view and seems to disagree with it, treated the thirteen as Maimonides’ actual view. An example is the principle that the Torah in our hands today has never changed. Maimonides was very familiar with the multiple changes in the Torah wording, such as those introduced by the Men of the Great Assembly and the changes known as Tekunei Sopherim, which were changes made by other ancient sages for the honor of God. Maimonides wrote the contrary idea in his Thirteen Principles because he felt the average reader would be threatened by the idea that changes were made in what they considered God’s words.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for the Jewish Book Council

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/boo...

[Bob T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoping for a concise biography that explained Maimonides' philosophy in simple terms. This was a bit more in depth than that.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am still perplexed. Twenty years ago I tried to read Maimonides’ “Guide of the Perplexed” and got nowhere with it . After reading this book, I’m pretty sure that I’d have the same reaction to it today, though I have done a fair amount of studying in the meantime. Maybe, just maybe, I could handle the “Mishneh Torah,” though I expect that even that would be on the edge of my understanding. I’m sure that Maimonides would not have considered me to be a proper, fully prepared student, so it would have been no surprise to him that I would have trouble with his writings. He would probably not even have any interest teaching me without an attitude adjustment and another decade of study.

For all of this, I still feel the pull of Maimonides. He had a life of incredible accomplishment in most difficult times. As a doctor he followed the deeply flawed teachings of Galen and Hippocrates, but because he was a caring person and because he carefully considered the different circumstances of each patient, I’ll bet that he did a lot more good than harm in his medical practice. As a leader of the Jewish community in Egypt, I’m sure that he was inspiring and wise. His deep knowledge of Greek and Arab scholarship and his direct experience of the cultures of Spain, North Africa, Egypt and the Holy Land gave him a broader cultural perspective than almost any of his contemporaries.

But as a scholar, he puzzles me. He was deeply committed to learning and reason. And he was deeply religious. He believed unquestioningly in the Torah as the word of God. All fair enough. And I’m prepared to believe that his studies took him to a level of comprehension that is far beyond me. But the application of his reason was mostly based on picking and choosing what appealed to him and rejecting what didn’t. That’s not really reason in my book. And in his reading or the Torah he looked for allegory and hidden meaning beneath the surface stories, but who is to say that his hidden meaning was the real hidden meaning? I’m sure that sometimes that is possible. There are clues in the text and in the history and in the commentaries that suggest what is going on under the surface and that it is one thing rather than another. And I think that the Torah, like any great spiritual work, has much that can be read into it. But I’m much more of the point of view that you can read into it whatever works for you. If it is consistent with the basic tenets of the faith and helps you on your spiritual journey, then let the hidden meaning be whatever you find. I have trouble believing that Maimonides’ hidden meanings are ultimately more true than yours or mine.

Finally, I have to note how much I like the writing of Alberto Manguel. I have read several of his books and have come to love his writing style. He wanders about a bit and makes references and connections that are often a little off the wall, but they are always apt and frequently make me smile. If Maimonides would have disdained me as being less than half baked as scholar of the Torah, I think that Mr. Manguel and I would instantly become blood brothers if we were to meet in real life. His love of books and history and learning and connections fits snugly with my own.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dictionary defines a biography as an account of someone’s life. Normally, that means outlining the events that took place between a person’s birth and death. However, two recent works are as much, if not more, interested ion the aftereffects of their subjects’ lives than they are of the details of those lives. In “Maimonides: Faith in Reason” (Yale University Press), Alberto Manguel offers far more information about Maimonides’ writings and how future generations were influenced by them than he does of his subject’s life. While Benjamin Balint does offer more details about Bruno Schultz’s life, he also focuses on the artist/author’s work and the debate over who should own his heritage in “Bruno Schulz: An Artist, a Murder, and the Hijacking of History” (W. W. Norton and Company).
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/past...

[Benji · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Every reasonable man ought to distinguish in his mind and thought all the things that he accepts as trustworthy, and say: 'This I accept as trustworthy because of tradition, and this because of sense-perception, and this on grounds of reason.' Anyone who accepts as trustworthy anything that is not of these three species, of him it is said: 'The simple believes everything' (Prov. 14:15). Thus you ought ro know that fools have composed thousand of books of nothingness and emptiness. Any number of men, great in years but not in wisdom, wasted all their days in studying these books and imagined that these follies are science. '

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another look at Maimonides--much shorter than the previous, very exhaustive study that I read--but like that one, all trees, and no forest. Perhaps, after 800 or so years, the details but not an overview, are all that's left of Maimonides. This book did have a lengthy and useful essay on his influence on later writers and thinkers.

[Bill Dauster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short biography of Maimonides and his legacy

[adeline Bronner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essai magnifique qui rappelle que la pensée est un art délicat et en libre accès!
Le dernier chapiteau sur les lecteurs de Maimonide est particulièrement stimulant.